Ezekiel 17:7 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 17:7
There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
great (in any sense) · adjective, masculine singular absolute
eagle
נֶֽשֶׁרne.sher-
H5404
the eagle (or other large bird of prey) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
great
גְּד֥וֹלge.Dol
H1419
great (in any sense) · adjective, masculine singular construct
wings
כְּנָפַ֖יִםke.na.Fa.yim
H3671
an edge or extremity · noun, common feminine dual absolute
many
וְרַבve.rav-
H7227
abundant (in quantity · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular construct
feathers
נוֹצָ֑הno.Tzah
H5133
a pinion (or wing feather) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
vine
הַגֶּ֨פֶןha.Ge.fen
H1612
a vine (as twining) · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
bend
כָּֽפְנָ֧הka.fe.Nah
H3719
to bend · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person feminine singular
roots
שָׁרֳשֶׁ֣יהָsho.ro.Shei.ha
H8328
a root (literally or figuratively) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
forth
שִׁלְחָהshil.chah-
H7971
to send away · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person feminine singular
branches
וְדָֽלִיּוֹתָיו֙ve.da.li.yo.Tav
H1808
something dangling · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
water
לְהַשְׁק֣וֹתle.hash.Kot
H8248
to quaff · preposition + verb, hiphil infinitive construct
furrows
מֵעֲרֻג֖וֹתme.'a.ru.Got
H6170
something piled up (as if (figuratively) raised by ment… · preposition + noun, common feminine plural construct
plantation
מַטָּעָֽהּma.ta.'Ah
H4302
something planted · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ezekiel 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…
Ezekiel 31:4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto a…
2 Kings 24:20 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebell…
2 Chronicles 26:13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the k…
Jeremiah 37:5-7 Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Je…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 17:1-21
We must take all these verses together, that we may have the parable and the explanation of it at one view before us, because they will illustrate one another. 1. The prophet is appointed to put forth a riddle to the house of Israel (Eze 17:2), not to puzzle them, as Samson's riddle was put forth to the Philistines, not to hide the mind of God from them in obscurity, or to leave them in uncertainty about it, one advancing one conjecture and another another, as is usual in expounding riddles; no, he is immediately to tell them the meaning of it. Let him that speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret, Co1 14:13. But he must deliver this message in a riddle or parable that they mig…
another . . . eagle--the king of Egypt (Eze 17:15). The "long-winged" of Eze 17:3 is omitted, as Egypt had not such a wide empire and large armies as Babylon.
vine . . . bend . . . roots towards him--literally, "thirsted after him with its roots"; expressing the longings after Egypt in the Jewish heart. Zedekiah sought the alliance of Egypt, as though by it he could throw off his dependence on Babylon (Kg2 24:7, Kg2 24:20; Ch2 36:13; Jer 37:5, Jer 37:7).
water it by . . . furrows of . . . plantation--that is, in the garden beds (Judea) wherein (the vine) it was planted. Rather, "by" or "out of the furrows." It refers to the waters of Egypt, the Nile being made to water the fields by mean…
Another great eagle - Pharaoh-hophra, or Apries, king of Egypt.
With great wings - Extensive dominion.
And many feathers - Numerous subjects.
Did bend her roots - Looked to him for support in her intended rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar.
John Gill on Ezekiel 17:7
There was also another great eagle,.... Hophra king of Egypt, a very powerful prince, whom Herodotus (u) calls Apries; and says he was the most happy and fortunate, after Psammitichus, of all the kings that were before; though not so mighty as the king of Babylon; therefore all the same things are not said of the one as of the other:
with great wings and many feathers: had large dominions, but not go extensive as the former, and therefore is not said to be "longwinged" as he; and had "many feathers", but not "full" of them, nor had it such a variety; he had many people, and much wealth, and a large army, but not equal to the king of Babylon:
and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward…
The Church Fathers
Another crowd was taken by him, and it became a vine, less vigorous than it was when it was in the vineyard of God and on holy ground, where the sacrifices of God are celebrated, but it was transferred to Babylon as a weak vine.
(Verse 7 and following) And another great eagle appeared, with large wings and many feathers. And behold, this vineyard sent out its roots toward it, extending its branches toward it, in order to be irrigated by the streams of its sap. It was planted in good soil, above abundant waters, in order to produce leaves and bear fruit, and to become a great vineyard. Say: Thus says the Lord God: Will it succeed? Will it not uproot its roots and squeeze its fruit, causing all its branches to wither and dry up, so that it will not be strong in a mighty arm or among many people, in order to uproot it completely? Behold, it is planted, so will it prosper? When the burning wind touches it, will it not wither and dry up, and its shoots wither in its own beds? LXX: And another great eagle was made, with many wings and many claws. And behold, this vineyard was entangled with it, and its roots were attached to it, and its branches extended to it, in order to irrigate it with the soil of its plantation. In a good field, it was fattened over much water, so that it would produce shoots and bring forth fruit, and be a great vineyard. Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: If it shall be exalted? Shall not its roots be tender, and its fruit wither, and all the things that have sprung from it wither, and it be pulled up even from its roots? And behold, it is fattened. Shall it be exalted? Shall it not, when the burning wind touches it, wither, and dry up with aridity? When the soil of its germination withers, the second eagle, that is, the other, also great, full of feathers, with many talons, because of its rapaciousness and the devastation of many nations, the king of Egypt is Pharaoh. And behold, this vineyard signifies King Zedekiah, who had been appointed by Nebuchadnezzar in Jerusalem, began, he says, to send his branches to it, that is, to send ambassadors to the king of the Egyptians, and to ask for help from him against the king to whom he was subject. For this is what the Scripture says now, that he may water it with the streams of his planting. Which had been planted in good soil by Nebuchadnezzar, in order to produce leaves and bear fruit, and to grow into a wider vineyard: therefore the prophet is commanded to speak to the vine, which had been planted by Nebuchadnezzar, and had sent its branches to the Egyptian eagle: will it prosper because she has tried to do…
Dictionary and topics
Riddle — (Heb. hodah). The oldest and, strictly speaking, the only example of a riddle was that propounded by Samson (Judg. 14:12-18). The parabolic prophecy in Ezek. 17:2-18 is there called a “riddle.” It…
Babylon · Revolt of the Jews from, and their punishment illustrated — Revolt of the Jews from, and their punishment illustrated
Eagle, The · Greatness of its wings alluded to — Greatness of its wings alluded to
Ezekiel · .Prophesies by parable of an eagle — .Prophesies by parable of an eagle
Grape · .PARABLES OF THE VINE — .PARABLES OF THE VINE
Prophets · Frequently spoke in parables and riddles — Frequently spoke in parables and riddles
Vine · Parables of — Parables of
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Ezekiel 17:7
7. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
7. Et fuit aquila una [166] magna, magnis alis, et copiosa plumis: et ecce vitis ista collegit radices suas ad eam, [167] et palmites suos emisit ad eam, ut irrigaret ipsam alveis [168] plantationis suae. [169]
He now detects, under a figure, the perfidy of Zedekiah, since he very soon applied himself to the king of Egypt, and bent his roots and branches towards him, that they might be irrigated. I do not disagree with the opinion of those who think that…
The Parable
Eze 17:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 17:2. Son of man, give a riddle, and relate a parable to the house of Israel; Eze 17:3. And say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, A great eagle, with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of variegated colours, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar: Eze 17:4. He plucked off the topmost of its shoots, and brought it into Canaan's land; in a merchant-city he set it. Eze 17:5. And he took of the seed of the land, and put it into seed-land; took it away to many waters, set it as a willow. Eze 17:6. And it grew, and became an overhanging vine of low stature, that its branches might turn towards him, and its roots m…
There was a second great eagle like the first, although not quite so glorious. • The fate of the vine was predictable. In seeking to gain more, it would lose what it already had. The second eagle would not do anything for it, and the anger of the first eagle would be justly aroused.
Rashi on Ezekiel 17:7
Now there was one...eagle The king of Egypt.
gathered its roots Heb. כָּפְנָה, an expression of hunger, like (Job 5:22): “plunder and famine (וּלְכָפָן).” The roots of this vine hungered and longed for that eagle. (Addendum:) Some explain כָּפְנָה like אָסְפָה, gathered, the letters [of כָּפְנָה] being transposed. In the words of our Sages there is something similar to it, for they call a public gathering כְּנוּפְיָא. כָּפְנָה is like כָּנְפָה, amassa in French, brought in, gathered.
and its tendrils it sent forth to him And her emissaries she sent to him, to come to her and water her.
from the furrows of its planting From the water ditches that the first eagle had made for it.