Ezekiel 17:13
in Ezekiel 17He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
KJV
And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
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This verse in Ezekiel 17
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd hath taken of the king's seed,.... One of the royal family, signified by the seed of the land, Eze 17:
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
putting him under oath
Gill ties the member of the royal family to the seed of the land, so the riddle and its meaning match point for point. Second Chronicles 36:13 records that Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah swear by God. The leading men went into exile as well.
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 you have the covenant with us in a blessing, Nebuchadnezzar cannot make a covenant with you.
God makes covenant with us in a blessing; Nebuchadnezzar establishes his covenant in abuse.
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?
He promises hereafter to raise the royal family of Judah again, the house of David, in the Messiah and his kingdom,
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
) and made a covenant with him that he should have the kingdom, and enjoy the regal power and dignity, provided he held it as his vassal, dependent on him and accountable to him. He took an oath of him, made him swear allegiance to him, swear by his own God, the God of Israel, that he would be a faithful tributary to him, 2 Chron. xxxvi.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the king's seed--Zedekiah, Jeconiah's uncle. taken . . . oath of him--swearing fealty as a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar (2Ch 36:13). also taken the mighty--as hostages for the fulfilment of the covenant; whom, therefore, Zedekiah exposed to death by his treason.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
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
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּח֙ | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| מִזֶּ֣רַע | mizera' | one of [the] offspring of | H2233 → | 229 times |
| הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה | hamelukhah | <the> royalty | H4410 → | |
| וַיִּכְרֹ֥ת | vaiyikhrot | and he made | H3772 → | 288 times |
| אִתּ֖וֹ | ʾito | with him | H854 → | 929 times |
| בְּרִ֑ית | berit | a covenant | H1285 → | 284 times |
| וַיָּבֵ֤א | vaiyave' | and he made go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֹתוֹ֙ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּאָלָ֔ה | bealah | in an oath | H423 → | 35 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֵילֵ֥י | ʾeilei | [the] leaders of | H352 → | 187 times |
| הָאָ֖רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לָקָֽח׃ | lakach | he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
וַיִּקַּח֙and he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
מִזֶּ֣רַעone of [the] offspring of
mizera'H2233 →229 times
הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה<the> royalty
hamelukhahH4410 →
וַיִּכְרֹ֥תand he made
vaiyikhrotH3772 →288 times
אִתּ֖וֹwith him
ʾitoH854 →929 times
בְּרִ֑יתa covenant
beritH1285 →284 times
וַיָּבֵ֤אand he made go
vaiyave'H935 →2568 times
אֹתוֹ֙<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
בְּאָלָ֔הin an oath
bealahH423 →35 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֵילֵ֥י[the] leaders of
ʾeileiH352 →187 times
הָאָ֖רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
לָקָֽח׃he took
lakachH3947 →966 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
Jeremiah 37:1Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 24:17
Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 22:24
“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.
- 2 Kings 24:12
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 24:17
Through
Ezekiel 17:5He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 8:7–9
For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills;
- Isaiah 44:4
They will sprout among the grass like willows by flowing streams.
- Deuteronomy 8:7–9
Through
Jeremiah 5:2Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
it leads to
- Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
- Jeremiah 4:2
and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
- 2 Timothy 3:5
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
- Titus 1:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
This page draws on 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; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 12:3.