Ezekiel 17: Two Eagles and a Sprig
A riddle of two great eagles and a vine exposes Judah's broken oath, and ends with God planting a tender sprig on a high mountain.
Ezekiel 17 (WEB)
1 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, tell a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
3 and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:
4 he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.
5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow tree.
6 It grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, and produced branches, and shot out sprigs.
7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot out its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.
8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might produce branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
9 Say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or many people can it be raised from its roots.
10 Yes, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew.
11 Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
12 Say now to the rebellious house, Don’t you know what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon:
13 and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
14 that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape who does such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
16 As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.
18 For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things; he shall not escape.
19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: As I live, surely my oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, I will even bring it on his own head.
20 I will spread my net on him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.
21 All his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
22 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain:
23 in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall produce boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of its branches shall they dwell.
24 All the trees of the field shall know that I, Yahweh, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.
Ezekiel 17 (KJV)
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
4 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.
5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.
6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
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.
8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;
13 And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
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?
16 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.
20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:
23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.
Ezekiel 17 (ASV)
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;
3 and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:
4 he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it unto a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.
5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow-tree.
6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.
8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots thereof.
10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew.
11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon.
13 And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
14 that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
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? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
16 As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.
18 For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape.
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.
20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
21 And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain:
23 in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I, Jehovah, have spoken and have done it.
Summary
God tells Ezekiel to pose a riddle and a parable to the rebellious house of Israel. A great eagle with vast wings comes to Lebanon, crops off the top of the cedar, and carries it to a city of merchants; he also takes seed of the land and plants it in fertile soil, where it grows into a low, spreading vine whose branches turn toward him. But a second great eagle appears, and the vine bends its roots and branches toward this new eagle, hoping to be watered. God asks whether such a transplanted vine can prosper, or whether it will be uprooted and wither in the east wind. The interpretation follows: the first eagle is the king of Babylon, who carried off Jerusalem's king and nobles and set up Zedekiah under a covenant and oath, that the kingdom might survive in humble submission. But Zedekiah rebelled, sending envoys to Egypt, the second eagle, for horses and troops. Because he despised the oath and broke the covenant, he will die in Babylon, and Pharaoh's army will not save him; God himself takes the broken oath as a trespass against his own name. Yet the chapter closes with hope: the LORD will take a tender sprig from the cedar's top and plant it on a high mountain of Israel, where it will become a noble cedar sheltering birds of every kind, a quiet promise of a coming kingdom God will raise.
Key Figures
- The first eagle (Babylon) — Nebuchadnezzar, who carries off the cedar's top and plants a vine under covenant, expecting humble loyalty.
- The vine (Zedekiah) — The king set up by Babylon who breaks his oath and turns to the second eagle, Egypt, for rescue, and so withers.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who treats a broken oath as a trespass against himself, judges the rebel, and plants a tender sprig into a noble cedar.
Key Verse
Ezekiel 17:22 (WEB)
Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain:
Lessons Learned
- Oaths and covenants matter to God even when sworn to a pagan king; faithfulness in our commitments honors him.
- Turning to human alliances instead of God for rescue leads only to withering, not deliverance.
- God reads our political and personal maneuvering as it truly is, and holds us accountable for our pledged word.
- Beyond every failed earthly kingdom, God plants a tender sprig that becomes a sheltering kingdom of his own making.
- A broken oath is a trespass against God. "My oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, I will even bring it on his own head" (Ezekiel 17:19, WEB). God claims the broken vow as an offense against himself.
- Misplaced trust cannot save. Zedekiah bends toward Egypt for "horses and many people," yet "shall he prosper?" (Ezekiel 17:15, WEB). Seeking deliverance apart from God ends in the withering east wind.
- God humbles the high and lifts the low. He has "brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree" (Ezekiel 17:24, WEB). The LORD overturns proud kingdoms and raises what seemed insignificant.
- God plants a kingdom that shelters all. The tender sprig becomes "a goodly cedar" under which "all birds of every wing" dwell (Ezekiel 17:23, WEB), a hope that points beyond Judah to the kingdom of the Messiah.
- How do the two eagles and the vine picture Judah's situation between Babylon and Egypt (17:3-10)?
- Why does God treat Zedekiah's broken oath as a sin against himself (17:18-19)?
- What does Judah's turn to Egypt reveal about misplaced trust?
- How does the closing image of the tender sprig and noble cedar transform the tone of the chapter (17:22-24)?
- Where are you tempted to look to "Egypt", some human source of security, rather than trusting God, and what would faithfulness look like instead?
- The first eagle, Babylon, transplants Judah's royal line as a low vine meant to live in submission (17:3-6). When the vine bends toward the second eagle, Egypt, for water, it pictures Zedekiah's appeal to Pharaoh, and God asks whether such disloyal scheming can ever flourish (17:7-10).
- Though the oath was sworn to Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah had given his hand in God's name, so betraying it despised the LORD's own name (17:18-19). God holds his people to integrity in their commitments, treating faithlessness toward others as offense toward him.
- Judah looked to Egypt's horses and armies instead of trusting God amid Babylon's rule, and that alliance proved powerless to save (17:15, 17). Trust placed in human power rather than in God leaves us as a vine withering in the east wind.
- After the grim failure of the vine, God himself becomes the planter, taking a tender sprig and raising it into a majestic, sheltering cedar (17:22-23). The chapter moves from human treachery to divine promise, anticipating the everlasting, all-welcoming kingdom God will establish in the Messiah.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to name the "Egypts" they lean on, finances, status, relationships, and to consider one concrete way to entrust that area to God, who lifts the low and plants what endures.