(Chapter 17, Verse 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, propose a riddle, tell a parable to the house of Israel, and say: Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with large wings, long feathers, full of plumage and variety, came to Lebanon and took the topmost branch of a cedar. It plucked off the highest of its young twigs and carried it to the land of Canaan, and set it in a city of merchants. And he took of the seed of the land, and planted it in the ground for seed so that it would establish roots over many waters; he set it on the surface. And when it sprouted, it grew into a vine of wide spread with low stature: its branches turned toward it and its roots were under it. Thus the vineyard was made and it bore fruit in the form of tendrils and it sent out shoots. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, tell a story and speak a parable to the house of Israel, and say: This is what the Lord God says: A great eagle with great wings, full of long feathers, with long wings and full of talons, came and took from among the choice cedars. He uprooted the tops of its tender shoots and brought them to the land of Chanaan. He put it in a walled city and took it from the seed of the land and planted it in a field over many waters, so that it would be seen. He planted it and it grew into a weak and small vine, so that only its branches could be seen beneath it, and its roots were underneath it. And it became a great vine and produced branches and extended its branches. When it is said of the prophets: Present an enigma, tell a parable, or as the Septuagint translated: tell a narration, it is shown that what is said is obscure. For there is no doubt that to present an enigma and a parable is to express something in words and hold something in meaning. And indeed the Savior spoke to the people in parables, which he explained in secret to the apostles. Therefore, we must understand enigma and parable in such a way that enigma and parable are Two enigmas and parables are presented in the prophecy of Ezekiel at present by Aquila. Now we must first speak: we will discuss the other in the following. And in the meantime, let us enjoy a simple story. The great eagle, with large wings, long feathers, and full of variety, or as the Septuagint translates it, full of claws, is King Nebuchadnezzar of the Chaldeans, about whom Hosea also speaks: Like an eagle over the house of God (Hosea 8:1). He who reigns over many nations and is surrounded by an innumerable army comes over the house of God, undoubtedly referring to the temple, or as Scripture says now, over Lebanon, about which Zechariah speaks: Open, Lebanon, your gates, and let fire consume your cedars. Howl, O fir tree, for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled:(Zach. XI, 12). And often the temple, which was famous and lofty, is called Lebanon in the holy Scriptures. And he took the pith of the cedar, and the top of its branches he plucked off, and brought it to the land of Chanaan, and placed it in the city of the merchants. For the merchants, or for the merchandise, the seventy translated it. Now it signifies Jehoiachin, the king of Juda, whom Nebuchadnezzar, with his mother and the princes of the people, took captive, and all the treasures of Jerusalem and the vessels of the temple; and he carried them into Babylon, which is in the land of Chanaan, and there he grew old. Afterwards, the Lord and our Savior was born through Salathiel and Zorobabel, as the Scripture of the Evangelist Matthew testifies (Matthew 1). He brought forth from the seed of the same land, that is, from the royal lineage, Matthan, uncle of Jechoniah, whose name he changed and called him Zedekiah, and he set him as king in Jerusalem, and he ruled over many peoples. And yet he set him on the surface and did not establish the power of his high empire with a deep root. But he set him there to be looked upon, and he was under the power of Babylon, or of low stature, with his branches looking towards it, so that he would indeed govern the people of Judah, but look to the command of the Babylonians. For this is what Scripture says: 'He will be lowly in stature, his branches will turn towards her, and he will be overshadowed by an eagle.' This is more clearly translated by the Septuagint, 'What had been planted grew up and became a weak and small vineyard, so that only its branches were visible, and it seemed to have a kingdom of its own, but its kingdom was lowly and weak, ruled by the authority of the Babylonian prince.' This is the interpretation of the present chapter, to which we will append the rest.
Source: Commentary on Ezekiel