Ezekiel 31:1-11

1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:

2 Mortal, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: Whom are you like in your greatness?

3 Consider Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade, and of great height, its top among the clouds.

4 The waters nourished it, the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow around the place it was planted, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field.

5 So it towered high above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long, from abundant water in its shoots.

6 All the birds of the air made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth to their young; and in its shade all great nations lived.

7 It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down to abundant water.

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared with its branches; no tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with its mass of branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God.

10 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height,

11 I gave it into the hand of the prince of the nations; he has dealt with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.

Ezekiel 31:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 31

This chapter contains a confirmation of the preceding prophecy, of the ruin of the king of Egypt, by the example of the king of Assyria, to whom he was like in grandeur and pride, and would be in his fall. The time of the prophecy is observed, Eze 31:1, the prophet is ordered to give the following relation to the king of Egypt, Eze 31:2 in which the king of Assyria is compared to a large and flourishing cedar, for the extent of his dominions, the prosperous state of his empire, and his exaltation above all other princes, which drew upon him their envy Eze 31:3-9, wherefore because of his pride, his heart being lifted up with these things, Eze 31:10, ruin came upon him; which is described by the instruments and manner of it, and the effects following it; mourning and fear in some, solace and comfort to others, and destruction to his associates, Eze 31:11-17, wherefore Pharaoh is called upon to consider all this, who was like to him in greatness and pride, and should have the like fate with him; nor could his greatness any more secure him than it did the Assyrian monarch, Eze 31:18.

Footnotes

• [a]. Gk: Heb [thick boughs]
• [b]. Gk: Heb [rivers going]
• [c]. Syr Vg: Heb [you]
• [d]. Gk: Heb [thick boughs]