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Ezekiel 17:15

in Ezekiel 17

But 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?’

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?

KJV

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

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This verse in Ezekiel 17

Commentary

10 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

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 Eze 8:1, with Eze 20:1. - See Newcome.

This site's exposition

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt

Zedekiah's rebellion is named as sending to Egypt, the embassy 2 Kings 24:20 and Jeremiah confirm, and the riddle's own question returns, shall he prosper? shall he escape? Fairbairn reads the repeated question as the chapter's method, letting the political fact answer the theological charge without needing to argue it.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Ezekiel · Written before 420.

proposed

(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

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

He promises hereafter to raise the royal family of Judah again, the house of David, in the Messiah and his kingdom,

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

God promised that they should be a numerous people, as the sand of the sea; yet now, if their king had occasion for much people, he must send to Egypt for them, they being for sin diminished and brought low, Ps. cvii.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

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 commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Shall he break the covenant, and be delivered from that vengeance which is the just punishment of his treachery? No; can he expect to do ill and not suffer ill? It is ratified by the oath of God (

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3 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

But he rebelled against him,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

He broke through it, and took a pride in making nothing of it, as a great tyrant in our own day, whose maxim (they say) it is, That princes ought not to be slaves to their word any further than it is for their interest. That which aggravated Zedekiah's perfidiousness was that the oath by which he had bound himself to the king of Babylon was, [1.] A solemn oath.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Isa 31:1, 3; compare Isa 36:9). DIODORUS SICULUS [1.45] says that the whole region from Thebes to Memphis was filled with royal stalls, so that twenty thousand chariots with two horses in each could be furnished for war. Shall he prosper?--The third time this question is asked, with an indignant denial understood (Eze 17:9, 10).

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The words behind it

17 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיִּמְרָד־and he rebelled

    vaiyimrod-H4775 →25 times

  • בּ֗וֹagainst him

    bo

  • לִשְׁלֹ֤חַby sending

    lishloachH7971 →845 times

  • מַלְאָכָיו֙messengers his

    malakhavH4397 →213 times

  • מִצְרַ֔יִםEgypt

    mitzrayimH4714 →641 times

  • לָֽתֶת־to give

    latet-H5414 →2011 times

  • ל֥וֹto <the> him

    lo

  • סוּסִ֖יםhorses

    susimH5483 →140 times

  • וְעַם־and a people

    veam-H5971 →1873 times

  • רָ֑בnumerous

    ravH7227 →454 times

  • הֲיִצְלָ֤ח¿ will he prosper

    hayitzlachH6743 →65 times

  • הֲיִמָּלֵט֙¿ will he escape

    hayimaletH4422 →95 times

  • הָעֹשֵׂ֣הthe [one who] does

    haosehH6213 →2628 times

  • אֵ֔לֶּהthese [things]

    ʾelehH428 →746 times

  • וְהֵפֵ֥רand will he break?

    veheferH6565 →50 times

  • בְּרִ֖יתa covenant

    beritH1285 →284 times

  • וְנִמְלָֽט׃and will he escape?

    venimlatH4422 →95 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Deuteronomy 17:16But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’8 worksHebrews 2:3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,7 worksJeremiah 37:5Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.5 worksIsaiah 31:1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.5 worksJeremiah 38:18But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”4 works2 Chronicles 36:13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.4 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Kings 24:20For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.4 worksJeremiah 34:3And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.4 worksJeremiah 52:3For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.4 worksEzekiel 17:7But there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him. It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed, so that he might water it.4 worksJeremiah 38:23All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”3 worksEzekiel 17:18He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’3 worksEzekiel 17:9So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Will it flourish? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it shrivels? All its foliage will wither! It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by its roots.3 worksRomans 2:3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?3 worksEzekiel 23:20and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.3 worksGenesis 14:4For twelve years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.3 worksJeremiah 32:5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”3 worksJeremiah 42:19The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!3 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Deuteronomy 17:16

    But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 31:1–3

      Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy…

    • Deuteronomy 28:68

      The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but…

    • Psalms 20:7

      Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

    • Hosea 11:5

      Will they not return to the land of Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent?

    • 1 Kings 4:26

      Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.

  • Through

    Jeremiah 34:3

    And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to…

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 32:4

      Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to…

    • Jeremiah 21:7

      ‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…

  • Through

    Jeremiah 38:18

    But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself…

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 38:3

      This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezekiel: the study guide →Read Ezekiel 17 →

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

Read on in Ezekiel 17 →