Ezekiel 17:15

Eze 17:15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such [things]? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

Ver. 15. But he rebelled against him.] As Ottocarus, king of Bohemia, did against Rodolphus, the first emperor of Germany, by the instigation of his queen; and as Ladislaus, king of Hungary, did against Amurath, the Turkish emperor, by the encouragement of Capistranus, the Pope’s agent, to the very great reproach of the Christian religion.

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 17:15. But he rebelled in sending into Egypt, that they might give him horses — Egypt was a country abounding in horses, of which there was great scarcity in Judea. This was not only a violation of his oath and covenant, but likewise a breach of that part of the Jewish law which forbade their king to fetch horses out of Egypt, or strengthen himself with the alliance of that nation. Shall he escape that doeth such things? — Shall not the divine vengeance overtake such ingratitude and perfidy? Shall he break the covenant and be delivered? — Can perjury and covenant- breaking be the way to any man’s deliverance? Can such notorious sinning end in any thing but misery? From what is said on this occasion we learn, that an oath ought not to be violated though it was taken under unfavourable circumstances, and though the things to which a man bound himself by it were very disagreeable to him.

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

he rebelled--God permitted this because of His wrath against Jerusalem (Kg2 24:20).

horses--in which Egypt abounded and which were forbidden to Israel to seek from Egypt, or indeed to "multiply" at all (Deu 17:16; Isa 31:1, Isa 31:3; compare Isa 36:9). DIODORUS SICULUS [1.45] says that the whole region from Thebes to Memphis was filled with royal stalls, so that twenty thousand chariots with two horses in each could be furnished for war.

Shall he prosper?--The third time this question is asked, with an indignant denial understood (Eze 17:9-10). Even the heathen believed that breakers of an oath would not "escape" punishment.

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 15. Sending his ambassadors into Egypt] Zedekiah must have sent his ambassadors into Egypt, between the sixth month of his sixth year, and the fifth month of his seventh year. Compare Eze 8:1, with Eze 20:1.-See Newcome.

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

(15) Shall he escape that doeth such things?—The faithlessness of Zedekiah and his court to his own sworn covenant was an act, in addition to all his other wickedness, especially abominable to God. The sanctity of an oath had always been most strongly insisted upon in Israelitish history. It must be remembered that even when, as in the case of the Gibeonites (Joshua , 9), the oath had been obtained by fraud, and centuries had passed since it was given, God yet sorely punished the land for its violation (2Sa_21:1-2); and in this case the king had been more than once Divinely warned through the prophet Jeremiah of the danger of his treachery. As Zedekiah’s intrigues with Egypt were just now going on, it was particularly important that they should be exposed, and their result foretold to the captives who were yet trusting in the safety of Jerusalem.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15. Cf. 2Ki_24:20. The king of Egypt referred to was Pharaoh Hophra, Jer_44:30; Jer_37:5 seq. The indignation of Ezekiel against Zedekiah arises greatly from his regarding the subjection of Jerusalem to Babylon as a thing determined by Jehovah. Hence the covenant broken by Zedekiah is not merely the covenant of the king of Babylon but that of Jehovah (Eze_17:19). The prophet follows Jeremiah. He had possibly read the words of the latter spoken in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, ch. Eze_27:9-17, “serve the king of Babylon and live;” and probably he had heard his words to the same effect spoken in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, ch. 25. His advice to the exiles also was no doubt known to him, ch. Eze_29:4.

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.

Neither shall Pharaoh, with his mighty army and great company,

make for him in the war,.... The king of Egypt, to whom Zedekiah applied for horses and men to help him; though he should come with a great army, and a large multitude of people, yet should be of no use to Zedekiah, nor do any hurt to Nebuchadnezzar, or hinder him from taking Jerusalem:

by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons; that is, when Nebuchadnezzar should besiege Jerusalem, and raise mounts, and build fortifications, in order to take the city, and destroy its inhabitants; as he did, Jer 52:4; the Egyptian army should not be able to hinder him going on with the siege, and taking the city; for though the siege was broke up for a time, upon the approach of Pharaoh's army, yet Nebuchadnezzar, having conquered the Egyptians, returned again to the siege of Jerusalem, and took it; see Jer 37:5.

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

But Zedekiah rebelled; endeavoured to cast off the dominion of the conqueror Nebuchadnezzar, who had advanced him and obliged him.

Sending his ambassadors is called bending his roots toward the second eagle.

Egypt; an old bitter enemy, and an impotent and false friend.

That they might give him horses: beside the perjury, here was a cursed trusting to an arm of flesh, of which Isa 31:1.

Much people; Zedekiah had not men to set upon his hired horses; Egypt must help here too. How sottishly doth this unhappy Zedekiah act to run himself on the charge and hazard of a new war, in which, whoever is the gainer, he and his are sure to be the losers!

Shall he prosper? see Eze 17:9,10. Can it be likely vengeance should not overtake such ingratitude? Can perjury be the way for any man’s deliverance? Can such notorious sinning end in any thing but misery?

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

15. He rebelled against him — See the account in 2 Kings 24. The Egyptian king was Pharaoh Hophra (Jer_44:30; Jer_37:5.)

Egypt (Hebrews, Mitzraim). The Tel-el-Amarna tablets show that 1400 B.C. Egypt was called Misri (Assyr., Musri). It is now known that the Babylonians in later times changed the form and why they did so (Zeilschrift fur Assyria, 4:268). The Bible word is derived from the most ancient form. The chief military strength of Egypt lay in its cavalry and chariot force (Exo_14:7; 1Ki_10:28; Isa_31:1). The monuments and papyri abundantly sustain this proposition.

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

That they might give him horses. The "chariots and horses" of Egypt seem, throughout its whole history, to have been its chief element of strength. See for the time of Moses, (Exo_14:7) of Solomon, (1Ki_10:28, 1Ki_10:29) of Rehoboam, (2Ch_12:3) of Hezekiah. (Isa_31:1:36:9) Shall he prosper? What had been asked in the parable is asked also, in identical terms, in the interpretation. Ezekiel presses home the charge of perfidy as well as rebellion. Like Jeremiah, he looks on Nebuchadnezzar as reigning by a Divine right.

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

He - Zedekiah. Shall he break - Can perjury be the way for deliverance?

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Yahweh speaks about the king of Jerusalem rebelling against the king of Babylon.

Will he succeed?

Yahweh asks this leading question to emphasize the negative answer. This question can be translated as a statement. AT: "He will certainly not succeed." (See: Rhetorical Question)

Will the one doing these things escape?

Yahweh asks this leading question to emphasize the negative answer. This may be translated as a statement. AT: "The one doing these things will not escape." (See: Rhetorical Question)

If he breaks the covenant, will he escape?

Yahweh asks this leading question to emphasize the negative answer. This question can be translated as as statement. AT: "If he breaks the covenant, he will certainly not escape." (See: Rhetorical Question)

As I live

"As surely as I am alive." Yahweh uses this expression to show that what he says next is certainly true. This is a way of making a solemn promise. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 5:11. AT: "I solemnly swear" (See: Idiom)

this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 5:11. AT: "this is what the Lord Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

the land of the king who made him king, the king whose oath he despised

"the land of the king of Babylon who made him King of Judah, the king of Babylon whose oath he despised"

translationWords

king

Jerusalem

rebel

send

ambassador

Egypt

horse

covenant

life

Lord Yahweh

declare

die

oath

Babylon

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.