And thou, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
The chapter before this one dealt with the people and the state of the soul. Now the prophet must take up a funeral song for their rulers, and it asks how the line of David — the line that carried God's promise — ended in a pit and in exile.
One writer sets this chapter beside the one before it. The grief moves from the people to their rulers:
Ezekiel 19 is a lamentation for the princes. The chapter before it showed the people's state — the soul's condition in all.
The song mourns more than one defeat. It mourns the end of a royal line:
The call for a "lamentation for the princes of Israel" in Ezekiel 19 gives us a picture of Jehoiakim brought into subjection (2 Kings 24:1), and then of Jehoiachin carried away captive. This ended the royal power of the house of David, which no longer had "a sceptre to rule" (Ezek. 19:14).
The song opens with a question about the mother. The answer names the kingdom itself, and the company she kept:
The lamentation is over the princes of Israel; it is the kingdom that is before us. The question is: "What was your mother?" The answer is, "A lioness; she lay down among lions; she raised her cubs among the young lions." She is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. Her ties to them make her offspring like their offspring, and reproduce the Gentile character in them.
Scripture has a true Lion, and the contrast shows what Israel had become:
There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah; it is a title of Christ Himself. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way. Yet when the one who sees the vision looks for this Lion, he sees the Lamb… But the lion spoken of here is a very different one. Israel was nothing now but a Gentile power, with the lawlessness and selfish spirit that belongs to man in nature.
Commentators name the cub that learned to catch prey and ended up in Egypt. One of them draws out the family tragedy in a line:
This was the end of Jehoahaz, or Shallum, the son of Josiah — an unrighteous son of a righteous father. He died in Egypt, where Pharaoh Necho had carried him as a prisoner.
Another writer notes how Jehoahaz got the throne, and how little Scripture says about his sin:
The people made him king. It was their own choice, not God's appointment… Ezekiel 19:1-4 compares him to "a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men." This is the only hint we are given about the character of his sin… He was probably guilty of deeds of violence.
Commentators differ over which king verses 5-9 picture. One writer says the name hardly matters:
We hardly know whether this is Jehoiachin, or Zedekiah who replaced him. It really makes no difference. Either way, he is only another lion's cub like the first; and since the character is the same, the result must be the same too.
The lament is not a protest against Babylon. It justifies what happened, because a throne that preys on its own people has lost its reason to exist:
The rule of the line of David could not justify its existence. Even God's promise would not do that unless the rule had the marks of true rule — and it did not… What would people do with a man-eating lion? The pit and the hooks were the only right treatment for such a beast.
Were the nations that conquered Judah any better? One writer faces that objection:
It may be said, of course, that none of these Gentiles was any better. The answer is plain: Israel, with all her privileges and her knowledge of God, should have been better. God would not let her claim to know Him dishonour Him while she carried the full character of the pagan nations.
The chapter ends where it began, in grief. The grief is not softened because the sentence was right:
The kingdom had gone — and with it every hope that could rest on man in himself. It had gone under the righteous judgment of God. Yet who can hold back from mourning the ruin? "This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation."
- Command. God tells Ezekiel to sing a funeral song for Israel's princes. The mourning moves from the people in chapter 18 to their rulers here.
- Mother. The opening question traces the trouble to its source. A kingdom that lay down among the lions of the nations raised cubs with the nations' character.
- Cubs. The first cub is Jehoahaz, taken to Egypt. Commentators differ over the second. The point is that the character repeated, so the result repeated.
- Verdict. God's promise alone could not hold up a throne that devoured men. The pit and the hooks were the fitting end for a man-eating lion.
- Lament. The sentence was just, and the sorrow was real. God's people still grieve over ruin they brought on themselves.
and say, What was thy mother? A lioness she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps in the midst of the young lions.
This chapter is a funeral song over the rulers of Israel, and it opens by asking about their mother. The answer is a picture: a lioness lying down among lions and raising her cubs there. The rest of the chapter shows what those cubs became.
This is a song of mourning, not a sermon. The chapter before it looked at the state of the people. One writer marks the change in a single line.
Ezekiel 19 is a lamentation for the princes, just as the chapter before it showed the state of the people — the condition of the soul in all of them.
The verse does not answer with a woman's name. It answers with a character. The mother stands for the kingdom itself, and the company she keeps explains her children.
The lamentation is over the princes of Israel. It is the kingdom that is before us, and the question asked is, "What was your mother?" The answer is, "A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs." She is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. Her place among them makes her offspring like their offspring, and reproduces in them the character of the Gentile nations.
The chapter draws the same mother a second time, as a vine. The two pictures belong together.
Two pictures of Israel stand side by side, with Jerusalem and her king standing for Israel. Each picture is meant to throw light on the other. At first they do not seem to fit together, and that makes the link hard to see; but that mismatch is the very point being pressed. Jerusalem lying as a lioness among lions is the secret of her present broken-down condition as God's vine.
A cub raised among lions hunts like a lion. The next verses show the first cub doing just that, and the lesson is blunt: a promise from God does not excuse a throne that behaves this way.
Indeed, Israel was nothing now but a Gentile power, with the lawlessness and selfish spirit that belongs to man in nature. Her offspring show this: "She brought up one of her cubs. It became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men." The statement is as decisive as it is short. Surely this is not God's picture of the "Ruler among men"… The rule of David's line could not justify its own existence. Not even God's promise could justify it, unless that rule carried the marks of true rule — and it did not.
The song is not vague poetry. The first cub had a name, a father, and a grave.
"The nations heard about him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt." (Verse 4) Such was the end of Jehoahaz, also called Shallum, the son of Josiah — an unrighteous son of a righteous father, who died in Egypt, where Pharaoh-Necho had taken him as a prisoner.
What did his evil actually look like? The lion picture is what we have to go on.
Ezekiel 19:1-4 compares him to "a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men." This is the only hint we are given about the character of his sin.
There is one more Lion in this family line, and He is nothing like these cubs. The title belongs to Christ Himself.
There is a real Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is a title of Christ Himself, and He will rise up in this character to put down all enemies at last by one decisive stroke. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Yet when the one who sees that vision looks for the Lion, he sees the Lamb… The rod of iron, to use another figure, is in His hand; but it is the Shepherd's rod all the same. Judgment is not only on behalf of righteousness, but it is the fruit of love itself.
- Mother — the mother is not a woman but the kingdom itself, a lioness lying down among the kingdoms of the earth.
- Nursery — cubs raised among lions grow up to act like lions. Where the mother lay down explains all that follows.
- Cub — the first lion is Jehoahaz, and this song holds the only hint of what his sin looked like.
- Cage — a throne without the marks of true rule cannot stand on a promise alone. The nations caught him in their pit and took him to Egypt.
- Lion — the true Lion of the tribe of Judah is also the Lamb. His iron rod is a Shepherd's rod, and His judgment grows out of love.
And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.
God tells Ezekiel to sing a funeral song over the royal house of Judah. The song opens with a picture: a lioness and her cubs. Verse 3 follows one cub as he grows up. It names two things about him: what he learned and what he ate. Those two things are the whole charge against a king.
Commentators identify this first young lion as Jehoahaz, the son of good king Josiah.
This was the end of Jehoahaz, or Shallum, the son of Josiah. He was an unrighteous son of a righteous father. He died in Egypt, where Pharaoh Necho had carried him as a prisoner.
Two details stand out: how he got the throne, and how he used it.
He was made king by popular choice: it was what the crowd wanted, not God's appointment... Ezekiel 19:1-4 compares him to "a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men." This is the only hint we have about the nature of his sin. Josephus says he was "an ungodly man, and impure in the way he lived." He was probably guilty of acts of violence.
The cub did not invent his appetite. Verse 2 has already placed the mother among lions, and that setting explains the son.
The lamentation is over the princes of Israel; it is the kingdom that is before us. She is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. Her relation to them makes her offspring like their offspring, and reproduces in them the Gentile characters.
Once Judah lay down among the nations, her kings grew up with their instincts.
The verse does not accuse him of idolatry or of breaking a particular law. It describes a skill he acquired and a diet he developed — and that is enough.
Israel was nothing now but a Gentile power, with the lawlessness and selfish spirit that belongs to man by nature. Her offspring show this: "She brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men." The statement is as decisive as it is short. This is certainly not God's picture of the "Ruler among men." It is not David's picture in his final song either. We can see that David understood this when he admitted that his house was "not so with God."
A king exists to protect people. This one fed on them. The same writer says God's promise to David could not shelter a rule like that: "even God's promise would not do this unless the rule had the marks of true rule, which it had not." So the pit and the hooks follow in verse 4. As he puts it: "What would people do with a man-eating lion? The pit and the hooks were the only right treatment for such an animal."
The lion image is not itself a condemnation. It belongs first to Christ, and the lion in this song is a very different one.
There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is a title of Christ Himself. He will arise in this character to put down all enemies at last with one decisive blow. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. When the seer looks to see this Lion, however, he sees the Lamb. These things are not incompatible or contradictory in Him. The Lamb is His true and inner character... The rod of iron, to use another figure, is in His hand; but it is the Shepherd's rod none the less. Judgment is not only on behalf of righteousness, but it is the fruit of love itself.
Jehoahaz was a lion who devoured men. Christ is the Lion who came as the Lamb, and the two are not in conflict in Him.
Verse 3 is not a one-off. The chapter repeats the pattern with a second cub. It is unclear whether that cub is Jehoiachin or Zedekiah, and Grant treats the question as unimportant: "In any case, it is only another lion's cub, like the first; and since the character is the same, the result must be the same too."
- Mother. Judah lay down among the lion-kingdoms of the earth, so her sons grew up like the nations around her.
- Cub. The young lion is Jehoahaz, an unrighteous son of a righteous father. This short picture is the only hint we have about his sin.
- Appetite. He learned to catch prey and devoured men. That is the opposite of a ruler, and the short statement settles the case.
- Verdict. God's promise to David could not protect a rule that had none of the marks of true rule, so the pit and the hooks followed.
- Contrast. The real Lion of Judah is also the Lamb; His rod of iron is a Shepherd's rod, and His judgment is the fruit of love.
And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 19 is a funeral song for Israel's rulers. Its first young lion learns to kill, falls into a trap, and dies in Egypt — so how did a king of David's line end like this?
Commentators identify the first young lion with a specific king.
Such was the end of Jehoahaz, or Shallum, son of Josiah — an unrighteous son of a righteous father, who died in Egypt where Pharaoh Necho carried him prisoner.
Another writer asks how he got the throne, and what God made of that.
He was made king by popular choice: it was the preference of the crowd, not the appointment of God... His name is left out of the list of our Lord's ancestors in Matthew 1... Necho made his half-brother Eliakim king in place of Josiah his father, which may imply that God did not recognize Jehoahaz, the people's choice, as being in a true sense the successor.
Scripture says little about what this king did wrong. One writer reads the clue in the song itself, and adds a line from the historian Josephus.
Ezekiel 19:1-4 compares him to "a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men." This is the only hint we are given about the character of his sin. Josephus says of him that he was "a godless man, and impure in the way he lived." He was probably guilty of deeds of violence.
The capture was not bad luck. One writer sees the punishment as fitting the animal described.
So it directly follows that "he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt." This is the fate of Jehoahaz; his history is generalised for us to think about. What would people do with a man-eating lion? The pit and the hooks were the only right treatment for such.
The same writer adds that God's promise alone could not prop up this throne: "even God's promise would not do this unless the rule had the marks of true rule — and it did not."
His name carried a meaning, and one writer draws out how the meaning turned back on him.
"And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt." He never returned from Egypt. Jehoahaz (the name means "Jehovah-seized") had seized the throne that was not his by right. In turn Necho, God's instrument, seized him and carried him to a land of exile, to find a grave far from the tombs of his fathers.
Another writer sees Necho paying the son back for the father: "Pharaoh Necho avenges himself on him for the opposition of Josiah."
Egypt was not the ordinary exile that later kings suffered. Jeremiah's words about him point to something harsher.
About Shallum we read in Jeremiah 22:10-12: "Weep not for him who is dead, nor grieve for him, but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more to see his native land." The one who is dead is Josiah; the one who goes away is Shallum. This suggests that something worse than mere deportation was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. Jehoiachin, a few years later, went into an easy captivity, but no such portion awaited Shallum.
The cub came out of a den. One writer looks at the mother in the song, and then at a very different Lion.
The lamentation is over the princes of Israel; it is the kingdom that is before us. The mother is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. That relation makes her offspring like theirs, and reproduces in them the character of the nations. There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah; it is a title of Christ Himself... When the prophet looks for this Lion, however, he sees the Lamb.
One writer stops at the painful fact that this king came from the best home in Judah.
Josiah had only three sons, and all of them wicked! Yet the father was an unusually godly man, with deep reverence for the Word of God! His public work took him into every corner of the land to root out evil. Is it possible that it led him to neglect his own family? Everyone who feels called to a travelling ministry today should weigh that question carefully.
- Den — the mother is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth, so her cubs came out with the character of the nations.
- Cub — Jehoahaz, son of godly Josiah, is the cub that learned to catch prey — the one hint Scripture gives about his sin.
- Pit — a man-eating lion gets the pit and the hooks; that treatment was the right one.
- Egypt — "Jehovah-seized" seized a throne that was not his; Necho seized him in turn, and he died far from his fathers' tombs.
- Lion — the true Lion of Judah is a title of Christ Himself, and when the prophet looked for that Lion, he saw the Lamb.
And when she saw that she had waited [and] her hope was lost, she took another of her whelps, [and] made him a young lion.
Ezekiel 19 is a lament for the kings of Judah, with the kingdom pictured as a lioness raising her cubs among lions. By verse 5 the first cub is gone to Egypt, and the mother turns to a second.
One writer reads the second cub as a repeat of the first, and says his name hardly matters.
But Jehoahaz is only one example out of many. We hardly know whether the king spoken of here is Jehoiachin, or Zedekiah who replaced him. It really makes no difference. Either way, he is just another lion's cub, like the one before him; and since the character is the same, the result must be the same too.
Commentators differ over the identity of the second cub. Some take verses 5 to 9 as a lament for the king carried to Babylon.
The princes are Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin. King Jehoahaz was carried away captive into Egypt (2 Kings 23:33); verses 1-4 lament his fate. King Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon, and verses 5-9 lament him.
Others read verses 5 to 7 as a picture of Jehoiakim.
Jehoiakim had a thoroughly unpleasant character — treacherous, vengeful, and bloodthirsty… Ezekiel 19:5-7 pictures his wickedness. He too, like the king deposed before him, became a young lion, learned to catch prey, and devoured men… This passage paints his violence and greed in vivid colours.
The mother in this song is the kingdom itself. One writer shows what her place among the nations did to her young, and then turns to the true Lion of the tribe of Judah.
She is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. Her relation to them makes her offspring like their offspring, and reproduces in them the character of the nations. There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah; it is a title of Christ Himself, and He will arise in this character to put down all enemies at last by one decisive stroke. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But when the seer looks to see this Lion, he sees the Lamb. These things do not clash or contradict in Him. The Lamb is His true and inner character.
A rule that feeds on people cannot justify itself. One writer says even God's promise to David does not change that.
This is not God's picture of the ruler among men, surely… even God's promise could not justify this rule, since it did not have the marks of true rule. So it follows at once that the nations heard of him, caught him in their pit, and brought him with hooks into the land of Egypt… What would people do with a man-eating lion? The pit and the hooks were the only right treatment for such an animal.
The second cub fares no better than the first, and the reason given is not bad luck but a forgotten God.
But it went no better for the others, and at the hands of others; for God was forgotten, and evil ways ended in evil… Jehoiachin felt the chains of Nebuchadnezzar, and so did Zedekiah, with greater pain and shame, for his guilt against Jehovah was great and bold. So the prophet could only mourn.
The song is not mourning one reign. Another writer traces the fall of the whole royal house.
The call for a lament over the princes of Israel in Ezekiel 19 pictures the conquest of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:1), and then the captivity of Jehoiachin. This ended the royal power of the house of David, which was left with no sceptre to rule with (Ezekiel 19:14).
- Waiting — her hope failed, so she raised a second cub just like the first.
- Character — the second cub shares the first cub's character, so he must share his end.
- Company — the mother is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth, and her young take on the character of the nations.
- Consequence — rule that devours people cannot justify itself, even with God's promise behind it. The pit and the hooks follow.
- Contrast — against the failed lions of David's line stands the true Lion of the tribe of Judah, whose inner character is the Lamb.
And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.
Ezekiel 19 is a funeral song for a royal family that is still on the throne. The prophet laments the princes of Israel as a lioness whose cubs grow into man-eaters, and verse 6 raises a hard question: why does a king from David's line live like a predator among predators?
The chapter follows a study of the people's condition with a study of their rulers.
Ezekiel 19 is a lamentation for the princes, just as the chapter before it showed the people's state — the condition of the soul in them all.
The whole lament traces one downward line: one king brought low, then another carried off.
Commentators differ over which king verse 6 describes. Some name Jehoiakim, and see his greed and cruelty sketched here:
Jehoiakim had a thoroughly unpleasant character — treacherous, vengeful, and bloodthirsty… Ezekiel 19:5-7 pictures his wickedness in figurative language… His violence and greed stand out vividly here.
Others take verses 5-9 to describe Jehoiachin, whom Babylon carried away. One writer leaves the question open, and says why it matters less than it seems:
We hardly know whether this speaks of Jehoiachin, or of Zedekiah who replaced him. It really makes no difference. Either way, it is only another lion's cub, like the first; and since the character is the same, the result must be the same.
The cub roams "among the lions" because that is where his mother lay. The mother in the song is the kingdom itself. The nations around her — the Gentiles — shaped her young.
The lamentation is over the princes of Israel. It is the kingdom that stands before us. The question is asked, "What was your mother?" The answer is, "A lioness; she lay down among lions; she raised her cubs among young lions." She is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. Her relation to them makes her offspring like theirs, and reproduces the Gentile characters in them.
"He learned to catch prey; he devoured men" is a verdict, not a compliment. Power used to consume people disqualifies the one who holds it.
Israel was now nothing but a Gentile power. It had the lawlessness and selfish spirit that belongs to man in nature… The statement is as decisive as it is short. This is surely not God's picture of the "Ruler among men"… The rule of the line of David could not justify its existence. Even God's promise would not justify it unless that rule had the marks of true rule — and it did not.
Of the first cub's capture the same writer asks: "What would people do with a man-eating lion? The pit and the hooks were the only right treatment for such."
The lion image is not itself the problem. There is a true Lion, and the contrast is the point of the whole lament.
There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is a title of Christ Himself. He will rise up in this character to put down all enemies at last by one decisive stroke. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Yet when the seer looks to see this Lion, he sees the Lamb. These two things do not clash or contradict each other in Him. The Lamb is His true and inner character… To use another figure, the rod of iron is in His hand. But it is the Shepherd's rod all the same. Judgment is not only for the sake of righteousness; it is the fruit of love itself.
The second cub's career ends exactly like the first — netted, pitted, chained, carried off.
But it went no better for the other kings at the hands of other nations. God was forgotten, and evil ways came to an evil end… Jehoiachin felt the chains of Nebuchadnezzar, and Zedekiah felt them with greater pain and shame, for his guilt was great and bold against the LORD. So the prophet could only mourn.
- Mother. The lioness is the kingdom itself. She lay down "among lions," and her young reproduced the Gentile characters of the nations around her.
- Cub. That company produced a ruler who learned to catch prey and devoured men — "not God's picture of the 'Ruler among men.'"
- Repetition. Commentators differ on whether this cub is Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin or Zedekiah. It "really makes no difference": the same character must bring the same result.
- Verdict. God's promise alone could not hold up a throne that lacked "the marks of true rule." So the net, the pit and the chains followed.
- Contrast. Behind the failed lions stands the true Lion of the tribe of Judah. He appears as the Lamb, and His rod of iron is still the Shepherd's rod.
And he knew their [desolate] palaces, and he laid waste their cities, so that the land was desolate, and all it contained, by the noise of his roaring.
Ezekiel 19 is a funeral song for "the princes of Israel." Verse 7 shows the second of the lioness's cubs at his most violent. Two questions follow: which king is mourned here, and why a royal line God Himself promised ends up hunted like a wild animal.
Commentators differ over which of Judah's last kings this verse describes. One takes verses 5–7 as a portrait of Jehoiakim:
Jehoiakim had a most unpleasant character — treacherous, revengeful, and bloodthirsty… The people had passed him over and chosen his younger half-brother, so he made no effort to ease their burdens; he increased them instead… His violence and greed are pictured vividly here.
Others point to the kings who ended in Babylon's chains:
Jehoiachin felt the chains of Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah felt them with even greater pain and shame, for his guilt against Jehovah was great and bold. So the prophet could only lament.
The first words of the verse are hard to translate. The ESV reads "seized their widows"; the older translation quoted below reads "He knew their desolate palaces." One writer sets out the options, then shows that the sense of the whole is not in doubt:
The first expression is difficult, and there is some question about the text. "He knew their palaces" — more strictly perhaps, "He knew their widows," but it may mean their lonely or widowed places or palaces. Some would read it, "He broke down their palaces," which seems to connect better with what follows. Still, in Scripture we must be careful about taking the simplest reading as the best. The general thought, however, is plain: "He laid waste their cities, and the land was desolate and its fullness" (that is, all that was in it), "because of the noise of his roaring." His voice clearly claimed more than his power could deliver. Yet his power was enough, such as it was, to make a wasteland where there should have been prosperity.
The same writer answers an objection: the nations that toppled Judah were no better than Judah.
In any case, this justifies the Gentile overthrow of David's house, and justifies it completely. It may be said, of course, that these Gentiles were none of them any better. The answer is plain. Israel, with all her privileges and her knowledge of God, should have been better. God could not allow her claim to know Him to dishonour Him, joined as it was with the full character of the nations around her.
So who is the mother in this lament? Not a woman, but a kingdom:
The lamentation is over the princes of Israel; it is the kingdom that is before us… She is a kingdom among the kingdoms of the earth. Her relation to them makes her children like their children, and reproduces in them the character of the Gentile nations.
Scripture also uses the lion as a title for Christ:
There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is a title of Christ Himself, and He will arise in this character to put down all enemies at last by one decisive stroke. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Yet when the one who sees the vision looks for this Lion, he sees the Lamb… The rod of iron, to use another figure, is in His hand; but it is the Shepherd's rod all the same. Judgment is not only on behalf of righteousness, but it is the fruit of love itself.
The chapter sets two pictures of one nation side by side, a lioness and a vine. The first explains the collapse of the second:
Two pictures of Israel stand side by side, with Jerusalem and her king standing for Israel. The two pictures are meant to throw light on each other. At first sight they do not seem to fit together, and that mismatch is the very point. Jerusalem as the lioness among lions is the very secret of Jerusalem's present broken-down condition as God's vine.
The roaring did not last. The lament traces the fall of a royal house:
The call for "lamentation for the princes of Israel" in Ezekiel 19 pictures, in allegory, the subduing of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:1), and then the captivity of Jehoiachin. That ended the royal power of the house of David, which no longer had "a sceptre to rule" (Ezek. 19:14).
- Mother — the lioness is the kingdom itself. Lying down among the nations, she bred rulers who copied their character.
- Cub — verse 7 shows what such a ruler produces: seized widows, ruined cities, and a land appalled at nothing more than noise.
- Roar — his voice was bigger than his power. Even so, that power made a wasteland where there should have been prosperity.
- Vine — the lioness explains the withered vine. Jerusalem's life among the lions is the secret of her broken-down state as God's vine.
- Lamb — the true Lion of Judah is Christ, and He appears as the Lamb. His rod of iron is still a Shepherd's rod, and His judgment is the fruit of love.
Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.
Ezekiel 19 is a funeral song for the kings of Judah, told as the story of a lioness and her cubs, and here the nations trap one of them. Which king is he, and why did God let David's royal line be caged?
The song follows real history: two kings, and then the end of a dynasty.
In Ezekiel 19 the call for a "lamentation for the princes of Israel" gives, in picture form, the conquest of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:1), and then the captivity of Jehoiachin. This brought the royal power of the house of David to an end. It no longer had "a sceptre to rule" (Ezek. 19:14).
Commentators differ on which king is in the net. For one writer, the name matters less than the pattern it repeats.
We can hardly tell whether this speaks of Jehoiachin or of Zedekiah who replaced him. It makes no real difference. Either way, he is only another lion's cub, like the one before; and since his character is the same, his end must be the same too.
Whichever king it is, the chains were real — and one felt them worse than the other.
Jehoiachin felt the chains of Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah felt them with greater pain and shame, for indeed his guilt against Jehovah was great and bold. So the prophet could only mourn.
Were these Gentile nations — the peoples outside Israel — any better than the king they caught? One writer faces that question and still calls the capture just.
The consequence is that the same destruction comes upon him, only now from another side. In any case it is the justification of the Gentile overthrow of David's house, and it is a complete one. Of course, someone may say that none of these Gentiles was any better. The answer is plain. Israel, with all her privileges and her knowledge of God, should have been better. God could not let her claim to know Him while her whole character stayed heathen, for that dishonoured Him.
The kings of Judah had misused the authority God gave them, and so that authority changed hands.
The descendants of David did not carry on God's righteous government in Israel. The kingdom was divided, and became the prey, instead of the head, of the surrounding nations. They should have upheld God's glory in the earth. Instead, because of them His name was blasphemed among the Gentiles... The kings of Judah abused and degraded the sceptre of earthly government. It passed to Nebuchadnezzar, and has stayed in the hands of the Gentile powers ever since.
God used these hunters. That did not make them innocent.
God put power into the hand of the Gentile. He gave his armies success, even against the nation of His choice, and to the overthrow of Zion that He loved. Yet He still sees the pride of heart, the lust for power, the self-will and violence of the rod He uses to correct His wandering people. Again and again these nations invaded His land and destroyed life and property without cause. They were His instruments for correcting His stubborn and stiff-necked people. But doing the will of God was far from the thought of any one of them.
This line of kings ends in a cage. But Scripture keeps the lion picture, and gives it to Someone who fills it rightly.
There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is a title of Christ Himself. In this character He will rise up at last and put down all enemies with one decisive stroke. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Yet when the prophet looks to see this Lion, he sees the Lamb. These things are not out of keeping or contradictory in Him. The Lamb is His true and inner character... The rod of iron, to use another figure, is in His hand; but it is the Shepherd's rod nonetheless. Judgment is not only on behalf of righteousness, it is the fruit of love itself.
- Lament — The chapter is a funeral song. The capture in the net marks the end of the royal power of David's house, left without a sceptre to rule.
- Likeness — Commentators differ on whether the trapped king is Jehoiachin or Zedekiah. One writer says it does not matter: same character, same end.
- Justice — The net and the pit are called a complete justification of the Gentile takeover. The nations were no better, but Israel, knowing God, should have been.
- Rod — The hunters were God's instrument, yet not innocent. He does not overlook the pride and violence of the rod He uses.
- Lion — David's line ends in a cage, but Christ is the true Lion of Judah. Look for that Lion and you see the Lamb, whose judgment is the fruit of love.
And they put him in a cage with nose-rings, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel sings a funeral song while the kingdom still stands: the nations net the second lion cub of Judah's royal house, cage him and drag him to Babylon, and the cage has one purpose — silence. Two questions press on this verse: which king does it mourn, and why did God let the nations do this to the family He had promised a throne?
Ezekiel 19 mourns real kings, pictured as lion cubs taken one after another. One commentator names them:
The princes are Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin. King Jehoahaz was carried away captive into Egypt (2 Kings 23:33); verses 1-4 lament his fate. King Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon, and verses 5-9 lament him.
Commentators differ over which king the second cub is. One names Jehoiachin, adds that Zedekiah's end was more bitter still, and then says why both kings fell:
Jehoiachin felt the chains of Nebuchadnezzar, as did Zedekiah with greater pain and dishonour, for indeed his guilt was great and bold against the LORD. So the prophet could only mourn. … The chosen people and their princes did not fall because they were weak, and Egypt and Babylon did not win because they were strong. They turned from the LORD to sin, and so they must serve the lowest of the nations in sorrow, as they now do.
Another writer is content to leave the name open, because the lesson does not depend on it:
We hardly know whether it is Jehoiachin who is spoken of here, or Zedekiah who replaced him. It is really of no importance. In any case, it is only another lion's cub, like the first; and as the character is alike, so the result must be alike too.
The same writer asks what God's promise to David's line was worth once the king behaved like a man-eater:
Even God's promise would not justify the rule of David's line if it lacked the marks of true rule, and it did lack them. … What would people do with a man-eating lion? The pit and the hooks were the only right treatment for such an animal.
The cage answers the roaring described just before it. He then weighs what that roar was worth:
His voice clearly claimed more than his power could deliver. Still, his power was enough, such as it was, to leave ruin where there should have been prosperity. … "They brought him into custody, that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel." This would make it look more like Zedekiah, the last king; but in any case it is the justification of the Gentile overthrow of David's house.
This captive is more than a personal tragedy. With him, power moved from Jerusalem to the nations, and it has stayed there:
When Nebuchadnezzar carried them away captive to Babylon, the people actually became "Lo-ammi" — "not my people" (though God still watched over them in mercy), and the "times of the Gentiles" began. … Since that time (though God, of course, controls the course of events in the world) He no longer rules among His people as He did in Israel.
The lion image does not end in a cage. Judah has a true Lion, and He is not one of these:
There is, truly, a Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is a title of Christ Himself, and He will rise up as that Lion to put down all enemies at last by one decisive stroke. The book of Revelation shows us Christ in this way, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But when the prophet looks to see this Lion, he sees the Lamb. These things do not clash in Him. The Lamb is His true and inner character. … Judgment is not only on behalf of righteousness, but it is the fruit of love itself.
- Lament. Verses 5-9 mourn a dynasty that is still standing, and picture its kings as lion cubs trapped one after another.
- Lion. The cub devoured men. Commentators differ over whether he is Jehoiachin or Zedekiah, but they agree the name matters less than the character.
- Cage. The pit, hooks and cage were the right way to handle a man-eater. God's promise to David never covered a king who had lost the marks of true rule.
- Silence. The roar that laid cities waste claimed more than it could deliver. The cage ends it, and his voice is heard on Israel's mountains no more.
- Lamb. With that silence the times of the Gentiles began. They run until the true Lion of Judah rises — and whoever looks for that Lion sees the Lamb.