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Ezekiel

Chapter 17

The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine and The Parable Explained

Ezekiel 17 gives a riddle about two great eagles and a vine to explain Judah's political treachery and covenant guilt. The first eagle takes the top of Lebanon's cedar and plants a seed that becomes a low spreading vine, but the vine turns toward a second eagle in hope of greater water. The LORD then interprets the image as Judah's revolt against Babylon through faithless appeal to Egypt, exposing the rebellion not merely as failed diplomacy but as sworn covenant breaking that invites judgment. Yet the chapter does not end with treachery alone: the LORD Himself promises to take a tender sprig from the lofty cedar and plant it on Israel's mountain, where it will grow into a sheltering tree for every kind of bird.

This chapter combines Ezekiel's political analysis with his covenant theology. It shows that Judah's foreign policy crisis cannot be understood apart from oath-breaking before God, so the coming collapse is both geopolitical and moral. At the same time, the closing cedar promise keeps alive the book's restoration horizon by shifting hope away from manipulative alliances and toward the LORD's own planting of a future kingdom that He alone establishes.

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Ezekiel 17

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vv. 1-10

The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

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N1ow the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel 3and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 4He plucked off its topmost shoot, 5He took some of the seed of the land 6It sprouted and became a spreading vine, 7But there was another great eagle 8It had been planted in good soil 9So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 10Even if it is transplanted,

vv. 11-24

The Parable Explained

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T11hen the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ 13Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon. He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land, 14so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant. 15But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’ 16‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. 17Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. 18He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’

19Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke. 20I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me. 21All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’

22This is what the Lord GOD says: 23I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel 24Then all the trees of the field will know

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  1. 01vv. 1-10The Parable of Two Eagles and a VineThe LORD gives Ezekiel a riddle about a magnificent eagle that plucks the top of a cedar from Lebanon and plants it in a merchant city, then takes seed from the land and plants it so that it becomes a low spreading vine turned toward him. But another great eagle appears, and the vine bends its roots and branches toward this second eagle, seeking richer watering though it had already been planted in good soil. The parable asks whether such a vine can prosper after turning away from the one who first planted it.
  2. 02vv. 11-24The Parable ExplainedThe LORD explains that the first eagle is the king of Babylon, who took Jerusalem's king and nobles, carried them away, and established a lesser kingdom under covenant so it might survive in submission. But that kingdom's ruler rebelled by sending envoys to Egypt for horses and troops, despising the oath and covenant he had sworn. Because this was not merely political maneuvering but treachery before God, he will not escape: Pharaoh will not save him, Babylon will judge him, and the scattered survivors will learn that the LORD has spoken. Yet the same interpreting word ends with hope, as the LORD promises to plant His own tender sprig on Israel's mountain and raise up a cedar that shelters the nations.
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