Ezekiel 19:12

But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. BUT SHE WAS PLUCKED UP IN FURY - not gradually withered. The sudden upturning of the state was designed to awaken the Jews out of their torpor, to see the hand of God in the national judgment. THE EAST WIND DRIED UP HER FRUITS - (note, )....

Let us come now to the second clause. He says _that the vine was torn away in wrath, thrown on the ground, and dried by the east wind, and that its boughs were broken off and withered, and consumed by fire. _I have now briefly explained the Prophet’s meaning. As the Jews had grown stupid in their calamity, and were not humbled so as suppliantly to fly to God’s mercy, the Prophet corrects their torpor when he shows them their origin. He now says that they were reduced to extreme wretchedness by a sudden assault; for a change which took place in a short space of time ought to affect them to the quick; but if they had been slowly diminished, the change had not been so remarkable: but when the vine was struck by lightning, torn up, withered, and burnt, that instantaneous slaughter, as I have said, showed that it was not by chance, but by the evident wrath of God. For this reason he says that...

10-14 Jerusalem was a vine, flourishing and fruitful. This vine is now destroyed, though not plucked up by the roots. She has by wickedness made herself like tinder to the sparks of God's wrath, so that her own branches serve as fuel to burn her. Blessed be God, one Branch of the vine here alluded to, is not only become a strong rod for the sceptre of those that rule, but is Himself the true and living Vine. This shall be for a rejoicing to all the chosen people of God throughout all generations....

Verse Ezekiel 19:12. _BUT SHE WAS PLUCKED UP IN FURY_] Jerusalem; taken after a violent and most destructive siege; Nebuchadnezzar being violently _enraged_ against Zedekiah for breaking his oath to him. _SHE WAS CAST DOWN TO THE GROUND_] Jerusalem was totally ruined, by being burned to the ground. _HER STRONG RODS WERE BROKEN_] The _children_ of Zedekiah were slain before his eyes, and after that his _own eyes pulled out_; and he was laden with chains, and carried into Babylon....

This is a dirge; and therefore that which is foreseen by the prophet, the capture and burning of Jerusalem, is described as already accomplished....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 19:1 The two sections of this chapter—Ezekiel 19:1, Ezekiel 19:10 -are respectively two parables of the same type as that of Ezekiel 2:10. The former telling nearly the same story under a different imagery, the latter a reproduction of the same imagery, with a slightly different application. Lamentation. The same word as that used in Ezekiel 2:10. The whole chapter finds a parallel in Jeremiah's review of Josiah's successors ...

BUT SHE WAS PLUCKED UP IN FURY,.... This vine being turned into a degenerate plant of a strange vine; or the people of the Jews becoming wicked, disobedient to God, and disregarding his laws and ordinances, the wrath of God came upon them, and let in the Assyrians among them, who carried off ten tribes at once; and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin not taking warning hereby, but continuing and increasing in sinful courses, great part of them were carried captive into Babylon, with their king Jeconiah, who succeeded Jehoiakim before mentioned; when the kingdom seemed to be utterly ruined and destroyed, and is what is here referred to: SHE WAS CAST DOWN TO THE GROUND; a phrase expressive of, he entire overthrow of the nation; for a vine, though plucked up, yet, if immediately planted again, might grow; but being plucked up, and left on the ground, and there lie, there is no hope of it; so...

JUDAH THE VINE. The figure changes, as in Genesis 49:8, from lion to vine, and the king whose destiny is foreshadowed is this time Zedekiah. Judah is described as a fruitful vine, one of whose mighty branches (Zedekiah) became a royal sceptre (Ezekiel 19:11). But the vine was violently uprooted, hurled to the ground, withered by the fury of the scorching east wind a plain allusion to the destruction of Judah by Babylon. It is to be noted, however, that the fire which consumed her issued from one of her own branches a pointed allusion to the treachery of Zedekiah, at which Ezekiel has already expressed his horror (Ezekiel 17:19). Thus no more than his predecessors will Zedekiah save the state: he and it will perish.

WIND. Hebrew. _ruach_. App-9....

The fate of Zedekiah and his country, on which he has brought ruin Israel was once a spreading vine by great waters; her branches rose into the clouds, and her rods were rulers" sceptres a powerful race of kings rose out of her. Now she is torn up and thrown down, carried into the wilderness, and planted in a dry and barren soil. A fire also has gone out from one of her strong rods which has consumed her. Her last prince, Zedekiah, has finally broken the state to pieces (cf. ch. 17)....