Ezekiel 17:2

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

“Son of man, offer a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם ח֥וּד חִידָ֖ה וּמְשֹׁ֣ל מָשָׁ֑ל אֶל־בֵּ֖ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Transliteration

ben-ʾādām ḥûd ḥîdâ ûməšōl māšāl unto-bêt Yiśrāʾēl

Grammar Details

• *ben*-*ʾādām*: construct phrase, masculine singular - son of man
• *ḥûd*: qal imperative masculine singular - pose/put forth
• *ḥîdâ*: feminine singular noun - riddle/enigma
• *ûməšōl*: waw-consecutive + qal imperative masculine singular - speak/utter
• *māšāl*: masculine singular noun - parable/proverb
• *bêt*: construct state, masculine singular - house of
• *Yiśrāʾēl*: proper noun - Israel

Word Meanings

• *ḥûd*: pose/put forth/propose
• *ḥîdâ*: riddle/enigma/dark saying
• *māšāl*: parable/proverb/allegory

Referenced Verses

• Ezek 20:49 : 49 Then I said,“O Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me,‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
• Ezek 24:3 : 3 Recite a proverb to this rebellious house and say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Set on the pot, set it on, pour water in it too;
• Hos 12:10 : 10 I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets.”
• Matt 13:13-14 : 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend.
• Matt 13:35 : 35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:“I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”
• Mark 4:33-34 : 33 The Use of Parables So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples.
• 1 Cor 13:12 : 12 For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.
• Judg 9:8-9 : 8 “The trees were determined to go out and choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree,‘Be our king!’ 9 But the olive tree said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 10 “So the trees said to the fig tree,‘You come and be our king!’ 11 But the fig tree said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 12 “So the trees said to the grapevine,‘You come and be our king!’ 13 But the grapevine said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush,‘You come and be our king!’ 15 The thornbush said to the trees,‘If you really want to choose me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
• Judg 14:12-19 : 12 Samson said to them,“I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it during the seven days the party lasts, I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes. 13 But if you cannot solve it, you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes.” They said to him,“Let us hear your riddle.” 14 He said to them,“Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong one came something sweet.”They could not solve the riddle for three days. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s bride,“Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. If you refuse, we will burn up you and your father’s family. Did you invite us here to make us poor?” 16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder and said,“You must hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her,“Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” 17 She cried on his shoulder until the party was almost over. Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. 18 On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him,“What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”He said to them,“If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!” 19 The LORD’s Spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men. He took their clothes and gave them to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home.
• 2 Sam 12:1-4 : 1 Nathan the Prophet Confronts David So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, Nathan said,“There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. It used to eat his food, drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. It was just like a daughter to him. 4 “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler who had come to visit him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to visit him.”