The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 350

understand by the pronoun "thy"? "What was thy mother?" ",Jehoiachin ie addressed," says the 'Speo.ker's Commentary.' Rengstenberg says, "The address is to the man Judah, the people of the present." And Schroder," The addreRs i~ directed to the people.'' But, as we shall see, the people are probably represented by the lioness; and if such be the case, it is hardly congruous to say that they are addressed in the pronoun "thy;" for that would represent them at once as the "mother" and the offspring. 2. Who is represented by" thy mother, a lioness" 1 According to Schroder, "the mother of the people is Jerusalem" (cf. Gal. iv. 25, seq.; Lam. i. l). The general opinion is that the mother represents the people of Judah or of the whole Israel. Hengstenberg, "The mother is the people in itself." Matthew Henry, "He must compare the kingdom of Judah to a lioness." Scott," The Jewish Church and nation is represented under the image of a lioness.'' 'Speaker's Commentary,' "The people represented by Judah.'' 3. Who are represented by .the two wklps, (Vers. 3, 5.) It is generally agreed that by them are set forth the two princes for whom this lamenta- tion is made, and that by the first whelp which "became a young lion " is signified Jeboahaz (2 Kings xxiii. 30). But opinion is divided as to whether the other whelp which was "made a young lion" represents Jehoiakim or Jeboiachin. Hengstenberg, Schroder, and the ' Speaker's Commentary ' say that it was J ehoiachin, for this amongst other reasons, that he "was not appointed by a foreign prince out of order, like his father Jehoiakim, but succeeded regularly with the consent of the people (2 Kings xxiv. 6).'' But it is difficult to see how vers. 6 and 7 can be applied to him, seeing that he reigned only three months and ten days (2 Cbron. xxxvi. 9). On the other hand, if we take vers. 5-9 as applying to Jeboiakim, then the ninth verse presents this difficulty, that it represents the prince as being carried into Babylon as a prisoner, and there brought into strongholds, and bis voice never more heard upon the mountains of Israel ; whereas it is said in 2 Kings xxiv. 6 that "Jeboiakim slept with his fathers;" and in Jer. xxii. 19, "He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.'' But, as Dr. Milman remarks, "'l'here is much difficulty about the death of Jehoiakim;" for in addition to the state- ments just quoted from 2 Kings and Jeremiah, in 2 Chron. xx.xvi. 6 it is said that Nebuchadnezzar "bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon." Whether we con- clude that Jehoiakim or Jehoiachin is referred to in vers. 5-9, difficulties meet us which perhaps at present cannot be completely cleared away. On the three questions at which we have glanced, the following remarks of Greenhill are deserving of quota- tion : " It is said 'thy mother' in reference to each prince. J eboabaz, 'what is thy mother?' Jehoiakim, 'what is thy mother?' By 'mother' here is meant Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah. Great cities and kingdoms are in a metaphorical sense mothers; they bring forth kings; they elect, crown, and set them up to rule.'' But leaving questions of disputed interpretation, let us look at those aspects or illustrations of historical and moral truths which this lamentation sets forth. We discover here- I. ROYAL POSITION AND POWER SYMDO!,IZED. "What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among Hons, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps." " The people appears as a lioness," says Hengstenberg, "on the ground of Gen. xlix. 9, to which passage the couching in particular refers (cf. Numb. xxiii. 24; xxiv. 9; Isa. xxix. 1), because it was a royal people, of equal bilth with other independent and powerful nations, as this 'royal nature was historically displayed, especially in _the times of David and Solomon. . . • The whelps of the mother are the sous of the King of Israel. The brioging up of these among lions points to the fact that the kingdom of Israel was of equal birth with the mighty kingdoms of the heathen world." And Schroder says excellently, "'l'hat she 'lay down' among the neighbouring royal states betokens majestic repose and conscious security-the fearless one exciting fear by imposing power.'' The power and prosperity thus indicated were especially realized during the later years of the reign of David and the gre/1.ter portion of that of Solomon. Of this we have evidence in 1 Chron. xiv. 17; xxiv. 26-28; 2 Chron. ix. II. RoYAL POSITION AND POWER ABUSED. "And she brought up one of her whelps; he became a young lion: and he learned to catch the prey! he devoured men.'' The youna lion is intended to represent Jehoahaz, who was raised to the throne by the peopl~ (2 Kings xxiii. 30). "He w~s an impi?us man," ~ai~ Josep~us, "and impure in his course of life." "And he did that which was evil m the sight of the Lord.  .952 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [cB, x1x. 1-14.