Lexical Summary yeniqah: Suckling, nursing, nourishment Original Word: יְנִיקָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance young twig From yanaq; a sucker or sapling -- young twig. see HEBREW yanaq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yanaq Definition a young shoot, twig NASB Translation young twigs (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [יְנִיקָה] noun feminine id., only plural suffix יְנִיקוֺתָיו Ezekiel 17:4 of Israel under figure of cedar. יַנְשׁוּף, יַנְשׁוֺף see below נשׁף. Topical Lexicon Definition and imagery יְנִיקָה portrays a tender, sap-filled twig drawn from a larger plant. The image evokes infancy, vulnerability, and potential, suggesting life that depends upon its source for nurture yet is destined to grow into independent strength. Biblical occurrence and narrative setting Ezekiel 17:4 is the sole occurrence: “He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and carried them to the land of merchants; he planted it in a city of traders” (Berean Standard Bible). The verse forms part of Ezekiel’s parable of the two great eagles—a prophetic riddle describing Babylon’s removal of Judah’s royal seed and the transplanting of that lineage into foreign soil. The “young twig” embodies the youthful heirs of David’s house who were exiled to Babylon following Jehoiachin’s surrender (2 Kings 24:8-16). Thus יְנִיקָה functions as a living metaphor for Judah’s displaced royalty and, by extension, for the nation itself in its fragile state under divine discipline. Historical backdrop Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation (597 BC) stripped Jerusalem of its king, craftsmen, and elite. Ezekiel, already among the exiles, delivered the parable around 592 BC to explain why God allowed the calamity and to warn against further rebellion. Like an experienced horticulturalist, the Babylonian “eagle” chose choice branches to ensure political control; yet the Lord remained the true Gardener who oversaw even the exile for covenant purposes (Jeremiah 24:5-7). Theological significance 1. Divine sovereignty in judgment: The tender shoot is cut off not by accident but by decree; Judah’s plight came through God’s righteous governance (Ezekiel 17:19-21). Intertextual and prophetic connections Although יְנִיקָה appears only once, the motif of a tender branch permeates Scripture: Practical ministry reflections • Discipleship of new believers: Like a freshly planted twig, converts require nourishing environments—sound teaching, fellowship, and sacramental life—to mature in faith (Acts 2:42-47). Conclusion יְנִיקָה, though appearing only once, enriches Scripture’s agricultural language of life, judgment, and hope. The fragile twig reminds readers that God both disciplines and preserves, uproots and replants, ever intent on bringing forth a flourishing kingdom under the eternal Son of David. Forms and Transliterations יְנִֽיקוֹתָ֖יו יניקותיו yə·nî·qō·w·ṯāw yenikoTav yənîqōwṯāwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 17:4 HEB: אֵ֛ת רֹ֥אשׁ יְנִֽיקוֹתָ֖יו קָטָ֑ף וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ NAS: the topmost of its young twigs and brought KJV: the top of his young twigs, and carried INT: the topmost young plucked and brought 1 Occurrence |
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