| Ezekiel 17 | |
|---|---|
 Book of Ezekiel 30:13–18 in an English manuscript from the early 13th century, MS. Bodl. Or. 62, fol. 59a. A Latin translation appears in the margins with further interlineations above the Hebrew. | |
| Book | Book of Ezekiel |
| Hebrew Bible part | Nevi'im |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 7 |
| Category | Latter Prophets |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 26 |
Ezekiel 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter tells (verses 1–10), and then interprets (verses 11–21), the riddle of the great eagle.[1] The original text of this chapter is written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 24 verses.
The ḥidah[2] or the riddle to the house of Israel, is the oracle revealed to Ezekiel the prophet. It is a mashal or a parable. It is also considered a proverb and an enigma. The riddle is 8 verses long from verse 3 to verse 10.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[3][4] of Ezekiel 17:1-10[5] with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew text | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃ | And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: |
| 2 | בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם ח֥וּד חִידָ֖ה וּמְשֹׁ֣ל מָשָׁ֑ל אֶל־בֵּ֖ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | ’Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel, |
| 3 | ּוְאָמַרְתָּ֞ כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר ׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֗ה הַנֶּ֤שֶׁר הַגָּדוֹל֙ גְּד֤וֹל הַכְּנָפַ֙יִם֙ אֶ֣רֶךְ הָאֵ֔בֶר מָלֵא֙ הַנּוֹצָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ הָרִקְמָ֑ה בָּ֚א אֶל־הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־צַמֶּ֥רֶת הָאָֽרֶז׃ | and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: A great eagle with great wings And long pinions, Full of feathers, which had divers colours, Came unto Lebanon, And took the top of the cedar; |
| 4 | אֵ֛ת רֹ֥אשׁ יְנִיקוֹתָ֖יו קָטָ֑ף וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן בְּעִ֥יר רֹכְלִ֖ים שָׂמֽוֹ׃ | He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, And carried it into a land of traffic; He set it in a city of merchants. |
| 5 | וַיִּקַּח֙ מִזֶּ֣רַע הָאָ֔רֶץ וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖הוּ בִּשְׂדֵה־זָ֑רַע קָ֚ח עַל־מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֔ים צַפְצָפָ֖ה שָׂמֽוֹ׃ | He took also of the seed of the land, And planted it in a fruitful soil; He placed it beside many waters, He set it as a slip. |
| 6 | וַיִּצְמַ֡ח וַיְהִי֩ לְגֶ֨פֶן סֹרַ֜חַת שִׁפְלַ֣ת קוֹמָ֗ה לִפְנ֤וֹת דָּֽלִיּוֹתָיו֙ אֵלָ֔יו וְשׇׁרָשָׁ֖יו תַּחְתָּ֣יו יִהְי֑וּ וַתְּהִ֣י לְגֶ֔פֶן וַתַּ֣עַשׂ בַּדִּ֔ים וַתְּשַׁלַּ֖ח פֹּרֹֽאות׃ | And it grew, and became a spreading vine Of low stature, Whose tendrils might turn toward him, And the roots thereof be under him; So it became a vine, and brought forth branches, And shot forth sprigs. |
| 7 | וַיְהִ֤י נֶֽשֶׁר־אֶחָד֙ גָּד֔וֹל גְּד֥וֹל כְּנָפַ֖יִם וְרַב־נוֹצָ֑ה וְהִנֵּה֩ הַגֶּ֨פֶן הַזֹּ֜את כָּפְנָ֧ה שׇׁרָשֶׁ֣יהָ עָלָ֗יו וְדָֽלִיּוֹתָיו֙ שִׁלְחָה־לּ֔וֹ לְהַשְׁק֣וֹת אוֹתָ֔הּ מֵעֲרֻג֖וֹת מַטָּעָֽהּ׃ | There was also another great eagle with great wings And many feathers; And, behold, this vine did bend Its roots toward him, And shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, That he might water it. |
| 8 | אֶל־שָׂ֥דֶה טּ֛וֹב אֶל־מַ֥יִם רַבִּ֖ים הִ֣יא שְׁתוּלָ֑ה לַעֲשׂ֤וֹת עָנָף֙ וְלָשֵׂ֣את פֶּ֔רִי לִהְי֖וֹת לְגֶ֥פֶן אַדָּֽרֶת׃ | It was planted in a good soil By many waters, That it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, That it might be a stately vine. |
| 9 | אֱמֹ֗ר כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהֹוִ֖ה תִּצְלָ֑ח הֲלוֹא֩ אֶת־שׇׁרָשֶׁ֨יהָ יְנַתֵּ֜ק וְאֶת־פִּרְיָ֣הּ ׀ יְקוֹסֵ֣ס וְיָבֵ֗שׁ כׇּל־טַרְפֵּ֤י צִמְחָהּ֙ תִּיבָ֔שׁ וְלֹֽא־בִזְרֹ֤עַ גְּדוֹלָה֙ וּבְעַם־רָ֔ב לְמַשְׂא֥וֹת אוֹתָ֖הּ מִשׇּׁרָשֶֽׁיהָ׃ | 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, Yea, wither in all its sprouting leaves? Neither shall great power or much people be at hand When it is plucked up by the roots thereof. |
| 10 | וְהִנֵּ֥ה שְׁתוּלָ֖ה הֲתִצְלָ֑ח הֲלֹא֩ כְגַ֨עַת בָּ֜הּ ר֤וּחַ הַקָּדִים֙ תִּיבַ֣שׁ יָבֹ֔שׁ עַל־עֲרֻגֹ֥ת צִמְחָ֖הּ תִּיבָֽשׁ׃ {פ} | Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? In the beds where it grew it shall wither.’ |
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).[6]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century).[7][a]
This "messianic allegory" is presented with the reference to the "branch" in Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Zechariah 3:8, which grows to be "a majestic cedar."[23]
As shown in the Daily Mass Readings provided in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the main references in the Gospels is the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30–32).[24]
