Read & explore together
The Parable Explained
Ezekiel 17:11–24 explains what this message means by naming kings, covenant and oath, then ending with Yahweh’s own planting. It shows both judgement for despising an oath and Yahweh’s power to change what seems strong or weak.
Understanding the passage
The setting of this message
Yahweh tells Ezekiel to speak to a rebellious house and explain these things. The passage describes the king of Babylon taking Jerusalem’s king and princes, placing one of the royal offspring under covenant and oath, announcing judgement for rebellion, and then declaring that Yahweh himself will plant a tender twig.
Ezekiel 17:11–24Main takeaway
This passage teaches that Yahweh judges despised oath and broken covenant, and that he himself can bring down the high and make the low flourish.
Explore the message
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01What these things meanYahweh begins the explanation by naming what happened. The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to Babylon.
Explanation
Yahweh begins the explanation by naming what happened. The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to Babylon. He also took one of the royal offspring, made a covenant with him, and placed him under oath so the kingdom would remain low and stand by keeping that covenant.
02Rebellion will not prosperThe ruler rebelled by sending ambassadors to Egypt for horses and many people. Yahweh asks whether someone who does this can prosper, escape, or break the covenant and still escape.
Explanation
The ruler rebelled by sending ambassadors to Egypt for horses and many people. Yahweh asks whether someone who does this can prosper, escape, or break the covenant and still escape. The answer follows: he will die in Babylon with the king whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.
03The broken oath brings judgementEgypt will not help in war. The charge is repeated plainly: he despised the oath, broke the covenant, and had given his hand.
Explanation
Egypt will not help in war. The charge is repeated plainly: he despised the oath, broke the covenant, and had given his hand. Yahweh then calls it my oath and my covenant, and says he will bring him to Babylon for judgement. His fugitives will fall, and those remaining will be scattered.
04Yahweh plants and reversesThe passage then turns to Yahweh’s own action. He will take a tender twig from the lofty cedar and plant it on a high mountain in Israel.
Explanation
The passage then turns to Yahweh’s own action. He will take a tender twig from the lofty cedar and plant it on a high mountain in Israel. It will grow into a good cedar with sheltering branches. The final lesson is that Yahweh brings down the high tree, exalts the low tree, and makes the dry tree flourish.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01Why was the kingdom kept low under covenant and oath?
Verse 14 gives the purpose directly: it was so the kingdom might not lift itself up, but might stand by keeping the covenant.
02What makes this rebellion more than a political mistake in this passage?
Notice how Yahweh calls the despised oath and broken covenant his own and speaks of trespass against me.
03How does the ending change the focus from human rulers to Yahweh’s action?
Look at the repeated 'I will' in the planting image and the closing statement that Yahweh has spoken and done it.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Ezekiel 17:11–24
11Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
12“Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon.
13He took one of the royal offspring, and made a covenant with him. He also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land,
14that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the covenant, and still escape?
16“ ‘As I live,’ says the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the middle of Babylon he will die.
17Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won’t help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts to cut off many persons.
18For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things. He won’t escape.
19“Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken.
20I will spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.
21All his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered toward every wind. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it.’
22“The Lord Yahweh says: ‘I will also take some of the lofty top of the cedar, and will plant it. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23I will plant it in the mountain of the height of Israel; and it will produce boughs, and bear fruit, and be a good cedar. Birds of every kind will dwell in the shade of its branches.
24All the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree flourish. “ ‘I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.’ ”