Ezekiel 19:3

Modern

She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

Traditional

And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

Literal

And she brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion, and he learned to tear prey; he devoured men.

Latin

Et eduxit unum de leunculis suis, et leo factus est: et didicit capere prædam, hominemque comedere.

Hebrew

English

She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

The first picture shows a lioness and one of her cubs, whom she chose as the leader of her group. This cub represents Jehoahaz, who ruled for only three months before Pharaoh Neco took him to Egypt (2 Kings 23:33–34).
tear his prey … devoured men: The prophet describes Jehoahaz’s short reign in completely negative terms. He presents his rule as evil and harmful.
In ancient times, hunters often caught lions with a net and a pit. In this passage, that picture is a metaphor for what would happen to Jehoahaz. He would be captured and taken away to Egypt by force.

In the ancient Near East, a funeral song had a special rhythm and style. It usually praised the good qualities of the person who had died. It also compared past glory with the present loss.
In this chapter, however, the people being mourned were not yet dead. The song does not praise them. Instead, it lists their sins and failures. This funeral song clearly shows that their judgment was certain and explains why it would happen.
The lion (Ezekiel 19:2–9) and the vine (19:10–14) were common pictures for Israel’s princes and for the royal family of Judah. These images would have been familiar to the people who first heard this message.

This section includes eight metaphors, each showing from a different angle the certainty of Jerusalem's upcoming judgment. The images are of:

Ezekiel 19:6
He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
2 Chronicles 36:1–2
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Ezekiel 22:25
The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
2 Kings 23:31–32
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.