Ezekiel 19:10-12

The Voice

Again God informs Ezekiel and the exiles of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. The lioness is Judah, the young lions are the nations surrounding Judah, and the cubs are her kings. This metaphor is appropriate since the Davidic monarchy comes from the tribe of Judah, characterized as a lion in Genesis 49:9. The first cub is Jehoahaz. This son of the great King Josiah ruled for only three months after his father died in 609 b.c.; he was quickly captured and deported to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco when Egypt made Judah a vassal state. The story of this cub is the historical precedent for what will happen to the second cub, Zedekiah. Prior to 586 b.c. Zedekiah fraternizes with leaders of other nations—represented by the other lions—until he will be imprisoned in Babylon by those other lions, specifically Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁰Eternal One: Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,
        planted near a rushing stream;
    The vine grew healthy fruits and branches
        because of the abundant supply of water.
¹¹    Its branches were strong, like royal scepters;
        but one branch grew up into the clouds,
        towering high above everything else.
    It was easily seen because of its great height,
        noticeable for its many branches.
¹²    But the vine was uprooted in rage
        and thrown to the ground!
    The hot east wind blew, and soon all the fruits shriveled up;
        the strongest branch broke, and the leaves withered;
        fire consumed it.