What Does Ezekiel 17:16 Mean in the King James?
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
He can break the covenant, but he cannot make its claim disappear.
THE MEANING
A pledged bond remains real even when its maker treats it as weightless. The king’s broken covenant meets its stated consequence in Babylon, under the words “As I live.” Contempt does not erase the bond’s claim.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Once I dismiss a promise, its claim on me disappears.
THE ROOT
בָּזָה
bāzâ
GROWS FROM
בזה
b-z-h
To despise or treat as contemptible, as though it were of little worth.
“despised” in this verse is bāzâ. The verb frames the oath as something the king treats lightly; the verse answers that disregard with a consequence that remains weighty. The same root appears again in the next verse, where the oath itself is named.
ALSO GROWS
bāzûy: Despised or held in contempt.
בָּזוּי
This form makes explicit the state created by the king’s act: the oath is treated as worthless.
bizzāyôn: Contempt or disgrace.
בִּזָּיוֹן
This related noun shows the root’s movement from an act of disdain to the contempt that defines how something is regarded.
הֵפֵר
hēfēr
GROWS FROM
הפר
h-p-r
To make void, annul, or violate.
“brake” in this verse is hēfēr. English makes despising the oath and breaking the covenant sound like separate offenses. Hebrew sets them in sequence: the oath is treated with contempt, and the covenant is made void; the verse then names the consequence.
ALSO GROWS
hēfēr: He made void or violated.
הֵפֵר
This is the form used for the king’s breach of the covenant.
mēfēr: One who makes something void or breaks it.
מֵפֵר
The related form keeps the focus on the breaker: the covenant’s force is not erased by the act of annulling it.
THE PATTERN
A pledge keeps its force after the speaker’s regard for it fades.
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.THE THREAD
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.The word translated “despised” comes from the same Hebrew root, בזה (bāzâ, to treat as contemptible), in both verses. Verse 19 names the oath as God’s own and makes the consequence explicit: it comes back upon the breaker.
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