---
title: "Clarke"
description: "way rejoicing. NOTES ON CHAP. XVII Verse Ezekiel 17:2. Son of man, put forth a riddle — Riddle, [Anglo-Saxon] or [A.S.], Anglo-Saxon, from [A.S.] to divin"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/17"
---

*way rejoicing.*
NOTES ON CHAP. XVII

Verse [Ezekiel 17:2](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/2). ***Son of man, put forth a riddle*** — Riddle, [Anglo-Saxon] or [A.S.], Anglo-Saxon, from [A.S.] to *divine*; a thing that must be curiously *investigated* and *sifted*, to find out the meaning; and hence, *riddle*, a sort of coarse sieve to clean corn, to separate coarse chaff and straws from the pure grain. An instrument formerly used for *divination*. This is not far removed from the Hebrew חידה *chidah*, from חד *chad*, to *penetrate*; not that which *penetrates the mind*, but which *we* must *penetrate* to find out the sense.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:3](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/3). ***A great eagle*** — Nebuchadnezzar. See [Jeremiah 48:40](../../../kjv/jeremiah/48/40); [Jeremiah 49:22](../../../kjv/jeremiah/49/22); [Daniel 7:4](../../../kjv/daniel/7/4). And see here, [Ezekiel 17:12](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/12), where it is so applied.
***Great wings*** — Extensive empire.
***Long-winged*** — Rapid in his conquests.
***Full of feathers*** — Having multitudes of subjects.
***Divers colours*** — People of various nations.
***Came unto Lebanon*** — Came against Judea.
***The highest branch*** — King Jehoiachin he took captive to Babylon.
***The cedar*** — The Jewish state and king.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:4](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/4). ***The top of his young twigs*** — The princes of Judah.
***A land of traffic*** — Chaldea.
***A city of merchants*** — Babylon; for which this city was the most celebrated of all the cities of the east. Its situation procured it innumerable advantages; its two rivers, the *Tigris* and *Euphrates*, and the *Persian Gulf*, gave it communication with the richest and the most distant nations.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:5](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/5). ***The seed of the land*** — Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiachin.
***Planted it in a fruitful field*** — Made him king of Judea in place of his brother.
***Placed*****it*****by great waters*** — Put him under the protection of Babylon, situated on the confluence of the *Tigris* and *Euphrates*.
And ***set it as a willow tree*** — Made him *dependent* on this city of great waters, as the *willow* is on humidity.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:6](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/6). ***A spreading vine of low stature*** — The Jewish state having then no height of dominion, it must abide under the wings or branches of the Chaldean king.
***Whose branches turned toward him, and the roots - under him*** — Zedekiah was wholly dependent on Nebuchadnezzar, both for his elevation to the throne, and his support on it.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:7](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/7). ***Another great eagle*** — Pharaoh-hophra, or Apries, king of Egypt.
***With great wings*** — Extensive dominion.
***And many feathers*** — Numerous subjects.
***Did bend her roots*** — Looked to him for support in her intended rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:8](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/8). ***It was planted in a good soil*** — Though he depended on Babylon, he lived and reigned as Nebuchadnezzar's vicegerent in the land of Judea.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:9](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/9). ***Shall it prosper?*** — Shall Zedekiah succeed in casting off the yoke of the king of Babylon, to whom he had *sworn* fealty?
***Shall he not pull up the roots*** — Nebuchadnezzar will come and dethrone him.
***And cut off the fruit*** — The children of Zedekiah.
***The leaves*** — All the nobles; all shall perish with Zedekiah.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:10](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/10). ***Shall - utterly whither*** — The *regal* government shall be no more restored. Zedekiah shall be the *last king*, and the monarchy shall finally terminate with him.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:12](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/12). ***Know ye not what these things*****mean?**] They are explained in this and the following verses.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:14](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/14). ***That the kingdom might be base*** — Have no political *consequence*, and at last sink into a *miserable government* under Gedaliah.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:15](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/15). ***Sending his ambassadors into Egypt*** — Zedekiah must have sent his ambassadors into Egypt, between the *sixth* month of his *sixth* year, and the *fifth* month of his *seventh* year. Compare [Ezekiel 8:1](../../../kjv/ezekiel/8/1), with [Ezekiel 20:1](../../../kjv/ezekiel/20/1).-See *Newcome*.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:16](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/16). ***In the midst of Babylon he shall die.*** — His eyes were put out; he was carried to Babylon, and never returned.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:18](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/18). ***Seeing he despised the oath*** — This God particularly resents. He had bound himself by oath, in the presence of Jehovah, to be faithful to the covenant that he made with Nebuchadnezzar, and he took the first opportunity to break it; therefore he shall not escape.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:20](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/20). ***I will spread my net upon him*** — [Ezekiel 12:13](../../../kjv/ezekiel/12/13).

Verse [Ezekiel 17:21](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/21). ***All his fugitives*** — All who attempted to escape with him, and all that ran to Egypt, &c., shall fall by the sword.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:22](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/22). ***I will also take of the highest branch of the high**********cedar*** — I will raise up *another monarchy*, which shall come in the *line of David*, namely, the *Messiah*; who shall appear as a *tender* *plant*, as to his incarnation; but he shall be *high* and *eminent*; his Church, the royal city, the highest and purest ever seen on the face of the earth.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:23](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/23). ***In the mountain of the height of Israel*** — He shall make his appearance at the *temple*, and found his Church at *Jerusalem*.
***Shall bring forth boughs*** — Apostles, evangelists, and their successors in the Gospel ministry.
***And bear fruit*** — Multitudes of souls shall be converted by their preaching.
***And under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing*** — All the nations of the earth shall receive his Gospel.
***In the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.*** — Trust in him alone for salvation, and be saved in their trusting.

Verse [Ezekiel 17:24](../../../kjv/ezekiel/17/24). ***All the trees of the field shall know*** — All the people of Israel and of Chaldea.
***I the Lord have brought down the high tree*** — Have dethroned Jehoiachin.
***Have exalted the low tree*** — Put Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiachin, in his place.
***Have dried up the green tree*** — Zedekiah, who had numerous children, but who were all slain before his eyes at Riblah.
***And have made the dry tree to flourish*** — Have raised up a rod out of the stem of Jesse, the family of David being then apparently dried up and extinct. This was the promised Messiah, of the increase and government of whose kingdom and peace there shall be no end; upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth, even for ever. THE ZEAL OF THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL PERFORM THIS.
The *high* and *green tree*, says *Newcome*, refers to Nebuchadnezzar; the *low* and the *dry tree*, to the Jews.

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