Глава 17

If XVI ch. The reason for the fall of Jerusalem was its entire past and the sins of the entire people, then Chapter XVII. Many see this reason in the real policy of Jerusalem and in the treachery, combined with extreme short-sightedness, of the king (as Chapter XXII does the same in relation to Chapter XXIII). With the growing Chaldean power, the independence of Judea was an unthinkable thing and the only possibility of existence, albeit modest, but faithful, for Judea was now dependence (vassal) on Babylon; Instead, Zedekiah betrayed Nebuchadnezzar, to whom he owed the throne, and entered into an untrustworthy alliance with Pharaoh. How this was supposed to end, in this regard, in view of the Chaldean power, there could be no doubt, especially if Jehovah attributed Zedekiah’s treachery to Himself. The prophet develops this idea first figuratively in a parable (vv. 2–10), then directly, in an explanation of the parable (vv. 11–21), concluding with a prediction of a better future (vv. 22–24). Ezek.17:2. son of man! propose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. “Offer a riddle and tell a parable,” that is, a parable, especially mysterious, in order to arouse the attention of the listeners. Ezek.17:3. Say: This is what the Lord God says: a large eagle with large wings, long feathers, fluffy, colorful, flew to Lebanon and took the top off a cedar tree, The eagle, considered the king of birds even among the Persians (Cyropedia I, 7), is a good symbol of the king and in the Bible often serves as a symbol especially of the conquering king (and this meant the rapacity and speed of the eagle; Deut. 28.49; Hos. 8.1; Hab 1.8; Isa 46.11 - the image of Cyrus), and, in particular, Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 48.40, 49.22). Thus, in Ezekiel, the comparison of Nebuchadnezzar with an eagle should have suggested itself. "Great". There may be an allusion to the title of the Babylonian king: Is 36.4; Wed Ezek.26.7. - “With large wings, with long feathers” (glor.: “long in extension”), “fluffy” (gl.: “full of nails”), “motley” (glav.: “those who have command”) - features that serve to present the eagle in all its splendor, and which may not each individually have any allegorical meaning, for example: large wings indicate the vastness of dominance, thick plumage on many subordinate peoples, variegation on the colorful clothes of nobles. - “Flew to Lebanon” may be an indication of the mountainous nature of Palestine, which the Lebanese Mountains complete: besides, a military road from Babylon went to Jerusalem near them; others think that Lebanon is mentioned as a deposit of cedar, simply as an epithet for it. The cedar is an image of the kingdom of Judah, perhaps with an allusion to the cedar palaces of Jerusalem (v. 12). - “Top”, slav.: “chosen”, as is clear from Art. 4 and 12, the best people of the kingdom were taken away with Jehoiachin. It has been noticed that many large birds engage in such pranks - tearing off the tops of trees (Smend). Ezek.17:4. he plucked the top of its young shoots and brought it to the land of Canaan, and laid it in the city of merchants; “The top of the young shoots” - glory. "the height of softness". Of course, Jehoiachin, who for Ezekiel’s fellow captives was the last king of their native kingdom. - “To the land of Canaan.” Babylonia was so named for its trade, in which it took the place of Phenicia (hardly for wickedness; see explanation Eze. 16.29). - “In the city of merchants”, famous: “in the fenced city” - Babylon. “This name already shows that trade had just passed to others (from Phenicia to Babylon) and remained there for a long time. At the time of Isaiah, the Jews for the most part were farmers on their own land (Isaiah 36.16), and here trade is also presented as something alien to Israel, and in the opinion of Ezekiel it should remain so” (Bert.). Ezek.17:5. and he took from the seed of this land, and planted it on the ground of the seed, and placed it near the great waters, as one plants a willow tree. “And he took from the seed of the land.” Of course Zedekiah (v. 13). The prophet's expression sounds, in comparison with the previous comparison, with some disdain. Indeed, Zedekiah, the youngest son of Josiah, was a protege of Nebuchadnezzar, who gave him the name Zedekiah. But at the same time, the prophet’s expressions also indicate that Zedekiah was a native king, and not a foreign satrap of Babylon. – “Seed land” is land adapted for planting and sowing. - “By the big waters.” In the East, vegetation is possible only with abundant irrigation (cf. Ezek.31.4; Ps. 1.3). And after submitting to Nebuchadnezzar, Judea had all the potential for prosperity, even rare ones, thanks to the generous and special care of the conqueror for her, as indicated by the comparison: “like planting a willow,” a tree that loves moisture. Ezek.17:6. And it grew and became a vine, wide and low in stature, with branches bending towards it, and its roots were under it, and it became a vine, and gave off branches and put out branches. “The vine”, which, although a noble tree, is not as royal as the cedar (Jechoniah and Zedekiah). “Wide, short in stature.” The Prophet is referring to the so-called lying grapes, now common in Syria. The meaning of the allegory in Art. 14. - “Which branches leaned towards her (glor.: “he appeared as a hedgehog on him” - addition to “small majesty”) and her roots were under her.” Heb. the text may have had such a meaning, confirmed by Art. 7: “whose branches and roots would bend towards him,” that is, towards the eagle, is an indication of the vassalage of the kingdom of Zedekiah. “This section reveals in Ezekiel a remarkably clear insight into the deepest intentions of Nebuchadnezzar, who wished the good of Zedekiah and only demanded from him recognition of the supreme rule of Babylon” (Krechm.). - “And it gave forth branches and put forth branches.” An indication of the normal development of the kingdom of Judah under Zedekiah, despite the vassal relationship to Babylon. Ezek.17:7. And there was also an eagle with large wings and fluffy; and behold, this vine reached out to him with its roots and stretched out its branches towards him, so that he would water it from the furrows of his nursery. The second eagle, serving as the image of Pharaoh Ophra (Jer 44.30), an ally of Zedekiah, is described, although similar to the first, but in short without epithets: “with long feathers”, “variegated”, perhaps because Egypt did not have such a diversity of subject peoples and was not at all such a great monarchy as Babylon was then. - “So that he waters it,” which is what it is, as can be seen from Art. 5 and 8, absolutely not needed. By entering into an alliance with Egypt, Zedekiah exchanged one dependence for another. - “From the furrows of his nursery” - an allusion to the irrigation structures of Egypt and the floods of the Nile. Slav.: “to water your garden with the breast” - to irrigate all the beds of your garden (“breast” elevation). Ezek.17:8. It was planted in a good field, near large waters, so that it could send out branches and bear fruit, and become a magnificent vine. To more clearly show the purposelessness of what is indicated in Art. 7. behavior of the vine, all the benefits of its location are again described, and in slightly different, stronger expressions than in Art. 5: instead of “seed land” - “good land”, instead of “wide” Art. 6. - “magnificent.” Ezek.17:9. Say: Thus says the Lord God: will she succeed? Will they not pull out its roots and cut off its fruits, so that it will wither? all the young branches that grow from it will dry up. And not with great strength and not with many people will they pluck it from its roots. “Will she be successful?” A question to strengthen the denial and as a sign of its complete certainty and obviousness. - “Will they not pull out its roots and tear off its fruits?” Reverse order (rhetorical figure ' υστερον προτερον ). Removing the fruits means plundering Jerusalem, uprooting it and burning it. “Young branches” are other cities and areas of the kingdom. - “And not with great force.” Nebuchadnezzar did not need to move the entire army to Jerusalem. Slav. “and is it not a great muscle”; "li" is not in Greek. Ezek.17:10. And now, although it is planted, will it be successful? Will it not dry up as soon as the east wind touches it? will dry up on the ridges where it grew. Perhaps to represent the irresistibility of the impending doom, the prophet repeats his prediction in similar terms, but resorting to a different comparison. He compares Nebuchadnezzar, approaching Judea from the east, with the “east wind” (Hebrew “kaddim”, as described in the Bible, corresponds to sirocco), whose heat and dryness brought from the deserts are fatal to plants (cf. Gen. 41.6; Hos. 13.15; Isa. 27.8, etc.). - “Although it is planted,” that is, so well; glory “and he sits”, πιαινεται. - “Won’t it dry up?” The question has the same meaning as in Art. 9. - “It will dry up on the ridges where it grew,” no matter how skillfully it is arranged. Zedekiah died in his own kingdom, where war is easier. Ezek.17:11. And the word of the Lord came to me: “And the word of the Lord came to me.” The explanation of the parable was given in a special revelation when it was discovered that the people could not find its meaning themselves. Ezek.17:12. say to the rebellious house: do you not know what this means? “Say: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took his king and his princes, and brought them to him to Babylon.” "Rebel House". Again for the first time since Ezek.12.25, after soft conversions. - “Don’t you know?” The parable itself was clear, but in v. 9. its meaning is very transparent (for example: “not with great force”). – “King” – Jehoiachin. – “Princes” – nobles as hostages; slav.: “prince”, but in Greek. plural h. Ezek.17:13. And he took another from the royal family, and made an alliance with him, and bound him with an oath, and took the mighty of that land with him, “And he took another from the royal family” - Zedekiah. - “And he obliged him with an oath.” Slav. more precisely: “and he will bring him into an oath,” the image of the expression is probably explained by the ritual at the conclusion of a sworn covenant - passing between the dissected parts of animals (Gen. 15.17) as a sign that the violator will be treated in the same way as with these animals or “and a sign that those who swear enter into the same mystical connection that exists between parts of the body of an animal” (Smith, Lectnre 314). - “The mighty of the earth” - the most capable part of the population: craftsmen, artists (2 Kings 24.14) not as hostages, like the “princes” of Art. 12, but to weaken the kingdom, as explained in Art. 14. Ezek.17:14. so that the kingdom is submissive, so that it cannot rise, so that the union is preserved and stands firm. Explanation 6 art. and justification for Art. 13 “So that it cannot rise” - glory. more clearly: “not to be very arrogant.” Ezek.17:15. But he broke away from him, sending his envoys to Egypt to give him horses and many people. Will he be successful? Will the one who does this survive? Did he break the alliance and will he survive? “To give him horses.” Cavalry has always been the weak point of the Jewish army; at the same time, for the prophets it was a symbol of an alien culture and ungodly, carnal self-confidence (Hos. 14.4; Mic. 1.13, etc.). The Jewish army obtained horses only in Egypt (1 Kings 10.28) and, mainly because of the cavalry, the Jewish kings sought an alliance with him (Isaiah 31.1). Egypt in ancient times was indeed famous for its cavalry (Deut. 17.16, etc.); according to Diodorus (I, 45): the entire country from Thebes to Memphis was covered with stables and could deliver 20,000 chariots with 2 horses each for war. Ezek.17:16. As I live, says the Lord God, in the seat of the king who made him king, and to whom he despised his oath, and broke his covenant with him, he will die with him in Babylon. According to the strict law of retribution, punishment must correspond to the sin and in relation to place; Wed 1 Kings 21.19. For ancient man, dying in a foreign land was something terrible in a different way than for us: a foreign land was unclean (cf. Eze. 4.13). Zedekiah died blinded in a Babylonian prison. Ezek.17:17. With great strength and a large people, Pharaoh will do nothing for him in this war, when a rampart will be poured and siege towers will be built for the destruction of many souls. “With great power...” - glory. more precisely: “not in great strength, lower among the people, the pharaoh will do battle with him” - a reproach to the pharaoh for indifference to his allies, not conveyed by the Russian translation. - “To the destruction of many souls.” The sigh of the prophet about the impending extermination of his compatriots. Ezek.17:18. He despised the oath to break the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all this; he won't survive. According to the description of God's punishment for Zedekiah, the prophet again returns to his sin, about which so much has been said previously. Among the ancients, in relation to enemies (such as Nebuchadnezzar was for Judea), moral duties in general were not as strict as towards friends. And if the prophet attaches such importance to Zedekiah’s infidelity, then for special reasons, which he speaks of in Art. 19. Thus, in 18–21 Art. Zedekiah's sin is viewed from a new point of view, increasing its severity: as a violation of an oath in the name of God. - “He gave his hand,” that is, to Pharaoh. The contracting parties gave each other their hand: Jer 50.15; 1Ride 10.19; Gal 2.9, etc. Ezek.17:19. Therefore thus says the Lord God: I live! My oath, which he despised, and My covenant, which he violated, I will bring against his head. Zedekiah's infidelity to Nebuchadnezzar was criminal in that it was accompanied by a violation of the oath taken in the name of God; thanks to this oath, the union of Zedekiah with Nebuchadnezzar was a union (glorified “covenant”) of God. For this insult to the most holy name of Jehovah, Zedekiah will be severely punished. Consequently, “Ezekiel’s view of Zedekiah’s sin is more religious than ethical” (Bert.). Ezek.17:20. And I will throw My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare; and I will bring him to Babylon, and there I will sue him for his treachery against Me. While Zedekiah's sin was seen in relation to Nebuchadnezzar, the latter was also portrayed as an avenger (v. 16). Now, when this sin is considered in relation to God, God himself is also the punisher. In Art. 16 Zedekiah's death in Babylon is predicted; The image used here - a hunter - allows the prophet to depict the capture of Zedekiah. The second half of the verse (from: “and I will bring ...”) and the beginning of 21. Art. not in many Greek. codes. Ezek.17:21. And all his fugitives from all his regiments will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered to all the winds; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said this. The fate of Zedekiah's army, for which he so hoped. - “Runaways”. Targun and Peshito, reading the Hebrew word with the letters rearranged (instead of “mivrahav”, “mivharav”), translate “brave”. Slav. the same word is translated twice in both readings: “and all have escaped him and all have escaped” (doublet). The following is about the fugitives: “they will be scattered”; therefore, the reading of the Targum and Peshito is justified by the context. Ezekiel 17:22. Thus says the Lord God: And I will take a tall cedar from the top and plant it; I will tear off a tender branch from its upper shoots and plant it on a high and majestic mountain. Despite the blow that befell Zedekiah and the entire house of David with him, God did not forget his promises to this house and renews them here, using the previous allegory. Unsuccessful landing; On the part of Nebuchadnezzar, a low and insignificant vine, God contrasts the planting of a cedar on a high mountain, which is to be in the future, by which the Messiah is clearly meant (the Jews meant Zerubbabel). - “I’ll tear it off from the upper shoots.” The upper shoot of the cedar in st. 4 is named Jehoiachin. God promises in the person of the Messiah to restore the lineage of Jeconiah: Christ indeed, from the sons of Josiah, descended in a direct line from Jeconiah. Wed. explain in Ezekiel 1.4 Jehoiachin. - “Tender (literally “skinny”) industry.” You can only plant a young branch. An indication of the humiliated state of the house of David (glory: “I will sharpen their hearts”) and the humiliation of Christ. – “On a high and majestic mountain” – Zion; Wed the prophecy of Isaiah 2.2, which Ezekiel may have been referring to here. Cedar grows on the mountains; the opposite of the vine v. 5 and 6. – “Majestic”, lit. “exalted”, i.e. not by nature high, but elevated by circumstances. Blazh. Theodoret: “I will nail Christ to the cross on Mount Golgotha.” Ezek.17:23. I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel, and it will put forth branches and bear fruit, and it will become a majestic cedar, and all kinds of birds will live under it, all kinds of birds will live in the shade of its branches. "And it will bear fruit." Poetic license: cedar is a barren tree. - “All kinds of birds” - different peoples. The universality of the kingdom of the Messiah; Wed Dan 2.35; Matthew 13.32. Ezek.17:24. And all the trees of the field will know that I, the Lord, bring down the high tree, I make the low tree high, I wither the green tree, and make the dry tree to bloom: I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it. “Trees of the field” – pagan peoples. - “I bring down the tall tree”, “I dry up the green tree” - the kingdom of Zedekiah. “Low tree”, “dry tree” - Jehoiachin and the Messiah descended from him. You might be interested in: