Ezekiel Chapter 19
Tuesday, 01/20/26 at 09:37
Solitary Man
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Eze 19:1 Moreover take thou up a lamentation (kee-naw – dirge, a beating on the breast) for the princes of Israel,
Unlike chapter 17, God does not grant us an interpretation, so we are left on our own. A casual reading of this chapter may cause us to think back to Joseph being taken in chains to Egypt (verse 4). However a careful examination of the entire chapter makes that interpretation untenable. Rather, the context is the same context as the chapters before and after, that is, these last few corrupt kings of Judah in the time of Ezekiel. We will see references to the time of the last 4 kings – Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim (originally Eliakim), Jehoiachin (also known as Coniah or Jechoniah), and Zedekiah (originally known as Mattaniah). I believe specific references will be made to the 1st and 3rd of the kings, with the 2nd and 4th omitted, though we shall examine other points of view that claim otherwise.
Yahweh wants Ezekiel to proclaim this prophecy in the form of a funeral dirge. The expression alludes to the mournful songs sung at funerals. Note that Yahweh calls them the princes of Israel and not Judah. As long as part of the promised land was in control of someone from the 12 tribes, then God considered it wholly appropriate to refer to it by the name of the entire territory. In addition, there would have been survivors from most, if not all, of the tribes that would have escaped to the territory of Judah and Benjamin when the Assyrians wiped out the nation state of Ephraim in 722 BC.
Eze 19:2 And say, What is thy mother? A lioness (law-bee – to roar, can be lion or young lion): she lay down among lions (ar-ee – violent young lion), she nourished (raw-baw – increased) her whelps (goor- cubs) among young lions (kef-eer – covered village).
God decides to use the imagery of lions in this parable. The various words used are as follows:
1. law-bee – lioness, can also mean to roar, can mean lion or young lion
2. ar-ee – lion, can also mean violent young lion
3. goor – whelps, cubs
4. kef-eer – young lions, can also mean a covered village
In each verse where these terms are used, I don’t think it helps to dwell on any of the alternate meanings of these words. In this particular circumstance, I believe that the way each word is translated with their primary meanings suffices for us to understand what God is saying. Trying to apply the secondary meanings will probably only serve to confuse the interpretation. Still, I have added those meanings in the parenthesis just so you have them at hand.
The sense of the passage is: ‘To what shall I compare your mother? She is like a lioness’. Commentators see the mother as the theocratic nation of Israel as a whole, or the line and lineage of the house of David. It is appropriate that Israel is referred to as the female lion, since God has already spoken of her as a wayward harlot.
The word lions is most likely to be understood as all the nations that surrounded her. By Israel laying down amongst the lions (gentile nations), she would have learned their ways and their sins, even as Israel the harlot (chapter 16) learned of the gods of her neighbors.
The whelps would be the rulers that Israel brought forth. Primarily, this would refer to the various kings under the royal line of David. The young lions could once again refer to the gentile rulers that were constantly looking to challenge the matriarch of the land of Israel. It could also refer to usurpers to the Davidic throne within Israel itself, such as Jeroboam and all other rulers of the breakaway northern kingdom.
God had created Israel to be strong as a lion. She was planted in the midst of other strong nations. She had given birth to many kings, both good and bad. She birthed these kings in the midst of other young lions, who would be a challenge and a danger to her cubs.
The only word for lions that may contain a hint of something deeper is this word kee-fer. The primary meaning is actually village. A village that is enclosed or covered. Perhaps the idea of a lion’s mane that covers it. It also comes from a root word that means to cover, to placate, to appease. Perhaps the allusion is that these kings learned the art of appeasement by having to interact and survive in the midst of many young lions. That is, having to conduct their affairs in the midst of many pagan cultures, full of idolatry and immorality. This reality would have exerted a fierce pressure to conform their conduct to these neighbors to varying degrees.
Eze 19:3 And she brought up one of her whelps (goor): it became a young lion (kef-eer), and it learned to catch (tear in pieces) the prey; it devoured men.
Because of verse 4, there is a general consensus that this ‘whelp’ refers to Jehoahaz. Look at these passages:
2Ch 36:1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
2Ch 36:4 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.
2Ki 23:30 And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead.
2Ki 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2Ki 23:32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
2Ki 23:33 And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
2Ki 23:34 And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.
God seems to want to communicate the idea that this cub copied the mannerisms of those young lions, or those neighboring pagan rulers. That is, he became a tyrant. He ensnared men, and ate them. In other words, becoming a tyrant was a learned behavior. Instead of copying the behavior of his father Josiah, the last righteous king of Judah, he chose to copy the behavior of the wicked rulers round about him. This could apply to the tyrants in the adjacent lands, or the wicked princes in his own domain. Remember that we can read about the political pressure that Judah’s elite continually placed on the last king Zedekiah, that almost always caused him to disobey the word of the Lord from Jeremiah’s lips.
The sense is that this short lived ruler was known for his violence, even though he only reigned for 3 months. This is especially surprising, since he was the son of Josiah. Josiah, the most Torah loving king in all of Israel’s history. Josiah, who instituted more godly reforms than any king that went before him. You would think something of his rulership would have rubbed off on his son. Apparently not.
Perhaps the people had been chafing under Josiah’s rule, and wanted a ‘Democrat/Liberal’ back on the throne! Someone who would quickly reverse all the rigid reforms that Josiah undertook to attempt to lead his people back to the worship of the one true God.
In any event, it took no time at all for the ruler in Egypt to nix that idea, as his army was the one that had killed Josiah, due to his ill advised attempt to prevent Egypt from attacking Babylon (we won’t get into the details of that event). So Necho (king of Egypt) would have kept a close eye on the goings on in Judah. Obviously he quickly saw something that he did not like, so he put the brother (Jehoiakim) in charge instead, under heavy tribute, to keep them from causing any more mischief. Perhaps Jehoahaz was attacking the borders of Egypt, in some sort of retribution for Necho killing his father Josiah. The bible does not always give us every political detail, as that is always secondary to the spiritual message.
Eze 19:4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken (taw-fas – manipulated, seized, captured) in their pit (shakh-ath – corruption), and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
Other nations were made aware of this changing of the guard. Most likely nations refer primarily to Egypt. As stated above, maybe he was making trouble at Egypt’s borders, or perhaps attempting to foment alliances with some of Egypt’s enemies.
2nd Kings tells us this king was put into bands, taken to Egypt, where he eventually died.
Eze 19:5 Now when she saw that she had waited (was patient), and her hope (tik-vaw – expectation) was lost (perished, to have no hope), then she took another of her whelps (goor), and made him a young lion (kef-eer).
The ‘she’ refers to mother Israel, or mother Judah. The commentators mostly seem to think that the 2nd king of 4 is meant in this verse (Jehoiakim). Let us also look at this additional passage in 2nd Kings, that sheds more light on the goings on at this time:
Ki 23:35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh.
2Ki 23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
2Ki 23:37 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
2Ki 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
2Ki 24:2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
2Ki 24:3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;
2Ki 24:4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.
2Ki 24:5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2Ki 24:6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
2Ki 24:7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.
Egypt had installed Jehoiakim, but during the early part of his reign (608-597 BC), Egypt was conquered by Babylon. Jehoiakim may have been indebted to Necho for putting him on the throne. Thus when Necho was defeated, he may have thought it was his duty to resist this new ruler of Babylon.
Well, it seems as if God did not agree with this rebellion. First, God sent various raiding parties from all of the ‘young lions’ round about. And as always, the word of God gives the real reason for the downfall of the people of God. And it was due to their gross sin at the hands of Manasseh. Notice that Yehovah said that he would not pardon those sins.
Here is a news flash. God does not always forgive. Even if they wanted forgiveness, those sins were over and done with by an unrepentant generation, and retribution was locked in. It was simply a matter of when.
Something to keep in mind as our prayers for the restoration of our nations seemingly go unanswered. I believe our primary duty is to embrace this verse:
Lev 26:40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
Lev 26:41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
Lev 26:42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
Acknowledge your sin, and the sin of your ancestors and your nation. Then, accept whatever God decides to do in the form of punishment. Then God will recall to mind the covenant of the cross that he cut with us, and remember our nations. But all I see are people quoting 2 Chr 7:14 at best, which does not speak of accepting any punishment. But even that attitude is in the minority. In most cases, the idea of confession and repentance is not even mentioned at all. Just quotes of promises of unending blessing.
Good luck with that.
Putting all that aside, there is a question of exactly which king God is referring to. Since he does not give us the interpretation, it is up to us to try and discern who he is speaking about.
We have already established that the ‘she’ was Israel, or Judah, which represented the royal Davidic line. Remember the list of kings at this time:
1. Jehoahaz 608 BC 2 Ki 23:30-34, 2 Chr 36:1-4, Jer 22:1-12
2. Jehoiakim (originally Eliakim) 608-597 BC 2 Ki 23:34-24:6, 2 Chr 36:5-8
3. Jehoiachin (also known as Coniah, Jechoniah) 597 BC 2 Ki 24:6-17, 2 Chr 36:8-10
4. Zedekiah (originally Mattaniah) 597-586 BC 2 Ki 24:17-25:30, 2 Chr 36:10-21, Jer 39:1-10,
Jer 52:1-30, Ez 17:11-21
Confusing, isn’t it?
Now let us also remember that Jehoiakim was installed by Necho king of Egypt. Zedekiah was installed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The people may not have recognized these two puppet rulers, since they did not choose nor confirm them, but who were imposed upon them from without.
Therefore, a strong case can be made that instead of thinking that verse 5 refers to Jehoiakim as the one being referred to, it actually refers to Jehoiachin. The reason is that Judah (the mother) did not install Jehoiakim. In Judah’s eyes, he was a usurper, imposed on them by Egypt. While Judah waited for Jehoahaz to return as the rightful ruler, that hope was never fulfilled. But when Nebuchadnezzar removed Jehoiakim, the people saw their chance to restore the proper person from the line of David, as they were the ones that put Jehoiachin on the throne. He then would have been the one referred to as ‘another of her whelps’.
I can see why most commentators do not agree with this, because Jehoiachin only reigned 3 months, while Jehoiakim reigned 11 years. But the key in this verse is that this is written from Israel’s (or Judah’s) point of view (the mother), rather than from the purely historical viewpoint. From Judah’s viewpoint, they had not selected Jehoiakim, so he did not count.
So once again, if we choose to follow the text rather than what the majority of the commentators say, I believe the answer is fairly clear.
Eze 19:6 And he went up and down among the lions (ar-ee), he became a young lion (kef-eer), and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
Assuming we are correct and God is speaking about the properly selected king Jehoiachin, he too is given a negative review. Because this man is said to have developed a reputation, I think that is why most commentators believe this must refer to the 2nd of 4 kings, not the 3rd, despite the textual evidence to the contrary in verse 5. But if that influenced their thinking, why were they ready to accept that verse 3 spoke of the 1st of 4 kings, who also reigned only 3 months, when they were described using the same language? They knew they could not interpret that one any other way, because of verse 4.
Natural human reasoning always threatens the child of God, when it comes to rightly dividing the word. Intimidation by so called ‘experts’ and past scholars are also a problem. True humility keeps us teachable. But always giving in to someone else’s point of view, just because the world considers them an authority or an expert, despite true Holy Ghost inner conviction, is not real humility, but more akin to cowardice.
One aspect of this debate to consider as to why God is speaking of the 2 kings who reigned only 3 months, besides the fact that they were chosen the correct way, is that there must have been a good reason why 2 foreign kings deposed them so quickly. That is not the sign of a passive, timid monarch. They must have both been engaged in some sort of schemes to try and overthrow these foreign rulers. Therefore, that may help explain why God labelled them as one who mingled with other lions (ie, other gentile rulers), and how he learned to become a young lion that now could hunt on his own, and use and abuse and consume other men for his own purposes. Lions care not for their prey. They will eat them alive. They have no compassion or mercy. Something about these 2 kings of short reign quickly sparked the judgment of the Father.
Eze 19:7 And he knew their desolate palaces (ar-mone – citadel, castle), and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate (yar-sham – liad waste), and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.
The old time commentators take their best stab at this, but I find this verse quite obscure. Unless we indeed are speaking of Jehoiakim (11 year reign) instead of Jehoiachin (3 month reign), it may be hard to understand how he made such a reputation as a destroyer of castles, cities, and even the entire land. Pretty impressive feats, given he had only 3 months to do so! But in reality, we all have witnessed the wicked lay waste to things in a very short period of time.
Take war for example. A land can be totally obliterated in 3 months. Take the 1st 3 months of the Biden administration. America was set on a course of open borders, extreme wokeness in every area of life, a government network was set up to become the world’s number one child sex trafficking ring, and the law was turned on its head to let the wicked go free while the God fearing and the patriot were hunted down and locked up. While America was brought to its knees very quickly, it is not so easy to reverse the evil. That is why I cannot understand any American Christian who does not want to support president Trump with everything that they’ve got. Do you really want to see your land utterly consumed sooner rather than later? When God gives you a righteous ruler, don’t spit in God’s face by faultfinding and listening to every bit of gossip out there. Remember that none of us have access to all the facts that our leaders do, so it is foolish to think that you know for certain why each decision is made the way it is. Now if you have a wicked ruler, such as we have in Canada, that is an entirely different story. God never wants us to obey wickedness. But if someone is genuinely trying to do the right thing, then the Christian should be their greatest supporter.
His roaring could refer to his aggressiveness, in speech and in action. Maybe he confiscated private property at a record pace in order to try and rebel against Babylon.
Eze 19:8 Then the nations (go-ee – Gentiles) set against him on every side from the provinces (districts, regions), and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.
Well, this ‘young lion’ was to soon find out that he was not the king of the jungle! Nations could simply be translated as ‘nation’, ie, Babylon. Babylon surrounded Jehoiachin and besieged him. The results were devastating:
2Ki 24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
2Ki 24:9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
2Ki 24:10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
2Ki 24:11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.
2Ki 24:12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
2Ki 24:13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
2Ki 24:14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
2Ki 24:15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2Ki 24:16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
2Ki 24:17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Disobedience always leads to loss. Loss of every sort. Loss of sovereignty. Loss of family. Loss of wealth. That is why the false doctrine of wealth transfer from the pagan to the church in the end times is so absurd. How can we keep forgetting that the end times in the bible is not noted for holiness, or revivals, or miracles, or any form of prosperity, but for apostasy? It is the time of the greatest evil that the world has ever seen. Great evil demands great retribution, not ‘wealth transfer’. The only wealth transfer will be when believers choose to abandon the trinkets of Babylon, in order to obtain the pearl of great price, a sure place in the kingdom of the Father. Let the wicked have our money. Let them have our toys. If God so wills it, then so be it. Is it not better to prepare your heart to accept this evil, so if it comes, it will not shake your faith, rather than expecting all this money to come your way, and being disillusioned when it never comes to pass?
Exactly why are you focusing all your energies on the things of this world anyway?
Eze 19:9 And they put him in ward (soo-gar – enclosure, cage, only time in OT) in chains (a ring for the nose), and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard (shama) upon the mountains of Israel.
This portion of the lamentation concludes by speaking of the fate of this evil king Jehoiachin. He was taken to Babylon in chains. To be fair, this is a point in the favor of those who think Jehoiakim is the one God is speaking of:
2Ch 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
2Ch 36:6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
Jehoiakim is spoken of as being taken away in fetters while Jehoiachin is not (but that does not mean that he also wasn’t taken away in chains, the bible simply does not say either way). We do know that Jehoiachin did have a good ending, after a lifetime of bondage in Babylon:
Jer 52:31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,
Jer 52:32 And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,
Jer 52:33 And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.
Jer 52:34 And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
In 561 BC, 37 years after Jehoiachin was taken captive to Babylon, he was finally brought out of prison, and shown favor in whatever time he had left to live. But he first had to pay for the sins of himself, his ancestors, and his nation with a 37 year prison term! How come no one preaches on this possibility? The bible is full of uncomfortable realities such as this. I believe we need to talk about things such as this. So many Christians experience unfair or unjust things. They may go to jail for standing up for the truth, or lose their job for sharing Jesus, or suffer in uncountable ways at the hands of the wicked. I have heard of one story in China where a preacher spent a total of 55 years of his life in jail for preaching the gospel! And he never broke. He never gave up. He never renounced his faith. He had obtained that pearl of great price, and nothing was ever going to make him let go of it.
One may conclude that this king deserved all that he got, since the bible called him one who did evil in the sight of the Lord. But still, this was a lousy way to spend one’s life! But the fact that God chose to add this little addendum at the end of Jeremiah’s book may hint at the fact that he found true repentance at the end of his life, and God rewarded him with a bit of favor before taking him home.
Eze 19:10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches (aw-nafe, only time in OT) by reason of many waters.
Now begins the second and shorter portion of this dirge. God has lamented over these last 2 kings that were appointed properly after the last righteous king Josiah. In the interim there were 2 puppet kings, appointed illegitimately by foreign rulers, that took Judah right to the day of her destruction in 586 BC. I find it interesting that because Josiah was allowed to rule, which caused that one last delay in the certain judgment of Judah because of the sins of Manasseh, God then had only 2 more properly appointed kings of 3 months duration after that. But he also allowed 22 years of 2 puppet kings to also exist before total judgment fell.
What this tells me is that we have absolutely no way of knowing exactly how and when God is going to execute his fierce wrath. I am sure this is to confuse the devil, as well as keeping the real children of God humble and in a state of readiness. In fact, I think he delays judgment in several creative ways to test us to see which of us will watch and wait and stay ready, as the 10 virgins were commanded to do. Even if a certain number of rulers had sat on the throne, God always reserves the right to place illegitimate rulers for a period, just to extend the time for testing, and for repentance. In other words, don’t box in God. But even more importantly, quit listening to all these false prophets out there who keep predicting specific things on specific dates and always fall short. And then instead of understanding that God has just revealed a false prophet for you, you keep ignoring their misses and keep listening to them, because you like the positive prophecies that they keep churning out.
This is a difficult verse at first glance. The most reasonable interpretation is to interpret mother in the same way as the first part of the dirge. That is, the mother is Israel, Judah, or Jerusalem. ‘Like a vine in thy blood’ is some sort of saying that makes no real sense to us today, regardless of how the commentators try to spin this. We need to break this down as best we can.
First, Israel is compared to a fruitful vine in other places. We are seeing a new metaphor being used to describe these last Judean kings. Remember how in chapter 17 Zedekiah was described as a spreading vine of low stature (Ez 17:6)? Unlike the image of a lowly vine in that chapter, this one is said to be a fruitful and flourishing vine, due to the abundance of water.
Isa_5:2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
Jer_2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
In the above verses, we see the recurring imagery of Israel being compared to a fruitful vine. This vine is said to be in thy blood.
Gen 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Stretching things a bit, we should be aware of this general principle about the sacredness of blood in the eyes of God. Here the word says the life is in the blood. Thus, Israel your mother is like a vine in your blood. Perhaps it means that Israel is the life in your being, as blood is the life in your body. Or, Israel is in your offspring, ie, your bloodline. Or, maybe God is echoing what he said of Israel’s birth back a few chapters ago:
Eze 16:6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
This verse nicely ties the idea of Israel, blood, and life. God breathed life into this unwanted tribe. And as God made Israel come alive, he also made it abound in good fruit. The good fruit may refer to the righteous rulers that Israel did produce. It may refer to the fact that they were given the law, in order to be a godly example to the rest of the world. Fruitful could mean the multiplication of the people.
Full of branches most likely means the multiplication of the Davidic bloodline. Josiah left behind 4 children, besides other branches of the royal line.
As a vine will prosper and expand when planted by a good source of water, so Israel expanded when they drew upon the fount of living waters. In our era, that fount has been identified as Jesus. In Judah’s day, it was adherence to Torah and the practices of the temple services. Many waters could refer to the manifold blessings that Israel was afforded. Paul listed some of them:
Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
The nation of Israel were given many things that no other nation was given.
Eze 19:11 And she had strong rods (mat-teh – ruling sceptres) for the sceptres (shay-bet – staff) of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared (saw) in her height (go-bar – arrogance, grandeur) with the multitude of her branches.
If one tries to pick apart this verse word for word, one will most likely end up in some level of confusion. This again is one of those verses that will find multiple ‘guesses’ as to precisely what is meant. But the overall sense is comprehensible. The idea is that Israel, especially Judah and it’s Davidic dynasty, was as a highly exalted vine. Not one that crawled on the ground, but one that climbed the highest tree. The strong rods was the authority that God gave Judah’s kings. She was exalted at one time above all the thick branches. This probably referred to her glorious beginning in the reigns of David and Solomon.
The thick branches most likely refers to the surrounding kingdoms. The Davidic kingdom at the outset was greater than any other. Another possibility is that David’s branch was thicker and more exalted and more numerous than any other branch or bloodline of the tribes of Israel.
Eze 19:12 But she was plucked up in fury (khay-maw – poisonous rage or wrath), she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong (majestic) rods (mat-teh) were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.
But as in all of human history, nothing seems to last forever. Indeed, nothing good seems to last for a very long time at all. Even at the end of Solomon’s reign, the seeds were sown for a permanent split in the tribes, one which has not been healed even unto this day. The fury speaks of the fury of the Lord in his great wrath, that has been most colorfully described in every prophecy of this book thus far. God’s fury cast Judah down, not man. He sent the east wind in the form of numerous and various judgments. Not only was her substance destroyed, but her kingly line was cut off. The line of Davidic kings was broken, at least for a season.
Eze 19:13 And now she is planted (transplanted) in the wilderness (desert), in a dry and thirsty ground.
That kingly lineage that was promised to David and his descendants forever now finds itself exiled in an alien land. Off to Babylon they went, and in Babylon they would stay. They would stay until God decided that it was time to go back.
This is such a crucial truth that no charismatic understands today. Think about the fall of communism in the late 80’s. I have heard a preacher say that it just took everyone to stand up together, and the enemy was finished.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Romania and Czechoslovakia tried it in the 50’s and 60’s and were crushed. China tried it at the same time in the late 80’s in Tienanmen Square and were also annihilated. Why? Because only God can remove the tyrant. As a general rule, God decides to raise kings and to depose them. Sometimes evil regimes collapse upon themselves. But not always. Look at islam. The most evil religion ever conceived by man or the devil. 1400 years, and it is still going strong. In fact, it is the fastest growing religion on the planet.
The point is that you cannot protest, or fight, or name and claim your way to freedom. In Canada, we are now a communist stronghold. I am sorry to inform others who have not been paying attention, but the nation is now officially lost. All the governments, all the judiciary, all the police forces, all the military, all the media, all the education systems, and all the medical services now are in the firm control of those who have decided to implement a communist like system. If the authorities come after you, regardless of which authority does so, whether elected or unelected, Canadian citizens have zero recourse. You have no police you can turn to, nor any justice system that will protect your rights. They are now all gone. The best you can do is meekly submit and hopefully limit the damage that they do to you. And until God decides to fight on Canada’s behalf once again, there is no hope whatsoever of things changing any time soon. In fact, before the year is out the Liberals are hoping to pass several pieces of legislation which simply legalizes all aspects of the tyranny that they have already put in place, and have been practicing for several years. Hitler did the exact same things in the 1930’s. He legalized every illegal action of his government, so nothing that he did was ‘illegal’. Immoral, wicked, unjust, corrupt, tyrannical, yes. But illegal? no.
Welcome to Canada. And the United Kingdom. And most likely to many other western European countries, as well as New Zealand and Australia. And soon too America, if the Democrats ever take power again.
Eze 19:14 And fire is gone out of a rod (mat-teh) of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod (mat-teh) to be a sceptre (shay-bet) to rule. This is a lamentation (kee-naw), and shall be for a lamentation (kee-naw).
Once more, this last sentence is a word salad that makes me wonder if Kamala Harris was involved in this in any way. Just kidding. But this chapter is a perfect example of why 99% of all believers either skim over chapters such as this, or refrain from reading them altogether. Certainly we can see why no preacher ever preaches from places such as this. They don’t want to look foolish.
I remember starting to listen to this one preacher as he attempted to do a verse by verse study on Zechariah. He began fairly well, but then he came to one of those obscure visions that don’t quite line up with the imagery found in the book of Revelation, or anywhere else in the bible. A passage where the classic commentators had various disparate theories. Well, it didn’t take long to realize that he had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. He had zero revelation, and as a result, zero anointing.
I felt sorry for him. He was trying his best, but he had made no connection with heaven, and it was obvious he was in way over his head. Needless to say, that ended my continuing to listen to him!
This is why I was hesitant to take on the book of Ezekiel. I mean, who am I to attempt to explain this tome? It is one of, if not the most perplexing book in the entire bible. Chapters such as this one affirm my premise, in that there has been no consensus as to the exact meaning of several of these verses all these centuries. But I do believe God led me to this book at this time. I try to ensure that I am prayed up before I begin writing. I do know that this book will take me significantly longer to complete than any commentary I have attempted thus far. What I am finding surprising is how much material the Lord seems to be giving me to write. I know that some would accuse me to going off on too many rabbit trails, and that may certainly be the case. But I am also very aware of the need to write this in such a way that it will hold the interest of a reader who lives in 2025 AD and not 592 BC! Given the obscurity of some of these prophecies, I feel a priority to make the text as relevant to our time period as possible.
Commentators seem to be unanimous in thinking that Zedekiah is the one in view, since he was the last king, the one who bore the brunt of the fire of the wrath of God. The idea is that the fire represents the wrath of God that was kindled by the wickedness of these final kings. The fruit would be this last kingdom of Judah. There is no more righteous ruler left, like David or Josiah. Therefore, her fruit, or her independence, her freedom, her very existence, is now about to be destroyed.
I think one can make the claim that God may be still speaking of the last rightful ruler in Jehoiachin. Even though Zedekiah would reign for 11 more years, he was installed by Babylon, not by the people of Israel. Like Jehoiakim before him, he would not have been recognized as having gained the throne via legitimate ascension. But when grievous sin has taken over a land, what is considered legitimate anymore?
Think about our elections. We are seeing more and more direct evidence of cheating and fraud of every description. We all know Biden did not win in 2020. I can make an equally strong case that the Liberals did not win near the number of seats that they supposedly won in 2025. The last provincial election in British Columbia was also stolen, the last several seats flipping to the far left days after the election, until they had enough seats to form a majority. And now this is the province where they are implementing the new property confiscation tactic of suddenly claiming that private property is really native indigenous land, and the courts are agreeing with this. This is throwing the housing market into utter chaos. Those areas deemed to be ‘stolen’ land are not just crown land, but also involve some private properties as well. As a result, people living there cannot renew a mortgage, nor get house insurance, as no one knows who actually own these places anymore.
This is Canada in 2025. A place where any and every form of wickedness is welcomed with open arms.
Getting back to the text (again), regardless of which king is in view, the important point is that this is a lamentation. It is a mourning over what is lost, and what could have been. In Ezekiel’s day, the last chapter was being written in the line of Davidic kings that was about to be broken. These kings will never again sit on the throne of Israel, until Messiah comes. This was an event of unparalleled calamity. The same thing can be said about western civilization here in late 2025. I firmly believe we are in exactly the same boat as Judah was. The destruction of something that was meant to endure forever is certain. All that is left is waiting to see exactly how it is going to play out.
This is why the book of Ezekiel needs to be brought out of the closet, and seriously studied once again.
Solitary Man
