Ezekiel 17:18

Study note

Setting — The Lord speaks through Ezekiel to the Babylonian exiles, pronouncing judgment on a king who violated his sworn treaty. The declaration follows a warning that military alliances with Egypt will fail against the impending siege.

The words — The Hebrew verb בָּזָה (ba.Zah) means "he despised," paired with אָלָה (a.Lah), "the oath," to describe the king's contempt for his sworn commitment. The phrase נָתַן יָדוֹ (na.Tan ya.D/o) literally renders "he gave his hand," a concrete idiom for making a binding pledge.

The thread — This theme of sworn allegiance and its violation echoes in 1 Chronicles 29:24, where officials pledge loyalty to Solomon, and Lamentations 5:6, which records desperate submission to foreign powers. The covenant-breaking motif continues in Ezekiel 17:19, where God vows to execute the oath the king rejected.

Why it lands — It demands recognition that sworn commitments carry binding weight and that political maneuvering cannot override accountability. The reader must understand that breaking a pledge invites inescapable consequences.

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.