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Ezekiel 17:16

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 17:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “As 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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

As 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.
Ezekiel 17:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
19Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.
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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
“[As] I live, saith the Lord God, &c.] This is the form of an oath, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe; the Lord swears, in his wrath, by himself, by his life; this shows how much he resented, what Zedekiah had done, and how sure and certain his ruin was: surely in the place [where] the king [dwelleth] that made him king; in Babylon, where Nebuchadnezzar dwelt, that made Zedekiah king of Judah; which is mentioned, to point out the ingratitude of that prince to the king of Babylon: whose oath he despised, whose covenant he broke; the oath of fealty and, allegiance, which Zedekiah took to Nebuchadnezzar; and the covenant entered into between them, by which the former held the kingdom of Judea of…”
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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
“in the place where the king dwelleth--righteous retribution. He brought on himself in the worst form the evil which, in a mild form, he had sought to deliver himself from by perjured treachery, namely, vassalage (Eze 12:13; Jer 32:5; Jer 34:3; Jer 52:11).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“whose oath: Eze 17:18, Eze 17:19, Eze 16:59; Exo 20:7; Num 30:2; Jos 9:20; Sa2 21:2; Psa 15:4; Exo 8:2; Hos 10:4; Zac 5:3, Zac 5:4; Mal 3:5; Rom 1:31; Ti1 1:10; Ti2 3:3 even: Eze 17:10, Eze 12:13; Jer 32:4, Jer 32:5, Jer 34:3-5, Jer 39:7, Jer 52:11 Ezekiel 17:17”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 17 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification