Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 17 · Verses 1-6
VERS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, ſaying:
Sonne of man, put forth a riddle, and ſpeake a parable unto the houſe of Iſrael.
And ſay: Thus ſaith the Lord God, A great Eagle with great wings, long winged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and tooke the higheſt branch of the Cedar.
He cropt of the top of his young twiggs, and carried it into a land of traffique, he ſet it in a City of Merchants.
He tooke alſo of the ſeede of the land, and planted it in a fruitfull field, hee placed it by great waters, and ſet it as a willowtree.
And it grew and became a ſpreading vine of low ſtature, whoſe branches turn'd towards him, and the roots thereof were under him: ſo it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and ſhot forth ſprigs.
THis 17. Chapter conteins,
1. A preface in the two firſt verſes.
2. A riddle or parable, from the beginning of the 3. unto the end of the 8. verſ.
3. The application of this parable, from the 11. verſ. to the 22.
4. A promiſe of mercy, from the 22. to the end.
In the Preface you have,
1. The author of what is prophecyed in this Chapter, which is the Lord, The word of the Lord.
2. The inſtrument by which it was conveyed, Ezekiel, it came to him.
3. His appellation or title, Sonne of man.
4. A command laid upon him, Put forth, ſpeake.
5. What, a riddle, a parable.
6. Unto whom, to the houſe of Iſrael.
I ſhall paſſe over all in the Preface but theſe words; Put forth a riddle, and ſpeake a parable, which I ſhall open.
Put forth a riddle.
Hebrew is chud chidah, riddle a riddle, or ſharpen a ſharpning, whet a whetting. foreign ſignifies acute dicere, to propound hard queſtions, difficult and obſcure THESES, to ſharpen and whet the underſtanding. Judg. 14.12. I will put forth a riddle. Magis animi quodam acumine quam certa indagine explorantur ſecreta.Sampſon put it forth to try and exerciſe their wit. Verſ. 14. They could not in three dayes expound the riddle; for ſaith Avenarius, it's acuteneſſe rather then ſearch which diſcovers ſuch ſecrets.
A riddle is a dark and ſubtle ſentence or allegorie conteining a ſenſe different from the ſound of the words: as that Jud. 14. Out of the eater came forth meate, It's call'd a dark ſaying, Pſal. 49.4.and out of the ſtrong came forth ſweetneſſe. The ſenſe and meaning of the riddle is another thing then the words import. The Sept. here put foreign for riddle, which is a narration; but in other places foreign a probleme or hard queſtion, as Pſal. 78.2.The Greeks were wont to propound riddles at feaſts, which were called foreign or foreign feaſt-riddles, foreign queſtiones aenigmaticae in convivijs propoſitae. Phavor. Dan. 8.23. The Vulg. and others have it aenigma from foreign to ſpeake obſcurely and perplexedly. French is, propoſe une doute.
Speake a parable.
Heb. foreign paraboliza parabolam: of this word was ſpoken, Ezek. 12.22. where wee inſiſted largely upon it. There it's called proverb, here parable. Maſhal is a ſentence, a ſpeech, axiome, metaphor, allegory, which hath choiſeneſs in it, and is worthy memory. Solomons wiſe and excellent ſayings are called Proverbs; quaſi probata verba, tryed, proved words. Parables are ſimilitudes; qubus res diſſimiles conferuntur: much like unto riddles, comprehending the ſame in them,Vid. Bonfrerium in Jud. 14. as Pſal. 78.2. compar'd with Matth. 13.35. Maſhal and Chidoſh are cal'd parables or ſimilitudes. Heb. 11.19. Abraham received Iſaac from the dead. foreign in a figure, figuratively,foreign Parabola eſt foreign Explicatio rerum per ſimilitudinem quandam. Su das. Commentaria in Concord: & hiſtoriā, Evang. l. 2. c. 2. Si quid in uno loco videatur obſcurius dictū id in alijs dici planiſſime. Aug. de doct. Chriſt. l. 2. c. 26. or repreſentatively; he was dead, and roſe. The Rabbies ſay it was in the hand of a parable. Here was a lively parable or repreſentation of his death and reſurrection. The words are uſed promiſcuouſly here: and whether riddles or parables, they preſent one thing in words, another in ſenſe, and require interpretation.
The Papiſts aſſert the Scriptures are obſcure. Barradius the Jeſuite ſaith they are aenigmatical, and brings this place for it. Sonne of man, put forth a riddle, ſpeake a parable unto the houſe of Iſrael: but he forgat the explication of the riddle and parable afterwards in the Chap. And the Father ſaith, if a thing be ſpoken obſcurely in one place it's cleared up in another.
We grant there are riddles, parables, hard and deep things in the Scriptures, 1 Cor. 15.29. Heb. 6.4. and many places in the Revelations and other Books, are difficult, obſcure, and the wiſdome of God is ſeene in it: For hereby mans pride is ſtained and beaten downe, his abilities what ever, morall or ſpiritual exercis'd, and the dignity of Scripture kept up; but in things neceſſary to ſalvation it's plaine and eaſie. Timothy knew the Scriptures when he was a child, 2 Tim. 3.15. And they are compared unto a light, 2 Pet. 1.19 ſhining in a dark place: And Chriſt gives thanks, that the Father hid the things of the Goſpel from the wiſe and prudent, and reveal'd them unto babes, Matth. 11.25. And Chryſoſtome ſaith the Scriptures are ſo divinely written,Homil. 3. de Laza. & hom. 10. ad Philip. that all may read them profitably, both idiots and Artiſts.
The holy Scriptures are frequent in parables; ſome ſay they are as many as the weeks in the yeare, 52. our Prophet and Chriſt doe much parabolize. The uſe of parables is,
1. To veile divine things, and keep them ſecret from the knowledg of prophane and wicked ſpirits, as Matth. 13.13, 14, 15.
2. To help the memory: Parables are taken from things obvious to the ſenſes, and ſo make a ſtronger impreſſion upon the memory; as ſimilies are better remembred then naked truths, they take ſtronger hold of a mans memory: ſo parables.
3. To ſtir and quicken the affections and ſpirits of men. There is a ſweetneſs in truths conveyed by parables, ſo that they pleaſe & provoke to a further inquiſition after knowledg. When Chriſt had ſpoken in parables, the Diſciples came to him and ſaid, declare unto us theſe parables, Matth. 13.36. Ch. 15.15.
4. To convince, and that ſtrongly. When David ſinned greatly in ſlaying Ʋriah, and defiling Bathſheba. Nathan came with a Parable unto him of a rich man having Flocks and Heards, and a poore man having one Lamb, which the rich man took from the poor man, and ſlew for his friend. David hearing this, gives ſentence: As the Lord liveth, the man hath done this thing ſhall ſurely dye. Saith Nathan, Thou art the man. Now Davids mouth was ſtopt, the conviction ſtrong, he had ſentenced himſelfe, 2 Sam. 12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. So the parable of the houſholder letting out his Vineyard to Husbandmen, who beat his ſervants, and ſlew his ſon: when the Lord comes what will he doe to thoſe men: They being convinc'd of this great injuſtice, paſſe ſentence againſt themſelves, and ſay, he will miſerably deſtroy thoſe wicked men, Mat. 21.41.
It's the third uſe our Prophet intends here, viz. to quicken their attention, affections, and ſpirits to thoſe things he was to commend unto them; which had they been in a common and familiar ſtyle, they would not have liſten'd unto: but being in a parabolizing way, they cauſed the greater attention, and made the ſtronger impreſſion.
Obſerv.
The wiſdome of God in giving out Scripture; hee ordered it ſo that all ſhould not be given out in one way, but in ſeverall ways, fitting it to the capacities, conditions, and neceſſities of people: ſome parts are given out in higher ſtreins, others in lower; ſome in a plain manner, others in parables and riddles. Iſaiah is lofty, Amos is low: ſometimes Chriſt ſpake plainly, ſometimes parabolically: and Ezekiel ſometimes is in viſions and hieroglyphicals, ſometimes in riddles and parables: and ſometimes he paſſes at a lower rate. The manifold wiſdome of God ſhines in it; hereby he invites men to mind his word, to be affected with it ſo, that whether great or ſmall, we might repent of our ſins, and prevent his judgements.
We come now to the riddle and parable it ſelfe.