Ezekiel Chapter 19: A Bible Commentary By Charles R. Sabo

Ezekiel: A Bible Commentary

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??????????????????????????????????????????? ??Chapter 19

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This chapter is a lamentation for the house of Israel to ponder upon and lament over. As the Lord spoke in allegory and imagery, He laid out a sad story to be contemplated. The lamentation ends as if there was no hope, thus making it even sadder. But in realization, the faithful will come to notice, that there were sons and daughters of Judah in the captivity; Even better, they would realize that there were even sons of the bloodline of David within the captivity as well; their faith would grow even stronger when they would realize that God always keeps His promises, because Messiah was still going to be sent no matter what. ?

Ezekiel 19:1 Moreover you take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, The translators added the adverb “moreover,” when it does not exist in the original Hebrew transcripts. Though it seems insignificant, it just doesn’t seem right adding it. Its meaning is equal to “in addition to,” which would imply that chapter 19 is “in addition to” chapter 18; this doesn’t seem true, when considering the agenda of chapter 18 was totally different from that of chapter 19 (theology lesson vs. lamentation).

We know that some of the princes of Judah had fled when King Zedekiah had, and was slain in front of him, by the Babylonians (Jer. 52:10). We also know that the princes of Judah (under king Jehoiachin) were taken captive by Babylon in the second wave of captivity, which was when Ezekiel was taken (Jer. 24:1, Ezek. 17:12, 2 Chron. 36:18). We can find that these princes (or their sons) were a part of the returning remnant seventy-some years later, who had advised with Ezra (Ezra 7:28; 8:20; 9:1-2; 10:8).

The lamentation for the princes of Israel is a sad story of the descendants of Judah, son of Jacob. The scepter shall never depart from the bloodline of Judah (Gen. 49:10), which would eventually lead to Messiah. The evil side of this bloodline was destroyed between the three sieges of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar. The sons (princes) of Judah had also been taken in the first two sieges, thus the scepter of Judah still could be fulfilled through Messiah (2 Sam. 7:12-14). ?

10?The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Gen. 49:10) ??

Ezekiel 19:2 ?And say: “What is your mother, a lioness?” “She lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.” I have corrected the horrible punctuation for this verse. I changed the question mark following the noun “mother” and replaced it with a comma (,) and moved the question mark after the noun “lioness.” The statement to follow that question is the evidence that led to the question.

This allegory being used, refers again back to Genesis 49, when 49:8-9 assigned the identity of a lion to Judah, son of Jacob/Israel.

?8?Judah, you are he whom your brethren shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you.

9?Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, you are gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? (Gen. 49:8-9)

If the entirety of the bloodline of Judah is a lion’s whelp, then the answer to the Lord’s question is a big fat “yes!” The mother of any lion is a lioness. The Hebrew verb “rā?a?” was used in Genesis 49:9 as couched, while the same Hebrew verb was used by Ezekiel and translated as “lay down.”

If the entire bloodline of Judah is to be considered “lions,” then the lioness laid down and nourished her whelps among the other lions of Judah. The son of Judah, was raised, educated, and taught (nourished) among other young sons of Judah.

Ezekiel 19:3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. Looking ahead to the next verse, we can determine that this young whelp of Judah was King Jehoahaz, who was anointed by the people to rule over Judah, after Pharaoh Necho II had killed the last righteous king of Judah (King Josiah) in 609 B.C (2 Kings 23:29-31). “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the?Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.” (2 Kings 23:32) According to the Lord here, in that three months that King Jehoahaz had reigned, he was evil and devoured men, or destroyed men.

Ezekiel 19:4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. This verse clues us in on what lion’s whelp of Judah had learned to catch the prey and devoured men. The pronoun “him” refers back to the noun expression “one of her whelps” within the previous verse.

And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there. (2 Kings 23:34)?

?????????The biblical reference to “nations” usually refers to Gentile nations, who probably heard of the wicked things that King Jehoahaz had been doing. The Pharaoh did not like a king over Judah, who would not be obedient to him, so he came back to Judah and assigned a king (Eliakim), who would be more loyal to him. He took away Jehoahaz in chains and brought him back to Egypt, where he was never heard from again (2 Kings 23:34, 2 Chron. 36:4).

Ezekiel 19:5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. If we read the clues within the next few verses, we can identify this next son of Judah. The mother (lioness [she]) of Judah gave birth to Jehoiakim, who reigned in Judah for eleven years (2 Chron. 36:5). The hope described here would be the hope of Judah that a righteous king would come as promised by God through Jacob (Gen. 49:8-11) and King David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14. Her hope was lost, but because there were still sons of Judah alive, there needed to be hope left. ?

Ezekiel 19:6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. The pronoun “he” refers back to the young lion of the previous verse. I have determined that this refers to king Jehoiakim, who grew up and hung out with the other sons of Judah (lions). He learned just like the last young lion, who learned to catch his prey, then devoured (destroyed) them. 2 Chronicles 36:5 indicates that King Jehoiakim did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, which means he did the same as his fathers (2 Kings 23:37). He killed those who spoke out against his evil, as did the many evil kings before him.

Ezekiel 19:7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. The English translators really messed this verse up. The pronoun “he” reflects back to the “young lion” of verse 19:5. The pronoun “their” reflects back on the “men” last spoken of within the previous verse. The translators chose a wrong definition for the Hebrew noun “'almāna” as “desolate places,” but the correct definition for this Hebrew noun better fits the context. The Hebrew noun “'almāna” is also defined as “widows.” King Jehoiakim was so wicked, that he killed men who disagreed with his policies, and he also “knew” their “widows.” The Hebrew verb “yā?a?” also can mean” “to know someone from having sexual intercourse with them.” This should be read as: “and he knew their widows.”

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Gen. 4:1) ?

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Gen. 4:25)?

??????The Books of Jeremiah, 2 Kings, and 2 Chronicles do not disclose the information in this verse, therefore Ezekiel’s information is exclusive information provided by the Lord. While King Jehoiakim slayed the men who spoke out against him, he raped (knew unwillingly) their widows, and destroyed their home cities and land completely (and the fullness thereof). Interestingly, the Hebrew noun “??'ā?a” is defined as the roaring of a lion, or roaring of the wicked. The allegory fits the literal in this case. ??

Ezekiel 19:8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. After King Jehoiakim (him) served King Nebuchadnezzar three years, he then rebelled against him (2 Kings 24:1). The Lord acted immediately and sent the surrounding nations against Judah and Jerusalem. ?

2?And the?Lord?sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the?Lord, which he spoke by his servants the prophets. (2 Kings 24:2)?

???????It seems that the second siege of Jerusalem had two incidents. The siege of Jerusalem, which led to the captivity of King Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:2, 2 Chron. 36:6), was an actual mini-wave of the Babylonian Captivity; three months and ten days later (2 Chron. 36:9), the Babylonians returned to take King Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim’s son) captive and taken over to the rest of the captives along the Chebar River. The King Jehoiachin captivity was the much larger siege, when as many as ten thousand Judeans were taken (2 Kings 24:14). The “pit” is allegory as a lion pit, which reflects the captivity of this lion, Jehoiakim.

Ezekiel 19:9 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. The Hebrew word used by Ezekiel is “s??ar,” which means: “cage, prison, cage with hooks.” The Babylonians armies (they) put King Jehoiakim in “cage in chains, when transporting.” He was brought to King Nebuchadnezzar in chains, then put him into “mā???,” which was actually a siege-works, or bulwark used to restrain him. The part concerning this lion’s voice, never being heard again on the mountains of Israel, seems to imply the application of a muzzle; it could have happened, but cannot be confirmed. Clearly, he was kept in a heavily restrained siege works, which no lion, or man could ever hear him roar in Israel ever again.

Ezekiel 19:10 Your mother is like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. We can compare this vine to the vine of 17:6-10, while understanding this mother still is addressed as the lioness of this chapter. The blood pertains to the bloodline of Judah, while the mothers of Judah had been the vine that had kept the bloodline flowing. The sons of Judah cannot reproduce more sons without the women of Judah. The male lions of Judah cannot continue to produce more lions without the lioness (mother). Judah and Jerusalem were plentiful in water, because of the many rivers that bled through the land.

The mother (she) of the lions (Judah) was like a vine that kept them growing in population (full of branches). As the vine of Judah, she was fruitful (many offspring) because of the abundantly watered land of Judah.

Ezekiel 19:11 And she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. This verse is still addressing the mothers of the Judah bloodline. The pronoun “she” reflects back upon the noun “mother” of the previous verse. The Lord used idioms like this towards His prophecy of Messiah. Ezekiel used the Hebrew noun “ma??ê,” translated as “rods,” which is defined as: “staff, branch, tribe.” The rods were the chutes of offspring, which she mothered and nurtured. ?

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (Is. 11:1)

The Hebrew noun “choter” is used by Isaiah to refer to a “rod” sprouting from the “geza`” (stump or stem) of Jesse. The noun “choter” is better translated as “twig,” which sprouted out of the stump of Jesse. The translators used the English noun “stem” when actually the noun “stump” might be more fitting. The Davidic line, who ruled in fear rather than righteousness, failed to uphold God’s covenant. With the captivity of Judah by the Babylonians, the Davidic kings’ rule had been discontinued, so it in a sense was a tree stump rather than a stem.[1]

The “twig” or rod then grew out of the tree stump, which still had life within its roots. The second half of verse one then reveals that the “Branch” shall grow out of the root of the bloodline of Jesse, who was David’s father. The Hebrew noun “netser” was used to describe the “Branch” as being a new, green shoot or branch rather than a twig or rod. The Branch should be understood to be Messiah, who descended out of the Davidic bloodline. This was promised to King David within 2 Samuel 7:10-13 and is known as the Davidic Covenant.[2]?

The mothers of Judah raised strong rods (princes) for the Davidic line of Judah, so they were to rule the house of Israel with great strength (for the scepters of them that bear rule). The lioness/vine was given great stature, when the brethren of Judah exalted the Davidic bloodline, thus recognizing the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:10-13). She was always growing in stature when she continued to bring her offspring to be a multitude of Judeans (she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches).?

Ezekiel 19:12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. Up to this point, the lamentation had been confirming the history of the Judean bloodline, but verses 19:12-14 were yet into the future. There had already been two previous sieges of Jerusalem (606 B.C., 598 B.C.), while the fire was yet in the future, which has been repeatedly warned about within the first eighteen chapters of Ezekiel. ?

The conjunction “but” is used here, to reveal the disappointment causing the lamentation of this chapter. The bloodline of the kings had been continuing to rule over the house of Israel, until the destruction that was to come, when God’s fury was to be poured out upon Judah and Jerusalem. The fruitful vine (mothers of Judah) had been plucked up and cast down to the ground. The east wind (Babylon) had destroyed the fruit of the vine (men of Judah), therefore her strong rods (royal bloodline of David) were to become broken and withered, because of the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The literal fire that burned Jerusalem, consumed the fruit (sons of Judah) of the vine (mothers of Judah), which left some in captivity (the fire consumed them).

Ezekiel 19:13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. Verse 17:8 says that the first great eagle (Nebuchadnezzar) planted the vine (Judah) of low stature in good soil by great waters. The wilderness implies that she was planted among the other trees and vines, but the dry and thirsty ground is not reflective of the literal setting of good soil by great waters. It is, however, reflective of the scarceness of God’s word, His spirit, and godly people. This is why Ezekiel was called to his ministry, because God needed him to convict the elders in the captivity of their idolatry (14:1-7), thus godliness could begin to grow in the dry and thirsty ground.

In Matthew 13:3-9, then 18-23, Jesus the Messiah provided a parable of different types of soils for planting. It is a spiritual parable with the main message: unless we nurture our relationship with God?(the good soil), we won't grow into the faithful godly people. The condition of the soils is directly related to the ability for God’s word to grow in the heart; the abundance or lack of abundance of fertile soil for God’s word to grow within each person is key to the parable. The dry and thirsty ground reveals that there is a thirst for God’s word, but so dry it is hard to find.

Ezekiel 19:14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which has devoured her fruit, so that she has no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. The sadness felt in this lamentation is elaborated upon here in this last verse. The rod spoken of here, should be understood to be King Zedekiah, who was not fit to rule God’s Holy city. His ungodliness brought the fire to be more urgently applied to the branches of the vine, which devoured her fruit of her womb. The hopelessness can be felt, because she had no strong rods left to be a king (scepter) to rule.

Fortunately, God keeps His promises; there were rods of the vine taken into captivity, including the bloodline of Messiah. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah was birthed, which came out of the vine in captivity (Matt. 1:1-16, Luke 3:23-38).

This lamentation was to be heard by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as those in captivity. It was to be a lamentation unto them, as commanded by the Lord; though it seems hopeless, the word of God is true and the promised Messiah was to still come. This lamentation may have caused a mourning felt in the house of Israel during captivity, but faith in God would bring them back to happiness, when they realized that God always does keep His promises.

[1] Sabo, Isaiah, 77.

[2] Ibid.