The parable of the two eagles and the vine. A promise of the cedar of Christ and his church.
By a parable of two eagles (6. and of a vinyard) is prophecied, 9. that Sedecias being made king by Nabuchodonosor, 15. and rebelling, shal be caried captiue, and dye in Babylon: 22. with prophecie, that God wil plant, and propagate the Church of Christ.
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:Il Signore parlommi, e disse:AND the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens: 2Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,Figliuolo dell'uomo, proponi un enimma, e racconta una parabola alla casa d'Israele;Sonne of man, propose a darke speach, and tel a parable to the house of Israel,Fili hominis, propone ænigma, et narra parabolam ad domum Israël, 3And say: Thus saith the Lord God; A large eagle with great wings, long-limbed, full of feathers, and of variety, came to Libanus, and took away the marrow of the cedar.Tu adunque dirai: Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Un'aquila grande di vaste ali, di membra molto estese, piena di piume a varj colori venne sul Libano, e portò via la midolla del cedro.and thou shalt say: Thus saith our Lord God: A great eagle with great winges, with a long reach of members, ful of fethers, and of varietie, came to Libanus, and tooke the matow of the ceder.et dices: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Aquila grandis magnarum alarum, longo membrorum ductu, plena plumis et varietate, venit ad Libanum, et tulit medullam cedri. 4He 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.Strappò la punta della sue frondi, e le trasportò nella terra di Chanaan, e posolle in una città mercantile.He plucked away the top of the boughes therof: and transported it into the Land of Chanaan, in the citie of merchants he did put it.Summitatem frondium ejus avulsit, et transportavit eam in terram Chanaan: in urbe negotiatorum posuit illam. 5And he took of the seed of the land, and put it in the ground for seed, that it might take a firm root over many waters: he planted it on the surface of the earth.E prese del seme di quella terra, e seminollo in terra, affinchè gettasse sua radice sopra grandi acque: lo seminò terra terra.And he tooke of the sede of the land, & put it in the ground for sede, that it might fasten the roote ouer manie waters: he planted it in the ouermostpart of the earth. And when it had budded,Et tulit de semine terræ, et posuit illud in terra pro semine, ut firmaret radicem super aquas multas: in superficie posuit illud. 6And it sprung up and grew into a spreading vine of low stature, and the branches thereof looked towards him: and the roots thereof were under him. So it became a vine, and grew into branches, and shot forth sprigs.E questo, avendo germinato, crebbe in ampia vite, poco elevata, i cui rami si volgevan verso di quella, e le sue radici erano sotto di lei. Ella adunque diventò una vigna, e gettò tralci, e frutti, e propagini.it grew into a broad spredding vine of low stature, the boughes therof looking toward it: and the rootes therof were vnder it. It became a vine then, and fructified into branches, and put forth shootes.Cumque germinasset, crevit in vineam latiorem, humili statura, respicientibus ramis ejus ad eam, et radices ejus sub illa erant: facta est ergo vinea, et fructificavit in palmites, et emisit propagines.
7And there was another large eagle, with great wings, and many feathers: and behold this vine, bending as it were her roots towards him, stretched forth her branches to him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.E fu un'altra aquila grande, con vaste ali, e folte piume: ed ecco, che quella vigna rivolse le sue radici, e stese i suoi tralci verso di questa, per essere irrigati dai rivi di lei fecondanti.And there was made an other great egle, with great winges, and manie fethers: & behold this vine as it were spredding her rootes towards it, streched forth her branches to it, that she might water it from the beds of her spring.Et facta est aquila altera grandis, magnis alis, multisque plumis: et ecce vinea ista quasi mittens radices suas ad eam, palmites suos extendit ad illam, ut irrigaret eam de areolis germinis sui. 8It was planted in a good ground upon many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and bear fruit, that it might become a large vine.La vigna è piantata in buon terreno, e presso ad acque copiose, affinchè si dilati frondeggiando, e porti frutto, e diventi una vigna grande.In a good ground vpon manie waters it was planted, that it might bring forth branches, and beare fruite, that it might be into a great vine.In terra bona super aquas multas plantata est, ut faciat frondes, et portet fructum, ut sit in vineam grandem. 9Say thou: Thus saith the Lord God: Shall it prosper then? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and strip off its fruit, and dry up all the branches it hath shot forth, and make it wither: and this without a strong arm, or many people to pluck it up by the root?Tu dirai: Così dice il Signore Dio: Sarà ella fortunata? Non isterperà ella (l'aquila) le radici di lei, e ne svellerà i frutti, e ne farà seccar tutti i tralci, che ella aveva gettato, ed ella resterà arido legno; e senza che sia bisogno di gran braccio, né di molta gente per ischiantarla dalle radici?Say: Thus saith our Lord God: Shal it prosper then? shal he not plucke vp the rootes therof, and strippe of the fruites therof, and drie vp al the branches of the spring therof, and it shal wither: and not in a great arme, nor in much people, to plucke it vp by the roote?Dic: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ergone prosperabitur ? nonne radices ejus evellet, et fructus ejus distringet, et siccabit omnes palmites germinis ejus, et arescet, et non in brachio grandi, neque in populo multo, ut evelleret eam radicitus ? 10Behold, it is planted: shall it prosper then? shall it not be dried up when the burning wind shall touch it, and shall it not wither in the furrows where it grew?Ecco, che ella è piantata: ma avrà ella sorte felice? Non è egli vero, che se il vento, che brucia, la toccherà, ella seccherà, e con tutti i rivi, che la fecondano, diverrà arida?Behold it is planted: shal it prosper then? shal it not be dried when the burning winde shal touch it, and wither in the beds of the spring therof?Ecce plantata est: ergone prosperabitur ? nonne, cum tetigerit eam ventus urens, siccabitur, et in areis germinis sui arescet ?
11And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:E il Signore parlommi, dicendo:And the word of our Lord was made to me saying:Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens: 12Say to the provoking house: Know you not what these things mean? Tell them: Behold the king of Babylon cometh to Jerusalem: and he shall take away the king and the princes thereof and carry them with him to Babylon.Dì alla famiglia contumace: Non sapete voi quel, che ciò voglia dire? Ecco, che il re di Babilonia viene a Gerusalemme, e prenderà il re, e i suoi grandi, e li condurrà a casa sua in Babilonia.Say to the exasperating house: Know you not what these thinges doe signifie? Say: Behold the king of Babylon cometh into Ierusalem: and he shal take the king and the princes therof, and shal bring them to himselfe into Babylon.Dic ad domum exasperantem: Nescitis quid ista significent ? Dic: Ecce venit rex Babylonis in Jerusalem, et assumet regem et principes ejus, et adducet eos ad semetipsum in Babylonem. 13And he shall take one of the king’s seed, and make a covenant with him, and take an oath of him. Yea, and he shall take away the mighty men of the land,E piglierà una della stirpe reale, e farà alleanza con lui, e da lui riceverà giuramento: ma condurrà via anche i valorosi del paese,And he shal take of the sede of the kingdom, and shal make a couenant with it, and shal take an oath of it. Yea and he shal take away the strong of the land,Et tollet de semine regni, ferietque cum eo fœdus, et ab eo accipiet jusjurandum. Sed et fortes terræ tollet, 14That it may be a low kingdom and not lift itself up, but keep his covenant and observe it.Affinchè il regno resti basso, e non s'innalzi, ma osservi, e mantenga l'alleanza.that it may be a lowe kingdom, and not be eleuated, but keepe his couenant, & obserue it.ut sit regnum humile, et non elevetur, sed custodiat pactum ejus, et servet illud. 15But he hath revolted from him and sent ambassadors to Egypt, that it might give him horses, and much people. And shall he that hath done thus prosper, or be saved? and shall he escape that hath broken the covenant?Ma quegli ritirandosi da lui mandò ambasciadore all'Egitto per avere i suoi cavalli, e molte milizie. Sarà egli fortunato, o troverà salute un che ha fatte cose tali? E uno che ha rotto l'alleanza, potrà egli mettersi in salvo?Who reuolting from him sent messengers to Aegypt, that it would geue him horses, and much people. What, shal he prosper, or gette saluation that hath done these thinges? and he that broke the couenant, shal he escape?Qui recedens ab eo misit nuntios ad Ægyptum, ut daret sibi equos et populum multum: numquid prosperabitur, vel consequetur salutem, qui fecit hæc ? et qui dissolvit pactum, numquid effugiet ?
16As I live, saith the Lord God: In the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he hath made void, and whose covenant he broke, even in the midst of Babylon shall he die.Lo giuro, dice il Signore Dio, che nel paese del re (il quale lo avea posto sul trono, e cui ha offeso rompendo il giuramento, e violando il patto fatto con lui) nel mezzo di Babilonia ei morrà.Liue I, saith our Lord God: that in the place of the king that made him king, whose oath he made frustrate, and brake the couenant, that he had with him, in the middes of Babylon shal he dye.Vivo ego, dicit Dominus Deus, quoniam in loco regis qui constituit eum regem, cujus fecit irritum juramentum, et solvit pactum quod habebat cum eo, in medio Babylonis morietur. 17And not with a great army, nor with much people shall Pharao fight against him: when he shall cast up mounts, and build forts, to cut off many souls.Né con grande esercito, ne colla gran moltitudine Faraone verrà a battaglia contro di lui nel tempo, che si alzerà terra, e si faranno le trincee per uccidere molta gente.And not in a great armie, nor in much people shal Pharao make battel agaynst him: in the casting vp of a ramper, and in the building of bulworkes, to kil manie soules.Et non in exercitu grandi, neque in populo multo, faciet contra eum Pharao prælium: in jactu aggeris, et in exstructione vallorum, ut interficiat animas multas. 18For he had despised the oath, breaking his covenant, and behold he hath given his hand: and having done all these things, he shall not escape.Imperocché quegli avea sprezzato il giuramento, e rotta l'alleanza, ed ecco dà mano ad un'altra; e dopo aver fatto tutto questo non iscamperà.For he had despised the oath, that he might breake the couenant, and behold he gaue his hand, and when he hath done al these thinges, he shal not escape.Spreverat enim juramentum, ut solveret fœdus, et ecce dedit manum suam: et cum omnia hæc fecerit, non effugiet. 19Therefore thus saith the Lord God: As I live, I will lay upon his head the oath he hath despised, and the covenant he hath broken.Per questo così dice il Signore Dio: Io giuro, che il muramento, cui egli ha sprezzato, e l'alleanza, che egli ha violato, porrò sul capo di lui.Therfore thus saith our Lord God: Liue I, that the oath which he hath despised, & the couenant, that he transgressed, I wil lay on his head.Propterea hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Vivo ego, quoniam juramentum quod sprevit, et fœdus quod prævaricatus est, ponam in caput ejus. 20And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my net: and I will bring him into Babylon, and will judge him there for the transgression by which he hath despised me.Estenderò sopra di lui la mia rete, ed ei sarà preso al mio laccio, e io lo condurrò a Babilonia, ed ivi farò giudizio di lui per la prevaricazione, colla quale ha sprezzato me.And I wil spread my nette ouer him, and he shal be taken in my nette: and I wil bring him into Babylon, and wil iudge him there in the preuerication; wherby he hath despised me.Et expandam super eum rete meum, et comprehendetur in sagena mea: et adducam eum in Babylonem, et judicabo eum ibi in prævaricatione qua despexit me.
21And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword: and the residue shall be scattered into every wind: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken.E tutti i suoi fuggitivi con tutte le sue schiere periranno di spada; e gli avanzi saranno spersi a tutti i venti: e conoscerete, che io il Signore ho parlato.And al his fugitiues with al their troupe shal fal by the sword: and the residue shal be dispersed into euerie wind: and you shal know that I the Lord haue spoken.Et omnes profugi ejus, cum universo agmine suo, gladio cadent: residui autem in omnem ventum dispergentur: et scietis quia ego Dominus locutus sum. 22Thus saith the Lord God: I myself will take of the marrow of the high cedar, and will set it: I will crop off a tender twig from the top of the branches thereof, and I will plant it on a mountain high and eminent.Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Ma io prenderò della midolla del cedro sublime, e la porrò; taglierà dalla vetta de' suoi rami un tenero ramoscello, e pianterollo sul monte alto, ed eminente;Thus saith our Lord God: And I wil take of the marow of the high ceder, & wil set it: of the toppe of the boughes therof the tender one I wil strippe of, and wil plant it vpon a mountaine high and eminent.Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Et sumam ego de medulla cedri sublimis, et ponam: de vertice ramorum ejus tenerum distringam, et plantabo super montem excelsum et eminentem. 23On the high mountains of Israel will I plant it, and it shall shoot forth into branches and shall bear fruit, and it shall become a great cedar: and all birds shall dwell under it, and every fowl shall make its nest under the shadow of the branches thereof.Sul monte sublime d'Israele lo pianterò, e spunterà in arboscello, e fruttificherà, e diventerà un gran cedro: e sotto di lui avranno albergo tutti gli augelli, e tutte le specie di volatili all'ombra di lui faranno lor nido.On the high mountaines of Israel wil I plant it, and it shal shoote forth into a budde, and shal yelde fruite, and it shal be into a great ceder: and al birdes, and euerie foule shal dwel vnder the shadow of the boughes therof, and shal there make their nest.In monte sublimi Israël plantabo illud, et erumpet in germen, et faciet fructum, et erit in cedrum magnam: et habitabunt sub ea omnes volucres, et universum volatile sub umbra frondium ejus nidificabit: 24And all the trees of the country shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree: and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I the Lord have spoken and have done it.E gli alberi tutti del paese conosceranno, ch'io il Signore ho umiliato l'albero sublime, ed ho esaltata la umile pianta, ed ho seccato il legno verde, ed ho vestito di frondi l'arido legno. Io il Signore ho parlato, ed ho fatto.And al the trees of the countrie shal know, that I the Lord haue humbled the high tree, & exalted the low tree: and haue dried the greene tree, and haue caused the drie tree to spring. I the Lord haue spoken, and haue done it.et scient omnia ligna regionis quia ego Dominus humiliavi lignum sublime, et exaltavi lignum humile; et siccavi lignum viride, et frondere feci lignum aridum. Ego Dominus locutus sum, et feci.
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Year of the World 3411.
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Calmet
Riddle. Thus the prophets and Christ often delivered their doctrine. (Calmet)
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Challoner
A large eagle. Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon. (Challoner)
Calmet
The multitude of his subjects, and his rapid and cruel conquests, are designated. (Calmet)
Worthington
He spoils the vineyard of Jerusalem, notwithstanding the Jews had applied to another eagle, the king of Egypt, ver. 12. (Worthington)
Haydock
Libanus. That is, Jerusalem; (Challoner) or invaded the country, (Calmet) entering by Libanus. (Haydock)
Cedar. King Jechonias (Challoner) and his nobles, (4 Kings 24:11.) with the most precious effects.
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Calmet
Twigs. The young king and his officers, who had scarcely got established. (Calmet)
Challoner
Chanaan. This name, which signifies traffic, is not taken here for Palestine, but for Chaldea; and the city of merchants here mentioned is Babylon. (Challoner)
Calmet
It was so corrupt as to deserve this appellation, as Rome was afterwards styled Babylon. Its situation was very favourable to traffic, and its dominions were very extensive. (Calmet)
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Challoner
Land. Sedecias, whom he made king. (Challoner)
Calmet
He was brother of the dethroned king, and had every prospect of reigning long, if he had proved faithful. (Calmet)
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Challoner
Towards him. Nabuchodonosor, to whom Sedecias swore allegiance. (Challoner)
Haydock
Literally, "to it," eam, the eagle. (Haydock)
The dominions of Sedecias were extensive, but weak, and dependant on a foreign king.
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Eagle. The king of Egypt, (Challoner) Vaphres, who came at the request of Sedecias, to oppose the Chaldeans, but was routed; and they returned to the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremias 37:4.
Plantation, as the waters of the Nile were conducted to different parts by ditches, Deuteronomy 11:10.
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Calmet
Prosper. Will God countenance perfidy? (Calmet)
St. Jerome
"Faith must be kept even with enemies." (St. Jerome)
Calmet
Arm. The conquest did not cost the Chaldeans much. Sedecias fled by night, but was soon taken, 4 Kings 25:6. (Calmet)
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Haydock
Shall, or, "hath taken," etc., (Challoner) as also (ver. 13.) Sedecias was seized five years after, Ezechiel 8:1. Jechonias, the princes, mighty warriors, (ver. 13.) and expert artists, had been taken away six years before, with the prophet. Protestants, "is come,...and hath taken," etc. (Haydock)
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Worthington
Die. He had sworn fidelity, and was justly punished, dying blind, and in prison, Ezechiel 12. (Worthington)
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Calmet
Souls. Some refer this to Pharao; others to the enemy. The former did not attempt to surround the besiegers, but after losing a battle retired, Ezechiel 30:21. (Calmet)
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Hand. Swearing perhaps to both (Haydock) the Egyptian and to the Chaldean monarch.
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Calmet
Net. Ezechiel 12:13. (Calmet)
Haydock
Judge, punish. (Haydock)
Calmet
His sentence was pronounced at Reblatha, 4 Kings 25:7. (Calmet)
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Cedar. Of the Royal stock of David.
Challoner
Twig. Jesus Christ, whom God hath planted in Mount Sion, that is, the high mountain of his Church, to which all nations flow. (Challoner)
Calmet
The Jews in vain apply this to Zorobabel or to the Machabees. Their power was never great enough to verify these expressions. (Calmet)
Theodoret
But Christ has united in his Church all the birds, or those who have strength enough to raise themselves above earthly things. (St. Jerome) (Theodoret, etc.)
Worthington
The kingdom of Sedecias and that of Nabuchodonosor prospered not, or was soon at an end: Christ remains for ever. (Worthington)
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Calmet
High and green denote Sedecias; low and dry Jechonias, who was exalted at Babylon, while his rival was hurled down from his present high estate. The prophets speak of that as past, which God has decreed. See Jeremias 22:30. (Calmet)
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A large eagle.... Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon.—Ibid. Came to Libanus.... That is, to Jerusalem.—Ibid. Took away the marrow of the cedar.... King Jechonias.
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Of the seed of the land, etc.... Viz., Sedecias, whom he made king.
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Towards him.... Nabuchodonosor, to whom Sedecias swore allegiance.
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Another large eagle.... Viz., the king of Egypt.
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Shall take away.... Or, hath taken away, etc., for all this was now done.
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Of the marrow of the high cedar, etc.... Of the royal stock of David.—Ibid. A tender twig.... Viz., Jesus Christ, whom God hath planted in mount Sion, that is, the high mountain of his church, to which all nations flow.
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Nabuchodonosor like an eagle rauenous to the praye, & speedie in seazing theron, spoyled the vineyard (signifying Ierusalem) not vvithstanding they sought helpe of an other eagle, the king of Aegypt. v. 7. see v. 12. &c.
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The explication of the parable.
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The king of Babylon making Sedecias king of Iuda tooke of him an oath of alleageance to be vnder him, vvhich oath Sedecias breaking was therfore iustly plaged.
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After the ruine of Ierusalem, the slaughter of his sonnes, the plucking out of his owne eyes, & manie other miseries this king at last dyed a captiue in Babylon. Iere. 32. Ezech. 12.
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Nabuchodonosor planted a kingdom vnder Sedecias, vvhich prospered not the kingdom also of Babylon was aftervvards destroyed: ou• Gods Church planted by Christ shal neuer faile.
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 19.9
… But first, it is necessary to mention the parable of the prophet, in which he enigmatically represented all these matters: “The word of the Lord,” saith he, “came to me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable, and say, Thus saith the Lord God: A great eagle, with great wings, and long extended, full of claws.”
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St Methodius † AD 311 The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity 8.12
The Church, then, coming hither into this wilderness, a place unproductive of evils, is nourished, flying on the heavenward wings of virginity, which the Word called the “wings of great eagle,”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 19.9
… Afterwards, intending to speak of the oaths and treaties, “He took,” saith he, “of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field, that it might take root by great waters. He placed it to be looked upon; and it grew, and became a weak vine, and of small stature, and it stretched out its branches towards him, and its roots were under him.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 19.9
… “For its tender roots and its fruits shall become corrupt, and all which springs therefrom shall be withered.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 19.9
… for the purpose of shewing that it will not be destroyed by human strength, but because it hath made God its enemy by means of these oaths, he subjoins, “Not by a mighty arm, nor by much people, to pluck it up by its roots.” Such indeed is the parable, but the prophet again explains it, when he says, “Behold, the king of Babylon cometh against Jerusalem.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 19.9
… “For” saith he, “he shall make a covenant with him;”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 19.9
… and not by great power nor by multitude, because he despised the oath in transgressing this My covenant; I will surely recompense upon his own head this My oath which he hath dishonoured, and My covenant which he hath broken; and I will spread My net upon him.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 12
… Take an instance of my meaning. Are you in the habit of false swearing? do not stop at this only, but away with all swearing, and you will have no further need of trouble. For it is far harder for a man that swears to keep from false swearing, than to abstain from swearing altogether.
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Pseudo-Cyprian Exhortation to Repentance 1
Also in the same: “I am the Lord, because I bring low the high tree, and exalt the low tree, and dry up the green tree, and cause the dry tree to flourish.”
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2. PROPOSE A RIDDLE, that is, an obscure similitude, or, as follows, a parable. For in Scripture these three things, parable, riddle, proverb, are often confused and taken for the same thing, as Jansenius notes at the beginning of Proverbs. Namely they signify any illustrious sentence, especially an acute, parabolic, moral one. For the Hebrew mascal signifies an eminent and predominant sentence, such as is a proverb, axiom, gnome, such as are in the Proverbs of Solomon. Parable, in Greek παραβολή, properly is a comparison and similitude. A riddle is an obscure and subtle sentence: for the root signifies to speak obscurely: Hence in Hebrew it is called chida, that is, an acute proposition, from the root ched, or chad, that is, to sharpen, to make acute, to speak acutely.
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3. A GREAT EAGLE, that is, King Nebuchadnezzar. For the eagle is the prince of birds, and by its strength, perspicacity, height of flight, boldness, and rapacity of beak, it bears forth royal majesty. Whence Cyrus and Artaxerxes the Persians, and afterwards the Romans, had the eagle as their insignia, just as the Chaldaeans had the dove, Jer. I, 16. Thus concerning the same king Jeremiah says in chapter XLIX, 22: "Behold, as an eagle shall ascend, and shall fly, and shall spread his wings over Bosra." Note: The eagle is a symbol of kingdom and empire; for it is itself the queen of birds. Whence King Pyrrhus wished to be called an eagle. For, as Plutarch says in his Life: "When he returned from a great battle with glory and joy into Epirus, and was greeted by his men as aetos, that is, an eagle: By you, he said, am I; you with your arms, as with wings, have lifted me on high. Whence the cognomen of eagle always pleased him greatly, and he used it." The son of Charlemagne was called Arnulphus, which in German sounds Arent hulp, that is, eagle's help; either because he once received it from the eagle; or rather, so that by his name he might be reminded that he ought to provide help to his children, friends and subjects with eagle-like strength, or in the manner of an eagle. For this is the duty of a prince. Ajax had the cognomen of eagle: Pindar gives the reason in Isthm. ode 6, when he says: "To him speaking thus God sent a leader, a great eagle of birds, and sweet joy tickled him within, and he spoke, speaking as a man and prophet: There shall be born to you a son, whom you seek, Telamon, and him you shall call by the cognomen of the eagle that appeared, Ajax widely powerful, wonderful in the labors of the troops of Mars." For when Hercules was sacrificing on behalf of Telamon, that a son might be born to him, an eagle flew past: and so on account of the omen of the eagle flying past, the son Ajax was born to Telamon, and was called aetos. Hence the Gentiles, nay even Catholics, relate that the eagle has portended empire to many. Indeed, the Gentiles even took omens and auguries from the eagle even to the point of superstition. Thus, they say, "on the birthday of Alexander the Great, two eagles flying swiftly alighted upon the roof of a house; bearing the omen of a double empire, of Europe and Asia." "When Maximus was born (who in the most turbulent times of the republic was elected Emperor by the senate to oppose the cruelty of Maximinus) although from a humble and obscure family, namely his father being a blacksmith by trade, or, as others say, a carpenter, an eagle gave an omen, when it cast much beef meat into his father's cellar through a narrow opening; finally, when it lay there, and no one dared to touch it for fear of religion, it lifted it again, and carried it to the nearby shrine of Jupiter the Protector." "By a similar portent an eagle, while the infant Aurelian was still bound in swaddling clothes, lifted him from the cradle without any harm, and placed him on an altar, which happened to be within a shrine without fires," as Sabellicus is the author, and before him Flavianus Vopiscus, from Callicrates of Tyre in the Aureliana. "To Albinus also, at the seventh hour after he was born, at a banquet which was appointed for his birthday, while his name was being given to him, seven small eagles were brought, and as if stationed at the boy's cradle. His father admitted the omen more readily, because it was most rare in those regions, where Hadrumetum is." "To Octavius Augustus, when as a boy he was being reared in the country, four miles from the city on the Appian Way, in a wood while dining, an eagle suddenly snatched bread from his hands, and soon flew very high: which shortly after descended gently, and suddenly returned the same to him," as Xiphilinus, Suetonius and Dio testify. "C. Marius, when as a boy he found an eagle's nest with seven chicks in a field, and brought it received in his lap to his father; he, moved by admiration, having consulted the augurs, received that the supreme power would be with his son seven times. This appeared in as many consulships as he held, which he was the first of all to attain in that number." This, however, Plutarch, a censor of Roman history, considers fabulous, because they say the eagle does not bear more than two chicks, namely naturally and ordinarily. Cicero teaches from Ennius that the omen of the kingdom was brought to Romulus by eagles, lib. I De Divinat.: "For while the brothers contended about the empire, and which of them should found the city, they contended, and agreed to stand by augury, and so two eagles flying swiftly brought the first sign to Romulus." "That an eagle portended the kingdom to Tarquinius Priscus is most common: for it took away his cap as he sat, and soon returned it: from which, his wife Tanaquil, instructed in Etruscan discipline, interpreting, that he would seize the principate." Dionysius of Halicarnassus relates the deed done, lib. III Antiq. Rom. Plutarch writes in his work On Contest: "Among the Argives, the race of the Heraclids, from whom the custom of the country required them to choose a king, once failed. As they sought and inquired, an oracle was given that a king would be shown by an eagle: and after a few days an eagle was seen flying into the house of Agon, and so Agon was designated king." "Marcian the Emperor, endowed with excellent natural gifts, when he was a soldier, happened to set out on an expedition. On the journey, when he slept at some point, those who lay with him, waking more quickly, saw an eagle providing shade to the man with wings spread. Likewise in the expedition against Geiseric the prince of Libya it happened that Marcian came into the power of the enemy along with others. And so Geiseric, wishing to inspect the captives, was observing them from some elevated place. Here, seeing Marcian asleep and noticing a shadow being cast by an eagle with wings spread, he regarded the matter as a miracle, and considered the man divine and worthy of the Roman Empire." "The same thing happened to Basil the Macedonian Emperor, who held the kingdom for twenty years. When he was still quite an infant," as Zonaras records, "he happened to be lying exposed alone in the heat, with his parents occupied in harvest, being very poor. Then indeed an eagle flying down from on high was providing shade with wings spread. When his mother tried several times to drive it away, she accomplished nothing, and finally she regarded this matter as a sign of good omen." Lechus, the first duke of the Poles, found an eagle's nest, and there he built a stronghold and protection for his duchy and people, as it were a fortress, and called it Gniezno, from the nest, which the Bohemians call Gnisdo. From this an emblem of good auspice and a coat of arms remained for his successors, so that even to this day the coat of arms of the king and kingdom of Poland is a white eagle crowned, erect, with wings spread, with gaping beak, deservedly formidable to the Turks and threatening destruction. Thus Martin Cromerus, book II On Polish Affairs, and book XVI. Suetonius also, among other prodigies that portended the empire to the Emperor Galba, writes thus about the eagle: "The grandfather of the Emperor Galba, while performing sacred rites and seeking a thunderbolt, when an eagle had snatched the entrails from his hands, and carried them aloft in a fruitful oak tree, and the chief augur said that a very late empire was portended: 'Indeed,' said he, mocking, 'when a mule gives birth.' By this prodigy Galba is said to have been especially confirmed. For he began to attempt revolution in Spain, and in that land a mule gave birth." Moreover, it was fortunate what the same Suetonius records about Claudius, "who, when he had long been among the mockeries of the court, finally obtained the consulship under Caius his cousin; and as soon as," says the author, "he entered the forum with the fasces, an eagle flying past settled on his right shoulder, a clear sign of future empire over him." And again concerning Vitellius dividing his forces, which he was sending against Otho and which he himself would lead, he narrates this favorable omen: "For from the right side an eagle suddenly flew up: and after purifying the standards, it went ahead of those entering the road step by step." "Hiero the Sicilian also, when still quite a young man, a man of private fortune, an eagle, which in the first war he undertook sat upon his shield, indicated that he would someday be king." Thus Aldrovandus, Ornithology, chapter I on the eagle. Furthermore, the emblem of a pious prince and Emperor is an eagle thus depicted, that it touches the earth with its feet, and with its heads (for it is two-headed for our Emperors) raised toward heaven, and with wings spread, having a thunderbolt on the left and a laurel branch on the right, with this motto: in kairo hekapteron, that is, in opportunity both. For this is the type of the Emperor, showing himself to rule indeed on earth, but nevertheless with his mind's intention aspiring to heaven, and with the highest zeal, both to contemplation and to the administration of the empire (so that he may conduct it well at home and in war) intent, so that he may reach God, to whom he refers all things received: for the eagle is the sign of empire; the thunderbolt, of war and punishments; the laurel, of peace and reward. OF GREAT WINGS, having many peoples under him, and numerous armies, which he had drawn with him. For these are military wings. WITH LONG EXTENT OF LIMBS. The Chaldean: long limbs; the Septuagint: extended. By this is signified the strength and power of the Chaldeans, as it were extending far and ruling widely. For the extended length of limbs appropriately signifies the amplitude and duration of his kingdom: for he himself reigned for 45 years. From the Hebrew it can be translated with Vatablus and Maldonatus, with long feathers, and by feathers can be understood by metaphor spears, or the swiftest horses, by which the Chaldeans seemed to fly. Concerning which Jeremiah, chapter IV, 13: "His horses swifter than eagles." FULL OF FEATHERS, AND VARIETY, that is full of feathers of various colors, like a peacock, says R. David. These feathers signify the army of Nebuchadnezzar made up of various nations. The Septuagint translates: Full of claws, that is of rapacious soldiers. Again plainly these signify riches and glory. Hear St. Gregory, XXXI Moral. xix: "The eagle," he says, "is Nebuchadnezzar: on account of the immensity of the army, he is said to have great wings; on account of the length of time, by the long extension of his limbs; on account of many riches, he is full of feathers; on account of the innumerable composition of earthly glory, he is described as full of variety." And Aldrovandus, Ornithol. cap. I: "Feathers," he says, "signify the riches with which he abounded; the variety of feathers, the glory of the deeds accomplished by him; the claws, the terror of arms: Lebanon, the clarity and loftiness of Judaea conspicuous through a long series of years. Whence he tore out the marrow of cedar, namely he destroyed the nobility; and he plucked off the highest branches, that is he did not even spare the most tender offspring of kings, that is the lowest age. For the feathers of kings are riches. For just as an eagle cannot fly without feathers: so also all the dignity of princes, unless supported by money (which is the sinew of war), becomes weak and lacking in strength and easily falls, as Charles IV the Emperor said to the princes of Germany in Dubravius, lib. XXII." HE CAME TO LEBANON, that is to the temple, says St. Jerome, or to the royal house, built by Solomon from the cedars of Lebanon: or rather to Judaea itself and the city of Jerusalem, as is explained in verse 12. For Lebanon is the boundary of Judaea, whose head is Jerusalem, which in the height and whiteness of its walls, and in the density of palaces built from the cedars of Lebanon, was similar to Mount Lebanon. Thus Origen, Apollinaris, Theodoret. Therefore he calls Jerusalem Lebanon, because he persists in the metaphor of the eagle, which is accustomed to dwell in mountains, not in cities. The Septuagint translates: He who has the way of entering into Lebanon, as if Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem not of his own will, but by the impulse and guidance of God. Thus Theodoret. 4. HE TOOK THE MARROW OF THE CEDAR. The Hebrews translate: He took the top of the cedar, that is he led the royal stock with its princes into Babylon. THE HIGHEST OF THE BRANCHES (that is the taller shoots, thus the Chaldean: for it alludes to shoots which are torn from the tree, so that they may be inserted and transplanted into another) HE TORE AWAY, that is the young king Jehoiachin, namely eighteen years old, and the nobles he led away. Thus Theodoret and Apollinaris, and it is evident from verse 12. Whence St. Gregory, XXXI Moral. xix: "Nebuchadnezzar," he says, "as an eagle seeking the loftiness of Judaea, took away the nobility of his kingdom, as the marrow of cedar, and while he removed the most tender offspring of kings from the summit of his kingdom by taking them captive, he tore away, as it were, the highest of its branches." AND HE CARRIED IT AWAY INTO THE LAND OF CHANAAN, that is into Chaldaea, which is called Chanaan, because it was devoted to commerce, and therefore was most powerful, most frequented, most wealthy: for the Canaanites were devoted to commerce. Hence Canaanite in Hebrew signifies a merchant, as is evident from Prov. xxxi, 24 and elsewhere. In like manner an emporium of all merchandise, and a city of merchants was Babylon, as is evident from Apoc. xviii, 10. Whence explaining "Chanaan," he adds: "in the city of merchants he placed it." Thus St. Jerome, Prado, Maldonatus and others. Otherwise Apollinaris and Theodoret; for they think the Chaldaeans are called Canaanites, because they had imbibed their customs and vices. Otherwise also the Chaldean translates, namely: he led away to the land free from servitude, which namely was subject to none and paid no tribute, such as the land of Chanaan was before the entrance of Joshua and the Hebrews into it. The name tsameret, in our text only, and indeed four times, besides this place (below verse 22, and cap. xxxi, 3, 10, 14) occurring, Jarchi says denotes the same as the Italian and French cima, cime, that is the top of the tree, which is a shoot according to Columella, lib. XX, cap. xxx. Now shoots are called the tender parts of the tops of trees. (Rosenmuller.) Full of feathers for defense against injuries coming upon it, so that it may be opposed to bald, Mich. I, 16. For in the entering in, birds of prey are liable to the shedding of feathers, see Bochart, Hieroz. tom. II, pag. 750. But an eagle full of feathers is more vigorous and stronger than one that has suffered the shedding of feathers.
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5. AND HE TOOK OF THE SEED OF THE LAND, that is, after he had transplanted the shoots, that is, Jeconiah and the princes he carried away to Babylon, he took from the seed of the land of Judah, that is, he took Zedekiah, who was of the royal seed of the Jews, namely the uncle of Jeconiah, and him "he set in the land," that is, he established him as king in Judaea, "for seed," so that namely in him the seed of the royal line might remain; and so that he himself "might establish his root upon many waters," that is, many peoples, Apocalypse XVII, 2. The Septuagint, the Chaldean and the Hebrews translate, in the land of seed, that is, fertile and sown, which easily receives seed and abundantly produces it. Thus Judaea is called, because it is fruitful. IN THE SURFACE HE SET IT. He did not plant it deeply, but cast this seed on the surface (for this is the Hebrew tsaphtsaph), just as vines are inserted in a ditch, not deep, but protruding and nearly level with the surface of the earth. The sense is, as if to say, Nebuchadnezzar did not establish Zedekiah with the deep root of the kingdom, but Nebuchadnezzar broke his strength, so that he might remain submissive to him and depend upon him, inasmuch as he could uproot him as easily as when he had sown and created him king. The Chaldean translates: He set it as a vine, because it follows: "It grew into a vine," as if the Prophet changes the metaphor: for he compared Jeconiah to a cedar, but here he compares Zedekiah to a vine for the reason which I shall presently state. 6. IT GREW INTO A VINE BROADER (spreading out) OF LOW STATURE, that is, Zedekiah like a vine, in wealth, glory and dominion grew, yet not like a lofty cedar, but like a humble vine. For the Babylonian always kept him subject to himself, as if to say, A cedar was turned into a vine, because the kingdom of Judah which in Jeconiah and others was lofty like a cedar, in Zedekiah was humble like a vine. WITH ITS BRANCHES LOOKING TOWARD HIM, namely the eagle, that is, as St. Jerome says, Nebuchadnezzar wished Zedekiah to preside over the peoples of the Jews: but so that he himself and the peoples might look toward the dominion and commands of Nebuchadnezzar his lord. Secondly, more closely and better: "toward it," namely the vine, as if to say, The branches of this vine did not rise upward, but repressed were bent down, and looked toward the vine itself and the vine's root. For thus the power of Zedekiah was broken and repressed by the Chaldeans, so that he had branches, that is, princes, not powerful like Solomon; but cut off, depressed, thin and weak. It is a metaphor from a vine or tree, whose branches are bent back by another higher one, or by a roof or wall so that they do not rise upward, so that they are bent, and look toward the tree itself. Thus Maldonatus. AND ITS ROOTS WERE UNDER IT, as if to say, Some, although not high, that vine, that is, the kingdom of Zedekiah, sent forth roots, so that it might spread out widely. Others, "under it," namely the eagle, that is, under Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom of the Jews stood with firm root. IT BORE FRUIT IN SHOOTS, as if to say, It brought forth sons and magnates. AND IT SENT OUT BRANCHES, that is, more tender shoots, namely of citizens, and of the people spreading far and wide.
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7. AND ANOTHER GREAT EAGLE WAS MADE, namely Pharaoh, who is called Vaphres, or Apries or Ephree, king of Egypt, who was indeed great but lesser than Nebuchadnezzar, with whom Zedekiah, rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar, made a covenant. Thus St. Jerome, Theodoret, St. Chrysostom, homily to the People, vol. V, and others throughout. This eagle therefore opposed to the former and subjugated by it signifies Pharaoh opposed to Nebuchadnezzar and subdued by him. Thus two eagles fighting among themselves, when one was conquered, portended destruction to Brutus when he would contend with Antony and Augustus, if we believe the Roman historians. For when both armies stood in readiness awaiting a sign, two eagles with great clanging of wings clashed from opposite directions, striking each other with their beaks and advancing in hostile flight. Both armies suspended their action at this portent, awaiting the outcome of the present battle. Finally, the eagle that stood on Antony's side vigorously put to flight the adverse bird. By this omen the soldiers of Antony were raised to certain hope of victory, and with a great shout rushed upon the enemy. Nor did the adverse side fight less fiercely: a bloody battle ensued at the first encounter, soldiers embracing each other, and with hands joined they fought with no less hatred than force, the groans and sighs of the falling resounding around, and already much blood was poured upon that earth in bloody slaughter, when the first It might seem strange, says Hilferus, that a vine is said to be planted by waters, if one considers Italy, a very hot region, the abundance of vineyards in Massicus, the plantings on the Falernian mountain, should not owe to streams of water, and Württemberg, the most fertile mother of Neckar wine, produces wine in dry hills, and even in a dry year, most readily: unless it were established that Caecuban wine, which before the time of Nero had most celebrated nobility, was born in the marshy poplar groves of the Amyclaean gulf (see Pliny's Natural History, book XIV, chapter viii); and Cornelius Celsus, most learned in the nature of things, should think that soil should be chosen for vineyards by preference, which would supply moisture from springs to the roots in the vicinity. From this it is to be gathered that vines, if they sense the odor of waters, that is, if their roots are moderately irrigated from the vicinity of springs or streams, grow more quickly and more successfully. Brutus's line was removed from its position, and with the ranks broken by force, fear penetrated to the second and third ranks. Then the matter inclined to flight: which being observed, Octavius's soldiers occupy the gates of the hostile camp with great force, so that there would be no escape for those retreating from behind. Then indeed there is a slaughter of those shut out, and the Brutians pressed from the front in shameful struggle, and falling upon each other in the encounter are slaughtered. Appian mentions the same augury, book IV On the Civil Wars: "And now the day, he says, while they were preparing, had advanced to the ninth hour, when two eagles began to fight between both armies, intent in the greatest silence; and when the one that stood with Brutus was put to flight, the enemies shouted and standards were brought together, and there was a proud and cruel encounter." Such an augury of two fighting eagles befell Vespasian, as Suetonius relates in these words: "And not long after the elections of the second consulship, at the beginning of Galba, the statue of the divine Julius turned of its own accord toward the East: and at the battle of Bedriacum before it was joined, two eagles in the sight of all clashed together, and when one was conquered, a third came from the rising of the sun, and put to flight the victorious one." By the two first eagles, Vitellius and Otho are understood; the third truly coming from the rising of the sun signified Vespasian, who, as he came from Judaea, put to flight that victorious eagle, that is, Vitellius the conqueror of Otho. Concerning Octavius Augustus about to fight against Antony and Lepidus, Suetonius writes in these words: "When the forces of the triumvirs were broken at Bononia, an eagle standing over his tent afflicted and brought to the ground two ravens attacking from either side, with the whole army noting it, presaging that there would someday be such discord among the colleagues as followed, and its outcome." For the eagle signified Augustus, who would so afflict and harass his colleagues Antony and Lepidus, just as the eagle afflicted the two ravens. Sad likewise and by no means auspicious was what is written to have happened to the Emperor Lacapenus and Simeon, prince of the Bulgarians. For at the time when these were conversing together, two eagles are said to have flown above them, and when not without clanging and remarkable noise of wings, they attacked each other with hostile beak and talons and struck together, soon one being crushed departed, with one betaking itself to Schem, the other flying toward Thrace. The augurs judged this prodigy by no means favorable; for it signified that the peace between them would be broken. Zedekiah sent legates into Egypt, for the sake of seeking aid, which is entirely irrigated by the waters of the Nile. Thus Maldonatus, who understands legates by roots. HE EXTENDED HIS TENDRILS TO HER (that is, messengers, says St. Jerome, and leaders with gifts). THAT HE MIGHT WATER HER FROM THE FURROWS OF HIS SPROUT, that is, that against the heat, that is the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar drying her up, he might water her from the sprout, that is the strength and abundance of soldiers of his field, that is Egypt. For waters are soldiers, because just as waters are diverted through furrows into neighboring gardens or fields: so also soldiers were sent from Egypt into Judea. Others, such as Vatablus, that he might water her through his furrows sprouting, that is through the furrows of his Nile abounding, that is through the fruits and riches of Egypt. For he alludes to the Nile which irrigates and makes Egypt fertile, sent into the fields through furrows, which are led from it into the fields. The Septuagint: that he might water her with the clod of her planting, that is, that he might help Judea with the people, in which King Zedekiah was planted as a principal vine. For he compares the king to a vine, the people to a clod. 8. IN A GOOD LAND, as if to say: Zedekiah did not fail to Pharaoh from want, or oppression of the kingdom, because he was treated kindly by Nebuchadnezzar, and the land of Judea was fertile and rich; but from ambition, being unwilling to submit to Nebuchadnezzar.
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9. WILL HE NOT PLUCK UP ITS ROOTS? (that is to say, that former eagle, that is Nebuchadnezzar, will pluck up the root, that is the strength of the kingdom of Judah, and will uproot Zedekiah from the kingdom) AND WILL STRIP ITS FRUIT (that is his sons, like tender olives) AND DRY IT UP (that is will put the princes to death) AND ALL ITS BRANCHES, that is will give the princes to death, so that they may be like dry branches. NOT WITH A GREAT ARM, NOR WITH MUCH PEOPLE, that is to say, There will be no need of great strength or soldiers to overcome the Jews and Egyptians: for in the first conflict, Nebuchadnezzar will do it. Thus it came to pass; wherefore Nebuchadnezzar, having obtained this victory, as if secure and at peace, sat down in Riblah with his forces, and sent part of them against Jerusalem, which he took and burned under the command of Nebuzaradan, IV Kings, last chapter. Otherwise Maldonatus says, that is, The king of Egypt, although he comes with great forces, will not be able to free the Jews and Zedekiah from the Chaldeans. THAT HE MIGHT PLUCK IT UP BY THE ROOTS. This interrogation depends on the beginning of the verse: "Will he not pluck up its roots," etc., that is to say, Did he not do what I said a little before, namely, did he not act and accomplish "that he might pluck it up by the roots?" and that not with great forces. 10. WHEN THE BURNING WIND SHALL TOUCH IT. In Hebrew it is kadim, that is the east wind, which is dry and burning, that is to say, When the Chaldean, who is to the east of Judah, shall touch it like a vine, although watered by the forces of Egypt, and shall blow upon it like a burning wind, WITH MANY WINGS, that is with many soldiers; with the same resources and pomp; the Septuagint says, with many claws, that is rapacious and a devastator of many nations. Thus St. Jerome. AND BEHOLD THIS VINE SENDING OUT ITS ROOTS TOWARD HIM, that is to say, Zedekiah and the Jewish people joined their forces with the forces of Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar. He alludes to trees which send out their roots in that direction where they feel water to be. Thus he will dry it up and desolate it in its own field, namely in Judah itself, fertile and productive. For Zedekiah and his princes were captured in the fields of Jericho, the rest in the city itself already taken, IV Kings xxv. Note: Chaldea is to the east-northeast of the land of Israel; hence it is called now eastern, now northern. See the words of Jeremiah I, 14. 12. HE SHALL TAKE, etc., HE SHALL BRING, that is he took, he brought. For the Prophet spoke this in the sixth year after King Jeconiah was carried away to Babylon. Hence in Hebrew there is the vau conversive, which turns the future into the past. Here the Prophet begins to explain the riddle of the eagles, the cedar and the vine in the manner in which I have already explained it. 13. AND HE SHALL TAKE OF THE SEED OF THE KINGDOM, he shall take Zedekiah, and shall make him king in place of Jehoiachin as his nephew. "And he sent out shoots." In Hebrew frot. Thus the branches of trees are called from the likeness of a crown, just as among our gardeners the tops of trees and the new growth of branches among those who cultivate forests is called a crown. AND HE SHALL MAKE A COVENANT WITH HIM, that he may reign, but shall be tributary to him, which although it is not narrated in the books of Kings, yet from this place it is clear that it was done. AND HE SHALL ALSO TAKE THE MIGHTY OF THE LAND, he shall take away many princes, or having taken them shall keep them with him, both as hostages and to weaken the strength of the kingdom. Thus he took Jehoiachin with his sons and other nobles. 17. AND NOT WITH A GREAT ARMY, NOR WITH MUCH PEOPLE (not of Pharaoh, but of the Chaldeans, that is to say, The army of the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar will not be great, against whom Pharaoh will fight, and yet he will be conquered. "Nor": for this by Hebraism must be repeated) IN CASTING UP A MOUND, AND IN BUILDING FORTIFICATIONS shall Pharaoh make battle, to kill many of the Chaldeans; but at the first encounter he will flee and all Syria will give way. Thus Polychronius and Green, and it is evident from verse 9; for he applies and explains it here. Others take this affirmatively, and in two ways: first, concerning Pharaoh, that is to say, The small army of the Chaldeans will not hinder the force of Pharaoh, however much he may cast up mounds and build walls. Josephus favors this in X Antiquities xx. Second, concerning Nebuchadnezzar. Hence Vatablus translates: Nor shall Pharaoh with these great forces and vast multitude accomplish anything, while the mound is being built, and the fortification for cutting off many souls, that is, as Maldonatus says, when Nebuchadnezzar has cast up a mound, Pharaoh will be able to do nothing to help Zedekiah: which sense is plain, and agrees fittingly with what precedes and follows. 18. FOR HE HAD DESPISED (Zedekiah) THE OATH of fidelity sworn to Nebuchadnezzar. AND BEHOLD HE GAVE HIS HAND, that is, and yet he had entered into a covenant with Nebuchadnezzar, with right hand given, as if to say, He violated the covenant, with hand given. Thus Vatablus. Secondly and more aptly, as if to say, When Zedekiah had despised and violated the covenant entered into with the Chaldeans, he gave his hand, and entered into another covenant with Pharaoh. Thus the Chaldean Paraphrase and Maldonatus. See here how much God wishes faith to be kept even with an enemy, and with an infidel, and how He avenges perfidy. See the things said in Jeremiah xxxix, at the end. 19. OATH. The Hebrew and the Septuagint: My oath and my covenant, not that it was made to God, but because this covenant was entered into with God's name interposed. I WILL PUT UPON HIS HEAD, I will avenge upon his head. 20. I WILL SPREAD, etc., MY NET, namely the forces of the Chaldeans. Concerning which see cap. XII, verse 13. IN THE TRANSGRESSION (in Hebrew, on account of the transgression) BY WHICH HE DESPISED ME by violating the oath and covenant made and entered into by God's name.
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22. I MYSELF WILL TAKE FROM THE MARROW OF THE CEDAR (from the royal family), FROM THE TOP (that is from Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah the king, a branch) A TENDER (that is Zerubbabel the grandson: for Jehoiachin begat Shealtiel, he begat Zerubbabel) ONE I WILL PLUCK OFF. The Septuagint: I will take away, with the other leaves and branches, that is the kings and princes, being removed, this one I will take and exalt (for this is what it means to pluck off), so that I may plant him on a high mountain, that is in Jerusalem. The cedar therefore is the royal family of David, the top of the branches is Jehoiachin the king, the tender and milky shoot is Zerubbabel the grandson of Jehoiachin, the high mountain is Jerusalem. The prophet here in his manner adds joyful things to sad ones, and appends promises and consolations to threats. Note: He touches upon Zerubbabel in passing, but under him he intends rather to signify Christ, who was born from Zerubbabel, or, as Theodoret says, from the marrow of the cedar, that is from David, who was a man after God's own heart, and as it were the marrow of the cedars, that is of the holy ones in Israel, and established the kingdom of His Church in Jerusalem. Thus Theodoret. For neither was Zerubbabel a king, nor did all the birds rest under his shadow, except hyperbolically. Whence the Chaldean paraphrase, and from it R. Solomon thus translate: I will take the king Messiah, and I will plant him upon the high mountain. God here sets Himself against Nebuchadnezzar, as if to say, He will constitute a king from the royal seed, Zedekiah, but he will reign for a short time. For he will be faithless, and therefore will be blinded by the Chaldean, and will be deprived of his kingdom. But God from the same seed of David will constitute, as He promised, the king Christ, so that He may reign upon Sion His holy mountain, namely in the house of Jacob forever: for there will be no end of His kingdom. AND I WILL PLANT (this tender branch and top of the cedar, that is Christ) UPON A HIGH AND EMINENT MOUNTAIN, namely upon Sion, that is the Church. The Septuagint translate: I will suspend Him on the sublime mountain of Israel, that is, as Theodoret says: I will crucify Christ on the mountain of Calvary, so that afterwards He may bring forth fruit and an immortal offspring of Christians throughout the whole world. Which note against the Jews who deny the cross and death of Christ; because they think the Messiah will come with pomp and ostentation, as it were a new Solomon. Furthermore the Septuagint translate aptly. For in place of vetalul, that is and suspended on high, which is eminent, as Our translator renders it; they read etlol, that is I will suspend. For properly something, or someone is said to be suspended on a mountain; but not the mountain itself suspended. Add that with the change of a single point alone, vetalol can be read, that is and to suspend, that is and I will suspend. For often the Hebrews use the infinitive for the future, especially when other futures precede, or follow, as happens here. For Christ is a cedar, which never rots; whence also as man He could not sin. Again, He makes His own, and those faithful to Him, immortal. Thirdly, Prado: The cedar, he says, is sublime God, who alone has immortality. The heart of the cedar and the marrow is the Only-begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, whom He planted on a high mountain, that is in the womb of the Virgin exalted in virtues, as it were in paradise, so that being born there as man He might give the most beautiful and excellent fruit. I will say more about the cedar at cap. xxxi, 3 and following.
17:23
23. IT SHALL BEAR FRUIT, it shall make men faithful, holy and blessed. IT SHALL BECOME A GREAT CEDAR (that is, a great king and Lord shall come forth: for the cedar holds the first place among trees and as it were a kingdom, not Zerubbabel, as is evident, but Christ; so that) UNDER THE SHADOW OF ITS BRANCHES (that is, under his power and protection) ALL THE BIRDS (that is, the just, says the Chaldean, who think of heavenly things and fly from earth to heaven) SHALL DWELL. A similar passage is Daniel IV, 17, concerning which more is said there. Note first: The cedar is a tree that is perpetually green, not unlike the juniper, with sparse roots scattered through the upper earth, with hard foliage, with a sharp point tipped with hair and spiny; with twisted and knotted wood; with reddish, fragrant heartwood; with berries like myrtle, yellow, fragrant and edible; with new fruit hanging through autumn together with the year-old fruit. It is most highly praised when born in Crete, likewise in Lebanon and Africa. Cedar is eternal material, feeling no decay. Whence those are said to be worthy of cedar who merit immortality, that they may be consecrated to eternity. Note second: The cedar denotes three gifts of the kingdom of Christ. For first, the cedar is a tree of greatest height. For in Cyprus it is born having 130 feet in length; in thickness, however, to the embrace of five men; hence it signifies the sublimity of the kingdom of Christ. Second, it is fragrant with odor; hence it shadows forth the fame of Christ and the Church. Third, it is incorruptible; hence it denotes his eternity. Plinius relates in book XIII, chapter XIII, that the books of Numa, when they were of papyrus and buried in the earth, because they were anointed with cedar juice, lasted for 535 years. Moreover, this juice has a different power: for it corrupts living bodies, preserves dead ones incorrupt: whence by some the cedar was called nekrou zoa, that is, the life of the dead, namely of a corpse.
17:24
24. AND ALL THE TREES OF THE COUNTRY SHALL KNOW, that is, all men, all nations which from various regions shall have believed in this cedar, that is, in Christ, especially the wild and barbarous: for these are trees, that is, trees of the field, as the Hebrew has it; whereas the Jews, as it were domestic to God, are his trees as it were of a garden. I HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THE HIGH TREE, AND DRIED UP THE GREEN TREE, that is, I shall cast down the kingdom of Zedekiah, who seems now to flourish and grow proud; and I shall exalt the low and dry tree, that is, the kingdom of Jeconiah, who now seems to have withered in Babylon and to have no hope of offspring that shall reign. For Evil-merodach exalted Jehoiachin to the throne of the kingdom, IV Kings xxv, 7; and his grandson Zerubbabel was the leader of the people returning from captivity, and from him Christ was born, Lord of all the earth. For these things properly belong to Christ, to Zerubbabel only hyperbolically. This is what Isaiah says, chapter XI, 1: "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse (which now seems to have withered), and a flower shall rise up out of his root." Morally St. Bernard says: "Humility, he says, is the receptacle of grace;" namely it is the vessel in which God stores his gifts. Whence St. Chrysostom: "Humility, he says, is the greatest sacrifice, and the mother of the highest philosophy." And St. Gregory: "The humble, while they cast themselves down, ascend to the likeness of God." The proud on the contrary, while they ascend, imitate the devil, who, being an angel, wished to ascend to the mountain of God, but being repulsed descended as the devil. AND I HAVE DONE, and I shall do most certainly.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
17:2
… A popular saying is also called a m. (1 Sam. 24:14); an apologue, a witty saying (synonymous with hīdhāh; cf. Ezek. 17:2); a satirical saying (Isa. 14:4; Ezek. 13:22 ff.; 16:44; 18:2 ff.). …
Māšāl (v.), which is rendered only approximately by "proverb," means similitude, comparison, parable, a brief sententious saying that serves to inculcate a truth or a principle of moral and practical order: it is the parable more properly so called (Ezek. 17, 2; 24, 3), the similitude and the example, the saying of popular use (more precisely proverb: I Kings 5, 12; Job 13, 12; Prov. 1, 1.6; 10, 1; 25, 1; 26, 7.9), the witty and sarcastic …
17:3
In literature the metaphor "cedar of Lebanon" signifies power, beauty or inconsiderate pride (Zech. 11:1; Ezek. 31:2; 17:3, 22; Amos 2:9). With reference to the cedar of Lebanon the prevalence of the just is wished for (Ps. 91:13) or the pride of the wicked is condemned (Ps. 28:5; 36:35). The bridegroom in …
poetic texts (cf. Iudc. 9, 15; Is. 2, 13; 60, 13; Jer. 22, 23; Ez. 17, 3; 27, 5; 31, 3; Zach. 11, 1; Ps. 28, 5; 91, 13, etc.) and in the historical ones (cf. I Reg. 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, etc.) already the Egyptians exploited the famous woods of Lebanon, …
17:22
The characteristics of the M. will be: a) he is of the stock of David: Is. 11, 1; Jer. 23, 5; 33, 15; Ez. 17, 22 (cf. Lk. 1, 32); b) he will be born in Bethlehem: Mic. 5, 1 = Mt. 2, 6; c) of a Virgin: Is. 7, 14 b = Mt. 1, 23; cf. Mic. 5, 2 (the pearl of the messianic prophecies; the sign offered …
17:23
His kingdom will be universal, definitive and spiritual: Is. 11, 10; 42, 1-7; 49, 5 ff.; 61, 1 ff.; Jer. 31, 31-34 (= Hebr. 8, 8-12); Dan. 7, 14-27; 9, 24; its center of diffusion will be Zion (Hos. 2, 19-24; Is. 2, 2 ff.; Mic. 4, 2 ff.; Jer. 31, 33; Ez. 16, 60 ff.; 17, 23; etc.); it will be a source of blessings for all the nations (Ez. 34, 26 = Gen. 12, 2). Characteristics of the kingdom of the M.: the remission of sins and holiness: Is. 56, 6; 57, …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.