10 Thy mother H517 is like a vine H1612 in thy blood, H1818 H1818 planted H8362 by the waters: H4325 she was fruitful H6509 and full of branches H6058 by reason of many H7227 waters. H4325
Thou hast brought H5265 a vine H1612 out of Egypt: H4714 thou hast cast out H1644 the heathen, H1471 and planted H5193 it. Thou preparedst H6437 room before H6440 it, and didst cause it to take deep H8328 root, H8327 and it filled H4390 the land. H776 The hills H2022 were covered H3680 with the shadow H6738 of it, and the boughs H6057 thereof were like the goodly H410 cedars. H730 She sent out H7971 her boughs H7105 unto the sea, H3220 and her branches H3127 unto the river. H5104
For the LORD H3068 thy God H430 bringeth H935 thee into a good H2896 land, H776 a land H776 of brooks H5158 of water, H4325 of fountains H5869 and depths H8415 that spring out H3318 of valleys H1237 and hills; H2022
As the valleys H5158 are they spread forth, H5186 as gardens H1593 by the river's side, H5104 as the trees of lign aloes H174 which the LORD H3068 hath planted, H5193 and as cedar trees H730 beside the waters. H4325 He shall pour H5140 the water H4325 out H5140 of his buckets, H1805 and his seed H2233 shall be in many H7227 waters, H4325 and his king H4428 shall be higher H7311 than Agag, H90 and his kingdom H4438 shall be exalted. H5375
A land H776 wherein H834 thou shalt eat H398 bread H3899 without H3808 scarceness, H4544 thou shalt not lack H2637 any thing in it; a land H776 whose stones H68 are iron, H1270 and out of whose hills H2042 thou mayest dig H2672 brass. H5178
I will set H7760 his hand H3027 also in the sea, H3220 and his right hand H3225 in the rivers. H5104 He shall cry H7121 unto me, Thou art my father, H1 my God, H410 and the rock H6697 of my salvation. H3444 Also I will make H5414 him my firstborn, H1060 higher H5945 than the kings H4428 of the earth. H776 My mercy H2617 will I keep H8104 for him for evermore, H5769 and my covenant H1285 shall stand fast H539 with him. His seed H2233 also will I make H7760 to endure for ever, H5703 and his throne H3678 as the days H3117 of heaven. H8064
Now will I sing H7891 to my wellbeloved H3039 a song H7892 of my beloved H1730 touching his vineyard. H3754 My wellbeloved H3039 hath a vineyard H3754 in a very fruitful H1121 H8081 hill: H7161 And he fenced H5823 it, and gathered out the stones H5619 thereof, and planted H5193 it with the choicest vine, H8321 and built H1129 a tower H4026 in the midst H8432 of it, and also made H2672 a winepress H3342 therein: and he looked H6960 that it should bring forth H6213 grapes, H6025 and it brought forth H6213 wild grapes. H891 And now, O inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem, H3389 and men H376 of Judah, H3063 judge, H8199 I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. H3754 What could have been done H6213 more to my vineyard, H3754 that I have not done H6213 in it? wherefore, H4069 when I looked H6960 that it should bring forth H6213 grapes, H6025 brought it forth H6213 wild grapes? H891
Son H1121 of man, H120 What is the vine H1612 tree H6086 more than any tree, H6086 or than a branch H2156 which is among the trees H6086 of the forest? H3293 Shall wood H6086 be taken H3947 thereof to do H6213 any work? H4399 or will men take H3947 a pin H3489 of it to hang H8518 any vessel H3627 thereon? Behold, it is cast H5414 into the fire H784 for fuel; H402 the fire H784 devoureth H398 both H8147 the ends H7098 of it, and the midst H8432 of it is burned. H2787 Is it meet H6743 for any work? H4399 Behold, when it was whole, H8549 it was meet H6213 for no work: H4399 how much less shall it be meet H6213 yet for any work, H4399 when the fire H784 hath devoured H398 it, and it is burned? H2787 Therefore thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 As the vine H1612 tree H6086 among the trees H6086 of the forest, H3293 which I have given H5414 to the fire H784 for fuel, H402 so will I give H5414 the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem. H3389 And I will set H5414 my face H6440 against them; they shall go out H3318 from one fire, H784 and another fire H784 shall devour H398 them; and ye shall know H3045 that I am the LORD, H3068 when I set H7760 my face H6440 against them. And I will make H5414 the land H776 desolate, H8077 because they have committed H4603 a trespass, H4604 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
Plead H7378 with your mother, H517 plead: H7378 for she is not my wife, H802 neither am I her husband: H376 let her therefore put away H5493 her whoredoms H2183 out of her sight, H6440 and her adulteries H5005 from between her breasts; H7699
For their mother H517 hath played the harlot: H2181 she that conceived H2029 them hath done shamefully: H3001 for she said, H559 I will go H3212 after H310 my lovers, H157 that give H5414 me my bread H3899 and my water, H4325 my wool H6785 and my flax, H6593 mine oil H8081 and my drink. H8250
Hear G191 another G243 parable: G3850 There was G2258 a certain G444 G5100 householder, G3617 which G3748 planted G5452 a vineyard, G290 and G2532 hedged G5418 it G846 round about, G4060 and G2532 digged G3736 a winepress G3025 in G1722 it, G846 and G2532 built G3618 a tower, G4444 and G2532 let G1554 it G846 out G1554 to husbandmen, G1092 and G2532 went into a far country: G589 And G1161 when G3753 the time G2540 of the fruit G2590 drew near, G1448 he sent G649 his G846 servants G1401 to G4314 the husbandmen, G1092 that they might receive G2983 the fruits G2590 of it. G846 And G2532 the husbandmen G1092 took G2983 his G846 servants, G1401 and beat G1194 one, G3739 G3303 and G1161 killed G615 another, G3739 and G1161 stoned G3036 another. G3739 Again, G3825 he sent G649 other G243 servants G1401 more G4119 than the first: G4413 and G2532 they did G4160 unto them G846 likewise. G5615 But G1161 last of all G5305 he sent G649 unto G4314 them G846 his G846 son, G5207 saying, G3004 They will reverence G1788 my G3450 son. G5207 But G1161 when the husbandmen G1092 saw G1492 the son, G5207 they said G2036 among G1722 themselves, G1438 This G3778 is G2076 the heir; G2818 come, G1205 let us kill G615 him, G846 and G2532 let us seize G2722 on his G846 inheritance. G2817 And G2532 they caught G2983 him, G846 and cast G1544 him out of G1854 the vineyard, G290 and G2532 slew G615 him. When G3752 the lord G2962 therefore G3767 of the vineyard G290 cometh, G2064 what G5101 will he do G4160 unto those G1565 husbandmen? G1092 They say G3004 unto him, G846 He will miserably G2560 destroy G622 those G846 wicked men, G2556 and G2532 will let out G1554 his vineyard G290 unto other G243 husbandmen, G1092 which G3748 shall render G591 him G846 the fruits G2590 in G1722 their G846 seasons. G2540
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 19
Commentary on Ezekiel 19 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 19
Eze 19:1-14. Elegy over the Fall of David's House.
There is a tacit antithesis between this lamentation and that of the Jews for their own miseries, into the causes of which, however, they did not inquire.
1. princes of Israel—that is, Judah, whose "princes" alone were recognized by prophecy; those of the ten tribes were, in respect to the theocracy, usurpers.
2. thy mother—the mother of Jehoiachin, the representative of David's line in exile with Ezekiel. The "mother" is Judea: "a lioness," as being fierce in catching prey (Eze 19:3), referring to her heathenish practices. Jerusalem was called Ariel (the lion of God) in a good sense (Isa 29:1); and Judah "a lion's whelp … a lion … an old lion" (Ge 49:9), to which, as also to Nu 23:24; 24:9, this passage alludes.
nourished … among young lions—She herself had "lain" among lions, that is, had intercourse with the corruptions of the surrounding heathen and had brought up the royal young ones similarly: utterly degenerate from the stock of Abraham.
Lay down—or "couched," is appropriate to the lion, the Arab name of which means "the coucher."
3. young lion—Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, carried captive from Riblah to Egypt by Pharaoh-necho (2Ki 23:33).
4. The nations—Egypt, in the case of Jehoahaz, who probably provoked Pharaoh by trying to avenge the death of his father by assailing the bordering cities of Egypt (2Ki 23:29, 30).
in their pit—image from the pitfalls used for catching wild beasts (Jer 22:11, 12).
chains—or hooks, which were fastened in the noses of wild beasts (see on Eze 19:9).
5. saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost—that is, that her long-waited-for hope was disappointed, Jehoahaz not being restored to her from Egypt.
she took another of her whelps—Jehoiakim, brother of Jehoahaz, who was placed on the throne by Pharaoh (2Ki 23:34), according to the wish of Judah.
6. went up and down among the lions—imitated the recklessness and tyranny of the surrounding kings (Jer 22:13-17).
catch … prey—to do evil, gratifying his lusts by oppression (2Ki 23:37).
7. knew … desolate palaces—that is, claimed as his own their palaces, which he then proceeded to "desolate." The Hebrew, literally "widows"; hence widowed palaces (Isa 13:22). Vatablus (whom Fairbairn follows) explains it, "He knew (carnally) the widows of those whom he devoured" (Eze 19:6). But thus the metaphor and the literal reality would be blended: the lion being represented as knowing widows. The reality, however, often elsewhere thus breaks through the veil.
fulness thereof—all that it contained; its inhabitants.
8. the nations—the Chaldeans, Syrians, Moab, and Ammon (2Ki 24:2).
9. in chains—(2Ch 36:6; Jer 22:18). Margin, "hooks"; perhaps referring to the hook often passed through the nose of beasts; so, too, through that of captives, as seen in the Assyrian sculptures (see on Eze 19:4).
voice—that is, his roaring.
no more be heard upon the mountains—carrying on the metaphor of the lion, whose roaring on the mountains frightens all the other beasts. The insolence of the prince, not at all abated though his kingdom was impaired, was now to cease.
10. A new metaphor taken from the vine, the chief of the fruit-bearing trees, as the lion is of the beasts of prey (see Eze 17:6).
in thy blood—"planted when thou wast in thy blood," that is, in thy very infancy; as in Eze 16:6, when thou hadst just come from the womb, and hadst not yet the blood washed from thee. The Jews from the first were planted in Canaan to take root there [Calvin]. Grotius translates as the Margin, "in thy quietness," that is, in the period when Judah had not yet fallen into her present troubles. English Version is better. Glassius explains it well, retaining the metaphor, which Calvin's explanation breaks, "in the blood of thy grapes," that is, in her full strength, as the red wine is the strength of the grape. Ge 49:11 is evidently alluded to.
many waters—the well-watered land of Canaan (De 8:7-9).
11. strong rods—princes of the royal house of David. The vine shot forth her branches like so many scepters, not creeping lowly on the ground like many vines, but trained aloft on a tree or wall. The mention of their former royal dignity, contrasting sadly with her present sunken state, would remind the Jews of their sins whereby they had incurred such judgments.
stature—(Da 4:11).
among the thick branches—that is, the central stock or trunk of the tree shot up highest "among its own branches" or offshoots, surrounding it. Emblematic of the numbers and resources of the people. Hengstenberg translates, "among the clouds." But Eze 31:3, 10, 14, supports English Version.
12. plucked up—not gradually withered. The sudden upturning of the state was designed to awaken the Jews out of their torpor to see the hand of God in the national judgment.
east wind—(See on Eze 17:10).
13. planted—that is, transplanted. Though already "dried up" in regard to the nation generally, the vine is said to be "transplanted" as regards God's mercy to the remnant in Babylon.
dry … ground—Chaldea was well-watered and fertile; but it is the condition of the captive people, not that of the land, which is referred to.
14. fire … out of a rod of her branches—The Jews' disaster was to be ascribed, not so much to the Chaldeans as to themselves; the "fire out of the rod" is God's wrath kindled by the perjury of Zedekiah (Eze 17:18). "The anger of the Lord" against Judah is specified as the cause why Zedekiah was permitted to rebel against Babylon (2Ki 24:20; compare Jud 9:15), thus bringing Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem.
no strong rod … sceptre to rule—No more kings of David's stock are now to rule the nation. Not at least until "the Lord shall send the rod of His strength ("Messiah," Ps 110:2; Isa 11:1) out of Zion," to reign first as a spiritual, then hereafter as a literal king.
is … and shall be for a lamentation—Part of the lamentation (that as to Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim) was matter of history as already accomplished; part (as to Zedekiah) was yet to be fulfilled; or, this prophecy both is a subject for lamentation, and shall be so to distant posterity.