The Meaning of Ezekiel 17:4 Explained

Ezekiel 17:4

KJV: 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.

YLT: 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.

Darby: He cropped off the top of its young shoots, and carried it into a merchants' land; he set it in a city of traders.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 17:4 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 17

1  Under the parable of two eagles and a vine
11  is shown God's judgment upon Jerusalem for revolting from Babylon to Egypt
22  God promises to plant the cedar of the Gospel

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 17:4 mean?

- Topmost its young twig He cropped off and carried it to a land of trade in a city of merchants He set it
אֵ֛ת רֹ֥אשׁ יְנִֽיקוֹתָ֖יו קָטָ֑ף וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־ אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן בְּעִ֥יר רֹכְלִ֖ים שָׂמֽוֹ

אֵ֛ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
רֹ֥אשׁ  Topmost 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
יְנִֽיקוֹתָ֖יו  its  young  twig 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יְנִיקָה  
Sense: young plant, twig, young shoot.
קָטָ֑ף  He  cropped  off 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָטַף  
Sense: to pluck off or out, cut off.
וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙  and  carried  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶ֣רֶץ  a  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כְּנַ֔עַן  of  trade 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּנַעַן 
Sense: the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine.
בְּעִ֥יר  in  a  city 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
רֹכְלִ֖ים  of  merchants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָכַל  
Sense: to go about (meaning dubious).
שָׂמֽוֹ  He  set  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.