Ezekiel 17:4
New International Version
he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

New Living Translation
and plucked off its highest branch. He carried it away to a city filled with merchants. He planted it in a city of traders.

English Standard Version
He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants.

Berean Standard Bible
He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders.

King James Bible
He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

New King James Version
He cropped off its topmost young twig And carried it to a land of trade; He set it in a city of merchants.

New American Standard Bible
He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.

NASB 1995
“He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.

NASB 1977
“He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.

Legacy Standard Bible
He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.

Amplified Bible
He broke off the topmost of its young twigs (young King Jehoiachin) and carried it to a land of traders (Babylonia); he set it in a city of merchants (Babylon).

Christian Standard Bible
He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders.

American Standard Version
he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it unto a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

Contemporary English Version
then carried it to a nation of merchants and left it in one of their cities.

English Revised Version
he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
It broke off the highest twig and carried it to a country of merchants. It planted the twig in a city of merchants.

Good News Translation
which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants.

International Standard Version
He plucked off the top of its shoot, brought it to a land of merchants, and set it down in a city full of traders.

Majority Standard Bible
He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders.

NET Bible
He plucked off its topmost shoot; he brought it to a land of merchants and planted it in a city of traders.

New Heart English Bible
he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

Webster's Bible Translation
He cropped off the top of its young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

World English Bible
He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs, and carried it to a land of traffic. He planted it in a city of merchants.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He has cropped the top of its tender twigs, "" And he brings it to the land of Canaan. He has placed it in a city of merchants.

Young's Literal Translation
The top of its tender twigs it hath cropped, And it bringeth it in to the land of Canaan. In a city of merchants it hath placed it.

Smith's Literal Translation
He plucked off the head of the suckers, and he will bring it to the land of Canaan, and he set it in a city of merchants.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He cropped off the top of the twigs thereof: and carried it away into the land of Chanaan, and he set it in a city of merchants.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He tore off the summit of its branches, and he transported it to the land of Canaan; he placed it in a city of merchants.

New American Bible
broke off its topmost branch, And brought it to a land of merchants, set it in a city of traders.

New Revised Standard Version
broke off its topmost shoot; he carried it to a land of trade, set it in a city of merchants.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He cropped off the topmost of its tender twigs, and carried it to the land of Canaan; and he set it in a city of merchants.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he cropped off the top of its growth and brought it to the land of Canaan and he placed it in a city of merchants
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, And carried it into a land of traffic; He set it in a city of merchants.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
he cropped off the ends of the tender twigs, and brought them into the land of Chanaan; he laid them up in a walled city.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
3and 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. 4 He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders. 5He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 22:23
O inhabitant of Lebanon, nestled in the cedars, how you will groan when pangs of anguish come upon you, agony like a woman in labor.”

Isaiah 18:5
For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the branches.

Hosea 9:13
I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow. But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter.

Jeremiah 48:40
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.

Daniel 4:12
Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed.

Isaiah 10:33-34
Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled. / He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

Jeremiah 49:16
The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. / You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. / I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ...

Jeremiah 22:6-7
For this is what the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are like Gilead to Me, like the summit of Lebanon; but I will surely turn you into a desert, like cities that are uninhabited. / I will appoint destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut down the choicest of your cedars and throw them into the fire.

Isaiah 2:12-13
For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled— / against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,

Matthew 13:32
Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Luke 13:19
It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

Matthew 11:23
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

Revelation 18:2
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.

Matthew 21:19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.


Treasury of Scripture

He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

the top.

Isaiah 43:14
Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

Isaiah 47:15
Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

Jeremiah 51:13
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

a land

Jump to Previous
Biting Branches Broke Canaan Carried City Highest Merchants Placed Planted Plucked Shoot Shoots Tender Thereof Top Topmost Trade Traders Traffic Traffick Twigs Young
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Biting Branches Broke Canaan Carried City Highest Merchants Placed Planted Plucked Shoot Shoots Tender Thereof Top Topmost Trade Traders Traffic Traffick Twigs Young
Ezekiel 17
1. Under the parable of two eagles and a vine
11. is shown God's judgment upon Jerusalem for revolting from Babylon to Egypt
22. God promises to plant the cedar of the Gospel














He broke off the topmost shoot
This phrase begins with the imagery of a great eagle breaking off the topmost shoot of a cedar tree. In Hebrew, the word for "broke off" is "קָטַף" (qāṭap), which conveys the idea of plucking or snatching away. This action symbolizes the removal of the king or leader from his position of power. Historically, this refers to King Jehoiachin of Judah, who was taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The "topmost shoot" represents the highest and most prominent part of the tree, indicating the king's status and authority.

of its young twigs
The "young twigs" symbolize the offspring or the next generation of leadership. In the context of Ezekiel's prophecy, this refers to the royal family and the potential future leaders of Judah. The Hebrew word "יֹנְקוֹת" (yōnqōt) suggests something tender and new, emphasizing the vulnerability and potential of these young leaders. This imagery highlights the disruption and loss of continuity in the Davidic line due to the Babylonian exile.

and carried it away
The act of carrying away signifies the forced removal and relocation of the Judean king and his court. The Hebrew verb "יָבֵא" (yāvē) implies a deliberate and purposeful action. This reflects the historical event of the Babylonian captivity, where the elite of Judah were taken to Babylon. It underscores the theme of divine judgment and the consequences of the nation's unfaithfulness to God.

to a land of merchants
This phrase describes Babylon as a "land of merchants," highlighting its wealth, commerce, and influence. The Hebrew term "אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן" (’ereṣ kəna‘an) is used here, which can also mean "land of Canaan," but in this context, it metaphorically refers to Babylon as a place of trade and economic power. This depiction contrasts with the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of the nation, despite its material prosperity.

where he planted it in a city of traders
The imagery of planting in a "city of traders" suggests an attempt to establish and integrate the exiled king and his people into the Babylonian society. The Hebrew word "סֹחֲרִים" (sōḥărîm) refers to traders or merchants, emphasizing the commercial nature of Babylon. This act of planting symbolizes the hope of growth and adaptation in a foreign land, yet it also serves as a reminder of the loss of their homeland and the challenges of maintaining their identity and faith in exile.

(4) Into a land of traffick.--Literally, a land of Canaan, the word being sometimes used for merchant or merchandise, as in Hosea 12:8 (Engl. 7); Isaiah 23:8; Zephaniah 1:11. The parallelism of the next clause shows that this is its meaning here. Babylon has already been called Canaan in Ezekiel 16:29, probably from its commercial character.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He plucked off
קָטָ֑ף (qā·ṭāp̄)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6998: To pluck off or out

its topmost
רֹ֥אשׁ (rōš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7218: The head

shoot,
יְנִֽיקוֹתָ֖יו (yə·nî·qō·w·ṯāw)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3242: A young shoot, twig

carried it
וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ (way·ḇî·’ê·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the land
אֶ֣רֶץ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of merchants,
כְּנַ֔עַן (kə·na·‘an)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3667: Canaan -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their land West of the Jordan

and planted
שָׂמֽוֹ׃ (śā·mōw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

it in a city
בְּעִ֥יר (bə·‘îr)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

of traders.
רֹכְלִ֖ים (rō·ḵə·lîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7402: To travel for, trading


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 17:4 He cropped off the topmost (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 17:3
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