Thus saith the Lord God: A great eagle, with great wings, and long extended, full of claws.”1771 Here he calls the king of the Babylonians an eagle, and speaks of him as being “great, and long-winged;” and he calls him long-extended and “full of claws,” on account of the multitude of his army, and the greatness of his power, and the swiftness of his invasion. For just as the wings and claws of the eagle are his armour, so are horses and soldiers to kings. This eagle, he goes on to say, “hath the leading1772 to enter into Lebanon.” What is meant by the “leading?” Counsel—design. And Judæa is called Lebanon, because of its situation near that mountain. Afterwards, intending to speak of the oaths and treaties, “He took,” saith he, “of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field, that it might take root by great waters. He placed it to be looked upon; and it grew, and became a weak vine, and of small stature, and it stretched out its branches towards him, and its roots were under him.”1773 Here he calls the city of Jerusalem1774 a vine; but in saying that it stretched out its branches towards the eagle, and that its roots were under him, he refers to the treaties and alliances made with him; and that it cast itself upon him. Next, purposing to declare the iniquity of this, he saith, “And there was another great eagle,” (speaking of the Egyptian king), “with great wings, and having many claws;1775 and the vine did bend itself toward him, and its tendril toward him, and shot out its branches, that it might be watered. Therefore, I said, Thus saith the Lord God: Shall it prosper?”1776 That is to say, “after having broken the oath, and the treaties, shall it be able to remain, or to be safe, or to avoid falling?” Presently, for the purpose of shewing that this is not to happen, but that it is certainly to be destroyed on account of the oath, he discourses concerning its punishment, and alleges the cause. “For its tender 468 roots and its fruits shall become corrupt, and all which springs therefrom shall be withered.”1777 And for the purpose of shewing that it will not be destroyed by human strength, but because it hath made God its enemy by means of these oaths, he subjoins, “Not by a mighty arm, nor by much people, to pluck it up by its roots.” Such indeed is the parable, but the prophet again explains it, when he says, “Behold, the king of Babylon cometh against Jerusalem.”1778 And then, after saying some other things between, he mentions the oaths and the treaties. “For” saith he, “he shall make a covenant with him;”1779 and presently, 1771 Ezek. xvii. 2, 3. 1772 τὸ ἥγημα, literally the generalship, as that of an army. 1773 Ezek. xvii. 5, 6. 1774 Rather the king, who was of the seed (royal) of the land, but made king by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings xxiv. 17. 1775 In this expression of many claws, and in some others, the LXX. differs from the Hebrew. 1776 Ezek. vii. 7, 8. 1777 Ezek. xvii. 9. 1778 Ezek. xvii. 12. 1779 Ezek. xvii. 14. 691 Homily XIX