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Ezekiel 17:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Ezekiel 17:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 17[a]
Allegory of the Eagles and Vine. 1 This word of the Lord was addressed to me: 2 Son of man, propose a riddle and expound this parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
rich with multi-colored plumage,
came to Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar tree,
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 17:1 The great eagle is evidently Nebuchadnezzar; he exiles Jehoiachin (v. 12), who is “the top of the cedar tree,” and replaces him with Zedekiah, the seed of verse 5 (see 2 Ki 24:15). The latter is at first a docile vassal (see 2 Chr 36:13), but he soon negotiates with the pharaoh, the second great eagle (vv. 7, 15), who is already weakened and unable to save anyone. The pessimistic description ends with a ray of hope: someday the ruined Davidic dynasty will be restored. The coming of the future shoot (v. 22), the Messiah, will show once again how the Lord acts on behalf of his people (see Ezek 21:26).
