And he went up and down among the lions - He became a perfect heathen, and made Judea as idolatrous as any of the surrounding nations. He reigned eleven years, a monster of iniquity, 2 Kings 23:30, etc.
Chains - See the marginal rendering to Ezekiel 19:9 and Isaiah 27:9, note.
Ezekiel 19:5
Another - Jehoiachin who soon showed himself no less unworthy than Jehoahaz. The “waiting” of the people was during the absence of their rightful lord Jehoahaz, a captive in Egypt while Jehoiakim, whom they deemed an usurper, was on the throne. It was not until Jehoiachin succeeded, that they seemed to themselves to have a monarch of their own 2 Kings 24:6.
Ezekiel 19:7
Their desolate palaces - Rather, his palaces, built upon the ground, from where he had ejected the former owners.
Ezekiel 19:8
The nations - are here the Chaldaeans: see the marginal references.