Ezekiel 19 is a lament about the rebellion of the princes of Judah. Judah is compared to a lioness which had “young lions and reared her cubs (or princes). The first cub becomes a fierce lion but is captured and taken to Egypt (King Jehoahaz) and then comes a second cub who eventually is captured too and taken to Babylon (King Jehoiachin or Zedekiah). Finally Judah is compared to a fruitful vine as a symbol of prosperity. However under God’s judgement “it was uprooted in fury… it shrivelled and was stripped of its fruit… and no strong branch is left fit to rule”.
