Ezekiel 17:18

17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note ¹  – he gave his promise ²  and did all these things – he will not escape!

Ezekiel 17:3

17:3 Say to them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: ³ 

“‘A great eagle ⁴  with broad wings, long feathers, ⁵ 

with full plumage which was multi-hued, ⁶ 

came to Lebanon ⁷  and took the top of the cedar.

[17:18]  ¹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates being aware of or taking notice of something.

[17:18]  ² sn Heb “hand.” “Giving one’s hand” is a gesture of promise (2 Kgs 10:15).

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

[17:3]  ⁴ sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).

[17:3]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.

[17:3]  ⁷ sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).