John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 17:9-10

"Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots thereof. Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew." — Ezekiel 17:9-10 (ASV)

Here God announces that this vine could no longer flourish and bring forth fruit, for it had been planted to flourish under the shadow of an eagle, and it had removed itself. Therefore, nothing remains but for the former eagle to avenge the injury committed against it. This is the meaning of the passage; hence he says, Shall it prosper? Shall not the eagle tear up its roots, and cut off its fruit? Ezekiel assumes this principle, that the vine could not be preserved in any other way than by the power and aid of the eagle that had planted it. For when it turned away from that eagle to another, the Prophet says that the end of the ungrateful vine was near: all the leaves of its branches shall wither and so be dried up, and that not in a mighty branch, nor in many people.

It is certain that Nebuchadnezzar was accompanied by a great army when he descended upon Judea. But the Prophet means that even if Nebuchadnezzar had only brought a small band with him, Zedekiah still could not remain king, since destruction awaited him through perfidy and revolt, as will afterwards be said.

The Prophet often speaks by way of concession, as if he had said that by a single blast, Zedekiah and all the people would wither away, since he could not remain safe unless he drew sap from his own root. But he had removed his root elsewhere, and so Ezekiel pronounces that he must immediately wither away.

It was not then in the power of many people to tear it from its own roots, for Zedekiah had purposely cut off his own roots when, through his own levity, he had gone over to the king of Egypt.

Behold, he says, he had been planted; but will he prosper? It is as if he had said that it is vain for Zedekiah to hope for safety from the one whom his own perfidy prevented from helping him.

Therefore, the comparison to an east wind is added: since then the east wind has struck it, will it not wither and decay, even upon the furrows of its branches? This means that although it has furrows from which it may expect perpetual moisture—for Egypt, as we have said, was artificially watered, and the Prophet describes Zedekiah’s state as if the king of Egypt were nourishing him by a stream of water—upon his beds, or furrows, he will wither when the east wind shall strike it.

We know that the east wind destroys the fruits in that region, and so it is often mentioned in a negative sense.