Matthew Poole and continuators on Ezekiel 19:2

2 And say, what is thy mother? a lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

What resemblance shall I use to set out the Nature, Deportment, and State of the Mother of these Princes? An unhappy Mother of unhappy Children. Or alass! thy Mother, &c.

One of these was upon the Throne at once, and therefore the Prophet speaks to one at a time in the singular number.

The Land of Iudea and Ierusalem, the chief City of it, the Royal Family of David.

Though chosen of God to execute Justice, defend the Poor, to be his Vicegerents, and to delight in Mercy; yet once advanced, they soon degenerated into the fierce and ravening nature of the Lioness, and as violently siezed the prey.

Associated, couch't, and grew familiar with, by leagues, commerce, and intermixture of Marriages with Neighbour Kings, call'd here Lions; thou didst learn their manners, and grewest fierce and bloody, as they;

the Heb. includes both her bringing forth many, and her advancing them to greatness, the Royal Family of that Nation had many Kings, and some very great, but the time the Prophet points now at in particular, was after Iosiah, whose Character given Ier. 22.16. is, that he judged the poor and needy, but his Successors were of another temper, as Ier. 22.13, 14, 15, 17.

i. e. her Sons, Successors to the Crown, which cou'd be call'd nothing else to keep the decorum of the parable.

Either Forreign Princes and Kings, or else some of the fiercer, unjuster, aspiring and tyrannizing Princes at home; for some such there were in these, as well as in Re[illegible: 1 letter]o[illegible: 1 letter]oam's times, who would have the Sons Finger thicker than the Fathers Loin[illegible: 1 letter].