The parable of the two eagles
17
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17:1 This chapter contains a parable (vs 3-10) and its explanation (vs 11-21). In the parable the eagle (v 3) is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (v 12; Jer 48:40; 49:22; Dan 7:4). Lebanon is Jerusalem. Cedar is the royal family of David. The topmost twig (v 4) is King Jehoiachin deported to Babylon, a “city of merchants” (v 4). The “seed” (v 5) is Zedekiah who remained in the land of Judah and was appointed ruler by Nebuchadnezzar. In v 6 the seed becomes a vine (chapter 15). The “cedar” grew in Babylon until Judah was restored. The eagle of v 7 is Pharaoh king of Egypt. Zedekiah appealed to him for help, but God reveals that it will come to nothing (vs 9,10,17).⚜
2 📚“Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, 3 📚and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with large wings, long pinions, full of feathers of various colours, came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. 4 📚He plucked off the topmost of its new twigs, and carried it into a land of traders and set it down in a city of merchants.
5 📚“‘He also took some of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fertile field. He placed it by great waters, and planted it like a willow tree. 6 📚And it grew, and became a low spreading vine, whose branches turned toward him, and whose roots were under it. So it became a vine, and produced branches, and put out sprigs.
7 📚“‘And there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers; and, see, this vine bent its roots toward him, and put out its branches toward him from the garden where it had been planted, so that he might water it. 8 📚It had been planted in good soil beside abundant waters, that it might put out branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might become a splendid vine.’
9 📚“Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Will it prosper? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers? All of its spring leaves will wither. No great power or many people will be required to pull it up by its roots. 10 📚Yes, see, though planted, will it prosper? Will it not completely wither, when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden where it grew.’ ”
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 📚“Now say to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘See, the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem, and took its king and its princes, and brought them with him to Babylon. 13 📚And he took one of the royal family 📖, made a covenant with him, and took an oath 📖 from him. He also took away the mighty of the land 📖, 14 📚so that the kingdom might be lowly, that it might not lift itself up, but might stand by keeping his covenant. 15 📚But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will the one who does such things escape? Or can he break the covenant and be saved?
16 📚“‘As I live, says the Lord God, he will certainly die in the place where the king lives who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, with him in Babylon. 17 📚Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde do anything for him in the war, by erecting siege mounds and building fortifications, to cut off many people, 18 📚since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, see, he had given his hand, then did all these things. He will not escape.
19 📚“‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will certainly bring repayment on his own head for my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. 20 📚And I will spread my net over him, and he will be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will try him there for his unfaithfulness shown against me. 21 📚And all his fugitives with all his troops will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered to all the winds. And you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it.
A new Branch in Israel
22 📚“‘Thus says the Lord God: I will also take a twig of the topmost branch of the tall cedar, and will set it out. I will pluck from the top of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and lofty mountain; 23 📚I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel, and it will produce branches and bear fruit, and be a splendid cedar; and under it birds of every kind will live; they will live in the shadow of its branches. 24 📚And all the trees of the field will know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree, exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree flourish; that I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.’ ”