New International Version
Ezekiel 17:3
3Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,
Ezekiel 17:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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:
- English Standard Version (ESV)say, Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.
- New King James Version (NKJV)and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, Full of feathers of various colors, Came to Lebanon And took from the cedar the highest branch.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: “A great eagle with broad wings and long feathers, covered with many-colored plumage, came to Lebanon. He seized the top of a cedar tree
Context of Ezekiel 17:3
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, 4he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders. 5“ ‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,
Read all of Ezekiel 17Ezekiel 17:3 word by word
וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הַנֶּ֤שֶׁר הַגָּדוֹל֙ גְּד֤וֹל הַכְּנָפַ֙יִם֙ אֶ֣רֶךְ הָאֵ֔בֶר מָלֵא֙ הַנּוֹצָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ הָֽרִקְמָ֑ה בָּ֚א אֶל־הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־צַמֶּ֥רֶת הָאָֽרֶז׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
- A greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- eagleנֶשֶׁרnesher · eagleH5404
- wingsכָּנָףkânâph · wingH3671
- longwingedאָרֵךְ'ârêk · slowH750
- longwingedאֵ֫בֶר'êber · wingH83
- fullמָלֵאmâlê' · fullH4392
- of feathersנוֹצָהnôtsâh nôtsâh · plumageH5133
- which had divers coloursרִקְמָהriqmâh · embroideryH7553
- cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- unto Lebanonלְבָנוֹןlebânôn · LebanonH3844
- and tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the highest branchצַמֶּ֫רֶתtsammereth · treetopH6788
- of the cedarאֶ֫רֶז'erez · cedarH730
Cross-references for Ezekiel 17:3
- Ezekiel 17:7“ ‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.
- Deuteronomy 28:49The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,
- Jeremiah 4:13Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!
- Jeremiah 48:40This is what the Lord says: “Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.
- Jeremiah 49:16The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
- Lamentations 4:19Our pursuers were swifter than eagles in the sky; they chased us over the mountains and lay in wait for us in the desert.
- Hosea 8:1“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.
- Matthew 24:28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
- Daniel 2:38in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
- Daniel 4:32You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
- Daniel 7:4“The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.
- Ezekiel 17:12“Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
- 2 Kings 24:10At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it,
- 2 Chronicles 36:9Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- Jeremiah 22:23You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!
- Jeremiah 24:1After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 17:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3A great eagle - Nebuchadnezzar. See Jeremiah 48:40; Jeremiah 49:22; Daniel 7:4. And see here, Daniel 7:12, where it is so applied. Great wings - Extensive empire. Long-winged - Rapid in his conquests. Full of feathers - Having multitudes of subjects. Divers colors - People of various nations. Came unto Lebanon - Came against Judea. The highest branch - King Jehoiachin he took captive to Babylon. The cedar - The Jewish state and king.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3A great eagle - Probably the golden eagle, whose plumage has the variety of color here depicted. The eagle (the king of birds) is a natural representative of monarchs (compare, Jeremiah 48:40), and was an Assyrian emblem. With great wings, Iongwinged - literally, “great of wing, long of pinion,” because he has swept victoriously over widely distant lands - of divers colors, because his subjects are of various races and tongues. Jerusalem is here called…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-6Babylon was the city filled with merchants (see Ezekiel 16:29).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. eagle--the king of birds. The literal Hebrew is, "the great eagle." The symbol of the Assyrian supreme god, Nisroch; so applied to "the great king" of Babylon, his vicegerent on earth (Jr 48:40; 49:22). His "wings" are his great forces. Such symbols were familiar to the Jews, who saw them portrayed on the great buildings of Babylon; such as are now seen in the Assyrian remains. long-winged--implying the wide extent of his empire. full of feathers--when…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 17:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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