서론
無題
英語原文
The scope of this chapter is much the same with that of the 17th, to foretel and lament the ruin of the house of David, the royal family of Judah, in the calamitous exit of the four sons and grandsons of Josiah—Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah, in whom that illustrious line of kings was cut off, which the prophet is here ordered to lament, Eze 19:1. And he does it by similitudes. I. The kingdom of Judah and house of David are here compared to a lioness, and those princes to lions, that were fierce and ravenous, but were hunted down and taken in nets, Eze 19:2-9. II. That kingdom and that house are here compared to a vine, and these princes to branches, which had been strong and flourishing, but were now broken off and burnt, Eze 19:10-14. This ruin of that monarchy was now in the doing, and this lamentation of it was intended to affect the people with it, that they might not flatter themselves with vain hopes of the lengthening out of their tranquility.
1-9
The Fall of the Royal Family; Fall of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (593 BC)
王家の倒壊、エホアハズとエホヤキムの滅び（紀元前593年）
1 あなたはイスラエルの君たちのために哀歌をあげよ。
2 言え、あなたの母は何であったか。雌獅子である。彼女は獅子たちの間に伏し、若獅子たちの間でその子を育てた。
3 その子のひとりを育て上げた。これは若獅子となり、獲物を捕えることを学んだ。人は食らい尽くした。
4 もろもろの国は彼について聞いた。彼は彼らの穴に捕えられ、彼らは鎖をもってエジプトの地に彼を引いて行った。
5 彼女は待ち望んでも望みが絶たれたのを見て、別の子を取ってこれを若獅子とした。
6 彼は獅子たちの間を歩き回り、若獅子となり、獲物を捕えることを学んで、人を食らい尽くした。
7 彼はその荒れ果てた宮殿を知り、その町々を荒し、地はそのほえる声によって荒れ果てた。
8 もろもろの国は四方から彼に向かって立ち、その上に網を広べた。彼は彼らの穴に捕えられた。
9 彼らは鎖をもって彼を牢に置き、バビロンの王のもとに連れて行った。彼らは彼を要塞に入れた。これはその声がもはやイスラエルの山々の上に聞かれないためである。
本章には次の内容が記されている。
一、王家の倒壊を嘆くよう預言者に与えられた命令。ダビデとその子孫との王権の契約のゆえに長く栄えた王家の、隠蔽と消滅は、神の契約の価値を知るすべての者によって正当に嘆かれるべきである（詩 89:3、20以下、38-39）。ユダの王たちはここで「イスラエルの君たち」と呼ばれる。彼らの栄光は衰え、彼らは君にすぎないものとなり、その純粋さも失われた。彼らはイスラエルの王たちのように腐敗し、偶像礼拝に陥ったからである。預言者は「哀歌をあげよ」と命じられる。彼自身が心に深く受け止め、聴衆や読者もまたそうなることを望むものとして、その嘆くべき倒壊を描かなければならない。
二、彼に与えられた語るべき指示。彼はユダの王国を「雌獅子」に例えなければならない。かつて諸国の間に女王として座していた状態から、これほど悲惨に退化した。彼女は獅子たちの間に伏し、若獅子たちの間でその子を育てた。
三、エホアハズの倒壊。彼は「獲物を捕えることを学んだ。人を食らい尽くした」。もろもろの国は彼を捕え、エジプトに連れて行った。これはエホアハズがエジプトの王パロ・ネコによって捕えられ、エジプトに連れて行かれたことを表す（王下 23:33-34）。
四、エホヤキムの倒壊。彼は「獅子たちの間を歩き回り」、町々を荒した。しかし諸国は彼を捕え、バビロンの王に渡した。彼の「声がもはやイスラエルの山々の上に聞かれない」。彼の支配が永遠に終わったことを示す。
これらはダビデの王家の終わりを象徴する。しかし神はメシアにおいてこの家を再び立てられる。
英語原文
The Fall of the Royal Family; Fall of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (593 BC)
¹ Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
² And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
³ And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.
⁴ The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
⁵ Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.
⁶ And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
⁷ And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.
⁸ Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.
⁹ And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
Here are, I. Orders given to the prophet to bewail the fall of the royal family, which had long made so great a figure by virtue of a covenant of royalty made with David and his seed, so that the eclipsing and extinguishing of it are justly lamented by all who know what value to put upon the covenant of our God, as we find, after a very large account of that covenant with David (Ps 89:3,20, etc.), a sad lamentation for the decays and desolations of his family (Isa 89:38,39): But thou hast cast off and abhorred, hast made void the covenant of thy servant and profaned his crown, etc. The kings of Judah are here called princes of Israel; for their glory was diminished and they had become but as princes, and their purity was lost; they had become corrupt and idolatrous as the kings of Israel, whose ways they had learned. The prophet must take up a lamentation for them; that is, he must describe their lamentable fall as one that did himself lay it to heart, and desired that those he preached and wrote to might do so to. And how can we expect that others should be affected with that which we ourselves are not affected with? Ministers, when they boldly foretel, must yet bitterly lament the destruction of sinners, as those that have not desired the woeful day. He is not directed to give advice to the princes of Israel (that had been long and often done in vain), but, the decree having gone forth, he must take up a lamentation for them.
II. Instructions given him what to say. 1. He must compare the kingdom of Judah to a lioness, so wretchedly degenerated was it from what it had been formerly, when it sat as a queen among the nations, Eze 19:2. What is thy mother? thine, O king? (we read of Solomon's crown wherewith his mother crowned him, that is, his people, So 3:11), thine, O Judah? The royal family is as a mother to the kingdom, a nursing mother. She is a lioness, fierce, and cruel, and ravenous. When they had left their divinity they soon lost their humanity too; and, when they feared not God, neither did they regard man. She lay down among lions. God had said, The people shall dwell alone, but they mingled with the nations and learned their works. She nourished her whelps among young lions, taught the young princes the way of tyrants, which was then used by the arbitrary kings of the east, filled their heads betimes with notions of their absolute despotic power, and possessed them with a belief that they had a right to enslave their subjects, that their liberty and property lay at their mercy: thus she nourished her whelps among young lions. 2. He must compare the kings of Judah to lions' whelps, Eze 19:3. Jacob had compared Judah, and especially the house of David, to a lion's whelp, for its being strong and formidable to its enemies abroad (Ge 49:9, He is an old lion; who shall stir him up?) and, if they had adhered to the divine law and promise, God would have preserved to them the might, and majesty, and dominion of a lion, and does it in Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But these lions' whelps were so to their own subjects, were cruel and oppressive to them, preyed upon their estates and liberties; and, when they thus by their tyranny made themselves a terror to those whom they ought to have protected, it was just with God to make those a terror to them whom otherwise they might have subdued. Here is lamented, (1.) The sin and fall of Jehoahaz, one of the whelps of this lioness. He became a young lion (Eze 19:3); he was made king, and thought he was made so that he might do what he pleased, and gratify his own ambition, covetousness, and revenge, as he had a mind; and so he was soon master of all the arts of tyranny; he learned to catch the prey and devoured men. When he got power into his hand, all that had before in any thing disobliged him were made to feel his resentments and become a sacrifice to his rage. But what came of it? He did not prosper long in his tyranny: The nations heard of him (Eze 19:4), heard how furiously he drove at his first coming to the crown, how he trampled upon all that is just and sacred, and violated all his engagements, so that they looked upon him as a dangerous neighbour, and prosecuted him accordingly, as a multitude of shepherds is called forth against a lion roaring on his prey, Isa 31:4. And he was taken, as a beast of prey, in their pit. His own subjects durst not stand up in defence of their liberties, but God raised up a foreign power that soon put an end to his tyranny, and brought him in chains to the land of Egypt. Thither Jehoahaz was carried captive, and never heard of more. (2.) The like sin and fall of his successor Jehoiakim. The kingdom of Judah for some time expected the return of Jehoahaz out of Egypt, but at length despaired of it, and then took another of the lion's whelps, and made him a young lion, Eze 19:5. And he, instead of taking warning by his brother's fate to use his power with equity and moderation, and to seek the good of his people, trod in his brother's steps: He went up and down among the lions, Eze 19:6. He consulted and conversed with those that were fierce and furious like himself, and took his measures from them, as Rehoboam took the advice of the rash and hot-headed young men. And he soon learned to catch the prey, and he devoured men (Eze 19:6); he seized his subjects' estates, fined and imprisoned them, filled his treasury by rapine and injustice, sequestrations and confiscations, fines and forfeitures, and swallowed up all that stood in his way. He had got the art of discovering what effects men had that lay concealed, and where the treasures were which they had hoarded up; he knew their desolate places (Eze 19:7), where they hid their money and sometimes hid themselves; he knew where to find both out; and by his oppression he laid waste their cities, depopulated them by forcing the inhabitants to remove their families to some place of safety. The land was desolate, and the country villages were deserted; and though there was great plenty, and a fulness of all good things, yet people quitted it all for fear of the noise of his roaring. He took a pride in making all his subjects afraid of him, as the lion makes all the beasts of the forest to tremble (Am 3:8), and by his terrible roaring so astonished them that they fell down for fear, and, having not spirit to make their escape, became an easy prey to him, as they say the lions do. He hectored, and threatened, and talked big, and bullied people out of what they had. Thus he thought to establish his own power, but it had a contrary effect, it did but hasten his own ruin (Eze 19:8): The nations set against him on every side, to restrain and reduce his exorbitant power, which they joined in confederacy to do for their common safety; and they spread their net over him, formed designs against him. God brought against Jehoiakim bands of the Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, with the Chaldees (2Ki 24:2), and he was taken in their pit. Nebuchadnezzar bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon, 2Ch 36:6. They put this lion within grates, bound him in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon, Eze 19:9. What became of him we know not; but his voice was nowhere heard roaring upon the mountains of Israel. There was an end of his tyranny: he was buried with the burial of an ass (Jer 22:19), though he had been as a lion, the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. Note, The righteousness of God is to be acknowledged when those who have terrified and enslaved others are themselves terrified and enslaved, when those who by the abuse of their power to destruction which was given them for edification make themselves as wild beasts, as roaring lions and ranging bears (for such, Solomon says, wicked rulers are over the poor people, Pr 28:15), are treated as such—when those who, like Ishmael, have their hand against every man, come at last to have every man's hand against them. It was long since observed that bloody tyrants seldom die in peace, but have blood given them to drink, for they are worthy.
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The Fall of the Royal Family (593 BC)
王室の没落（紀元前593年）
¹⁰ あなたの母は血の中のぶどうの木のようだ。水のそばに植えられ、多くの水のゆえに実を結び、枝で満ちていた。
¹¹ それは支配する者のつえのための強い枝を持ち、その高さは密な枝の中で高められた。その枝の多さのゆえにその高さにおいて際立っていた。
¹² しかし激しい怒りの中で引き抜かれ、地に投げ出され、東風がその実を枯らした。その強い枝は折れてしおれ、火がこれを焼き尽くした。
¹³ 今それは荒野に植えられている。乾いた渇いた地に。
¹⁴ 火がその枝から出て、その実を食い尽くした。支配するためのつえとなる強い枝が残っていない。これは哀歌であり、哀歌となるであろう。
母なる都エルサレムがここに別の比喩で表されている。ぶどうの木であり、君たちはその枝である。この比較は前にあった（結15:1）。エルサレムは『ぶどうの木』のようであり、ユダヤ国民もそうである。『血の中のぶどうの木のように』（結19:10）—王の血、血の中に植えられ血で潤うぶどうの木のように。それはぶどうの木の繁栄と実りに非常に役立つ。あたかも流された血が土を肥やし改良するために計画されたかのように。それほど豊かに流された。そして一時的にそれはその効果を持ったようであった。彼女は水のゆえに—そのそばに『植えられた』『多くの水』のゆえに—『実を結び、枝で満ちていた』。大いなる悪の場所が間もなく栄えることがある。血の中に植えられたぶどうの木が枝で満ちることがある。エルサレムは有能な行政官、思慮深い人々、学識と経験ある人々で満ちていた。彼らは『強い枝』、このぶどうの木の異常に太く強い枝、あるいはこのぶどうの木を支える柱。そのような行政官であるから。このぶどうの木の大枝は『支配する者のつえ』のための白い杖を作るのに適するほどに成熟していた（結19:11）。そして『つえ』にふさわしい『強い枝』—強い判断と強い決意を持つ、行政官にふさわしい人々。ユダの王室が多く、裁判所が思慮深く正直な人々で満ちていたとき、『エルサレムの高さは密な枝の中で高められた』。政府が良い有能な手にあるとき、国はそれによって際立つ。そのとき彼女は弱く低いぶどうの木とは見なされず、『その高さにおいて際立った』。区別された都、『その枝の多さのゆえに』。Tanquam lenta solent inter viburna cupressi—柔らかな柳の中にそびえる糸杉のように。『あなたの静けさにおいて』（結19:10をそう読む人もある、私たちは『血の中で』と訳す）『あなたはこのようなぶどうの木であった』。ゼデキヤがバビロンの王のくびきの下で静かで安心していたとき、その王国はこのように繁栄した。神が怒るのにいかに遅く、さばきを遅らせ、恵み深くあろうと待っておられるかを見よ。2. このぶどうの木は今や完全に滅ぼされた。ネブカデネザルはゼデキヤの裏切りに強く怒り、『激しい怒りの中で引き抜いた』（結19:12）。都と王国を滅ぼし、彼の道に落ちた王室の枝をすべて断ち切った。ぶどうの木は根まで引き抜かれなかったが、地に近く切り倒された。『東風が実を枯らした』。若い者たちは剣に倒れるか、捕囚に連れ行かれた。その様子には喜ばしいものがなく、見込みにあるものもなかった。『その強い枝は折れてしおれた』。その偉い人々は断ち切られ、さばきつかさや行政官は退けられた。『ぶどうの木自体は荒野に植えられた』（結19:13）。バビロンはそこに捕囚として連れて行かれた民にとって荒野のようであった。ユダの地は今や全土がカルデアの軍勢によって略奪され荒廃させられたので、エルサレムにとって荒野のようであった—『実りの地が不毛の地に変えられた』。『それは火で焼かれ』（詩80:16）、その火は『その枝から出た』（結19:14）。王自身、バビロンの王にそむくことによって、このすべての害の機会を与えた。彼女は自分を焼き尽くす火を自分に感謝すべきである。彼女はその悪によって神の怒りの火花に対する火打ち石のようになった。それで彼女自身の枝が彼女自身の消費のための燃料となる。彼女の枝の中で火がつけられ、『実を食い尽くした』。年長者の罪が年少者を滅ぼすさばきとなる。彼女の『実』は彼女自身の枝と共に焼かれ、こうして『彼女には支配するためのつえとなる強い枝がない』。今や政府にふさわしい、あるいは敢えて『この滅びをその手の下に』受けようとする者が見つからない。嘆きがそうであるように（イザ3:6,7）。支配する権利を持つダビデの家の者が残っておらず、支配できる知恵ある者、思慮深い者がいない。国がこのように政府の祝福を奪われ、『つえのための強い枝がない』とき、その状態は悪く、さらに悪くなりそうである。『あなたの王が子どものようにであるとき、おお、地よ、わざわいだ』。強い枝でないなら、枝がないのと同様であるから。それらの強い枝—恐れる理由があるが—は虐げの道具であり、王が『獲物を捕え、人々を食い尽くす』のを助けた。そして今や彼と共に滅ぼされた。専制は無政府への入り口。政府のつえが虐げのへびに変えられるとき、神が『支配するためのつえとなる強い枝はない。むしろ人が海の魚のようになれ—大きい者が小さいものを食い尽くす—』と言われるのは正当である。『これは哀歌であり、哀歌となるであろう』に注意せよ。預言者は（結19:1）『哀歌を取る』よう命じられた。そしてそうした後、他の者たちが用いることができるように残した。『それはこの時代の私たちにとっての哀歌であり、荒廃が長く続くので、私たちの後に来る者たちにとっても哀歌となるであろう』。生まれざる子が現在のさばきによるユダとエルサレムの破壊を悲しむであろう。それらは来るのに大いに時間がかかった。弓は長く引かれた。しかしそれらが来た今、続くであろう。その悲しい効果は子孫に及ぶ。父たちの罪の量りを満たす者は、子どもたちの悲しみのために蓄え、哀歌のための材料を彼らに提供する。そして政府の転覆ほどそのようなものはない。
英語原文
The Fall of the Royal Family (593 BC)
¹⁰ Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
¹¹ And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
¹² But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.
¹³ And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
¹⁴ And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Jerusalem, the mother-city, is here represented by another similitude; she is a vine, and the princes are her branches. This comparison we had before, Eze 15:1. Jerusalem is as a vine; the Jewish nation is so: Like a vine in thy blood (Eze 19:10), the blood-royal, like a vine set in blood and watered with blood, which contributes very much to the flourishing and fruitfulness of vines, as if the blood which had been shed had been designed for the fattening and improving of the soil, in such plenty was it shed; and for a time it seemed to have that effect, for she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of the waters, the many waters near which she was planted. Places of great wickedness may prosper for a while; and a vine set in blood may be full of branches. Jerusalem was full of able magistrates, men of sense, men of learning and experience, that were strong rods, branches of this vine of uncommon bulk and strength, or poles for the support of this vine, for such magistrates are. The boughs of this vine had grown to such maturity that they were fit to make white staves of for the sceptres of those that bore rule, Eze 19:11. And those are strong rods that are fit for sceptres, men of strong judgments and strong resolutions that are fit for magistrates. When the royal family of Judah was numerous, and the courts of justice were filled with men of sense and probity, then Jerusalem's stature was exalted among thick branches; when the government is in good able hands a nation is thereby made considerable Then she was not taken for a weak and lowly vine, but she appeared in her height, a distinguished city, with the multitude of her branches. Tanquam lenta solent inter viburna cupressi—Midst humble withies thus the cypress soars. "In thy quietness" (so some read that, Eze 19:10, which we translate in thy blood) "thou wast such a vine as this." When Zedekiah was quiet and easy under the king of Babylon's yoke his kingdom flourished thus. See how slow God is to anger, how he defers his judgments, and waits to be gracious. 2. This vine is now quite destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar, being highly provoked by Zedekiah's treachery, plucked it up in fury (Eze 19:12), ruined the city and kingdom, and cut off all the branches of the royal family that fell in his way. The vine was cut off close to the ground, though not plucked up by the roots. The east wind dried up the fruit that was blasted. The young people fell by the sword, or were carried into captivity. The aspect of it had nothing that was pleasing, the prospect nothing that was promising. Her strong rods were broken and withered; her great men were cut off, judges and magistrates deposed. The vine itself is planted in the wilderness, Eze 19:13. Babylon was as a wilderness to those of the people that were carried captives thither; the land of Judah was as a wilderness to Jerusalem, now that the whole country was ravaged and laid waste by the Chaldean army—a fruitful land turned into barrenness. "It is burnt with fire (Ps 80:16) and that fire has gone out of a rod of her branches (Eze 19:14); the king himself, by rebelling against the king of Babylon, has given occasion to all this mischief. She may thank herself for the fire that consumes her; she has by her wickedness made herself like tinder to the sparks of God's wrath, so that her own branches serve as fuel for her own consumption; in them the fire is kindled which devoured the fruit, the sins of the elder being the judgments which destroy the younger; her fruit is burned with her own branches, so that she has no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule, none to be found now that are fit for the government or dare take this ruin under their hand, as the complaint is (Isa 3:6,7), none of the house of David left that have a right to rule, no wise men, or men of sense, that are able to rule." It goes ill with any state, and is likely to go worse, when it is thus deprived of the blessings of government and has no strong rods for sceptres. Woe unto thee, O land! when thy king is a child, for it is as well to have no rod as not a strong rod. Those strong rods, we have reason to fear, had been instruments of oppression, assistant to the king in catching the prey and devouring men, and now they are destroyed with him. Tyranny is the inlet to anarchy; and, when the rod of government is turned into the serpent of oppression, it is just with God to say, "There shall be no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule; but let men be as are the fishes of the sea, where the greater devour the less." Note, This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation. The prophet was bidden (Eze 19:1) to take up a lamentation; and, having done so, he leaves it to be made use of by others. "It is a lamentation to us of this age, and, the desolations continuing long, it shall be for a lamentation to those that shall come after us; the child unborn will rue the destruction made of Judah and Jerusalem by the present judgments. They were a great while in coming; the bow was long in the drawing; but now that they have come they will continue, and the sad effects of them will be entailed upon posterity." Note, Those who fill up the measure of their fathers' sins are laying up in store for their children's sorrows and furnishing them with matter for lamentation; and nothing is more so than the overthrow of government.
本章の趣旨は第17章とほぼ同じであり、ダビデの家、ユダの王家の滅びを預言し嘆くことである。ヨシヤの子らと孫たち、すなわちエホアハズ、エホヤキム、エコニヤ、ゼデキヤの災いに満ちた最期において、この輝かしい王統が断たれた。預言者はここでこれを嘆くよう命じられる（エゼ 19:1）。
彼は比喩によってこれを行う。
一、ユダの王国とダビデの家は雌獅子に例えられ、これらの君たちは獅子に例えられる。彼らは激しく貪欲であったが、狩り立てられて網で捕らえられた（エゼ 19:2-9）。
二、その王国とその家はぶどうの木に例えられ、これらの君たちは枝に例えられる。かつては強く茂っていたが、今や折り取られて焼かれた（エゼ 19:10-14）。
この君主制の滅びは今まさに行われていた。この滅びの哀歌は、民が平安の延長というむなしい希望で自分を慰めることのないよう、彼らにこれを深く感じさせることを意図していた。