seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ezekiel 19:1 “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel 2 and say:
“‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
4 The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
4 The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5 “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a strong lion.
6 He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
7 He broke down[a] their strongholds
and devastated their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
8 Then the nations came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
9 With hooks they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him in prison,
so his roar was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a strong lion.
6 He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
7 He broke down[a] their strongholds
and devastated their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
8 Then the nations came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
9 With hooks they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him in prison,
so his roar was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.
10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[b]
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.
11 Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.
12 But it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire spread from one of its main[c] branches
and consumed its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.
11 Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.
12 But it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire spread from one of its main[c] branches
and consumed its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’
“This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”
a. Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
b. Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
c. Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its
This is from Bible-studys.org.
This lamentation (in verse 1), is the first of five laments found in the book. The lament was well known in the ancient Near East as a complimentary song on behalf of a deceased person. Often it is used in the Old Testament in a sarcastic sense. The imagery in the particular lament, is a vivid summary of Israel’s history relative to Ezekiel’s day. The lioness is the nation and her whelps are her kings. One of her whelps who became a young lion was Jehoahaz who succeeded the ill fated Josiah.
Jehoahaz reigned only three months when they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt, a reference to his deportation to Egypt by Pharaoh-nechoh II, where Jehoahaz died in humiliation. Another of her whelps who became a young lion is a reference to Jehoiachin, who reigned between Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin, is not mentioned. Like Jehoahaz, Jehoiachin ruled only three months before he was deported, this time to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. The statement that he laid waste their cities refers to the terrifying reign of Jehoiachin.
This is from the easy English site.The mother lion means Israel. Israel had taken a place among the nations. The use of the word ‘lions’ shows that the song is about kings. (Lions are strong and powerful animals. So, people considered that they were like kings.) The young lions meant the kings from the family of David. The one here that grew to be a strong lion was Jehoahaz. He became king of Judah after his father Josiah died (see 2 Kings 23:31). Jehoahaz was king in Jerusalem for only three months. He was a bad king. He did not trust in the Lord. In the year 609 BC, the king of Egypt took him away. Jehoahaz died in Egypt.
After Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, his son, became king for 11 years. He was as bad as his father was. But in this song, the second young lion means Jehoiakim’s son, who was called Jehoiachin. He was just 18 years old when he began to rule Judah. He was no better then his father. So, after three months the king of Babylon took him to Babylon. This was in the year 597 BC.
Jehoiachin was in prison for 37 years. He came out of prison when he was 55 years old. He lived in Babylon for the rest of his life.
The vine means the nation called Israel. God had planted the vine by the waters. In other words, God had placed Israel in a good country, that is, the country called Canaan. Because of the vine’s good situation, it had grown large and it had much fruit. And so Israel had been a successful country. Many kings had ruled there. But the Israelites had turned away from God. So, God was angry. His action was the result of his anger. In the song, he destroys the vine. This means that he would punish Judah. The east wind means the army of Babylon. What remained of Judah was like a dried-up vine. In other words, it was like a vine in a dry land where there was no water. Its situation was hopeless.
There would be no more kings. The last king, Zedekiah, did not belong to the direct family of David. King Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon in 586 BC.
So... that's the end of the kings. God never liked the idea of kings. He didn't want Israel to be a kingdom. Israel tried to stay a Theocracy with a king but those stupid humans always wanted to change the Theocracy to a kingdom. Those last kings were only in it for the title. There was no Theocratic base in Judah. God rescued the descendants of Jacob [Israel] from Egypt and set them up in Canaan.... a rich thriving land.... that supported giants..... and the descendants of Jacob [Israel] snubbed God.This chart is from the Bibletrack.com site.
So, to recap the last kings of Judah and put this prophecy into perspective, note the following reigns in Judah:
- Josiah 640 - 609 (the last good king of Judah, II Kings 22:1-20; II Chronicles 34:1-28)
- Jehoahaz 609 - 609 (Josiah's wicked son - 3-month rule - II Kings 23:31-33)
He was taken captive to Egypt, thus leaving Judah's throne vacant. He fits the description of Ezekiel's first whelp. - Jehoiakim 609 - 598 (Josiah's wicked son, older than Jehoahaz, II Kings 24:1-8; II Chronicles 36:1-7)
He was placed on the throne by Egyptian Pharaoh Neco when his brother was taken to prison in Egypt. After the Babylonians moved into Judah in 605 B.C., Jehoiakim was removed from the throne to Babylon for a period (apparently) and his son, Jehoiachin, served in his place. It is likely that Jehoaichin served in his father's absence as a regent and before Jehoiakim was returned to the throne. Jehoiachin succeeded Jehoiakim at his death. - Jehoiachin 598 - 597 (A grandson of Josiah and son of Jehoiakim, II Kings 24:8-17; II Chronicles 36:8-10)
He perhaps served as regent during Jehoiakim's imprisonment in Babylon and succeeded his father to the throne after his death. After his short reign, Nebuchadnezzar took him to prison in Babylon for 37 years and placed his Uncle Zedekiah on the throne of Judah in his place. He fits the description of Ezekiel's second whelp. - Zedekiah 597 - 586 (Another of Josiah's wicked sons, II Kings 24:17-20; II Chronicles 36:11-16)
He was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, but he later rebelled against the Babylonian king. As a result, when Jerusalem was captured, Zedekiah's sons were killed before his eyes just before his eyes were gouged out. Subsequently, blind Zedekiah spent the rest of his days in a Babylonian prison.
I can understand why Josiah's boys went so bad. Josiah was a game changer. He's the one who had the Temple upgraded. He's the one who caused the Law of Moses to be uncovered. He the one who put the Law back to work. Those stupid humans hated having to do what's right.... it's no wonder his sons to the easy route and went along with the crowd instead of standing up for what is right.
