Ezekiel 17:7

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 towards him; Zedekiah, and the people of the Jews under him; inclined to an alliance with the king of Egypt, and gave him some private intimations of it: and shot forth her branches towards him; sent ambassadors to acquaint him with it, Ezekiel 17:15; that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation; Nebuchadnezzar had planted this vine, and made furrows for the watering of it, and by his means it was become prosperous and flourishing; but Zedekiah, not content with the greatness and glory he had raised him to, sought to the king of Egypt to help him with horses and people, in order to free himself from subjection to the king of Babylon, and to increase his lustre and glory: the allusion is thought to be to the trenches and canals of the river Nile, by which the land of Egypt was watered: the words may be rendered, "out of the ri

Ezekiel 17:7-8 . There was also another great eagle — Namely, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, with whom Zedekiah made an alliance; whereupon that king sent an army to raise the siege of Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 36:13 ; Jeremiah 37:5 ; Jeremiah 37:7 . With great wings and many feathers — Having a great army and many people to support him. And this vine (namely, Zedekiah) did bend her roots toward him, &c. — Zedekiah sought the assistance and protection of the king of Egypt. Dr. Waterland renders this clause, And shot forth her branches under him, from the furrows where she was planted, that he might water it: that is, give it assistance. The auxiliary forces which Zedekiah expected from Egypt are here intended. It was planted in a good soil, &c. — The words are to the same purpose with Ezekiel 17:5 , to show that Zedekiah’s condition was so good under the king of Babylon, that he needed not to have broken his oath out of a desire to better it, whereby he involved himself and his country in ruin: see notes on 2 Kings 24:20 ; and Jeremiah 17:25 .

(7) Another great eagle. —This is explained in Ezekiel 17:15 of Pharaoh. He was also powerful, ruling a populous land, but is not described as with the variegated feathers of Ezekiel 17:3 , because he did not rule over the same diversity of people with Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah, while owing his position to Nebuchadnezzar, treacherously sought the aid of Egypt, as mentioned in Ezekiel 17:15 , and more fully in the historical passages referred to in the note at the beginning of this chapter. A chief task of the prophet Jeremiah was to endeavour to dissuade Zedekiah from this Egyptian alliance.

Verse 7. - The other great eagle is, of course, Egypt, then under Apries, or Pharaoh-Hophra ( Jeremiah 44:30 ). We note the absence of the "long pinions" and the "many colours" of the first eagle. Egypt was not so strong, nor did her sway extend over so great a variety of nations as Babylon. To that eagle the vine bent its roots, i . e. , as in ver. 15, Zedekiah courted the alliance of Pharaoh (Apries), and trusted in his chariots, he was to water the vine, which so turned to him from the beds of her plantation (Revised Version). Ezekiel 17:7

7 . The other great eagle, which however is not described with such imposing epithets as the former, is the king of Egypt. The vine bent its roots toward him—sought to draw nourishment from him. by the furrows ] Rather: from the beds of its plantation —i.e. where it was planted. The words are connected with “did bend her roots.” The comparative sense: to water it more than the beds, has less probability; though it would express the uneasiness of Zedekiah and his vain political dreams.

There was also {f} 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. (f) Meaning, the king of Egypt from whom Zedekiah sought comfort against Nebuchadnezzar.

Another great eagle - This is the king of Egypt, mighty indeed but not like the first. By the furrows of her plantation - From the beds, where it was planted to bring forth fruit for another, it shot forth its roots to him that he might water it. Zedekiah was courting the favor of Egypt while he owed his very position to the bounty of Assyria.

This is the second part of the parable. Another great eagle, i.e. the king of Egypt, whether Apries, or Hophra, or what other was his name we need not curiously inquire, it was king of Egypt, Ezekiel 17:15 . Great wings: see Ezekiel 17:3 . This vine; Zedekiah, his nobles and people. Did bend her roots towards him; sought the friendship and help of the king of Egypt. Shot forth her branches; sent ambassadors, made a covenant, and trusted to the power of Egypt to defend her branches. That he might water it; that they might add to their greatness and prosperous condition, as trees grow by due and seasonable watering them. By the furrows; alluding to the manner of irrigation used in Egypt, by furrows or trenches to convey the water unto their plantations from the river Nile.

7. 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 (2Ki 24:7, 20; 2Ch 36:13; Jer 37:5, 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 means of small canals or "furrows"; these waters are the figure of the auxiliary forces wherewith Egypt tried to help Judah. See the same figure, Isa 8:7. But see on [1048]Eze 17:10, "furrows where it grew."