Ezekiel 31:8

8 Cedars in the garden of God could not [be] equal to it; fir trees could not resemble its branches, and plane trees were not [even] like its branches; any tree [even] in the garden of God could not resemble it in its beauty.

Ezekiel 31:8 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 31:8

The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him
That is, could not rise so high as this cedar, and overtop him, and obscure his glory; even those that were most excellent, which grew in Eden, near to which Babylon stood, and where a mighty king dwelt. The sense is, that the greatest kings and potentates in the whole world, which is like a garden planted by the Lord, were not equal to the king of Assyria, and much less exceeded him in grandeur, wealth, and power: the fir trees were not like his boughs:
lesser kings and princes, comparable to fir trees for the beauty, regularity, order, and flourishing condition of their kingdoms; yet these were but petty states, and not to be compared even with the provinces of the king of Assyria: and the chesnut trees were not like his branches;
lesser states still: which, though well set, and well spread, and full of people, yet not answerable to some countries that were in the provinces that belonged to the Assyrian empire: not any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty;
no king, prince, or potentate whatever in the whole world, was to be compared to him for royal majesty and greatness. The Targum is,

``mighty kings could not prevail against him, because of the strength of his power, which he had from the Lord; rulers could not stand before his army, and mighty men could not prevail against his auxiliaries, because of the strength of power he had from the Lord; there is none like to him in his strength.''

Ezekiel 31:8 In-Context

6 In its branches all the birds of the heaven made their nest, and under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth, and in its shadow all [the] many nations lived.

7 And it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches, for its root [was] toward much water.

8 Cedars in the garden of God could not [be] equal to it; fir trees could not resemble its branches, and plane trees were not [even] like its branches; any tree [even] in the garden of God could not resemble it in its beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with the abundance of its branches, and all of the trees of Eden that [were] in the garden of God envied it.'"

10 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "{Because} it was tall in height and it set its treetop between thick clouds, and {he took pride in his tallness},

Footnotes

• [a]. Or possibly, juniper