Ezekiel — Chapter 19

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1Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

3And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

4The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

5Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

6And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.

7And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

8Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.

9And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

10Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.

12But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

13And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

14And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

1Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps.

3And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

4The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.

5Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

6And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

7And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.

8Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

9And they put him in a cage with hooks, 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.

10Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

12But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them.

13And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

14And fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

1“And you, sing a lament for the princes of Israel,

2and say: “‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay among young lions; she reared her cubs.

3She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion. He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.

4The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit. They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5“‘When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost. She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

6He walked about among the lions; he became a young lion. He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.

7He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it was frightened at the sound of his roaring.

8The nations—the surrounding regions—attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their pit.

9They put him in a collar with hooks; they brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him to prison so that his voice would not be heard any longer on the mountains of Israel.

10“‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by water. It was fruitful and full of branches because it was well-watered.

11Its boughs were strong, fit for rulers’ scepters; it reached up into the clouds. It stood out because of its height and its many branches.

12But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit; its strong branches broke off and withered— a fire consumed them.

13Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

14A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit. No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’ “This is a lament song, and has become a lament song.”

1“Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.

3She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.

4The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5“‘Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion.

6He went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.

7He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. The land was desolate, with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.

8Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.

9They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10“‘Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters. It was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11It had strong branches for the scepters of those who ruled. Their stature was exalted among the thick boughs. They were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

12But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered. The fire consumed them.

13Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

14Fire has gone out of its branches. It has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong branch to be a scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

A funeral dirge for the princes of Israel. Ezekiel uses two vivid parables: first, a lioness who raises cubs (kings) that are captured and carried away in chains; second, a fruitful vine planted by the waters that is uprooted, withered by the east wind, and consumed by fire. The chapter mourns what could have been — royal potential destroyed by sin and foreign conquest.

Authorship & Background

Author: Ezekiel son of Buzi (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Lament (Qinah/Funeral Dirge) Key Themes: The lioness and her cubs, royal failure, the vine uprooted, the death of a dynasty, lamentation over wasted potential, sovereign judgment on kings
Historical Context: This chapter is a "lamentation for the princes of Israel" (v.1) — a formal funeral song composed while the dynasty is still technically alive but effectively dead. The "lioness" is Judah's royal house (the tribe of Judah is associated with the lion — Genesis 49:9). The "cubs" are likely Jehoahaz (taken to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco in 609 BC — 2 Kings 23:33-34) and Jehoiachin (taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC — 2 Kings 24:15). Some identify the second cub as Zedekiah instead.
The vine imagery (vv.10-14) represents the Davidic dynasty as a whole — once fruitful and strong, now torn up by the roots. The "east wind" (v.12) is Babylon, the scorching force from the east that dries up everything in its path. The fire that devours the vine comes "out of a rod of her branches" (v.14) — the destruction comes from WITHIN. Zedekiah's own rebellion against Babylon brought the final judgment.
Ezekiel sings this dirge from exile in Babylon, circa 591 BC. He is mourning a funeral before the body is cold — Jerusalem still stands, but the dynasty is already dead.
Structure:
  • The Lioness and Her First Cub (vv.1-4)
  • The Lioness and Her Second Cub (vv.5-9)
  • The Vine Parable: Fruitful Then Uprooted (vv.10-14)

Map & Geography

  • Egypt (v.4): Land to the southwest; place of Israel's bondage and exodus.
  • Babylon (v.9): Capital of the Babylonian empire; place of Judah's exile (modern Iraq).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Charles Spurgeon: "God sings the funeral of kings who would not bow before Him. He composes the dirge for dynasties that spent their strength on pride instead of obedience. The lioness raised her cubs to roar, but they roared against the wrong enemy — they roared against heaven, and heaven swallowed them whole."

Reflection

  • 1. God sings funerals for wasted potential (v.1). This is a lamentation — grief, not gloating. God mourns what the kings of Judah COULD have been. He mourns wasted gifts in your life the same way. Don't make Him sing your funeral dirge.
  • 2. The fire came from WITHIN (v.14). The vine's own branches produce the fire that destroys it. External enemies only finish what internal corruption begins. Self-destruction is always the real danger.
  • 3. Three months of glory, then chains (v.4). Jehoahaz ruled for 90 days. Brief power without God leads to captivity. Don't confuse a short season of success with lasting significance.
  • 4. The east wind dries what water once nourished (v.12). A vine that was "planted by the waters" can still be destroyed when it forgets the Source. Proximity to God's blessings doesn't guarantee permanence — faithfulness does.
  • 5. "This IS a lamentation" (v.14). Present tense. The tragedy is already happening. Don't wait until the funeral to recognize what's dying. Wake up NOW to what you're losing through disobedience or neglect.