Ezekiel 31:15

15 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: When the tree went down to the grave, I made people mourn. I covered the underground springs and held back the rivers. The many water sources stopped flowing. I made Lebanon mourn for the tree, and all the trees in the field fainted as they grieved over it.

Ezekiel 31:15 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 31:15

Thus saith the Lord God, in the day when he went down to the
grave
The Assyrian monarch; when his monarchy was destroyed, and he ceased to be king, and was stripped of all his majesty, power, and authority, and was as one dead, and laid in the grave, and buried: I caused a mourning:
that is, for him, in the waters, and among the trees, among the people and the kings of the earth, as follows: I covered the deep for him;
with mourning, with thick darkness, which set him up on high ( Ezekiel 31:4 ) : and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed;
which made him great, ( Ezekiel 31:4 ) , signifying by all this that the kingdoms of the world, comparable to the sea, of which his monarchy consisted, and all the inhabitants and people of them, comparable to floods and great waters, were affected with the fall of this great monarch, and thrown into consternation by it; not knowing what the event of things would be, stood still, and knew not what course to take; all business was stopped, especially all traffic by sea, and all trade and commerce every where; a stagnation of everything for a while: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him;
where he was a cedar, ( Ezekiel 31:3 ) , this may respect the whole empire he was head of, particularly the kingdom of Syria, on the borders of which Lebanon was; and was a part of the Assyrian empire, which must mourn and be concerned at the fall of it: and all the trees of the field fainted for him:
all the kings of the earth that were in alliance with him, or subject to him, trembled for fear that their destruction would be next; or as doubtful and concerned what would be their condition, under the yoke of another. The Targum is,

``tribulation covered the world, and the provinces were forsaken, and many people trembled, and all the kings of the people smote the shoulder because of him.''

Ezekiel 31:15 In-Context

13 All the birds perched on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived in its branches.

14 Then all the other trees growing by the water were kept from becoming arrogant because of their height, and their tops were no longer allowed to reach the clouds. So no tree, even if it is well-watered, will ever stand that tall. Every tree is going to die and go below the earth to join those who have died and gone down to the pit.

15 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: When the tree went down to the grave, I made people mourn. I covered the underground springs and held back the rivers. The many water sources stopped flowing. I made Lebanon mourn for the tree, and all the trees in the field fainted as they grieved over it.

16 I made the nations tremble in fear at the sound of the tree's crash. I brought the tree down to the grave to join those who had gone down to the pit. Then all the trees in Eden, the choicest and best trees of Lebanon, and all the trees that were well-watered were comforted below the earth.

17 They had gone down with the tree in the grave to join others killed in battle. All who lived in its shadow were scattered among the nations.