Ezekiel 17:1-3

A Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 17:2 “Son of man, offer a riddle, ¹  and tell a parable to the house of Israel. 17:3 Say to them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: ² 

“‘A great eagle ³  with broad wings, long feathers, ⁴ 

with full plumage which was multi-hued, ⁵ 

came to Lebanon ⁶  and took the top of the cedar.

[17:2]  ¹ sn The verb occurs elsewhere in the OT only in Judg 14:12-19, where Samson supplies a riddle.

[17:3]  ² tn The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.

[17:3]  ³ sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).

[17:3]  ⁴ tn Hebrew has two words for wings; it is unknown whether they are fully synonymous or whether one term distinguishes a particular part of the wing such as the wing coverts (nearest the shoulder), secondaries (mid-feathers of the wing) or primaries (last and longest section of the wing).

[17:3]  ⁵ tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.

[17:3]  ⁶ sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).