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Ezekiel 17:18

in Ezekiel 17

He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape.

KJV

Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

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This verse in Ezekiel 17

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
Seeing he despised the oath, by breaking the covenant,.... This is repeated again, to show the heinousness of the sin Zedekiah had been guilty of, and what was the cause of his ruin: when, lo, he had given his hand; to the king of Babylon, to testify his hearty agreement with him, and that he might depend upon the oath and covenant being sacredly observed by him.

This site's exposition

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king

on Ezekiel 17:16-18

The Lord swears by his own life that Zedekiah will die in Babylon, and that Pharaoh's army will not save him. Keil notes an oath sworn in the Lord's name makes the Lord himself a party wronged by its breaking. History bore this out exactly at 2 Kings 25:6-7.

This site's exposition

he gave his hand in pledge

To give the hand sealed an agreement. Gill reads the repeated charge that he despised the oath and broke the covenant as a measure of the sin. Clarke notes that Zedekiah swore his oath before the LORD and broke the covenant at the first opportunity.

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 Awakening2 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)

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?

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Seeing he despised the oath - This God particularly resents. He had bound himself by oath, in the presence of Jehovah, to be faithful to the covenant that he made with Nebuchadnezzar, and he took the first opportunity to break it; therefore he shall not escape.

The words behind it

12 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.

  • וּבָזָ֥הand he despised

    uvazahH959 →44 times

  • אָלָ֖ה[the] oath

    ʾalahH423 →35 times

  • לְהָפֵ֣רby breaking

    lehaferH6565 →50 times

  • בְּרִ֑ית[the] covenant

    beritH1285 →284 times

  • וְהִנֵּ֨הand there!

    vehinehH2009 →843 times

  • נָתַ֥ןhe had given

    natanH5414 →2011 times

  • יָד֛וֹhand his

    yadoH3027 →1618 times

  • וְכָל־and all

    vekholH3605 →5413 times

  • אֵ֥לֶּהthese [things]

    ʾelehH428 →746 times

  • עָשָׂ֖הhe did

    ʾasahH6213 →2628 times

  • לֹ֥אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • יִמָּלֵֽט׃ סhe will escape

    yimaletH4422 →95 times

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

Related verses

12 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.

1 Chronicles 29:24All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.4 works2 Kings 10:15When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,4 worksLamentations 4:20The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”3 worksEzekiel 17:15But 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?’3 works2 Chronicles 30:8Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you.2 worksJeremiah 25:35Flight will evade the shepherds, and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.2 works
The other 6 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jeremiah 50:15Raise a war cry against her on every side! She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her towers have fallen; her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, take out your vengeance upon her; as she has done, do the same to her.2 worksLamentations 2:6He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth; He has destroyed His place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and Sabbaths. In His fierce anger He has despised both king and priest.2 worksLamentations 5:6We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread.2 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?2 worksDaniel 11:7But one from her family line will rise up in his place, come against the army of the king of the North, and enter his fortress, fighting and prevailing.2 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,2 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

    Lamentations 5:6

    We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread.

    it leads to

    • Hosea 9:3

      They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.

    • Hosea 12:1

      Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.

    • Genesis 24:2

      So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

    • Jeremiah 2:36

      How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.

    • Hosea 7:11

      So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.

  • Through

    2 Chronicles 30:8

    Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that His fierce anger…

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 29:10

      Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.

    • Exodus 32:9

      The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.

    • Deuteronomy 10:16

      Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.

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; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Ezekiel 17 →