Ezekiel 17:3

17:3 Say to them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘A great eagle with broad wings, long feathers,

with full plumage which was multi-hued,

came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.


tn The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.

sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).

tn Hebrew has two words for wings; it is unknown whether they are fully synonymous or whether one term distinguishes a particular part of the wing such as the wing coverts (nearest the shoulder), secondaries (mid-feathers of the wing) or primaries (last and longest section of the wing).

tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.

sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).