יחזקאל, פרק י״ט, פסוק ד׳

The tragic end of King Jehoahaz of Judah unfolds as the metaphor of a roaming, destructive lion reaches its conclusion. After a brief reign of only three months, his actions draw the attention of neighboring powers, leading to his downfall and lifelong imprisonment in Egypt [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The response of the surrounding nations is understood in two complementary ways. On a literal level, neighboring empires, led by the army of Pharaoh Necho of Egypt, heard reports of the king's raids and the destruction he caused, prompting them to launch an attack [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Additionally, this reaction represents a call to arms, as gathering an army requires sounding a cry that unites the people for war [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון].

Because the king is compared to a wild lion, his capture is described through the lens of a hunt [מצודת דוד]. He is depicted as falling into a deep pit dug by hunters and disguised with straw to trap roaming beasts [רש״י, מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון], or alternatively, as being tangled in a hunter's net [רד״ק]. In historical reality, this capture occurred in the region of Riblah in the land of Hamath, where the king was seized and imprisoned while traveling back to his own land [מלבי״ם, רד״ק].

Once captured, the fallen king is dragged away to Egypt. Continuing the animal metaphor, he is led by iron rings or hooks pierced through his nose or jaw, a common method used to control and pull wild beasts [רש״י, מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In practical human terms, this imagery represents the heavy iron chains used to bind the king as he was forced into exile [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Although Pharaoh Necho failed to accomplish most of his broader military goals during this campaign, he successfully entered Jerusalem, captured the Judean king, and banished him to Egypt [ביאור שטיינזלץ].