Ezekiel 17:12
in Ezekiel 17“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon.
KJV
Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;
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This verse in Ezekiel 17
Commentary
11 notes on this verseHe promises hereafter to raise the royal family of Judah again, the house of David, in the Messiah and his kingdom,
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
this rebellious house
Ezekiel first heard Israel called a rebellious house at 2:5. The question tests whether the house had grasped what the riddle of the eagle and the cedar meant. Henry recalls that the king of Babylon carried off Jehoiachin at eighteen, after a reign of three months.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
(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.
If we who appear to stand over the church have sinned and given place to the devil against the teaching of Paul when he says "do not give any place to the devil," in the same way the faults committed at Jerusalem mean that we provide Nebuchadnezzar with the chance to enter into the holy city and to take away those whom he chooses.
I am inclined to think that by the good quality of their conduct they increase yet more the agreeableness of the words of God, mixing the sweetness of the life with the sweet savor of the word.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Let us now see what the matter of this message is. Nebuchadnezzar had some time ago carried off Jehoiachin, the same that was called Jeconiah, when he was but eighteen years of age and had reigned in Jerusalem but three months, him and his princes and great men, and had brought them captives to Babylon, 2 Kings xxiv.
Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel's vision, is a lion, the king of beasts ( Dan. vii. 4 ); there he has eagle's wings, so swift were his motions, so speedy were his conquests. Here, in this parable, he is an eagle, the king of birds, a great eagle, that lives upon spoil and rapine, whose young ones suck up blood, Job xxxix.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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?
Say now to the rebellious house,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Know ye not what these things mean? - They are explained in this and the following verses.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
what these are What this riddle is, and he explained it to them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֱמָר־ | ʾemor- | say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| נָא֙ | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | to [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הַמֶּ֔רִי | hameri | <the> rebellion | H4805 → | 23 times |
| הֲלֹ֥א | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְדַעְתֶּ֖ם | yeda'tem | do you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| מָה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| אֵ֑לֶּה | ʾeleh | [are] these [things] | H428 → | 746 times |
| אֱמֹ֗ר | ʾemor | say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִנֵּה־ | hineh- | there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| בָ֨א | va' | he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בָּבֶ֤ל | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| וַיִּקַּ֤ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַלְכָּהּ֙ | malkah | king its | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שָׂרֶ֔יהָ | sareiha | princes its | H8269 → | 421 times |
| וַיָּבֵ֥א | vaiyave' | and he brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אוֹתָ֛ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֵלָ֖יו | ʾelav | to himself | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בָּבֶֽלָה׃ | bavelah | Babylon towards | H894 → | 262 times |
אֱמָר־say
ʾemor-H559 →5305 times
נָא֙please
na'H4994 →404 times
לְבֵ֣יתto [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
הַמֶּ֔רִי<the> rebellion
hameriH4805 →23 times
הֲלֹ֥א¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
יְדַעְתֶּ֖םdo you know
yeda'temH3045 →945 times
מָה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
אֵ֑לֶּה[are] these [things]
ʾelehH428 →746 times
אֱמֹ֗רsay
ʾemorH559 →5305 times
הִנֵּה־there!
hineh-H2009 →843 times
בָ֨אhe went
va'H935 →2568 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
בָּבֶ֤לBabylon
bavelH894 →262 times
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
וַיִּקַּ֤חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַלְכָּהּ֙king its
malkahH4428 →2525 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
שָׂרֶ֔יהָprinces its
sareihaH8269 →421 times
וַיָּבֵ֥אand he brought
vaiyave'H935 →2568 times
אוֹתָ֛ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
אֵלָ֖יוto himself
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
בָּבֶֽלָה׃Babylon towards
bavelahH894 →262 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
Isaiah 39:7And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
it leads to
- Daniel 1:1–7
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
- 2 Chronicles 36:10
In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and…
- Daniel 1:1–7
Through
Ezekiel 17:3and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top…
it leads to
- Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
- Jeremiah 48:40
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
- Ezekiel 17:7
But 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…
- Daniel 4:22
you, O king, are that tree! For you have become great and strong; your greatness has grown to reach the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.
- Hosea 8:1
Through
Ezekiel 1:2On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
it leads to
- 2 Kings 24:12–15
Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him…
- 2 Kings 24:12–15
Through
Ezekiel 24:19Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”
it leads to
- Ezekiel 12:9
“Son of man, hasn’t the rebellious house of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’
- Ezekiel 12:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceBabil Governorate (archaeological site)BabylonAncient Mesopotamian city and imperial capital; site of the Israelite exile and a recurring biblical symbol of worldly power.
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 12:2 and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 12:1.