Bible Strands
Ezekiel 19:14
Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet delivers this oracle as a formal conclusion to a poetic lament concerning the fallen princes of Judah. The text explicitly marks the passage as a lament intended for liturgical or prophetic recitation.
The words — אֵשׁ ('esh) translates to fire, and אָכָ֔לָה ('a.Kha.lah) means it consumed, describing the destructive force that eliminates the branch’s productive capacity.
The thread — The motif of consuming fire appears in Isaiah 9:18, while the imagery of a planted root or branch connects to Psalms 80:15 and the historical judgment referenced in 2 Kings 24:20.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that the royal line’s destruction is total and irreversible, requiring the listener to formally mourn rather than hope for 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 fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 24:20 For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.
- Psalms 80:15 the root Your right hand has planted, the son You have raised up for Yourself.
- Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets, which roll upward in billows of smoke.
- Ezekiel 19:1 “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel
- Ezekiel 19:11 It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.
- Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
- Judges 9:15 But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
- 2 Chronicles 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.
- Nehemiah 9:37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.
- Psalms 79:7 for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.