Ezekiel 17 · Verse 3

Ezekiel 17:3

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:
Ezekiel 17:3, King James Version

Ezekiel 17:3 in other translations

BSBand tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
WEBand say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers which had various colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.
ASVand say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:
YLTand thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The great eagle, great-winged, long-pinioned, Full of feathers, that hath diverse colours, Hath come in unto Lebanon, And it taketh the foliage of the cedar,
DARBYand say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings, long-pinioned, full of feathers, which was of divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar.
BBEAnd say, This is what the Lord has said: A great eagle with great wings, full of long feathers of different colours, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:
WebsterAnd say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came to Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

What does Ezekiel 17:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. eagle--the king of birds. The literal Hebrew is, "the great eagle." The symbol of the Assyrian supreme god, Nisroch; so applied to "the great king" of Babylon, his vicegerent on earth (Jr 48:40; 49:22). His "wings" are his great forces. Such symbols were familiar to the Jews, who saw them portrayed on the great buildings of Babylon; such as are now seen in the Assyrian remains. long-winged--implying the wide extent of his empire. full of feathers--when they have been renewed after moulting; and so in the full freshness of renovated youth (Psa 103:5; Is 40:31). Answering to the many peoples which, as tributaries, constituted the strength of Babylon. divers colours--the golden eagle, marked with star-like spots, supposed to be the largest of eagles [Bochart]. Answering to the variety of languages, habits, and costumes of the peoples subject to Babylon. came unto Lebanon--continuing the metaphor: as the eagle frequents mountains, not cities. The temple at Jerusalem was called "Lebanon" by the Jews [Eusebius], because its woodwork was wholly of cedars of Lebanon. "The mountain of the Lord's house" (Is 2:2). Jerusalem, however, is chiefly meant, the chief seat of civil honor, as Lebanon was of external elevation. took the highest branch--King Jeconiah, then but eighteen years old, and many of the chiefs and people with him (2Ki 24:8, 12-16). The Hebrew for "highest branch" is, properly, the fleece-like tuft at the top of the tree. (So in Eze 31:3-14). The cedar, as a tall tree, is the symbol of kingly elevation (compare Da 4:10-12).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 A great eagle - Nebuchadnezzar. See Jer 48:40; Jer 49:22; Dan 7:4. And see here, Dan 7:12, where it is so applied. Great wings - Extensive empire. Long-winged - Rapid in his conquests. Full of feathers - Having multitudes of subjects. Divers colors - People of various nations. Came unto Lebanon - Came against Judea. The highest branch - King Jehoiachin he took captive to Babylon. The cedar - The Jewish state and king.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 17:1-10

A parable relative to the Jewish nation. (Ezek 17:1-10) to which an explanation is added. (Ezek 17:11-21) A direct promise of the Messiah. (Ezek 17:22-24) Verses 1-10 Mighty conquerors are aptly likened to birds or beasts of prey, but their destructive passions are overruled to forward God's designs. Those who depart from God, only vary their crimes by changing one carnal confidence for another, and never will…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 17:1-10 →

Ezekiel 17:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
כֹּה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֣ר\׀'a.Marhe saysH559
אֲדֹנָ֣י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3069
הַנֶּ֤שֶׁרha.Ne.sherthe eagleH5404
הַגָּדוֹל֙ha.ga.dOl<the> greatH1419
גְּד֤וֹלge.Dol<the> great ofH1419
הַכְּנָפַ֙יִם֙ha.ke.na.Fa.yim<the> wingsH3671
אֶ֣רֶךְ'E.rekh<the> long ofH750
הָאֵ֔בֶרha.'E.ver<the> pinionH83
מָלֵא֙ma.Le'fullH4392
הַנּוֹצָ֔הha.no.Tzah<the> plumageH5133
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834
ל֖וֹlo[belonged] to it
הָֽרִקְמָ֑הha.rik.Mah<the> variegated plumageH7553
בָּ֚אba'it cameH935
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַלְּבָנ֔וֹןha.le.va.Non<the> LebanonH3844
וַיִּקַּ֖חvai.yi.Kachand it tookH3947
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
צַמֶּ֥רֶתtza.Me.ret[the] treetop ofH6788
הָאָֽרֶז\׃ha.'A.rezthe cedarH730

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 17:3

  • Jeremiah 48:40

    For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

  • Hosea 8:1

    Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

  • Daniel 4:22

    It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

  • Ezekiel 17:7

    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.

  • Jeremiah 24:1

    The Lord shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

  • Jeremiah 49:16

    Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.

  • 2 Chronicles 36:9-10

    Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

  • Jeremiah 22:23-28

    O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail! As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. …

  • Deuteronomy 28:49

    The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

  • Jeremiah 4:13

    Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

  • Matthew 24:28

    For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

  • Lamentations 4:19

    Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A great.Nebuchadnezzar, so called from his towering ambition and rapaciousness.
7,12-21; De 28:49; Jer 4:13; 48:40; 49:16; La 4:19; Ho 8:1; Mt 24:28
great wings.Extensive empire, both in length and breadth.
Da 2:38; 4:22; 7:4
full.Numerous subjects, of various nations, and of different languages and manners.
divers colours. Heb. embroidering. came.Came against Judah and Jerusalem.
12; 2Ki 24:10-16; 2Ch 36:9,10; Jer 22:23-28; 24:1
the highest.Jeconiah, whom he took captive to Babylon.
the cedar.The royal and ancient family of David.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 17:2

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

  • Ezekiel 17:3

    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:

  • Ezekiel 17:4

    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.

Read all of Ezekiel 17

Ezekiel 17:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y dirás: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: Una grande águila, de grandes alas y de largos miembros, llena de plumas de diversos colores, vino al Líbano, y tomó el cogollo del cedro:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et dis: Ainsi dit le Seigneur, l’ Éternel: Un grand aigle, à grandes ailes, à longues pennes, plein de plumes, qui était de couleurs variées, vint au Liban, et prit la cime d’un cèdre;
German
Elberfelder 1871
und sprich: So spricht der Herr, Jehova: Ein großer Adler mit großen Flügeln, langen Schwingen, voll buntfarbigen Gefieders, kam zum Libanon und nahm den Wipfel einer Ceder.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
et dices: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Aquila grandis magnarum alarum, longo membrorum ductu, plena plumis et varietate, venit ad Libanum, et tulit medullam cedri.