Ezekiel 19:1-4

Captivity of Jehoahaz in Egypt

2. How was thy mother a lioness! among the lions;

In the midst of young lions she couched she reared her whelps.

3. And she brought up one of her whelps he grew a young lion;

And he learned to catch the prey he devoured men.

4. And the nations heard regarding him he was taken in their pit;

And they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.

1. princes of Israel Probably with LXX. prince, as required by the pron. thymother (Ezekiel 19:2). The "prince" is a general term for the king, applicable to one king after another. The lamentation is for the "king" of Judah, represented by one person after another. On "lament" cf. Jeremiah 7:29.

2. Whatis thy mother? Rather to be taken as an exclamation, as rendered above. The mother is the people Israel, a lioness among other lions kings or states with royalty.

3. The first young lion is Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, carried to Egypt by Pharaoh Necho after the defeat of his father at Megiddo, 2 Kings 23:31-35. Cf. the touching reference to him Jeremiah 22:10-12. He also bore the name of Shallum. Coming to the throne at the age of 23 he reigned only 3 months, and died in Egypt. Cf. Jeremiah 5:26.

4. heard of him This might better be read: raised a cry against him, in the sense of Isaiah 31:4; Jeremiah 50:29.

with chains hooks (or, rings) as ch. Ezekiel 29:4; Ezekiel 38:4; cf. 2 Kings 19:28.