Read Ezekiel 19:1-14
These lamentations were meant to be used in a funeral for the princes of Israel. Is Judah being represented by a lioness in this song? In Genesis 49:9, on his deathbed, Jacob says this about his son, Judah: “Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?”
The Ezekiel text captures this relationship between lions and Judah. The cubs in question represent two kings of Judah, each seen as evil in the Lord’s eyes. The first, King Jehoahaz was deported by Pharoah Neco to Egypt where he died. The second cub represents King Jehoiachin, taken into exile in Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar where he was virtually a prisoner for 37 years. Continue reading “Ezekiel 19:1-14 – A Funeral Song”
