1. A great eagle (1-15)

There are two eagles in this allegory. The first great eagle was Babylon, who conquered Jerusalem and took many people into exile. The uprooted and replanted people flourished. The Babylonians appointed Zedekiah king in Jerusalem. But he "stretched out his branches to Egypt for help," rebelling against Babylon. As a result, he lost everything.

2. I will repay him for breaking my covenant (16-24)

It is the Sovereign Lord who controls history. Zedekiah did not suffer in exile just because he broke his covenant with the king of Babylon; it was because he broke his covenant with God. God would plant another shoot from David's family--a faithful man. It would grow into a great tree. This promise looks forward to the Messiah. God is faithful to keep his covenant. In him the dry tree flourishes in abundant life.