191 And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel, 2 and thou hast said: What 'is' thy mother?—a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps. 3 And she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured. 4 And hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt. 5 And she seeth, that stayed—perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it. 6 And it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured. 7 And it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice of his roaring. 8 And set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been caught. 9 And they put it in prison—in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On mountains of Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 19:1-9
Commentary on Ezekiel 19:1-9
(Read Ezekiel 19:1-9)
Ezekiel is to compare the kingdom of Judah to a lioness. He must compare the kings of Judah to a lion's whelps; they were cruel and oppressive to their own subjects. The righteousness of God is to be acknowledged, when those who have terrified and enslaved others, are themselves terrified and enslaved. When professors of religion form connexions with ungodly persons, their children usually grow up following after the maxims and fashions of a wicked world. Advancement to authority discovers the ambition and selfishness of men's hearts; and those who spend their lives in mischief, generally end them by violence.