Ezekiel 17:14
in Ezekiel 17so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
KJV
That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
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This verse in Ezekiel 17
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThat the kingdom might be base - Have no political consequence, and at last sink into a miserable government under Gedaliah.
This site's exposition
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
on Ezekiel 17:11-14
The king of Babylon made a covenant with the king's own seed, Zedekiah, and bound him by oath. Barnes reads the covenant language as treaty vocabulary, an oath sworn presumably in the Lord's own name. Wesley notes the stated purpose, that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
This site's exposition
so that the kingdom would be brought low
The king of Babylon kept the kingdom low so that it could survive without rising against him. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that his terms were moderate and openly stated, and Henry that a kingdom may stand safely without standing high. The covenant was its life.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 11 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Say to the rebellious house: Do you not know what these things mean? Say: Behold, the king of Babylon is coming to Jerusalem. He will take the king and his princes and bring them to Babylon. And he will take one of the royal offspring, make a covenant with him, and take an oath from him. He will also take away the mighty of the land, so that the kingdom will be humble and not exalted, but will keep his covenant and obey it.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
He promises hereafter to raise the royal family of Judah again, the house of David, in the Messiah and his kingdom,
He needs not great power and many people to effect his purposes; a handful will serve if he pleases. He can without any difficulty ruin a sinful king and kingdom, and make no more of it than we do of rooting up a tree that cumbers the ground. In the explanation of the parable the sentence is very largely recorded: Shall be prosper?
A kingdom may stand firmly and safely, though it do not stand so high as it has sometimes done; and so may a family. Zedekiah, while he continued faithful to the king of Babylon, did very well, and, if he would but have reformed his kingdom, and returned to God and his duty, he would have done better, and by that means might soon have recovered his former dignity,
That the kingdom might be base,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
That the kingdom might be base--that is, low as to national elevation by being Nebuchadnezzar's dependent; but, at the same time, safe and prosperous, if faithful to the "oath." Nebuchadnezzar dealt sincerely and openly in proposing conditions, and these moderate ones; therefore Zedekiah's treachery was the baser and was a counterpart to their treachery towards God.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לִֽהְיוֹת֙ | lihyot | to be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מַמְלָכָ֣ה | mamlakhah | a kingdom | H4467 → | 117 times |
| שְׁפָלָ֔ה | shefalah | lowly | H8217 → | 17 times |
| לְבִלְתִּ֖י | levilti | to not | H1115 → | 112 times |
| הִתְנַשֵּׂ֑א | hitnase' | to exalt itself | H5375 → | 656 times |
| לִשְׁמֹ֥ר | lishmor | to keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּרִית֖וֹ | berito | covenant his | H1285 → | 284 times |
| לְעָמְדָֽהּ׃ | leamedah | to continue it | H5975 → | 521 times |
לִֽהְיוֹת֙to be
lihyotH1961 →3559 times
מַמְלָכָ֣הa kingdom
mamlakhahH4467 →117 times
שְׁפָלָ֔הlowly
shefalahH8217 →17 times
לְבִלְתִּ֖יto not
leviltiH1115 →112 times
הִתְנַשֵּׂ֑אto exalt itself
hitnase'H5375 →656 times
לִשְׁמֹ֥רto keep
lishmorH8104 →468 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּרִית֖וֹcovenant his
beritoH1285 →284 times
לְעָמְדָֽהּ׃to continue it
leamedahH5975 →521 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 2:30Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it…
it leads to
- John 12:26
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
- Jeremiah 18:9–10
And if at another time I announce that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom,
- Proverbs 3:9–10
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;
- Malachi 1:6
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the…
- 2 Chronicles 15:2
So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him,…
- John 12:26
Through
Lamentations 5:10Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger.
it leads to
- Lamentations 4:8
But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick.
- Job 30:30
My skin grows black and peels, and my bones burn with fever.
- Lamentations 4:8
Through
Ezekiel 29:14I will restore Egypt from captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 30:14
I will lay waste Pathros, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgment on Thebes.
- Ezekiel 30:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
