12 'Say, I pray thee, to the rebellious house, Have ye not known what these 'are'? Say, Lo, come hath the king of Babylon to Jerusalem, And he taketh its king, and its princes, And bringeth them to himself to Babylon. 13 And he taketh of the seed of the kingdom, And maketh with him a covenant, And bringeth him in to an oath, And the mighty of the land he hath taken, 14 That the kingdom may be humble, That it may not lift itself up, To keep his covenant—that it may stand. 15 And he rebelleth against him, To send his messengers to Egypt, To give to him horses, and much people, Doth he prosper? doth he escape who is doing these things? And hath he broken covenant and escaped? 16 I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Doth he not—in the place of the king who is causing him to reign, Whose oath he hath despised, And whose covenant he hath broken, With him—in the midst of Babylon—die? 17 And not with a great force, and with a numerous assembly, Doth Pharaoh maintain him in battle, By pouring out a mount, and in building a fortification, To cut off many souls. 18 And he despised the oath—to break covenant, And lo, he hath given his hand, And all these he hath done, he escapeth not. 19 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: I live—Mine oath that he hath despised, And My covenant that he hath broken, Have I not put it on his head?
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 17:12-19
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.