Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 17 · Verses 9-10
VERS. 9, 10.
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 plucke it up by the roots thereof.
Yea behold being planted ſhall it proſper? ſhall it not utterly wither? when the Eaſt wind toucheth it? it ſhall wither in the furowes where it grew.
THeſe verſes doe aenigmatically proclaime the event of Zedekiah's revolt; hee thought to have mended and made himſelf by it, but it was his ruine. Being formerly compar'd to a Vine, here the Vine is ſentenc'd.
1. Not to proſper; ſhall it proſper?
2. To be rooted up, ſo that it ſhall wither, and neither have fruit nor leaves.
3. How; not by any great power, verſ. 9. but by an Eaſt-wind, verſ. 10.
Shall it proſper?
Heb. foreign the word foreign ſignifies to divide, cut, paſſe through, and metaphorically to paſſe, breake through happily, to proſper. Sept. If it ſhall invade. Caſt. Shall it happen well to it. Others, ſhall it doe or ſpeed well? Shall the counſels, deſigns, plots it hath on foot take? This vine was planted under the wings of the great Eagle, who did preſerve and protect it while it looked & lean'd towards him, and then it proſpered, verſ. 6. But ſeeing the roots and branches of this Vine bend and move another way, viz. towards Aegypt, ſhall it proſper? No, perfidiouſneſſe is not the way to proſper, it will bring the axe to lop and cut it down. This interrogation is a vehement negation; ſhall it proſper? It's ſo farre from proſpering, that it's utter ruine is at hand.
Shall he not pull up the roots thereof? &c.
This metaphoricall vine Zedekiah ſhould be deprived of kingly power: yea, his Children, Nobles, Counſellors, Officers, People, which were the branches and leaves of this Vine, ſhould wither & come to nothing; yea the place it grew in, Jeruſalem it ſelfe ſhould be laid waſt. The deſtruction of Zedekiah and his Kingdom is likened to the cutting down and caſting up of a flouriſhing vine: The fulfilling of this you may ſee in 2 King. 25.7.18, 19, 20, 21. it's ſaid at Riblah they gave judgement upon Zedekiah, there Nebuchadnezar cal'd a Councell of War, told him what he had done for him, in what engagements he ſtood bound to him, which hee expected ſhould have been made good: how hee had perfidiouſly revolted from him, betaken himſelfe for help to the King of Aegypt againſt him, and therefore now he ſhould ſuffer for it: whereupon hee ſlew his ſons before his eyes, put all the Nobles of Judah to death; and when he had ſeene theſe ſad ſpectacles, then he alſo outed Zedekiah's eyes, Jer. 39.6, 7.
Without great power, or many people to plucke it up.
Heb. is, and not in or with a great arme; that is, without great power, arme noting power. The French renders it; There ſhall not be need of great power, or many people to pull up the roots of it. Some read the words by way of interrogation, thus, ſhall he not with great power? Inſinuating that Nebuchadnezar ſhould come with great power and many people, as he did to cut down and pluck up this vine; but this is rather forced then naturall. Without great power, or many people. Nebuchadnezar will bring multitudes and great ſtrength, but halfe or a third part will doe the buſineſſe; for Zedekiah hath ſin'd by his perfidious dealings, provoked me againſt him ſaith God, and therefore I will give him up to the hand of Nebuchadnezar without much adoe; I will be ſo far from helping him with counſell or protection, that I will facilitate the way for his utter extirpation and ruine.
10. When the Eaſt-wind toucheth it.
Eaſtern winds are prejudiciall, as to other things, ſo eſpecially to Plants, Vines, Trees. See Hoſ. 13.15. Ezek. 19.12. An eaſt wind dryed up the fruit. It was an Eaſt-wind made Jonas to faint, Chap. 4.8. An eaſt-wind that blaſted the eares of corn, Gen. 41.6.
By eaſt-wind here is meant the King of Babylon and his Army, who is ſo cal'd, either becauſe he ſhould be as an eaſtern wind unto this Vine, dry up all the moyſture and ſap of it, that it ſhould wither in the branches and roots: or elſe from the ſcituation, Babylon being North-eaſt from Jeruſalem.
Hence is it that Nebuchadnezar and his Forces ſometimes are cal'd a wind out of the North. Chap. 1.4. A whirlwind came out of the North: And here a wind of the Eaſt, which ſhould no ſooner touch this Vine but it ſhould languiſh. Eaſt-winds are violent, ſudden, and deſtructive: ſo ſhould this be to this Vine, even a ſcorching wind.
Obſer. 1.
When men are perfidious and falſe in their truſt and obligations, though Princes, they ſhall not ſpeed well, they ſhall not proſper. Shall it proſper? Shall Zedekiah, his ſons, Nobles, Counſellors, People, that have had a hand in his perfidious doing proſper? No, they ſhall not proſper, I am reſolv'd upon it. Let them take councell together, it ſhall come to nought, as Iſa. 8.10. No counſels, no enterprizes, no wars ſhall ſucceed well, I will blow upon, and blaſt all; let them get all their power, their ſouldiery and ſtrong men together, goe out to War, and ſee what ſhall be the iſſue. Jer. 32.5. Though you fight with the Chaldeans you ſhall not proſper.
When men are falſe to God and man, they cannot thrive and proſper in their wayes. See what is upon record in 2 Chron. 24.20. Why tranſgreſs ye the commandements of the Lord that yee cannot proſper? Theſe words were ſpoken to a King, and to Princes. Joaſh, his Princes & People had covenanted through Jehoiadah's means to be for the Lord, Chap. 23.16. But Jehoiada being dead, the Princes violated the covenant, and drew the King to Idolatry; hereupon ſaith Zachariah unto them, why tranſgreſſe yee the commandements of the Lord that yee cannot proſper? God is not with you, and you cannot proſper in any thing: have any proſpered in the late Wars amongſt us who were perfidious? Let Wales, Kent, Eſſex, and Sea it ſelfe ſpeak.
2. Perfidiouſneſſe, treachery in Kings, Nobles, or any, is ſo provoking a ſinne, as oft it moves God to bring ſevere judgements upon them are guilty thereof, yea utter deſtruction upon them and thei…s. Saith God of this metaphoricall Vine, Shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, &c? Zedekiah thought by his perfidious ways to advance himſelfe; but his perfidiouſneſſe ſo provoked God, that for it he rooted him and his Family up, and ruin'd the whole kingdome: Zedekiah loſes his Crown, Kingdome, Sons, Nobles, People, Eyes at once, and afterwards his life. What ſad things did that perfidious act bring upon them, vid. Turkiſh Hiſtor. page 287. battail of Varna between Ʋladiſlaus and Amurath, &c.
3. It's no difficult thing; for God being provoked to pluck up, root out, deſtroy Kings & Kingdoms, how ſtrong and well accommodated ſoever they be. Here was a Vine planted in a good ſoile, by many waters, was likely to proſper, grow, and continue long; but ſhall hee not pull up the roots thereof without great power or many people? A Gardiner can eaſily, quickly pluck up a Vine, and God did as eaſily pluck up Zedekiah who was planted in Jeruſalem, compaſſed about with mountains, aſſiſted with the ſtrength and power of Aegypt; it's but ſending of a wind, when the eaſt-wind toucheth it. I will but call for a wind ſaith God, it ſhall be an eaſt-winde, and as ſoone as that toucheth this Vine, it ſhall wither: A wind ſeems an unlikely thing to do any great matter, yet it's ſuch as none can prevent, withſtand, trees, ſhips, mountains, &c. have ſuffered greatly by it.
2 Chron. 24.23, 24. The Syrians came with a ſmall company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great Army into their hand; becauſe they had forſaken the Lord God of their Fathers, they deſtroyed all the Princes of the people.
Let the power, policy of Princes be what it will, if they ſin with a high hand againſt God, he can without a high hand puniſh them; hee hath an Eaſt-wind, or a North-wind, &c.
4. God magnifies his juſtice in puniſhing wicked men even in the place where they ſin, and turning that to their ruine which they thought would have been their raiſing: It ſhall wither in the furrows where it grew. It grew at Jeruſalem; there it fin'd in bending its roots towards Aegypt, and fetching help from thence, and there it ſhall wither.
Nebuchadnezar, Dan. 4.30, 31. where he lifted up himſelf there it was ſaid, the kingdome is departed from thee. Thoſe built Babel, ſmitten, &c. Gen. 11. Sodomites, Gen. 19. Two Captains with their fifties, 2 King. 1. If you ſin where God hath planted you, even there he can puniſh you, he can make you wither in the furrows of your Plantation.