Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 17:5
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed [it] by great waters, [and] set it [as] a willow tree.
5. Nebuchadnezzar then took Mattaniah, son of Josiah, and made him king under the name of Zedekiah. The “seed of the land” is the native royal house.
he placed it] The unknown form so rendered might be a verb, cf. Hos 11:3. LXX. omits; Ew. conjectures slip, or cutting. The comparison to the willow (the sense is not certain, the word not occurring again) is suggested by the place where it was planted, beside great waters. “Water” is the requisite of every tree in the East, and “great waters” are the favourable conditions granted to Zedekiah. “They that drink water” is a name for trees, ch. Eze 31:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He took also of the seed of the land – Zedekiah the kings uncle, not a Babylonian satrap, was made king.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. The seed of the land] Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiachin.
Planted it in a fruitful field] Made him king of Judea in place of his brother.
Placed it by great waters] Put him under the protection of Babylon, situated on the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates.
And set it as a willow tree] Made him dependent on this city of great waters, as the willow is on humidity.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Took; chose out one to be king instead of Jehoiachin.
Of the seed of the land; a native, and, which is more, one of the royal family, Mattaniah, whom he called Zedekiah.
Planted it; settled him on the throne of Judah.
A fruitful field; a field fit for such a design, in the land of Judea. The prophet goeth on in his allusion, and explains what he meant, compares this new-made king to a willow, which grows no where so well as in a wet soil, and on banks of great waters.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. seed of the landnot aforeign production, but one native in the region; a son of the soil,not a foreigner: Zedekiah, uncle of Jehoiachin, of David’s family.
in a fruitfulfieldliterally, a “field of seed”; that is, fit forpropagating and continuing the seed of the royal family.
as a willowderivedfrom a Hebrew root, “to overflow,” from its fondnessfor water (Isa 44:4). Judea was”a land of brooks of water and fountains” (De8:7-9; compare Joh 3:23).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He took also of the seed of the land,…. Of the land of Judea, a native of it, not a stranger; not one of another country, a Babylonian; not one of his own nobles or princes, did Nebuchadnezzar, the eagle, take and set upon the throne of Judea, but one of their own, even one of the king’s seed, of the blood royal, as it is explained,
Eze 17:13, Mattaniah, the uncle of Jeconiah, whom the king of Babylon called Zedekiah, and made him king in his room:
and planted it in a fruitful field; in the land of Judea, and in Jerusalem the royal city:
he placed [it] by great waters; many people, Re 17:15; over whom he ruled, and by whom he was supported in his royal dignity:
[and] set it [as] a willow tree; which loves moist places, and grows up thick: unless it should be rendered, “he set it with great circumspection” s; took a great deal of care and caution in placing him upon the throne; he made a covenant with him, took an oath of him, and hostages for the performance of it, Eze 17:13. The Targum is,
“a planted vine he set it,”
to make it agree with what follows; but the word in the Chaldee and Arabic languages signifies a kind of willow, as we render it, as Ben Melech observes t.
s “circumspectissime posuit illud, Junins Tremellius, Polanus “cum magna circumspectione”, Piscator; “circumspecte, Cocceius, Starckius. t And so it does; see Castel, col. 3220, 3221. and in this way Jarchi and Kimchi interpret the word, in which they are followed by many; so R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 73. 1. nevertheless, the sense of it here is disapproved of by Castel, who observes, what has a willow to do with a vine? col. 3222. and commends the Greek version, which renders it, , “conspicuous”, to be seen; and so others translate it, “in superficie”, V. L. Grotius; yet the “safsaf” of the Arabs is a tree by which they understood the “abeile” or poplar tree; see Shaw’s Travels, p. 432. Ed. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After Ezekiel has narrated that Jehoiacin was carried away with his counselors and the flower of the whole people, and was so deprived of his native country as to be without hope of return, he now says, that the eagle took up the seed in Judea, and placed it in a fertile land; for he calls it a land of seed, since it was cultivated and produced fruit abundantly. He says, that the seed was afterwards hidden in the soil, that it grew immediately, and became a luxuriant vine. He says also, that its roots were irrigated, like a willow planted by a river’s bed. The Prophet afterwards explains himself: hence it is sufficient to state briefly what he means. The seed, then, which he here means is Zedekiah, the last king. It is said to have been planted beside the waters; for his condition was tolerable, since the royal name and dignity and wealth was left to him. For although he was tributary, the kindness with which he was treated by Nebuchadnezzar was not to be despised, since, by the right of war, he was able to lead him captive. together with his nephew; for Zedekiah was the uncle of Jeconiah or Jehoiacin. But he said, that this vine, which sprang from a seed or germ, grew so that it was of low stature; the Prophet means by these words, as we shall afterwards see, that Zedekiah was not a king, that he was restrained by a bridle from daring to rebel against the king of Babylon; and hence it is added, that its branches turned towards the eagle, and its roots were under him; but in the next clause Ezekiel announces, that it became a vine which set forth branches, and shot forth boughs, which he repeats again, that Zedekiah’s ingratitude may appear the greater, who, not content with his moderate confinement, perfidiously revolted from the king of Babylon, through reliance on the new treaty, on which we touched yesterday. It now follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Of the seed of the land.In place of the captive Jehoiachin Nebuchadnezzar did not set over the land an eastern satrap, but appointed a native prince, Zedekiah, the uncle of Jehoiachin. He was planted, not like the tall cedar on the mountain, but yet like a willow tree by great waters where it might flourish in its degree (see Eze. 17:14).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it It was Nebuchadnezzar who placed Zedekiah upon the throne (2Ch 36:10; 2Ki 24:17; Jer 35:11). The “fruitful field” and “ great waters” indicate the beauty and comfort of his Palestinian kingdom (Deu 8:7-9; Deu 11:10-12), while the “as a willow” represents the possibility of its rapid and luxuriant development (Isa 44:4). The cedar sprout was not, as so many expositors seem to think, transformed into a willow tree or grapevine, but it was set close to great waters, as is a willow tree, and took the form of a vine rather than a tree.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 17:5. He took also of the seed, &c. He took also [a cion] of the product of the land, and set it in the planting ground. He placed it, &c. Hereby is meant Zedekiah, who was of the seed royal, whom Nebuchadrezzar established king in Judea.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 17:5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed [it] by great waters, [and] set it [as] a willow tree.
Ver. 5. He took also of the seed of the land. ] No foreigner, but one of their own country, and of the blood royal too – viz., Zedekiah. This was a great mercy; as that most spitefully done of Attilus, king of Suecia, to make a dog king of the Danes; as did likewise Gunno, king of the Danes, make a dog king of Norway, appointing counsellors to do all things under his title and name.
And planted it in a fruitful field,
“ At Paris ut vivat regnetque beatus,
Cogi posse negat. ” – Horat.,
He placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the seed of the land. Zedokiah. See Eze 17:6 and Eze 17:13. Nebuchadnezzar did not set up a Chaldean king over Judah, but nourished Zedekiah, as verses: Eze 17:5, Eze 17:6 show.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the seed: Zedekiah, brother to Jeconiah. Eze 17:13, 2Ki 24:17, Jer 37:1
planted it in a fruitful field: Heb. put it in a field of seed, Made him king of Judea. Deu 8:7-9
he placed: Made him dependent on Babylon, the city of great waters, as the willow is on humidity. Eze 19:11, Eze 19:12, Isa 15:7, Isa 44:4
Reciprocal: Job 40:22 – the willows Jer 11:17 – that Jer 12:2 – hast Eze 17:8 – soil Eze 31:4 – waters Hos 14:6 – branches
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 17:5. When Nebuchadnezzar first made his attack upon Palestine he did not entirely destroy the capital and other cities. He took charge of the country and allowed the Jews still to have a king of their own peo- pel. He also permitted some of these chief men to occupy places of importance in Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Judah continued to reign in its own land. Fruitful field and great waters are figures of speech to indicate the favorable situation that the nation was allowed to enjoy even though the king of Babylon was over the whole realm.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
17:5 He took also of the {c} seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed [it] by great waters, [and] set it [as] a willow tree.
(c) That is, Zedekiah who was of the king’s blood and was left at Jerusalem and made king instead of Jeconiah, 2Ki 24:17, Jer 37:1 .