Bible Strands
Ezekiel 19:13
Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezekiel delivers a lament to the house of Israel regarding two royal princes of Judah, describing the fate of a vine that symbolizes the monarchy. The oracle is spoken during the Babylonian exile following the city's fall.
The words — The Hebrew שְׁתוּלָה (she.tu.Lah) literally means "[it is] planted," marking a stark contrast to the vine's previous location. The phrase בַּמִּדְבָּר (ba.mid.bar) translates directly to "in the wilderness," specifying the place of abandonment.
The thread — The displaced vine imagery runs backward to Ezekiel 19:10, where the same plant was originally set by abundant water, and forward to Ezekiel 19:14, which describes fire devouring its remains. This pattern of uprooting and desolation parallels the threat in Hosea 2:3 and the historical surrender in 2 Kings 24:12.
Why it lands — The text states that a once-fruitful entity is now fixed in barren ground, demanding acknowledgment that political power and national stability are temporary. It requires the reader to accept that covenant failure results in irreversible desolation rather than restoration.
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
And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
Cross-references
- Hosea 2:3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst.
- Ezekiel 19:10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters.
- 2 Kings 24:12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.
- Psalms 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.
- Psalms 68:6 God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
- Jeremiah 52:27 There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
- Ezekiel 20:35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with you face to face.
- Deuteronomy 28:47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance,