Ezekiel 31:1-11

1 And it was done in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month (on the first day of the month), the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
2 Thou, son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his people, To whom art thou made like in thy greatness?
3 Lo! Assur as a cedar in Lebanon, fair in branches, and full of boughs, and high by highness; and his height was raised [up] among thick boughs. (Lo! Assyria was like a cedar in Lebanon, that was beautiful in branches, and full of boughs, and high by highness; and its height was raised up among the thick boughs.)
4 Waters nourished him, the depth of waters enhanced him; his floods floated out in the compass of his roots, and he sent out his strands to all the trees of the country. (Waters nourished it, the waters from the depths raised it up, or made it grow; its rivers flowed out all around its roots, and it sent out its streams to all the trees in the country.)
5 Therefore his highness was enhanced over all [the] trees of the country, and his trees were multiplied, and his branches were raised [up], for many waters. And when he had stretched forth his shadow, (And so its highness was lifted up over all the trees of the country, and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches were raised up, because of the abundant waters. And when it had stretched forth its shadow,)
6 all the volatiles of the air made nests in his branches; and all the beasts of forests engendered under his boughs, and the company of full many folks dwelled under the shadowing place of him. (all the birds of the air made nests in its branches; and all the beasts of the forests begat under its boughs, and a great many nations lived under its shadow.)
7 And he was full fair in his greatness, and in alarging of his trees; for the root of him was beside many waters. (And it was very beautiful in its greatness, and in the enlarging of its branches; for its roots were beside many waters.)
8 Cedars in the paradise of God were not higher than he; fir trees attained not evenly to the highness of him, and plane trees were not even with the boughs of him. Each tree of (the) paradise of God was not made like him in his fairness. (The cedars in the Garden of God were not higher than it was; the fir trees attained not equal to its highness, and the plane trees were not equal in height with its branches. Every tree of the Garden of God was not made like it, or was not equal to it, in its beauty.)
9 For I made him fair, and with many and thick boughs; and all the trees of lust, that were in the paradise of God, had envy to him. (For I made it beautiful, and with many thick branches; and all the trees of Eden, that were in the Garden of God, envied it.)
10 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, For that that he was raised in highness, and he gave his highness green and thick, and his heart was raised [up] in his highness; (And so the Lord God saith these things, Because it was raised up into highness, and it made its highness green and thick, its heart was also raised up in its highness;)
11 now I have given him into the hands of the strongest man of heathen men. And he doing shall do to that Assur; after the unfaithfulness of him I casted him out. (so now I have given it into the hands of the strongest man of the heathen. And he doing shall do to that Assyria; yea, because of its unfaithfulness, 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.