1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 "Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;
3 "And say, 'Thus says the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:'"
The eagle was the chief god of the Assyrians. Here, it means Nebuchadnezzar. He had a long reach/influence (great wings), was rapid in his movements (longwinged), had many peoples under him (full of feathers), had subjugated many different nationalities (divers colors), came to the northern border of Judah and Israel (Lebanon), and took the height of Jewish society captive (highest branch of the cedar). (Clarke's Commentary on the Bible)
4 "'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.'"
Nebuchadnezzar took the very best of Judah captive (this includes Daniel and Ezekiel) and planted them in Babylon.
5 "'He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.'"
Nebuchadnezzar made Jeconiah’s uncle, Zedekiah king over Judah instead of just placing one of his own officials in charge. Babylon is a city located by one of the greatest rivers (Great Waters) in the world, and a willow tree needs a great deal of moisture. Nebuchadnezzar protected and provided for Zedekiah like a river provides for a willow tree.
6 "'And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.'"
Zedekiah was a fairly prosperous, though unglamorous, king. He was totally dependent on Babylon.
7 "'There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.'"
Egypt watered her land with irrigation ditches, not purely by the River Nile.
Though Zedekiah was put in charge by Babylon, he began to think he could get a better deal under Egypt. He tried to change his loyalty at about the time this was written.
8 "'It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.'"
Had Zedekiah done as God instructed through the prophet Jeremiah, he and Judah would have been OK and prospered. But they insisted on courting Egypt and trying to get them to overthrow Babylon in the region.
9 "Say thou, 'Thus says the Lord God; Shall it prosper? Shall he (the first eagle) not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.'"
God will destroy the rest of Judah through an upset Babylon.
10 "'Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.'"
Babylon was north east from Judah. They came in like a wind and flattened the countryside.
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Now God gives the interpretation of this parable.
12 "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 has taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;'"
Just in case they haven't understood, God drops the symbolism.
He has already had Nebuchadnezzar take most of the nobles and good people of the land to Babylon.
13 "'And has taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and has taken an oath of him: he has also taken the mighty of the land:
14 "'That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.'"
They are slaves to Babylon, even those still in Jerusalem.
15 "'But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? Shall he escape that does such things? Or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?'"
Appealing to Egypt just isn’t going to work. God has plans and they will not be avoided.
16 "'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'surely in the place where the king dwells that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.'"
Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah king. Zedekiah will die in Babylon.
17 "'Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:'"
Egypt won’t help.
18 "'Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, he shall not escape.'"
Zedekiah had sworn loyalty to Babylon but is breaking his word. God does not reward those who lie.
Unless that lie is to protect the innocent, as in the case of the Midwives in Exodus 1, or the Christians who hid the Jews in Nazi Germany.
19 "Therefore thus says the Lord God; 'As I live, surely Mine oath that he has despised, and My covenant that he has broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.'"
These oaths of loyalty to Babylon were from God. He arranged them and inspired Nebuchadnezzar to offer them.
20 "'And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against Me.
21 "'And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.'
22 "Thus says the Lord God; 'I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:'"
God promises a new regime. He will do a new thing and reestablish Jerusalem under new leadership. There will be no doubt it will be God’s doing.
23 "'In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.'"
God did reestablish the land of Judah. They were never a world power again, never really free, but they did become quite prosperous when they returned from Babylon.
24 "'And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.'"