Ezekiel 17:12

Eze 17:12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these [things mean]? tell [them], Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

Ver. 12. Know ye not what these things mean?] q.d., It is much you should not. There is no such great difficulty in the parable, but that ye are self-blinded, and will not see far off; either your wits serve you not in the things of God, or if they do, you will make believe otherwise. Are ye not, therefore, rightly called a "rebellious house"

Tell them.] For their learnings, and that they may be left without excuse. See on Eze 17:4.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Eze 17:12-14. Say now to the rebellious house — To the house of Judah, which have been and still are rebellious against me, and are now entering into a rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. This is God’s order to his prophet to explain the riddle. Know ye not what these things mean? — Will you not apply your minds to understand what God speaks to you? And that whether he directs his speech to you in plain words, or delivers his mind in riddles and parables? Behold, the king of Babylon is come — Or rather, did come, or came to Jerusalem — Namely, some time before the delivery of this prophecy: and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof — Namely, Jeconiah and all his princes and officers: see 2Ki 24:12. And hath led them with him to Babylon — Judging them unfit to be trusted any more with any office or power in their own country. And hath taken of the king’s seed — Hath taken from among the royal seed Mattaniah, Jehoiakim’s brother, and advanced him to the throne in Jerusalem, 2Ki 24:17; and made a covenant with him — A solemn agreement, on terms acceded to and approved by Mattaniah; and hath taken an oath of him — An oath of fealty: when Nebuchadnezzar caused Mattaniah to enter into this covenant and oath, he changed his name to Zedekiah, which word signifies, the justice of God, to express that God would avenge the crime of this restored captive, if he should break the covenant into which he had entered, and perjure himself: see note on 2Ki 24:17. He hath also taken the mighty of the land — Namely, as hostages for Zedekiah’s performance of the covenant agreed on. That the kingdom might be base — Or rather, humble; that it might be kept in subjection and obedience. Zedekiah being made only a tributary king, consequently was not in as honourable a condition as his predecessors had been in; but yet the keeping of his covenant was the only means, under present circumstances, to support himself and his government.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, Jeconiah, 2 Kings 24:15.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Know ye not--He upbraided them with moral, leading to intellectual, stupidity.

hath taken the king--Jeconiah or Jehoiachin (Kg2 24:11, Kg2 24:12-16).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 12. Know ye not what these things mean?] They are explained in this and the following verses.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11–21. Interpretation of the riddle

12. the rebellious house] i.e. Israel, ch. Eze_2:5.

king of Babylon is come] Better past tenses throughout: came … and took; so Eze_17:13 and took. On the captivity of Jehoiachin, cf. 2Ki_24:11 seq.; Jer_24:1; Jer_29:1.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That the kingdom might be base,.... Low or humble; its king but a viceroy, a tributary to the king of Babylon; and the subjects obliged to a tax, payable to him; and this is intended by the vine being of "low stature", Eze 17:6;

that it might not lift up itself; above other neighbouring kingdoms and states; and particularly that it might not rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, but be kept in a dependence on him, and subjection to him:

but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand; continue a kingdom, and Zedekiah king of it; so that it was for their good that such a covenant was made, and it was their interest to keep it; for, had it not been made, it would have ceased to have been a kingdom, and would have become a province of the Babylonian monarchy, and have been put under the government of one of Nebuchadnezzar's princes or captains; and, should they break it, would endanger the ruin of their state, as the event showed. In the Hebrew text it is, "to keep his covenant, to make it stand"; or, "to stand to it" (y); that is, as it should seem, to make the covenant stand firm. The Targum is,

"that it might keep his covenant, and serve him;''

Nebuchadnezzar.

(y) "ad custodiendum pactum ejus, ad astandum ei", Montanus; "ad servandum foedus suum, ad consistendumm", Starckius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Shall, or, "hath taken," &c., (Challoner) as also (ver. 13.) Sedecias was seized five years after, chap. viii. 1. Jechonias, the princes, mighty warriors, (ver. 13.) and expert artists, had been taken away six years before, with the prophet. Protestants, "is come,...and hath taken," &c. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Say now: this is the order God gives to his prophet to explain the riddle.

To the rebellious house; to the house of Judah, which have been, and still are, rebellious against me, and are now entering into rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar.

Know ye not? are ye so blockish that you do not know what is meant? or are you so secure that you will not consider it, but run on your own ruin?

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is that first great eagle with part of his power.

Jerusalem is the Lebanon which he is come to.

The king thereof; the king of Israel, and his seed, and nobles are the branches and twigs cropped off, these are taken, conquered, made captives.

Led them with him; judging them unfit to be trusted any more, he will, though in chains, carry them to Babylon.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

THE RIDDLE EXPLAINED, Eze_17:11-24.

12. Is come — Literally, came.

Hath taken — Literally, took (also Eze_17:13).

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 12, 13. The parable has been spoken. Ezekiel, after the pause implied in ver. 11, now becomes its interpreter. And that interpretation is to be addressed to the "rebellious house" (Eze_2:3, Eze_2:6) among whom he lived. Probably even among the exiles of Tel-Abib there were some who cherished hopes of the success of the Egyptian alliance, and of the downfall of the power of Babylon as its outcome. The tenses are better in the indefinite past "took," "brought," and so on in ver. 13. The history of Jeconiah"s deportation and of Zedekiah"s oath of fealty (2Ch_36:13) is recapitulated. He dwells specially on the fact that the mighty of the land had been carried off with Jecoutah. It was Nebuchadnezzar"s policy to deprive the kingdom of all its elements of strength to leave it "bare." Even masons. smiths, and carpenters were carried off, lest they should be used for warlike preparations. (2Ki_24:16) It could not lift itself up. It was enough if "by keeping its covenant" it was allowed to stand.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

what these are What this riddle is, and he explained it to them.

took away its king and its princes They are the “lofty top of the cedar,” Jehoiakim and his princes.

to Babylon That is the “city of traffickers.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.