Ezekiel 17:9

“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? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.”

Ezekiel 17:9 (KJV) says:

This verse is part of a larger passage where the prophet Ezekiel delivers a parable or allegory, commonly referred to as the “Eagle and the Vine” prophecy. In this parable, the Lord God speaks through Ezekiel, using metaphors to convey a message of judgment and restoration to the people of Israel.

To better understand the context of Ezekiel 17:9, let’s look at the preceding verses:

Ezekiel 17:1-8 (KJV):

“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.

It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

In this parable, the great eagle represents Babylon, and the vine represents the kingdom of Judah, specifically King Zedekiah. The prophecy describes how the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, took a young branch from the cedar tree (symbolizing the royal family) and transplanted it in Babylon, expecting it to prosper and bear fruit.

However, another great eagle (representing Egypt) comes into the picture, and the vine, instead of relying on Babylon, leans towards Egypt for support and alliances. This action angers the Babylonian king, who then decides to uproot the vine and cut off its fruit. The prophecy declares that the vine will wither, losing all its leaves and vitality, without any great power or many people being able to save it.

The key message behind this parable is the Lord’s judgment on Judah’s reliance on foreign alliances and its failure to trust in God alone. The vine, which should have remained faithful to its original planter (Babylon), sought support from other nations, leading to its downfall and destruction.

In a broader sense, this prophecy serves as a warning against placing our trust in earthly powers, resources, or human alliances rather than trusting in God. It emphasizes the importance of remaining steadfast in our faith and relying on God’s guidance, rather than seeking security or success through worldly means.

By studying and understanding this passage, we can learn valuable lessons about the consequences of misplaced trust and the importance of remaining faithful to God’s plans and purposes in our lives.