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Contemporary English Version

Ezekiel 17:4

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Cities;   Ezekiel;   Merchant;   Scofield Reference Index - Parables;   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Trading;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;   Cedar, the;   Commerce;   Eagle, the;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Allegory;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Babylon, Kingdom of;   Canaanites;   Riddle;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canaan;   Eagle;   Fable;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Canaan, History and Religion of;   Ezekiel;   History;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canaanites;   Ezekiel;   Fable;   Vine, Vineyard;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Zedekiah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Twig;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crop;   Proverb;   Trade;   Traffic;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonia;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Allegory in the Old Testament;   Canaanites, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders.
Hebrew Names Version
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.
King James Version
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.
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.
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.
New Century Version
He pulled off the top branch and brought it to a land of traders, where he planted 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).
World 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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And brake off the toppe of his twigge, and caried it into the land of marchants, and set it in a citie of marchants.
New American Standard Bible (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.
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.
Berean Standard Bible
He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders.
Complete Jewish Bible
He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs, carried them to a land of traders and set them down in a city of merchants.
Darby Translation
He cropped off the top of its young shoots, and carried it into a merchants' land; he set it in a city of traders.
Easy-to-Read Version
He broke the top out of that big cedar tree and brought it to Canaan. He set the branch down in a city of merchants.
George Lamsa Translation
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.
Good News Translation
which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants.
Lexham English Bible
He plucked the top of its new plant shoot, and he brought it to the land of Canaan and put it in a city of merchants,
Literal Translation
He plucked off the first of its young twigs and brought it into a land of traders. He set it in a city of merchants.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and brake of the toppe of his twygge, and caried it in to the londe of Canaan, and set it in a cite of marchauntes.
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.
Bible in Basic English
Biting off the highest of its young branches, he took it to the land of Canaan, and put it in a town of traders.
JPS Old Testament (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.
King James Version (1611)
Hee cropt off the top of his yong twigs, and caried it into a land of traffique; he set it in a city of merchants.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And brake of the top of his twigges, and caryed it into the lande of marchauntes, and set it in a citie of marchauntes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.
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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He pullide awei the hiynesse of boowis therof, and bar it ouer in to the lond of Chanaan, and settide it in the citee of marchauntis.
Update Bible Version
he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, 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.
New English Translation
He plucked off its topmost shoot; he brought it to a land of merchants and planted it in a city of traders.
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 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.
New Life Bible
He broke off the very top of its young branches and brought it to a land of traders. He placed it in a city of people who buy and sell.
New Revised Standard
broke off its topmost shoot; he carried it to a land of trade, set it in a city of merchants.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The crown of its young twigs, plucked he off, and brought it into a land of traffic, :in a city of merchants, he t it.
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.
Revised 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.
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.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said: 2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel the following story, 3 so they will understand what I am saying to them: A large eagle with strong wings and beautiful feathers once flew to Lebanon. It broke the top branch off a cedar tree, 4 then carried it to a nation of merchants and left it in one of their cities. 5 The eagle also took seed from Israel and planted it in a fertile field with plenty of water, like a willow tree beside a stream. 6 The seed sprouted and grew into a grapevine that spread over the ground. It had lots of leaves and strong, deep roots, and its branches grew upward toward the eagle. 7 There was another eagle with strong wings and thick feathers. The roots and branches of the grapevine soon turned toward this eagle, hoping it would bring water for the soil. 8 But the vine was already growing in fertile soil, where there was plenty of water to produce healthy leaves and large grapes. 9 Now tell me, Ezekiel, do you think this grapevine will live? Or will the first eagle pull it up by its roots and pluck off the grapes and let its new leaves die? The eagle could easily kill it without the help of a large and powerful army. 10 The grapevine is strong and healthy, but as soon as the scorching desert wind blows, it will quickly wither.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the top: The princes of Judah.

into: Isaiah 43:14, Isaiah 47:15, Jeremiah 51:13, Revelation 18:3, Revelation 18:11-19

a land: Chaldea

a city: Babylon, which by means of the Euphrates and Tigris, had communications with the richest and most distant nations.

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:34 - traffic Ezekiel 31:3 - a cedar

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others.
Genesis 13:16
I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants.
Genesis 16:10
I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all.
Genesis 17:1
Abram was ninety-nine years old when the Lord appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right,
Genesis 17:18
Then he asked God, "Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?"
Genesis 22:17
"I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live.
Genesis 32:12
But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.
Genesis 48:19
But his father said, "Son, I know what I am doing. It's true that Manasseh's family will someday become a great nation. But Ephraim will be even greater than Manasseh, because his descendants will become many great nations."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He cropped off the top of his young twigs,.... By which are meant the princes of the land, or the several branches of the royal family; the top of which was King Jeconiah, who was but young and tender, being but eighteen years of age when he began his reign, and this was within three months after; and who was no more able to withstand the force of the king of Babylon, than a tender twig so ravenous a bird as an eagle, 2 Kings 24:8; whose superior power and strength is signified by the cropping off of a tender twig:

and carried it into a land of traffic; not into the land of Canaan, as the Septuagint, and some other versions, literally render it; but into Babylon, which was become a place of great merchandise, through the great concourse of people to it, and the large additions made to the empire:

he set it in a city of merchants; meaning the city of Babylon, perhaps in particular, as distinct from the country before mentioned: the word for "merchants" signifies "apothecaries" or "druggists" p; and may design such merchants as traded in sweet spices and aromatic drugs. The words may be rendered, "and brought it out of the land of Canaan" q; out of which Jeconiah and his nobles were carried by the king of Babylon; so the particle אל sometimes signifies "from", or "out of", as in 1 Kings 8:30; and others r, "and in a city of merchants he set it"; in Babylon, famous for merchants; whom the Jews, being captives, were obliged to attend in a servile manner.

p רוכלים "aromatariorum", Junius & Tremellius, Polinus. So Stockius, p. 1017. q אל ארץ כנען "tetra Chanaan", Texelius, Phoenix, l. 3. c. 4. sect. 6. p. 205. r Vid. Noldii Concord. Part. Ebr. p. 56.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A land of traffick - The land of Babylon.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 17:4. The top of his young twigs — The princes of Judah.

A land of traffic — Chaldea.

A city of merchants — Babylon; for which this city was the most celebrated of all the cities of the east. Its situation procured it innumerable advantages; its two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Persian Gulf, gave it communication with the richest and the most distant nations.


 
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