Ezekiel 19 10

Ezekiel 19:10 kjv

Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

Ezekiel 19:10 nkjv

'Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, Planted by the waters, Fruitful and full of branches Because of many waters.

Ezekiel 19:10 niv

"?'Your mother was like a vine in your vineyardb planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water.

Ezekiel 19:10 esv

Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard planted by the water, fruitful and full of branches by reason of abundant water.

Ezekiel 19:10 nlt

"Your mother was like a vine
planted by the water's edge.
It had lush, green foliage
because of the abundant water.

Ezekiel 19 verses

Ezekiel 19 10 Meaning

Ezekiel 19:10 describes Judah, personified as a mother lioness, witnessing the failure of her royal offspring and, rather than repenting or turning to God, despairingly turning to another of her "whelps" (a new king or prince) to become a "young lion" (a powerful ruler). The verse highlights Judah's persistent, yet ultimately futile, human-centered hope in earthly leadership to restore her fortunes, despite past disappointments and God's judgments. It underscores the nation's spiritual blindness and their repeated cycle of placing trust in human strength over divine guidance, thereby perpetuating a path of judgment.

Ezekiel 19 10 Context

Ezekiel 19:10 is part of a lamentation (Hebrew: qinah) for the princes of Israel, which specifically refers to the kings of Judah. This chapter uses an allegorical "dirge" to mourn the impending or realized destruction of the Davidic dynasty due to the sins of its kings and people. The mother lioness symbolizes the nation of Judah or Jerusalem, while her whelps represent her kings. Verses 1-9 detail the capture and failure of the first two whelps: Jehoahaz (taken to Egypt) and Jehoiachin (taken to Babylon). This lament serves to illustrate the complete political downfall and loss of sovereign independence for Judah during the Babylonian exile (around 597 BCE and later 586 BCE). In verse 10, the "mother" nation, having lost two sons, stubbornly clings to the hope of raising another "whelp" to power. Historically, this "another whelp" most likely refers to Zedekiah, who was installed by Nebuchadnezzar as a puppet king but ultimately rebelled, leading to Jerusalem's final destruction in 586 BCE. The entire dirge functions as a prophetic message, using vivid animal imagery to convey the depth of Judah's spiritual and political degradation, directly countering any false hopes of immediate restoration or resilience through human leadership alone.

Ezekiel 19 10 Word analysis

• Now when she saw: The pronoun "she" refers to Judah, personified as a mother lioness. "Saw" implies an experience of the previous events (the downfall of kings). The realization of a situation without true discernment or repentance.
• that she waited long: From the Hebrew root יָחַל (yaḥal), meaning to wait, hope, linger, or expect. It denotes a prolonged period of expectant hope or reliance that ultimately went unfulfilled, suggesting a deep, but ultimately frustrated, anticipation. This hope was misdirected.
• and her hope was lost: Hebrew אָבַד תִּקְוָתָהּ (ʾāvad tiqwātāh). "Lost" signifies perishing, ceasing to exist, being utterly destroyed. "Hope" here refers to her reliance and expectation in the former king(s). It indicates complete disillusionment regarding her previous choice of leadership, a deep sense of despair about the first or previous whelp's ability to save her.
• then she took another: Implies a decisive, yet ultimately unavailing, action taken out of desperation. This "taking" is her act of elevating another to kingship. The term "another" suggests a continuation of the same pattern of choosing from within her own faulty line.
• of her whelps: Hebrew גֻרֶיהָ (gurêhā), meaning young lions or cubs. These are her own offspring, representing subsequent kings or princes from the royal line of Judah. It underscores the continued reliance on the flawed lineage.
• and made him a young lion: Hebrew לָבִיא (lāviyʾ), which refers to an adult, powerful lion, often used metaphorically for a strong ruler or king. This phrase means she raised him to maturity and established him as a powerful, ruling king, bestowing on him royal authority and power. This reflects her attempt to restore her former glory and security through human means.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "she waited long, and her hope was lost": This phrase captures the nation's cycle of persistent, yet futile, reliance on human strength and political solutions. Judah held onto expectation for an extended period, only to experience crushing disappointment and the complete shattering of her human-placed hopes after the repeated failures of her chosen leaders. It is a portrait of despair borne out of a fundamental spiritual misdirection.
• "then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion": This illustrates the tragic continuation of a pattern of error. Despite having seen the previous two royal "whelps" fail dramatically, the "mother" nation stubbornly proceeds to elevate another prince to power. This act signifies her ingrained reliance on human-appointed leadership and a refusal to learn from divine judgment or to seek God's counsel. It represents a desperate attempt to regain lost sovereignty through familiar, yet repeatedly failing, human strategies, rather than through repentance and turning back to the Lord.

Ezekiel 19 10 Bonus section

The allegorical nature of Ezekiel 19, where the human realm is represented by animals, is a characteristic literary device employed by Ezekiel to convey difficult truths about Judah's leadership and the severity of God's judgment. The qinah or lament genre used in this chapter further emphasizes the tragic and irreversible nature of the downfall it describes, evoking deep sorrow and acknowledging that the glory once associated with the Davidic throne has truly vanished, at least for a time. This chapter sets the stage for a future Messianic hope by vividly depicting the complete failure of the earthly Davidic line, creating an implicit longing for a truly righteous and divine king who would not fail.

Ezekiel 19 10 Commentary

Ezekiel 19:10 serves as a somber reflection on Judah's inability or unwillingness to learn from divine judgment. Having witnessed two "whelps"—kings Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin—be captured and fail to restore the nation, Judah, depicted as a lioness, experiences the utter loss of her previous hope. Instead of this loss driving her to seek God or understand the spiritual roots of her downfall, she defiantly and despairingly takes "another of her whelps"—likely referencing Zedekiah—and attempts to groom him into a powerful "young lion" (king). This act embodies a cycle of misplaced hope; an unceasing effort to secure national strength and glory through human agency and a lineage already proven unfaithful and ineffectual. The verse exposes the tragic human tendency to persist in self-reliance, seeking solutions in familiar earthly structures even after God's judgments have rendered them clearly insufficient. It points to the spiritual blindness that prevents turning from idols (human kings) to the one true God, ultimately ensuring the perpetuation of the very cycle of sin and judgment the dirge laments. The true and enduring "Lion of Judah" would not be an earthly king from a flawed lineage but the Messiah, Jesus Christ.