Rashi on TanakhEzekiel 17

propound a riddle The prophecy in this chapter is expressed as a riddle, [in] which he compares Nebuchadnezzar to an eagle and the kings of Judah to the lofty top of cedars.

long pinions Heb. אֵבֶר like כָּנָף, wing, aile in French. Another explanation: as its apparent meaning, an expression of actual limbs.

diverse colors Heb. קָרְמָה [lit. embroidered]. Its feathers are beautiful and ornate.

the lofty top of the cedar Heb. צַמֶרֶת, all the foliage of the tree, cime in French. This is a parable representing Jehoiakim and his mighty men.

He plucked the top of its branches Heb. יְנִיקוֹתָיו. He humbled his [Jehoiakim’s] greatness and his monarchy. יְנִיקוֹתָיו is like עַנָפָיו, its branches.

and brought to a land of merchants Heb. כְּנַעַן, to a land of merchants; that is Babylon.

Then he took of the seed of the land Zedekiah his son.

in a fertile field [lit. in a field of seed.] In Jerusalem, in the capital city.

it took [root] beside abundant waters Heb. קַח, it took. It became rooted beside abundant waters, i.e., he gave him greatness and dominion over his surroundings.

a mountain willow he made it Heb. צַפְצָפָה, a species of willow tree which has many branches, saice in Old French, a willow.

spreading Heb. סוֹרַחַת, like (Exod. 26:12): “And the overhanging length (וְסֶרַח),” large.

of low stature to serve the king of Babylon.

its tendrils Heb. דָּלִיוֹתָיו, its branches.

to him to the king of Babylon.

under him under the king of Babylon

branches Heb. בַּדִים,staves.

and sent forth It grew.

boughs many leaves.

Now there was one...eagle The king of Egypt.

gathered its roots Heb. כָּפְנָה, an expression of hunger, like (Job 5:22): “plunder and famine (וּלְכָפָן).” The roots of this vine hungered and longed for that eagle. (Addendum:) Some explain כָּפְנָה like אָסְפָה, gathered, the letters [of כָּפְנָה] being transposed. In the words of our Sages there is something similar to it, for they call a public gathering כְּנוּפְיָא. כָּפְנָה is like כָּנְפָה, amassa in French, brought in, gathered.

and its tendrils it sent forth to him And her emissaries she sent to him, to come to her and water her.

from the furrows of its planting From the water ditches that the first eagle had made for it.

In a good field, etc. i.e., she did this for no purpose, because she had been planted in a good field.

a sturdy vine Heb. אַדָרֶת, a sturdy vine.

Say The entire Hebrew alphabet is found in this verse, and I am puzzled that it is not listed in the Masorah.

[Will he not] pull up its roots The first eagle.

and cut off its fruits Heb. יְקוֹסֵס, like יְקוֹצֵץ, will cut off. They are Zedekiah’s sons, whom he slaughtered before his eyes.

the leaves of Heb. טַרְפֵי, leaves, feuilles in French.

And not with great power and many people will the second eagle come to their assistance.

against those who rip it out by its roots Against those who uproot and pull it out by its roots.

And behold now it is planted as they wished.

will it prosper Is it possible that it will prosper, this one that betrayed the one who planted it originally?

what these are What this riddle is, and he explained it to them.

took away its king and its princes They are the “lofty top of the cedar,” Jehoiakim and his princes.

to Babylon That is the “city of traffickers.”

of the royal seed Zedekiah.

the mighty of the land The princes of the land.

that it might stand That it might endure.

when he cast up mounds When Nebuchadnezzar comes and casts up mounds against Jerusalem.

to cut off many souls To slay the people of the city.

he gave his hand He promised in good faith and raised his hand in a covenant.

I will bring it upon his head [lit. put it in his head.] That is the blinding of his eyes.

And I will spread My net over him as I explained above at the beginning of the Book (12:13): that He set up a deer to walk on the roof of the cave.

and contend And I will debate with him.

And all his fugitives Heb. מִבְרָחָיו. According to Targum, and all his mighty men. But Menachem (p. 48) associated it with (Song 8:10): “Flee (בְּרַח) my beloved,” and this is its interpretation: and all those who fled.

with all his wings Heb. אַגַפָּיו with all their wings, i.e., with all their strength they will fall by the sword.

will disperse Seront repandus, will be scattered.

and I will place [it] As the Targum renders: and I will establish him. And I Myself will take And I will take the King Messiah.

a tender one It is customary to graft only from the tender [sprigs] that grew the previous year, called grayfe in Old French, a shoot, graft.

and lofty Heb. וְתָלוּל, from the word mound, תֵּל, for a mound is usually high and lofty; amonceler in French, to heap up.

shall they dwell Heb. תִּשְּׁכֹּנָה. The ‘dagesh’ in the ‘nun’ serves instead of a second ‘nun,’ as though it were written תִּשּׁכֹּנְנָה.

I...have lowered the high tree The nations that were ruling over Israel.

I have dried up the green tree Zedekiah and his seed.

and have made the dry tree blossom Jehoiachin, who was exiled without children, will beget Zerubbabel in Babylon, and he will be the governor of Judea, [appointed] to rule.