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Ezekiel 17:15

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 17:15 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
Ezekiel 17:15 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
12Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon:
13and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
14that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
16As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.
18For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape.
← Ezekiel 17:14Ezekiel 17:16 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But he rebelled against him, &c.] Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon, broke the covenant he entered into, and violated his oath: in sending his ambassadors into Egypt; to form an alliance with the king of it, and obtain help from him to break off the Babylonian yoke; this is signified by the vine “bending [its] roots, [and] shooting forth [its] branches [towards] another great eagle”, the king of Egypt, (<261707>Ezekiel 17:7); that they might give him horses and much people; with both which Egypt abounded, (<111028>1 Kings 10:28 <233101>Isaiah 31:1,3); but in Judea there was a scarcity, as of horses, so of men, by means of the multitude of captives which the king of Babylon had…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“he rebelled--God permitted this because of His wrath against Jerusalem (Kg2 24:20). horses--in which Egypt abounded and which were forbidden to Israel to seek from Egypt, or indeed to "multiply" at all (Deu 17:16; Isa 31:1, Isa 31:3; compare Isa 36:9). DIODORUS SICULUS [1.45] says that the whole region from Thebes to Memphis was filled with royal stalls, so that twenty thousand chariots with two horses in each could be furnished for war. Shall he prosper?--The third time this question is asked, with an indignant denial understood (Eze 17:9-10). Even the heathen believed that breakers of an oath would not "escape" punishment.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“He - Zedekiah. Shall he break - Can perjury be the way for deliverance? Ezekiel 17:18”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“he rebelled: Eze 17:7; Kg2 24:20; Ch2 36:13; Jer 52:3 in: Deu 17:16; Isa 30:1-4, Isa 31:1-3, Isa 36:6-9; Jer 37:5-7 Shall he prosper: Eze 17:9; Deu 29:12-15; Jer 22:29, Jer 22:30 shall he escape: Eze 17:18, Eze 21:25; Pro 19:5; Jer 32:4, Jer 34:3, Jer 38:18, Jer 38:23; Mat 23:33; Heb 2:3 or shall: Psa 55:23 Ezekiel 17:16”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification