Discovery BoxEzekiel 17:3-4 
Context17:3 Say to them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: 1
“‘A great eagle 2 with broad wings, long feathers, 3
with full plumage which was multi-hued, 4
came to Lebanon 5 and took the top of the cedar.
17:4 He plucked off its topmost shoot;
he brought it to a land of merchants
and planted it in a city of traders.
Ezekiel 17:22
Context17:22 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘I will take a sprig 6 from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. 7
I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs;
I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
1 tn The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.
2 sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).
3 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).
4 tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.
5 sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).
6 sn The language is analogous to messianic imagery in Isa 11:1; Zech 3:8; 6:4 although the technical terminology is not the same.
7 tc The LXX lacks “and plant it.”
