The Lioness and Her Cubs
Study note
The lioness represents the nation of Judah or the queen mother. Her first cub became a young lion (likely King Jehoahaz) who was powerful but was captured and taken to Egypt in chains. The second cub (likely King Jehoiachin) also became strong and terrorized the land, but he too was captured and taken to Babylon in a cage. Both kings were 'young lions' who showed early promise but were caught by foreign powers.
1 "Sing this sad funeral song for the princes of Israel:" Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 "What a powerful lioness your mother was! She made her home among the young lions and raised her cubs there." And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
3 "She brought up one of her cubs, and he grew into a fierce young lion. He learned to hunt and rip apart his prey. He even devoured people." And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.
4 "Other nations heard about him. He was trapped in their pit, and they dragged him away to Egypt with hooks in his jaws." The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
5 "When the mother saw that all her hopes for that cub were gone, she picked another one. She raised him to be a fierce young lion." 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 "He prowled among the other lions and grew strong. He learned to hunt and tear apart prey. He devoured people too." And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
7 "He tore down fortresses and left cities in ruins. The entire land and everyone living in it trembled at the sound of his roar." 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 "Nations from the surrounding territories banded together against him. They spread their net and caught him in their trap." 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 "They locked him in a cage with hooks and hauled him before the king of Babylon. They imprisoned him so that his roar would never again echo across the mountains of Israel." 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.
The Vine Torn Up and Planted in the Desert
Study note
The second image is of a fruitful vine planted near water, representing the royal family of Judah. It was strong and its branches were fit for rulers' scepters. But it was torn up in anger and thrown to the ground. The east wind (Babylon) dried it up. It was planted in a dry, waterless desert (exile in Babylon). A fire from within its own branches destroyed it, likely referring to King Zedekiah's rebellion that brought about Judah's final destruction. This is truly a funeral song with no happy ending.
10 "Your mother was like a grapevine planted beside water. It was loaded with fruit and branches because it had so much water." 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 "Its branches grew strong and thick, worthy of becoming a ruler's staff. The vine grew tall and stood out above all the surrounding foliage, noticed for its impressive height and lush branches." 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 it was ripped out of the ground in a rage and thrown down. The scorching east wind dried up all its fruit. Its strong branches snapped off, withered, and were consumed by fire." 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 "Now it sits transplanted in the desert, in dry, waterless ground." And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
14 "Fire has spread from its own branches and burned up its fruit. No strong branch remains fit for a ruler's staff. This is a funeral song and must be used as one." 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.