Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 17:3
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
3. longwinged ] With long pinions. The eagle was also of “divers colours” or speckled, with reference possibly to the very diverse nationalities included in the Babylonian empire.
came unto Lebanon ] The figure of the eagle coming to Lebanon and cropping off the highest branch and top of the young twigs ( Eze 17:4) represents the carrying off of those highest in the land of Israel. Lebanon as opposed to Babylon is the mountain of Palestine; the cedar, the tree of Lebanon, appears to represent the royal Davidic house ( Eze 17:12 ; Eze 17:22), and its highest branches king Jehoiachin and the princes who were carried away to Babylon ( Eze 17:12). On “land of traffic” ( Eze 17:4), cf. ch. Eze 16:29.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A great eagle … – Probably the golden eagle, whose plumage has the variety of color here depicted. The eagle (the king of birds) is a natural representative of monarchs (compare, Jer 48:40), and was an Assyrian emblem.
With great wings, Iongwinged – literally, great of wing, long of pinion, because he has swept victoriously over widely distant lands – of divers colors, because his subjects are of various races and tongues. Jerusalem is here called Lebanon because Lebanon is the proper home of the cedar. The highest branch or topshoot is Jeconiah, the rightful king of Jerusalem, the young twigs are his children and the princes carried by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. A great eagle] Nebuchadnezzar. See Jer 48:40; Jer 49:22; Da 7:4. And see here, Eze 17:12, where it is so applied.
Great wings] Extensive empire.
Long-winged] Rapid in his conquests.
Full of feathers] Having multitudes of subjects.
Divers colours] People of various nations.
Came unto Lebanon] Came against Judea.
The highest branch] King Jehoiachin he took captive to Babylon.
The cedar] The Jewish state and king.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A great eagle; Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as Eze 17:12, compared to a great eagle, king of birds, swift, strong, rapacious, and of a lofty flight.
With great wings; mighty provinces on each side of his kingdom.
Long-winged; his kingdom was vastly extended, as Dan 3:3; 4:1; the greatest king then living.
Full of feathers; his kingdom was very full of people.
Which had divers colours; were of divers nations, languages, and manners, so that this eagle, nay be well thought to be that sort which is greatest in the kind, and best resembleth him, who was the greatest monarch in the world at that time.
Came; invaded with a mighty army; he came not as a traveller to please his curiosity, but as an invader to enlarge his dominion.
Unto Lebanon; either the temple built with cedars of Lebanon; or Jerusalem, the chief city of the country where this great, fruitful, and pleasant hill was; or the whole country set forth by its chiefest hill, which runs about a hundred and twenty-five miles in length, and encloseth the land of Judea on the north side.
Took; took captive and carried away with him.
The highest branch; the king of Judah, Jehoiachin.
Of the cedar; either the royal family, or rather, the whole nation of the Jews.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. eaglethe king of birds.The literal Hebrew is, “the great eagle.” Thesymbol of the Assyrian supreme god, Nisroch; so applied to”the great king” of Babylon, his vicegerent on earth(Jer 48:40; Jer 49:22).His “wings” are his great forces. Such symbols werefamiliar to the Jews, who saw them portrayed on the great buildingsof Babylon; such as are now seen in the Assyrian remains.
long-wingedimplyingthe wide extent of his empire.
full of featherswhenthey have been renewed after moulting; and so in the full freshnessof renovated youth (Psa 103:5;Isa 40:31). Answering to the manypeoples which, as tributaries, constituted the strength of Babylon.
divers coloursthegolden eagle, marked with star-like spots, supposed to be the largestof eagles [BOCHART].Answering to the variety of languages, habits, and costumes of thepeoples subject to Babylon.
came unto Lebanoncontinuingthe metaphor: as the eagle frequents mountains, not cities. Thetemple at Jerusalem was called “Lebanon” by the Jews[EUSEBIUS], because itswoodwork was wholly of cedars of Lebanon. “The mountain of theLord’s house” (Isa 2:2).Jerusalem, however, is chiefly meant, the chief seat of civilhonor, as Lebanon was of external elevation.
took the highest branchKingJeconiah, then but eighteen years old, and many of the chiefs andpeople with him (2Ki 24:8;2Ki 24:12-16). The Hebrewfor “highest branch” is, properly, the fleece-like tuftat the top of the tree. (So in Eze31:3-14). The cedar, as a tall tree, is the symbol of kinglyelevation (compare Da4:10-12).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And say, thus saith the Lord God,…. The riddle is not the prophet’s, nor the parable his, but the Lord God’s; and exceeding beautiful and apt it is, to signify the things designed by it; the wisdom of God is greatly displayed in it:
a great eagle; which is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, as it is explained, Eze 17:12; who is compared to an eagle for his power and authority, that being the king of birds, and for his swiftness and voracity in conquering and subduing kingdoms; see Jer 48:40;
with great wings; so the Babylonish monarchy is signified by a lion with eagle’s wings, Da 7:4; and the two parts of the Roman empire, into which it was divided at the death of Theodosius, are called two wings of a great eagle, Re 12:14; and so here it may denote the large kingdoms and provinces which belonged to the Babylonian monarchy; see Es 1:1;
longwinged; or having a “long member” m; meaning the body of the wing, which was long; and so, as the wings spread, may signify the breadth of his dominion, this the length of them, and both their extensiveness:
full of feathers; of cities, towns, people, armies, wealth, and riches:
which had divers colours; or an “embroidery” n; like that of the weaver, only needle work, consisting of various colours; and so it alludes to such eagles as are called the golden eagle, and “asterias”, from their golden colour, and their being spotted like stars, and which are said to be of the largest size, as Bochart, from Aelianus o, observes; and may signify people of divers languages, customs, manners, and circumstances, subject to the government of the king of Babylon:
came unto Lebanon; the northern border of the land of Judea, and invaded it; where were the mountain and forest of Lebanon, famous for the cedars that grew there, from whence the whole land may here take its name, as being more apt for the allegory used: or the city of Jerusalem, where were the temple built of the cedars of Lebanon, as many of its palaces and houses also were; whither the king of Babylon came, and took it, and who came northward, as Babylon was:
and took the highest branch of the cedar; by the “cedar” is meant, either the nation in general, or the royal family in particular; and by the “highest branch” the then reigning king, Jeconiah with the princes and nobles of the land, who were taken and carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar; see 2Ki 24:14.
m “longa corpore”, Castalio; “longa membris”, Munster, Grotius; “longo membororum ductu”, Pradus. n , Heb; “opus phrygionicum”, Piscator. o Aelian. Hist. Animal. l. 2. c. 39.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here the Prophet reasons from the greater to the less: for if Nebuchadnezzar was able to subdue the whole kingdom with ease, when as yet the Jews were untouched, how much more readily would he overthrow them when wretched and all but ruined: for nothing remained which was not threatened with ruin; and this is the meaning of the Prophet. But he compares King Nebuchadnezzar to an eagle, whom he says was great, and then with large or extended wings. There is no doubt that by wings, feathers, and plumes, he means the regions and peoples over which Nebuchadnezzar presided; for we know that the Chaldaeans possessed the monarchy of the East. Since, therefore, so many regions and people obeyed Nebuchadnezzar’s sway, it is not surprising that the Prophet calls him a great eagle, with ample wings, and with numerous feathers or plumes; for where he now says, מלא הנוצה, mela henotzeh, full of feathers, he will shortly say, רב נוצה, reb notzeh, many feathers, when speaking of the king of Egypt. He says, the wings were of divers colors; it is the same noun which the Prophet used in the last chapter, when he said that the people were clad in precious garments; for thus the Hebrews speak of Phrygian texture: hence he compares the wings of the king of Babylon to a woven garment, resplendent with various colors; for although Nebuchadnezzar held his throne at only one place, yet he had seized and subdued many tributaries on all sides. This, therefore, is the reason for this variety; — but I cannot proceed further at present.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) A great eagle with great wings.In the original the great eagle. This is explained in Eze. 17:12 of the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar is compared to an eagle also in Jer. 48:40; Jer. 49:22; and Cyrus to a bird of prey in Isa. 46:11. He has great and long wings, because he has already flown victoriously over wide-spread lands; and he is full of feathers which had divers colours, because he had embraced in his empire a variety of nations differing in languages, manners, and customs.
Came unto Lebanon.Jerusalem is called Lebanon, as in Jer. 22:23; because Lebanon is the home of the cedar, and the royal palace in Jerusalem was so rich in cedar as to be called the house of the forest of Lebanon (1Ki. 7:2).
The highest branch.This is a word occurring only in Ezekiel (Eze. 17:22, and Eze. 31:3-4; Eze. 31:10). It is of uncertain etymology, but is explained in Eze. 17:4 as meaning the top of his young twigs. The English branch hardly conveys the exact idea, and it would be better to translate topshoot.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. A great eagle with great wings This well described Nebuchadnezzar, swift, strong, and rapacious, whose mighty provinces were widespread (long-winged) and full of people (feathers), composed of all manner of nations, languages and manners (diverse colors). Wesley. The figure of the eagle as applied to conquerors was a common one and had also been used by Jeremiah of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 49:22).
The highest branch of the cedar The cedar was the royal tree of Palestine, as Lebanon was its most royal mountain. The highest branch of the cedar was the king Jehoiachin and the “top of his young twigs” (Eze 17:4) symbolized the princes of the royal house (Eze 17:12; Eze 17:22).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“And say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which was many-coloured, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it into a land of trading (cana‘an). He took it into a city of merchandise. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a field prepared for seed, he placed it beside many waters. He set it as a willow tree. And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned towards him, and its roots were under him. So it became a vine, and sprouted out its branches, and produced sprigs.”
The eagle is portrayed as powerful (a great eagle with great wings), ferocious and threatening (long of pinion), and splendid (a full array of many-coloured feathers). Compare for the eagle as such a harbinger of judgment Deu 28:49; Jeremiah 28:40; Jer 49:22; Lam 4:19; Hab 1:8. Eze 17:12 tells us that it represented the king of Babylon.
The tall cedar represents the rebel confederacy against him in Syria and Palestine, in ‘Lebanon’, a term regularly used of the area (compare Jos 1:4 ; 2Ki 14:9; 2Ki 19:23; Isa 10:34; Isa 37:24; Zec 11:1-3), proud and upstanding. The cedars of Lebanon were famous as an example of what was tall and majestic (Isa 2:13; 1Ki 4:33 ; 2Ki 14:9; Psa 104:16; Eze 31:3). Thus in Jdg 9:15 to ‘devour the cedars of Lebanon’ was to wreak havoc on a variety of tall trees.
The top of the cedar represents their aristocracy. The ‘topmost of the young twigs’ is probably Jehoiachin, king of Judah, seen from a patriotic viewpoint. He may have been the leader of the confederacy that united to oppose Nebuchadnezzar.
Babylonia was at this time famous for its trade, Many imported goods came from Babylon (compare Jos 7:21; Rev 18:11-15) and so it is described as ‘the land of trade’, and Babylon itself as the city of merchants. They were seen by Israel at the time as the trade centre of their world. The word for ‘trade’ is cana‘an, but the land of Canaan would not be called by this name at that time, and the word can also mean ‘trade’, which it almost certainly indicates here.
The ‘seed of the land’ refers to Zedekiah (Eze 17:13, compare 2Ki 24:17), who replaced Jehoiachin as king when Jehoiachin was transported, planted in fertile ground as though in a land where water did not depend on the rain but came from its many rivers. Thus he was dependent for his growth on Babylon. The ‘many waters’ of the Euphrates and Tigris with their tributaries are compared later with the ‘many waters’ of Egypt and the Nile and thus refer to Babylon. He was set ‘like a willow twig’, one that delights in water, and grew into a luxuriant vine (Compare Isa 44:4). Nebuchadnezzar was concerned to gain his support and loyalty, and watered him. But it was a vine of low stature, completely subservient and of limited power. Its branches bent towards the king of Babylon and its roots were under him. But in this way Zedekiah prospered and was fruitful.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 17:3. A great eagle, &c. This great eagle represents Nebuchadrezzar, according to all the interpreters; his greatness, long wings, beautiful, abundant, and well-coloured plumage, denote the force and greatness of his empire, the rapidity of his conquests, and the number of his subjects. The Scripture has in more places than one described this prince under the figure of an eagle. See Jer 48:40; Jer 49:22. Dan 7:4. By his coming to Lebanon, and taking the highest branch of the cedar, is meant his invasion of Judaea, his investing the city of Jerusalem, and taking king Jehoiachin and the princes captive. See Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 17:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
Ver. 3. A great eagle with great wings. ] An eagle, that king of birds, is a fit emblem of an emperor; a as it is here of Nebuchadnezzar the Great. Eze 17:12 Jer 48:40 ; Jer 49:22 Monarchs, as eagles, have quick eyes, long talons, fly high pitches, aim at great matters, strive to get above all others, choose themselves high and firm seats, &c. See Job 39:27-30 , with the notes. Ajax is called , an eagle, in Pindarus; so is King Pyrrhus in Plutarch, and took delight in that title. The Spaniard was well laughed at by Captain Drake and his forces when they took Santo Domingo, 1585, and found in the townhall the King of Spain’s arms, and under them a globe of the world, out of which issued, not a well-plumed eagle, but a flying home, with this inscription, Non sufficit orbis the world is not enough. We could not so well bridle his Pegasus at Santo Domingo, yet we put a stop to him at Jamaica; but we have lately pulled his plumes in Flanders to some purpose, by gaining from him Dunkirk, now b held by the English, and likewise Berghen, another place of great strength, now held by the French; the good news whereof came to us yesterday, being June 27, 1658. Praised be the holy name of God for ever.
Came unto Lebanon,
And took the highest branch of the cedar.
a Vide Pier. in Hieroglyph.
b This was written June 28, 1658.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the Lord GoD. Hebrew. Adonai Jehovah. See note on Eze 2:4.
A great eagle. Tho king of Babylon.
longwinged = long-pinioned, as in Eze 17:7.
feathers = plumage.
the highest branch. Jeleoiachin (i.e. Jeconiah, or Coniah). See Eze 17:12; find Jer 22:23, Jer 22:24.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
A great: Nebuchadnezzar, so called from his towering ambition and rapaciousness. Eze 17:7, Eze 17:12-21, Deu 28:49, Jer 4:13, Jer 48:40, Jer 49:16, Lam 4:19, Hos 8:1, Mat 24:28
great wings: Extensive empire, both in length and breadth. Dan 2:38, Dan 4:22, Dan 7:4
full: Numerous subjects, of various nations, and of different languages and manners.
divers colours: Heb. embroidering
came: Came against Judah and Jerusalem. Eze 17:12, 2Ki 24:10-16, 2Ch 36:9, 2Ch 36:10, Jer 22:23-28, Jer 24:1
the highest: Jeconiah, whom he took captive to Babylon.
the cedar: The royal and ancient family of David.
Reciprocal: Gen 15:11 – fowls Deu 28:48 – serve Jdg 9:8 – The trees Job 14:9 – and bring Isa 8:8 – the stretching Eze 15:6 – General Eze 31:3 – a cedar Dan 7:6 – four wings Hab 1:8 – they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 17:3. The great eagle was Babylon, Lebanon was Jerusalem and the cedar was composed of the leading men or princes of the city. Of course all of these terms were used figuratively and will be referred to by tlieir proper names before the chapter is finished. Since Babylon was represented under the figure of an eagle, in describing its greatness the use of corresponding figures would naturally be maintained. A flying creature that could soar from the region of the Euphrates and arrive so successfully at the distant point of Jerusalem, would require the kind of wings described.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 17:3-6. A great eagle with great wings The eagle is the king of birds, swift, strong, and rapacious. And this great eagle, according to all interpreters, represents Nebuchadnezzar. Its greatness, long wings, beautiful, abundant, and well-coloured plumage, denote the force and greatness of his empire, the rapidity of his conquests, and the number of his subjects. The Scripture has in other places described this prince under the figure of an eagle. See Jer 48:40-45; Dan 7:4. By his coming to Lebanon, and taking the highest branch of the cedar, is meant his invasion of Judea, his investing the city of Jerusalem, and taking King Jehoiachin and the princes captive. Calmet. He cropped off the top of his young twigs Both the king of Judah, now eighteen years old, and the nobles and chief of the land. And carried it into a land of traffic Babylon, and the country about it, being the seat of a universal monarchy, must needs have been a place of great trade. Strabo takes notice that the merchants who travelled by land to Babylon went through the country of the Abrabians, called Scenit, lib. 16. p. 747; and vessels of great burden came up the river Euphrates to the walls of it from the Persian gulf. See Plinys Nat. Hist., 50. 6. c. 26; and Lowth. He took also of the seed of the land Of the kings seed, as it is explained Eze 17:13 : that is, Zedekiah, whom the king of Babylon made king of Judah instead of Jehoiachin; first exacting an oath of him, that he would be true to him, and pay him tribute. And he planted it in a fruitful field Hebrew, , in a field of seed, that is, proper for seed: he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow-tree Judea was a fruitful country and well watered, (see Deu 8:7,) where Zedekiah flourished as a willow-tree, that thrives best in moist ground, Isa 44:4. And it became a spreading vine of low stature, &c. Though Zedekiah flourished, yet he enjoyed but a tributary kingdom under the king of Babylon, and acknowledged him as his lord and sovereign: see Eze 17:14.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great {a} eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had various colours, came to Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
(a) That is, Nebuchadnezzar who had great power, riches and many countries under him, will come to Jerusalem and take away Jeconiah the king, as in Eze 17:12 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
In this riddle, a powerful and impressive eagle came to Lebanon, cropped off the top of one of its famous cedar trees, and carried these twigs to a land of merchants and a city of traders. This eagle also took some of the seed from Lebanon and planted it in fertile soil near a body of water so it would flourish, like a willow tree (cf. Isa 44:4). This seed sprouted and became a low, spreading vine (cf. Eze 15:1-8) that sent out branches upward toward the eagle and roots downward.
Lebanon was an alternative name for the land of Canaan that emphasized its great beauty and fruitfulness (cf. Jos 1:4; 2Ki 14:9). The Lord evidently used it here because He wanted to develop the idea of a bird plucking the top off a tree, and this was more typical in Lebanon than in Israel because of Lebanon’s many cedar trees.