13 And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
13 And he took one of the royal offspring
13 He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile
13 And he took the king's offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,
13 He made a treaty with a member of the royal family and forced him to take an oath of loyalty. He also exiled Israel's most influential leaders,
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 17:13
Commentary on Ezekiel 17:11-21
(Read Ezekiel 17:11-21)
The parable is explained, and the particulars of the history of the Jewish nation at that time may be traced. Zedekiah had been ungrateful to his benefactor, which is a sin against God. In every solemn oath, God is appealed to as a witness of the sincerity of him that swears. Truth is a debt owing to all men. If the professors of the true religion deal treacherously with those of a false religion, their profession makes their sin the worse; and God will the more surely and severely punish it. The Lord will not hold those guiltless who take his name in vain; and no man shall escape the righteous judgment of God who dies under unrepented guilt.