Ezekiel 17:22-23

Ezekiel 17:22-23

[22] Thus saith  the Lord  GOD;  I will also take  of the highest branch  of the high  cedar,  and will set  it; I will crop off  from the top  of his young twigs  a tender one,  and will plant  it upon an high  mountain  and eminent:  [23] In the mountain  of the height  of Israel  will I plant  it: and it shall bring forth  boughs,  and bear  fruit,  and be a goodly  cedar:  and under it shall dwell  all fowl  of every wing;  in the shadow  of the branches  thereof shall they dwell. 

What does Ezekiel 17:22-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord Himself would also snip a tender twig from the top of the tall cedar tree that represented the Davidic line of kings. (The eagle is no longer Nebuchadnezzar but Yahweh in this parable.) Yahweh would plant this twig on a high mountain in Israel so that it would grow there, produce sheltering boughs, and bear fruit. Birds of every kind would come and take refuge in its shady branches. People would dwell securely under the protection of this great kingdom (cf. Hosea 14:5-7; Daniel 4:12; Daniel 4:21; Matthew 13:32; Mark 4:32). [1]
"Israel will protect surrounding nations rather than being their pawn....
"Ezekiel compared God"s future actions to those of the two eagles (Babylon and Egypt) already mentioned. Neither of those eagles had been able to provide the security and prosperity Israel desperately longed for, but God would succeed where they had failed." [2]
The tender twig seems clearly to be a messianic reference (cf. Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 33:14-16; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12-13). The high mountain is probably Mount Zion, the place where Messiah will set up His throne in the Millennium (cf. Psalm 2:6). Then the cedar tree (messianic kingdom) will be very stately and fruitful.