John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 19:5

"Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion." — Ezekiel 19:5 (ASV)

I cannot proceed further.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God—since we are all so depraved by nature that we are not only most deserving of being cast into the midst of lions but are also unworthy of being counted among your creatures—that you may extend your hand to us and manifest your wonderful power in reforming us; and may your image be so renewed in us that we may daily make more and more progress in true piety and righteousness, until at length all the corruptions of the flesh may be abolished, and we may be partakers of that eternal glory which your only-begotten Son has acquired for us. — Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

We yesterday read over that sentence in which the Prophet says that Judea produced another lion after the former had been captured and led into Egypt. Now this ought to be referred to King Jehoiakim, who was appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar when he had laid waste a part of Egypt, possessed the whole of Judea, and imposed laws by establishing a king, according to the rights of conquest.

But since he also acted treacherously, he was led away into captivity. The Prophet, therefore, means that the nation did not repent through this single chastisement. Nor did it change its disposition, since its mother was a lioness; indeed, not only did it bring forth young lions, but it also taught them to seize their prey until they were fully grown.

He says, therefore, that she saw what she had hoped, and her hope was futile. Some think that the noun “hope” is repeated here by the Prophet—meaning, she saw that her hope was lost; lost hope, I say. But the other reading is better: she saw that she had hoped.

That is, she saw that her hope had not produced any fruit for some time because the royal throne remained deserted. Therefore she took another of her cubs, says he, and made him a lion.

The Prophet again briefly teaches that the whole royal offspring was like young lions. Although, therefore, the lion alone is called king, he is still said to be taken from a number of cubs; and thus it follows that this denotes the depraved and cruel nature of all of them.

Thus we see that the Jews are indirectly reproved for not returning to soundness of mind when God punished them severely and King Jehoahaz was taken. Since, therefore, that punishment did not result in their correction, it follows that their dispositions were depraved.

And the Prophet means this when he says, that she took one of her cubs, and again made it a lion.