Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 19:10
Thy mother [is] like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
10. is like a vine ] was like, in contrast to “but now she is planted in the wilderness” ( Eze 19:13). The “prince” of Israel is addressed, not any individual prince, but the kingship or royalty by whomsoever represented. The mother, as before, is the people or nationality of Israel.
in thy blood ] R.V. marg. refers to ch. Eze 16:6, not wisely. LXX. read “on a pomegranate” ( brmn for bdmk). Ew. suggests: “a vine of Carmel,” Ges. “a vine of thy vineyard;” Corn. as usual “zu streichen.” Others: “in thy likeness” “in thy thought,” “in thy rest” all without sense. More tolerable: “in her height” (rumah), Eze 19:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
10 14. The fate of Zedekiah and his country, on which he has brought ruin
Israel was once a spreading vine by great waters; her branches rose into the clouds, and her rods were rulers’ sceptres a powerful race of kings rose out of her. Now she is torn up and thrown down, carried into the wilderness, and planted in a dry and barren soil. A fire also has gone out from one of her strong rods which has consumed her. Her last prince, Zedekiah, has finally broken the state to pieces (cf. ch. 17).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thy mother – Judah or Jerusalem. Jehoiachin is still addressed.
In thy blood – Blood is equivalent to life Gen 9:4. The clause is equivalent to Thy mother is a vine, living in thy blood, i. e., in the life of thee and of thy children. The excellency of a vine is in her fruitful branches; the glory of a mother in her noble children. Jeremiah was to write Jehoiachin childless (see the note at Jer 22:30); Ezekiel here takes a general view of the king and princes of the blood royal.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. Thy mother (Jerusalem) is like a vine in thy blood] Of this expression I know not what to make. Some think the meaning is “A vine planted by the waters to produce the blood of the grape.” See De 32:14. Others, for bedamecha, in thy blood, would read berimmon, in or at a pomegranate; like a vine planted by or beside a pomegranate-tree, by which it was to be supported. And so the Septuagint and Arabic appear to have read. Calmet reads carmecha, thy vineyard, instead of bedamecha, in thy blood. Here is no change but a resh for a daleth. This reading is supported by one of Kennicott’s and one of De Rossi’s MSS.: “Thy mother is like a vine in thy vineyard, planted by the waters.” Though this is rather an unusual construction yet it seems the best emendation. Of the textual reading no sense can be made. There is a corruption somewhere.
Full on branches] Many princes. See next verse.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The 10th verse begins the second part of the chapter.
Thy mother, O thou prince of Israel: see Eze 19:2.
Is like a vine; frequently so compared, Psa 80:8,14,15; Isa 3:14; 5:2; 27:2.
In thy blood; either when thou wast first born, as Eze 16:6; or, the royal line, thy kingly race; or, in the rigour of thy strength.
Planted by the waters, in a very fruitful soil.
She was fruitful, and accordingly she did thrive, and brought forth much fruit: see Eze 17:8. Though she lost many thousands carried away, yet more were born, bred up, and trained up to useful arts and employments, say some; but this too general. The royal family did spring like a vine well watered.
Full of branches; full of children; when Josiah died he left four behind him, beside other branches of the royal line.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. A new metaphor taken fromthe vine, the chief of the fruit-bearing trees, as the lionis of the beasts of prey (see Eze17:6).
in thy blood“plantedwhen thou wast in thy blood,” that is, in thy very infancy; asin Eze 16:6, when thou hadstjust come from the womb, and hadst not yet the blood washed fromthee. The Jews from the first were planted in Canaan to take rootthere [CALVIN]. GROTIUStranslates as the Margin, “in thy quietness,” thatis, in the period when Judah had not yet fallen into her presenttroubles. English Version is better. GLASSIUSexplains it well, retaining the metaphor, which CALVIN’Sexplanation breaks, “in the blood of thy grapes,” that is,in her full strength, as the red wine is the strength of the grape.Ge 49:11 is evidently alludedto.
many watersthewell-watered land of Canaan (De8:7-9).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thy mother [is] like a vine in thy blood,…. Another simile is here made use of, relating to the same persons; the same that were compared to a lioness are here compared to a vine, as the people of the Jews frequently are, Ps 80:8; the same person is here addressed, the then reigning prince, Zedekiah, whose mother, the Jewish people, from whence he sprung, had been in times past, and still was, like a vine; and especially with respect to his blood, the royal family from, chore he descended: the allusion is to the use of blood laid to the roots of vines, by which they became more fruitful. It may have regard; as Calvin thinks, to the original of the Jewish nation, who, when in their blood, or as soon as they were born, that is, as soon as they became a nation, were at first like a flourishing vine. Some render the words, “in thy likeness”; so Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech; to which the Targum agrees,
“the congregation of Israel, when it did according to the law, was like to a vine, c.”
planted by the waters for in those hot countries vines required water, and thrived the better for bring near to them, or for being in watery places; this may denote the many privileges, blessings, laws, and ordinances, which were for the advantage of the Jewish people; both in their civil and ecclesiastical state:
she was fruitful and full of branches, by reason of many waters; grew populous, rich, and wealthy.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Destruction of the Kingdom, and Banishment of the People
Eze 19:10. Thy mother was like a vine, planted by the water in thy repose; it became a fruitful and rich in tendrils from many waters. Eze 19:11. And it had strong shoots for rulers’ sceptres; and its growth ascended among the clouds, and was visible in its height in the multitude of its branches. Eze 19:12. Then it was torn up in fury, cast to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit; its strong shoots were broken off, and withered; fire devoured them. Eze 19:13. And now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Eze 19:14. There goeth out fire from the shoot of its branches, devoureth its fruit, so that there is no more a strong shoot upon it, a sceptre for ruling. – A lamentation it is, and it will be for lamentation. – From the lamentable fate of the princes transported to Egypt and Babylon, the ode passes to a description of the fate, which the lion-like rapacity of the princes is preparing for the kingdom and people. Israel resembled a vine planted by the water. The difficult word we agree with Hvernick and Kliefoth in tracing to the verb , to rest (Jer 14:17), and regard it as synonymous with in Isa 38:10: “in thy repose,” i.e., in the time of peaceful, undisturbed prosperity. For neither of the other renderings, “in thy blood” and “in thy likeness,” yields a suitable meaning. The latter explanation, which originated with Raschi and Kimchi, is precluded by the fact that Ezekiel always uses the word to express the idea of resemblance. – For the figure of the vine, compare Psa 80:9. This vine sent out strong shoots for rulers’ sceptres; that is to say, it brought forth powerful kings, and grew up to a great height, even into the clouds. signifies “cloud,” lit., thicket of clouds, not only here, but in Eze 31:3, Eze 31:10, Eze 31:14. The rendering “branches” or “thicket of foliage” is not suitable in any of these passages. The form of the word is not to be taken as that of a new plural of , the plural of , which occurs in 2Sa 23:4 and Psa 77:18; but is the plural of , an interlacing or thicket of foliage, and is simply transferred to the interlacing or piling up of the clouds. The clause ‘ , and it appeared, was seen, or became visible, simply serves to depict still further the glorious and vigorous growth, and needs no such alteration as Hitzig proposes. This picture is followed in Eze 19:12., without any particle of transition, by a description of the destruction of this vine. It was torn up in fury by the wrath of God, cast down to the ground, so that its fruit withered (compare the similar figures in Eze 17:10). is used collectively, as equivalent to (Eze 19:11); and the suffix in is written in the singular on account of this collective use of . The uprooting ends in the transplanting of the vine into a waste, dry, unwatered land, – in other words, in the transplanting of the people, Israel, into exile. The dry land is Babylon, so described as being a barren soil in which the kingdom of God could not flourish. According to Eze 19:14, this catastrophe is occasioned by the princes. The fire, which devours the fruit of the vine so that it cannot send out any more branches, emanates , from the shoot of its branches, i.e., from its branches, which are so prolific in shoots. is the shoot which grew into rulers’ sceptres, i.e., the royal family of the nation. The reference is to Zedekiah, whose treacherous breach of covenant (Eze 17:15) led to the overthrow of the kingdom and of the earthly monarchy. The picture from Eze 19:12 onwards is prophetic. The tearing up of the vine, and its transplantation into a dry land, had already commenced with the carrying away of Jeconiah; but it was not completed till the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of Zedekiah, which were still in the future at the time when these words were uttered. – The clause ‘ does not contain a concluding historical notice, as Hvernick supposes, but simply the finale of the lamentation, indicating the credibility of the prediction which it contains. is prophetic, like the perfects from in Eze 19:12 onwards; and the meaning is this: A lamentation forms the substance of the whole chapter; and it will lead to lamentation, when it is fulfilled.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Fall of the Royal Family. | B. C. 593. |
10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. 11 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. 12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. 13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. 14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Jerusalem, the mother-city, is here represented by another similitude; she is a vine, and the princes are her branches. This comparison we had before, ch. xv. 1. Jerusalem is as a vine; the Jewish nation is so: Like a vine in they blood (v. 10), the blood-royal, like a vine set in blood and watered with blood, which contributes very much to the flourishing and fruitfulness of vines, as if the blood which had been shed had been designed for the fattening and improving of the soil, in such plenty was it shed; and for a time it seemed to have that effect, for she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of the waters, the many waters near which she was planted. Places of great wickedness may prosper for a while; and a vine set in blood may be full of branches. Jerusalem was full of able magistrates, men of sense, men of learning and experience, that were strong rods, branches of this vine of uncommon bulk and strength, or poles for the support of this vine, for such magistrates are. The boughs of this vine had grown to such maturity that they were fit to make white staves of for the sceptres of those that bore rule, v. 11. And those are strong rods that are fit for sceptres, men of strong judgments and strong resolutions that are fit for magistrates. When the royal family of Judah was numerous, and the courts of justice were filled with men of sense and probity, then Jerusalem’s stature was exalted among thick branches; when the government is in good able hands a nation is thereby made considerable Then she was not taken for a weak and lowly vine, but she appeared in her height, a distinguished city, with the multitude of her branches. Tanquam lenta solent inter viburna cupressi–Midst humble withies thus the cypress soars. “In thy quietness” (so some read that, v. 10, which we translate in thy blood) “thou wast such a vine as this.” When Zedekiah was quiet and easy under the king of Babylon’s yoke his kingdom flourished thus. See how slow God is to anger, how he defers his judgments, and waits to be gracious. 2. This vine is now quite destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar, being highly provoked by Zedekiah’s treachery, plucked it up in fury (v. 12), ruined the city and kingdom, and cut off all the branches of the royal family that fell in his way. The vine was cut off close to the ground, though not plucked up by the roots. The east wind dried up the fruit that was blasted. The young people fell by the sword, or were carried into captivity. The aspect of it had nothing that was pleasing, the prospect nothing that was promising. Her strong rods were broken and withered; her great men were cut off, judges and magistrates deposed. The vine itself is planted in the wilderness, v. 13. Babylon was as a wilderness to those of the people that were carried captives thither; the land of Judah was as a wilderness to Jerusalem, now that the whole country was ravaged and laid waste by the Chaldean army–a fruitful land turned into barrenness. “It is burnt with fire (Ps. lxxx. 16) and that fire has gone out of a rod of her branches (v. 14); the king himself, by rebelling against the king of Babylon, has given occasion to all this mischief. She may thank herself for the fire that consumes her; she has by her wickedness made herself like tinder to the sparks of God’s wrath, so that her own branches serve as fuel for her own consumption; in them the fire is kindled which devoured the fruit, the sins of the elder being the judgments which destroy the younger; her fruit is burned with her own branches, so that she has no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule, none to be found now that are fit for the government or dare take this ruin under their hand, as the complaint is (Isa 3:6; Isa 3:7), none of the house of David left that have a right to rule, no wise men, or men of sense, that are able to rule.” It goes ill with any state, and is likely to go worse, when it is thus deprived of the blessings of government and has no strong rods for sceptres. Woe unto thee, O land! when thy king is a child, for it is as well to have no rod as not a strong rod. Those strong rods, we have reason to fear, had been instruments of oppression, assistant to the king in catching the prey and devouring men, and now they are destroyed with him. Tyranny is the inlet to anarchy; and, when the rod of government is turned into the serpent of oppression, it is just with God to say, “There shall be no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule; but let men be as are the fishes of the sea, where the greater devour the less.” Note, This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation. The prophet was bidden (v. 1) to take up a lamentation; and, having done so, he leaves it to be made use of by others. “It is a lamentation to us of this age, and, the desolations continuing long, it shall be for a lamentation to those that shall come after us; the child unborn will rue the destruction made of Judah and Jerusalem by the present judgments. They were a great while in coming; the bow was long in the drawing; but now that they have come they will continue, and the sad effects of them will be entailed upon posterity.” Note, Those who fill up the measure of their fathers’ sins are laying up in store for their children’s sorrows and furnishing them with matter for lamentation; and nothing is more so than the overthrow of government.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
LAMENTATION FOR JUDAH’S KINGDOM
Verses 10-14:
Verse 10 begins a lamentation over Judah under the parable of a wasted vine. Judah was that royal vine whose mother was Jerusalem. She had been planted there in her birthblood, just after coming from Egypt where she was born. That royal vine was torn when Jehoiachin was carried captive into Babylon. But the vine was planted afresh through Zedekiah. Jerusalem and Judah, center of Jewish national worship, had formerly been prospered like a fruitful vine, in the blood of her grapes, full of branches planted by or beside many waters or oasis of water, to sustain them, Deu 8:7-9, they lived in the integrity of their law and covenant, Exo 19:1-8.
Verse 11 explains that she, Jerusalem and Judah, once had strong rods (princes of the royal house of David) who bare royal rule in the land. She had then grown in stature and was held in high esteem in the height of her multitude of her thick branches of growth, like a cedar of Lebanon, Dan 4:11. This was in contrast with a vine that must be held up or supported; Yet though high and exalted as an oak or cedar tree she was without good fruit, Eze 15:6.
Verse 12 declares, however, that she had been plucked up in fury (like a tornado) and was cast down to the ground, in humiliation, to be trampled under foot by tyrant armies of the Chaldeans. The east wind (with her burning) blasted and dried up her fruit. Her strong rods (royal princes) of Judah were broken and withered. And the fire consumed them. Zedekiah of Davidic lineage, became the object of this lament, as if it had already happened, Eze 17:10; Hos 13:15.
Verse 13 describes Israel as removed from her land, transported. and transplanted in the wilderness (desert areas) of Babylon, called a “dry and thirsty land.” Israel, out of her land, is like a fish out of water, a rabbit away from a briar patch, or a duck away from water. Out there she is least happy, fruitful, and in greater anxiety. But she was carried there and chastened because of her sins, even as forewarned, De ch. 28; See also Eze 20:35; Num 32:23.
Verse 14 declares that a fire (self-consuming energy) had gone out of a rod of her branches to devour her fruit. This rod of Israel was Zedekiah who connived against Babylon by making friends with Egypt. This brought the burning fury of Nebuchadnezzar against Zedekiah so that he sent his armies sweeping over Israel and Judah and Jerusalem, putting an end to their fruitful vine, 2Ch 36:17. It was a thing every devout Jewish patriot has since bitterly bewailed, 2Ki 24:20. She no longer had a strong rod or prince of the royal lineage of David to be a sceptre-bearer to rule, Gen 49:10; Num 24:17; Mic 5:2. This is for a “lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation,” to be long continued, even until today, Luk 21:24; Jdg 9:15; 2Ki 24:20.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Here Ezekiel places before our eyes the twofold state of the Jews, that they may acknowledge themselves fallen into extreme misery, because they had provoked God. For they did not sufficiently consider their present state, unless the former dignity and happiness with which they were adorned was brought to their remembrance. Now, in some way they had grown callous to all evils: although scarcely anything remained safe but Jerusalem, they did not look back, but were just as wanton as when their affairs were prosperous. Since they had not yet been humbled by so many slaughters, the Prophet, therefore, on the one hand, reminds them of their former condition, and then shows them how they had fallen. This comparison, then, thought to prick their consciences sharply, that they may at length feel that God was hostile to them. We now understand the Prophet’s intention in saying, that the people’s mother was at first like a flourishing and fruit-bearing vine. It is not surprising that he says, the vine was planted near the waters: for there the vines do not require lofty and dry situations, as in cold climates, but rather seek their nourishment from water, as we gather from many passages of Scripture. The Prophet, therefore, stays, that the people at, the beginning was like a vine planted in a mild and choice situation. He says, that the vine was flourishing, or branching, and fruitful, since it drew its juices from the waters.
Respecting the word “blood,” I think those who take it for vigor are mistaken; it rather refers to birth: he says, the mother of the people in her blood, that is, in bringing forth the people. Thus Ezekiel recalls the Jews to their first origin, as we previously saw the word used in this sense. When you was in thy blood, meaning, when you was born, as we know this to be the state of the young offspring, as the metaphor was explained in the sixteenth chapter. Live in thy blood, said God, (Eze 16:6,) since the Jews were still defiled through not being cleansed from pollution. In fine, blood is taken for birth, as if it had been said, that the Jews, when first brought to light, were planted so as to take root, since God led them into the land of Canaan. Here he says they were brought to light when God restored them. He omits the intervening space of time which we saw elsewhere, because he passes directly from the end to the beginning. On the whole, he means that the Jews at their nativity were placed in the land of Canaan, which was very fruitful, so that they should bring forth their own fruit, that is, spend their time happily, and enjoy an abundance of all things. Now we understand the meaning of the phrase, the mother of the people was planted near the waters, as a flourishing and fruitful vine
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
EXEGETICAL NOTES.Eze. 19:10-14. The prophet laments for the destruction of the kingdom, and banishment of the people, under the parable of a wasted vine.
Eze. 19:10. Like a vine in thy blood. The royal vine of Judah was torn up when Jehoiachin was carried captive to Babylon. That vine was planted afresh in the person of Zedekiah, so that the life of the whole plant depended upon him. The very sap of that royal tree was his blood. Some render, in thy likeness; but this is forced, and gives no suitable meaning.
Eze. 19:11. Strong rods. These represent princes of the royal house. In her prosperous state, the Jewish kingdom, so far from resembling one of those vines which creep upon the ground, was comparable to one trained up by the side of a wall, or supported by a tree. Some of these are carried to a great height, such as that mentioned by Schulz, the stem of which was a foot and a-half in diameter, and about thirty feet high, while its branches formed a tent of upwards of fifty feet square.(Henderson.) Thick branches. The branches of forest trees. The once lowly vine now appears towering above oaks and cedars, yet is still without fruit (Eze. 15:6).
Eze. 19:12. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground. Without the intervention of anything further, there follows its splendid growth, like a lightning flash from the clear heavens, the complete overthrow of the vine, i.e. of JerusalemJudah, the birth-place of kings, and therewith the Davidic kingdom. While Eze. 19:2-9 bewailed the existing kings, both as bearers of the Davidic royalty, and at the same time as suggestive, by their fate, to the actual king; now Zedekiah, as he with whom the Davidic kingdom is subverted, becomes the subject of the lament, just as if everything had already happened.(Lange).
Eze. 19:13. And now she is planted in the wilderness. Figuratively describes the captivity, when Davids stock was transplanted into the wilderness of Babylonia (Eze. 20:35).
Eze. 19:14. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit. Zedekiah was the vain-glorious rod of this vine. The very rod itself supplied the fire which burned up the whole tree. It was his revolt from Nebuchadnezzar which caused that monarch to march his army into Judea, take Jerusalem, and carry the Jews captive to Babylon. Thus an end was put to the vine and its branchesa consummation which every Jewish patriot must deeply have bewailed.(Henderson.) This is for a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.The lamentation is (properly was, with prophetic anticipation of the future) for a lamentation: it is not the fancy of a gloomy seer, but the prediction of a lamentation, which will actually flow in a thousand voices from the mouth of the people. What Ezekiel here pronounces, the people will too soon be compelled to repeat after him. His lamentation is, as it were, the sowing, out of which a rich harvest of lamentation grows. At present the sky is full of joyous music to the people; but very soon it will be said: My harp is turned to mourning, and my flute to the voice of weeping.(Hengstenberg.)
HOMILETICS
LAMENTATION FOR THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH
Two things concerning the fate of the kingdom of Judah, most of all, sorely touched the prophets mind and heart.
I. It was fallen from a high estate. Judah was once a goodly vine, and blest above all others. She was the planting of the Lord. Her elevation to the greatest privileges serves sadly to reveal the depth of her fall.
II. It was doomed to destruction. The destruction was sudden and overwhelming. For immediately before she was full of happiness and splendour, great among the nations, and wielding the rod of power. Their destruction was brought about by the wrath of God. She was plucked up in fury (Eze. 19:12). When nations cease to acknowledge God, He turns the glory and growth of centuries into a desert. National sins spread like fire, and wrap whole kingdoms in the flames of destruction. The end of sin is lamentationfor individuals, for nations. Judahs kingdom fell, like others before and after it, because it failed to maintain righteousness. There is only one king who can deliver the nations and reign over them for ever and ever. The Messianic hope was bound up with the Davidic kingdom, whose subversion is here illustrated, and its fulfilment is shown in this, that He who appeared in the world, declared, not without reference to this chapter, I am the true vine (Lange).
(Eze. 19:10-11.)
1. States and kingdoms, ruined in times of war and trouble, flourish again in times of quiet and silence. Tyranny, oppression, wars, pull down, root up, destroy; but when there is peace and rest, it is otherwise. They built and prospered, and why? they had rest on every side. When roaring lions are taken away, and men of peaceable and quiet spirits succeed, then the vine grows, then the land prospers, then breaches are repaired.
2. It is through the goodness and blessing of God that wasted kingdoms do become as vines, and flourish again. Thy mother is like a vine, fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. God watered the kingdom with blessings; He gave peace, He gave the poor strength to labour, He rained upon them, and gave sap to the vine, that she was fruitful. When God lays waste his vineyards, then He commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isa. 5:6); but when He causes it to flourish, then He calls forth the rain, He moistens the spirits of men of all sorts, to contribute their help, thoughts and counsels for the good of the kingdom. He stirs up the spirits of men to be doing for the public; He gives people planted by Him many waters, many blessings.
3. When mercies are multiplied, men are apt to abuse them, and swell with the enjoyment of them. This metaphysical vine, the kingdom of Judah, had strong rods her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. She grew up again to a height, greatness. She had a multitude of branches, variety of mercies, and these swelled her so, that she became proud, insolent, and despised others. Prosperity is a dangerous thing, and hath hazarded many. The Babylonian kingdom was so rich, great, populous, and plentiful that it was called the lady of kingdoms, and she herself said, I shall be a lady for ever. She prided herself in her prosperity (Isa. 47:5; Isa. 47:7), so spiritual Babylon (Rev. 18:7). I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. After Hezekiah had received many mercies, his heart was lifted up (2Ch. 32:23-25). Rehoboam, when he was strengthend in the kingdom, forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him; here was a sad effect of prosperity (2Ch. 12:1). This people were seldom the better for mercies and blessings bestowed upon them; I spoke unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice (Jer. 22:21). She had forgotten the caution the Lord gave her in the days of her infancy (Deu. 8:11-14).(Greenhill).
(Eze. 19:13).
And now she is planted in the wilderness. This wilderness was Babylon, which was a fruitful, pleasant, and well-watered country; the city and land were the glory of kingdoms (Isa. 13:19). It had variety of rivers (Psa. 137:1). Now if this were the nature of the country, how is it here called a wilderness? It is so called, not in respect of itself, but in reference to the Jews, who being captives therein, were as in a wilderness. In a wilderness, a man is destitute of all comforts and exposed to many dangers; so were the Jews in Babylon.
1. They were destitute of comforts. They came naked into Babylon, where they were amongst a people of a barbarous and unknown tongue, that knew nothing of God; there they had no form of a Church or State; they had no life, but were as dry bones (Eze. 37:11). There they were captives; Babylon was a prison unto them, and prisons of what kind soever are not pleasing. Prisoners endure much hunger and thirst, and doubtless so did the Jews in Babylon. Though there were plenty, yet they had little enough, and therefore it was a dry and thirsty land to them.
2. They were exposed to many dangers. They were amongst those that mocked and hated them. The Babylonians were bitter and hasty, terrible and dreadful (Hab. 1:6-7). They were like wild beasts in the wilderness, and sought, upon all occasions, to make a prey of the poor captive Jews. They got the three children into the fiery furnace, Daniel into the lions den, and Haman attempted the total ruin of them. She is planted. Before (Eze. 19:12), it is said, the fire consumed them. What is consumed in the fire is burnt to ashes, and how can that be planted? He doth not say the whole vine was burnt, but her strong rods were broken off and burnt; some were burnt and consumed by famine, some by the plague, some by the sword (2Ch. 36:17). The king of the Chaldees slew their young men with the sword; but they that escaped the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons (2Ch. 36:20). If it should be granted that the whole vine was dried up, withered, and burnt to ashes, yet these words may bear a good and sound sense, viz., thus:they may be understood of Jehoiachin and those that were with him in Babylon at that time when they were spoken; for the words run in the present tense, she is planted, not, she shall be planted, for Zedekiah and those that escaped the sword were carried alter this prophecy to Babylon.(Greenhill.)
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
B. Dirge over Judahs Collapse 19:1014
TRANSLATION
(10) Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by waters; she was fruitful and full of branches because of much water. (11) And she had strong rods to be scepters for rulers; and her height was exalted among the branches, and she was in her height, in the multitude of her tendrils. (12) But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her strong rod was broken and withered, the fire consumed her. (13) And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. (14) And fire has gone out from the rod of her branches, it has consumed her fruit, so that she does not have a strong rod as a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation and it became a lamentation.
COMMENTS
The figure changes in Eze. 19:10. The mother is now the state of Judah, and she is compared to a vine rather than a lioness. The vine had its blood, i.e., sap, and was full of vigor. Because this vine was planted near abundant water the vine was fruitful (Eze. 19:10). The allusion is to former days when the nation prospered under the rule of righteous kings. The vine put forth strong rods strong and resolute kings who ruled over the nation. Among the other thick branches (prosperous nations) Judah had a position of honor (Eze. 19:11).
Judah the exalted vine was plucked up and cast down to the ground. The present lowly position of the nation could only be due to divine determination. The east wind (Nebuchadnezzar and his armies) dried up the fruit of that ignoble vine. Enormous tribute to Babylon over several years had drained the royal coffers of Judah. The strong rod of that branch the last king of Judah had been broken off and withered by that mighty king from the east. The fire of war and divine judgment had consumed Zedekiah. He lost his crown and his eyesight before being carried away in humiliation to Babylon (Eze. 19:12).
That once luxuriant vine planted by many waters is now forcibly transplanted to the wilderness of exile in Babylon (Eze. 19:13). The fire which would ultimately destroy the nation had gone OUT of the rod. Zedekiahs rebellion against Babylon was the cause of the ruin which engulfed the nation of Judah. With the deportation of Zedekiah the royal house of David was reduced to insignificance so that there is in her no strong rod to assume the rule (Eze. 19:14).
Chapter 19 is a prophetic lamentation spoken before the final calamity took place. What is here recorded as prophecy became the general theme of the national lamentation after the disaster had transpired (Eze. 19:14).
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1.
With what seven false attitudes does Ezekiel deal in chapters 1219? How does he respond to each attitude?
2.
How would Ezekiel respond to modern sociologists who would blame anti-social behavior on environmental factors?
3.
Explain the proverb the fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the teeth of the children have been set on edge.
4.
How did Ezekiel describe a righteous man?
5.
What did Ezekiel have to say about the results of true repentance?
6.
How would Ezekiel respond to the Calvinistic doctrine of once saved, always saved?
7.
How did Ezekiel expect his hearers to acquire a new heart and a new spirit?
8.
To what animal does Ezekiel liken the house of David in chapter 19?
9.
What king of Judah is represented by the first young lion mentioned in chapter 19? What was his fate?
10.
Identify the second young lion raised by the Davidic lioness. What punishment came upon the land because of his actions?
11.
To what plant does Ezekiel liken Judah in chapter 19? What had been the fate of that plant?
12.
Who was the strong rod which was to be broken off the vine tree?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(10) A vine in thy blood.The figure here changes to the more common one of a vine, yet by no means the vine of low stature of Eze. 17:6; it is rather a strong and goodly vine. The phrase in thy blood is obscure, and has occasioned much perplexity to the commentators. Some of the ancient versions and some manuscripts have modified the text; but the meaning seems to be, if the text is taken as it stands, Thy mother is like a vine living in the blood (i.e., in the life) of her children. This would then be a statement amplified in the following, fruitful and full of branches. The general sense is plain: Israel is described as having been planted a strong and fruitful vine, with every advantage for growth and full development.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. Like a vine in thy blood This phrase is exceptionally corrupt and has been translated “on a pomegranate,” “a vine of Carmel,” “in thy likeness,” “in [the time of] thy rest,” etc. Davidson prefers “in her height.” Orelli and Toy think the best suggestion is that of Calmet, who translates, “as a vine of thy vineyard;” Plumptre, “in thy life, thy freshness.” On the figure of speech used see notes Eze 17:6-10.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Withering of the Vine.
“Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters.
She was fruitful and full of branches, by reason of many waters.
And she had strong rods for the sceptres of those who bare rule, and their stature was raised high among the thick boughs.
And he was seen in his height with the multitude of his branches.”
The concentration now comes off the kings to Israel-Judah as a whole, and to its destiny. It is likened to a fruitful vine with many thick boughs, prominent and strong among which were the branches that represented the kingship. ‘Strong rods’ came from the vine to provide their sceptres. Thus they ruled in power, raised high among the thick boughs. Here we are taken back to such days as those of David and Solomon. The change from plural to singular may indicate reference to the current king, Zedekiah, as a representative of that royal household. The mixture of lion, sceptre and vine is not new. It is found in Gen 49:9-12 speaking of Judah and kingship.
The likening of Israel to a vine is a well known one in the Old Testament, sometimes favourable as a picture of fruitfulness, as initially here (Gen 49:11-12; Isa 27:2-6; Psa 80:8-11), and sometimes derogatory because wild and unfruitful (Eze 15:1-8; Eze 17:1-10; Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21). It depicts fruitfulness, or when failing, blameworthy lack of fruitfulness. So Israel were previously strong and its kings were mighty.
‘Like a vine in your blood planted by the waters.’ For ‘in your blood’ we can compare Eze 16:6; Eze 16:22. Birth in blood was not an uncommon sight. This vivid mixed metaphor connects the lament with the parable in chapter 16. It indicates here that although Israel was a flourishing vine, she had grown so out of poor beginnings and from suffering. (The phrase is admittedly difficult but no widely acceptable alternative suggestion has been made). For planting by the waters see Eze 17:5. To be planted by waters was to be highly blessed and fruitful (compare Psalms 1).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Concerning the Mother of Kings
v. 10. Thy mother, v. 11. And she had strong rods, v. 12. But she was plucked up in fury, v. 13. And now, v. 14. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Eze 19:10. Thy mother is like a vine, &c. Thy mother is like a vine, which is planted by the waters. Houbigant. Others read it, Thy mother is like a vine of thy vineyard. We have here a second part of this mournful song, which respects Zedekiah. It is more obscure than the first, possibly because the prophet, speaking of what was future, meant to express himself more darkly. The Scripture frequently compares Judea and the Jewish people to a vine. See Houbigant and Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The Prophet here useth another figure similar to the one adopted in Eze 15 . The former prosperity of Jerusalem is elegantly represented, as a vine planted in a fruitful place by the rivers of waters: her present state as that of a wilderness. Spiritually considered, it is ever so when the soul becomes lean, in the divine life. A coolness and inattention to ordinances, and a neglect of the several means of grace, tend to bring the soul into captivity, and induce similar circumstances of sorrow to that of the Church in Babylon, when they hung their harp upon the willow. See Psa 139 throughout.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 19:10 Thy mother [is] like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
Ver. 10. Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood. ] The same lamentation is here continued, though under another parable – viz., of a wasted vine. Jerusalem was once a generous fruitful spreading vine. It began to be so again in some sort under Zedekiah, if he could have been contented. See on Eze 17:5 ; Eze 17:8 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Thy mother. Another Simile. See the Structure (W, p. 1130).
in thy blood: or, in thy vineyard (according to Dr. C. D. Ginsburg).
waters. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 8:7). App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eze 19:10-14
Eze 19:10-14
“Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches. but it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: the strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them. And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. And fire has gone out of the rods of the branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”
Here is the second dirge; the imagery is changed. In the first, the likeness of Israel was that of a den of ferocious lion cubs; here the comparison is with a vine that is ripped up from its favorable place, transferred to a dry and thirsty land, and burned up through the fire that comes out of her own branches (the princes), one of whom, namely, Zedekiah, following the advice of the others, rebelled against his suzerain lord and precipitated the ruin of the whole nation.
“The mother in both lamentations is the same, that is, the nation of Israel.
“Strong rods (branches) for sceptres of them that bare rule …” (Eze 19:11). “This is a reference to the successive kings of Judah.”
“Plucked up in fury … cast down to the ground … east wind dried up its fruit …” (Eze 19:12). All of these are references to the destruction of Jerusalem by the king of Babylon.
“Mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters …” (Eze 19:10). Commentators have complained that the phrase, “in thy blood is meaningless, or that, “This expression can hardly be right. However, Cook seemed to have no trouble with it. He stated that, “the mother, living in the life of her children” was planted favorably by the waters.
The thought is correct, whether or not, this is an accurate rendition. “Eze 19:12-14 describe the final destruction and captivity of Judah. Zedekiah’s rebellion was the cause of the total rain of the nation.
Judgment and Restoration for Israel – Eze 19:1 to Eze 20:44
Open It
1. What do you think determines whether a person will learn from his or her mistakes?
2. When would a fresh start have been very timely for you? Why?
Explore It
3. What picture did Ezekiel use to portray Judahs princes in his lament? (Eze 19:1-9)
4. How did Ezekiel use the image of a vine to sketch a “before and after” picture of Judah? (Eze 19:10-14)
5. What was Gods reaction to the elders request? (Eze 20:2-3)
6. What was the first instance of His love and favor with which God confronted the elders of Israel? (Eze 20:4-7)
7. How did Israel respond when God delivered them out of Egypt? (Eze 20:8)
8. How did God bless Israel in spite of their unfaithfulness? (Eze 20:9-12)
9. Even after they had been delivered from Egypt, how did Israel treat God and His law? (Eze 20:13)
10. What was Gods concern for His name? (Eze 20:14)
11. What punishment did the generation of the Exodus suffer for their sin? (Eze 20:15-16)
12. How did God show His pity to the elder generation and offer a new start to the younger generation? (Eze 20:17-20)
13. What was to be the punishment for the second generations rebellion? (Eze 20:23)
14. To what pagan practice did God “give them over”? (Eze 20:25-26)
15. Once they had taken possession of the Promised Land, how did Israel continue to rebel against God? (Eze 20:27-29)
16. What practices of the current generation led God to swear that He would not allow their elders to inquire of Him? (Eze 20:30-31)
17. Why did God say that they would never worship “wood and stone” as they seemed to desire? (Eze 20:32-38)
18. What would be different about the Israel that God would gather from their exile in the future? (Eze 20:39-42)
19. What would Israel realize about God and about themselves when He accomplished His final deliverance? (Eze 20:43-44)
Get It
20. What events in the recent history of Judah were portrayed in Ezekiels lament of the lioness?
21. According to the lament of the vine, what was left of Israel following Gods judgment?
22. Why did the elders who came to Ezekiel need a history lesson?
23. How often did Israel get everything she deserved in terms of punishment?
24. Why did God not allow Israel to go her own way in the long run, serving gods of wood and stone?
25. Like Israel, what do we need in order to assess rightly our condition before God and to obey Him?
Apply It
26. When in the next week or two can you take an hour for a historical overview of your life and Gods working in it?
27.What spiritual issues should you always take care of before you come to God asking for favors or insight?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
mother: Eze 19:2, Hos 2:2, Hos 2:5
like: Eze 15:2-8, Eze 17:6, Isa 5:1-4, Mat 21:33-41
blood: or, quietness, or, likeness
she was: Num 24:6, Num 24:7, Deu 8:7, Deu 8:9, Psa 80:8-11, Psa 89:25-29
full: Many princes
Reciprocal: Job 14:9 – and bring Psa 1:3 – tree Psa 128:3 – a fruitful vine Jer 12:2 – hast Eze 19:13 – she is Joh 3:23 – much
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 19:10. Thy mother means Judah as the producer of kings and princes such as have been considered. The verse is a figurative description of the prosperous state of Judah under the blessings of God. In thy blood refers to the early hours of her life when the special favor of God was bestowed upon her. (See Eze 16:6; Eze 16:22.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 19:10-14. Thy mother is like a vine Here another similitude is made use of, and the Jewish nation is compared, as it frequently is in other places, to a vine. In thy blood So the Hebrew and Vulgate; but the LXX. read, , as a flower on a pomegranate-tree; and Bishop Newcome, who supposes the LXX. to have read , and not , renders the clause, like a pomegranate, planted by the waters, &c. The Jewish nation, whence the royal family had their original, was like a fruitful vine in a very flourishing condition. And she had strong rods, &c. From her sprung valiant princes, fit to sway the sceptre. A rod or sceptre is an emblem of authority. Her stature was exalted among the thick branches Among the neighbouring kings and princes: see 2Ch 32:23. The increase of the nations power is expressed by this. But she was plucked up in fury God, in his anger, removed her out of her own land. She was cast down to the ground She was reduced to a contemptible state. The east wind dried up her fruit The Chaldean forces ravaged and depopulated the country; her strong rods were broken Her kings and princes were subdued, and made captives. The fire consumed them The divine anger brought them to destruction, as fire consumes the branches of a tree when it is withered. And now she is planted in the wilderness A great part of her people are carried captive, where their condition is as much different from what it was formerly, as the condition of a tree is when it is removed out of a rich soil into a dry and barren ground. The Jews suffered several captivities before that final one which ended in the destruction of their temple and government. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches This is spoken of Zedekiahs breaking his oath of fidelity to the king of Babylon, which was the occasion of the destruction of the royal family, and the entire ruin of the government. This is a lamentation, &c. This is matter of present lamentation, and shall be so to after ages.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 19:10-14. Judah the Vine.The figure changes, as in Gen 49:8-12, from lion to vine, and the king whose destiny is foreshadowed is this time Zedekiah. Judah is described as a fruitful vine, one of whose mighty branches (Zedekiah) became a royal sceptre (Eze 19:11). But the vine was violently uprooted, hurled to the ground, withered by the fury of the scorching east winda plain allusion to the destruction of Judah by Babylon. It is to be noted, however, that the fire which consumed her issued from one of her own branchesa pointed allusion to the treachery of Zedekiah, at which Ezekiel has already expressed his horror (Eze 17:19). Thus no more than his predecessors will Zedekiah save the state: he and it will perish.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
19:10 Thy {g} mother [is] like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
(g) He speaks this in the reproach of this wicked king, in whose blood, that is in the race of his predecessors, Jerusalem would have been blessed according to God’s promise and flourished as a fruitful vine.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The vine and its branch 19:10-14
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Ezekiel changed the figure of the Davidic dynasty to that of a fruitful vine in a vineyard. This vine was fruitful and it flourished because it enjoyed abundant resources. The Davidic dynasty was like a fruitful vine among the other nations because God blessed it (Eze 15:1-6; Eze 17:1-10; Deu 8:7-8; Psa 80:8-16; Isa 5:1-7; Isa 24:7; Isa 27:2-6; Jer 2:21; Jer 6:9; cf. Mat 21:33-41; Joh 15:1-8). Its branches were so strong that they proved usable as scepters for rulers. The vine became exceedingly large in the season of its greatest glory, the days of David and Solomon.