Bible Strands
Ezekiel 17:12
“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks through Ezekiel to the exiled "rebellious house" immediately after delivering a prophetic parable (Ezekiel 17:11).
The words — אֱמָר־ (ʾĕmār-) translates literally to "say," and הֲ/לֹא֙ (hă/lōʾ) means "do you not," forming a direct rhetorical question to the audience.
The thread — This address to exiles questioning prophetic meaning appears in Ezekiel 24:19 and follows the introduction of the eagle and vine parable in Ezekiel 17:3.
Why it lands — The text states that Babylon’s king captured Jerusalem’s ruler and officials and took them to Babylon, requiring the reader to acknowledge that historical defeat was a deliberate act of divine judgment rather than mere political accident.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 24:19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”
- Ezekiel 1:2 On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
- Ezekiel 17:3 and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
- Exodus 12:26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’
- Deuteronomy 6:20 In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”
- Joshua 4:6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
- Joshua 4:21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’
- 2 Kings 24:10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- Isaiah 1:2 Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.