Ezekiel Chapter 31

Updated: September 14, 2025

Egypt will Fall Like Assyria

1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

3Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

4The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.

5Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

6All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.

7Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.

8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

9I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

10Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 11I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness. 12And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 13Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 14To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

15Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 16I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.

18To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Egypt Will Fall like Assyria

1 It happened in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: Whom are you like in your greatness?

3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

4 The waters nourished it, the deep made it to grow: its rivers ran all around its plantation; and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.

5 Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it shot them forth.

6 All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches all the animals of the field brought forth their young; and all great nations lived under its shadow.

7 Thus was it beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters.

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir trees were not like its boughs, and the plane trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.

9 I made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied it.

10 Therefore thus said the Lord Yahweh: Because you are exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 11 I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness. 12 Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 13 On his ruin all the birds of the sky shall dwell, and all the animals of the field shall be on his branches; 14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up on their height, even all who drink water: for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.

15 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers; and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, that lived under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth: you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord Yahweh.

Egypt Will Fall like Assyria

1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:

‘Who can be compared

to your greatness?

3 Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,

with beautiful branches that shaded the forest.

It towered on high;

its top was among the clouds.

4 The waters made it grow;

the deep springs made it tall,

directing their streams all around its base

and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.

5 Therefore it towered higher

than all the trees of the field.

Its branches multiplied,

and its boughs grew long

as it spread them out

because of the abundant waters.

6 All the birds of the air

nested in its branches,

and all the beasts of the field

gave birth beneath its boughs;

all the great nations

lived in its shade.

7 It was beautiful in its greatness,

in the length of its limbs,

for its roots extended

to abundant waters.

8 The cedars in the garden of God

could not rival it;

the cypresses a could not compare with its branches,

nor the plane trees b match its boughs.

No tree in the garden of God

could compare with its beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with its many branches,

the envy of all the trees of Eden,

which were in the garden of God.’

10 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became great c in height and set its top among the clouds, d and it grew proud on account of its height, 11 I delivered it into the hand of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its wickedness. I have banished it.

12 Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

13 All the birds of the air nested on its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its boughs. 14 This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’

15 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16 I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit.

Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. 17 They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.

18 Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’ ”

Footnotes:

8 a Or pines  or junipers  or firs
8 b Possibly chestnut  or juniper
10 c Hebrew you became great
10 d Or through the thick boughs

Egypt will Fall Like Assyria

1And it cometh to pass, in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first of the month, hath a word of Jehovah been unto me, saying:

2'Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and unto his multitude: To whom hast thou been like in thy greatness?

3Lo, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, Fair in branch, and shading bough, and high in stature, And between thickets hath its foliage been.

4Waters have made it great, The deep hath exalted him with its flowings, Going round about its planting, And its conduits it hath sent forth unto all trees of the field.

5Therefore higher hath been his stature than all trees of the field, And multiplied are his boughs, and long are his branches, Because of many waters in his shooting forth,

6In his boughs made a nest hath every fowl of the heavens, And under his branches brought forth hath every beast of the field, And in his shade dwell do all great nations.

7And he is fair in his greatness, In the length of his thin shoots, For his root hath been by great waters.

8Cedars have not hid him in the garden of God, Firs have not been like unto his boughs, And chesnut-trees have not been as his branches, No tree in the garden of God hath been like unto him in his beauty,

9Fair I have made him in the multitude of his thin shoots, And envy him do all trees of Eden that are in the garden of God.

10Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because that thou hast been high in stature, And he yieldeth his foliage between thickets, And high is his heart in his haughtiness, 11I give him into the hand of a god of nations, He dealeth sorely with him, In his wickedness I have cast him out. 12And cut him off do strangers, The terrible of nations, and they leave him, On the mountains and in all valleys have his thin shoots fallen, And broken are his boughs at all streams of the land, And go down from his shade do all peoples of the land, and they leave him. 13On his ruin dwell do all fowls of the heavens, And on his boughs have been all the beasts of the field, 14In order that none of the trees of the waters May become haughty because of their stature, Nor give their foliage between thickets, Nor any drinking waters stand up unto them in their haughtiness, For all of them are given up to death, Unto the earth -- the lower part, In the midst of the sons of men, Unto those going down to the pit.

15Thus said the Lord Jehovah: In the day of his going down to sheol I have caused mourning, I have covered for him the deep, and diminish its flowings, And restrained are many waters, And I make Lebanon black for him, And all trees of the field have been covered for him. 16From the sound of his fall I have caused nations to shake, In My causing him to go down to sheol, With those going down to the pit, And comforted in the earth -- the lower part, are all trees of Eden, The choice and the good of Lebanon, All drinking waters. 17Also they with him have gone down to sheol, Unto the pierced of the sword, And -- his arm -- they dwelt in his shade in the midst of nations.

18Unto whom hast thou been thus like, In honour and in greatness among the trees of Eden, And thou hast been brought down with the trees of Eden, Unto the earth -- the lower part, In the midst of the uncircumcised thou liest, With the pierced of the sword? It is Pharaoh, and all his multitude, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

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The F.O.G Commentary

When Giants Fall: The Cedar’s Last Stand

What’s Ezekiel 31 about?

This isn’t just another prophetic warning—it’s God using the most magnificent tree imagery in all of Scripture to show how even the mightiest nations can’t escape their pride. Through the story of an incredible cedar that touched the heavens, Ezekiel delivers a crushing reality check about power, pride, and the inevitable fall that follows.

The Full Context

Picture this: it’s around 587 BCE, and Jerusalem is about to fall to Babylon. The Jewish exiles are sitting by the rivers of Babylon, wondering if their God has abandoned them entirely. Meanwhile, Egypt—their former ally and supposed regional superpower—is looking pretty confident about their own strength. Enter Ezekiel, God’s prophet with a gift for unforgettable imagery, who’s about to deliver one of the most stunning object lessons in biblical literature.

Ezekiel 31 sits right in the middle of the prophet’s oracles against the nations (chapters 25-32), specifically targeting Egypt and its Pharaoh. But this isn’t just political commentary—it’s theological warfare. Using the universal language of nature that every ancient Near Eastern culture understood, God paints a picture so vivid and devastating that it would have left the original audience speechless. The literary genius here is that Ezekiel takes the very symbols of strength and permanence that these cultures prized most—mighty trees, flowing rivers, soaring heights—and turns them into a cautionary tale about the dangers of forgetting who’s really in charge.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew word choice in Ezekiel 31:3 is absolutely stunning. When the text describes this cedar as ’erez, it’s not talking about just any tree—this is the cedar of Lebanon, the Rolls Royce of ancient timber. These weren’t garden-variety trees; they were the building material of choice for temples and palaces, symbols of strength, durability, and divine favor.

But here’s where it gets interesting: the phrase shamir tzahal (beautiful in branches) uses a word that elsewhere describes the beauty of a bride or the splendor of a king. God isn’t describing some scraggly pine—this is nature’s masterpiece, so magnificent that it makes other trees jealous.

Grammar Geeks

The Hebrew verb for “made great” (gadal) in verse 4 is in the Piel form, which intensifies the action. It’s not just that the tree grew—God actively, intentionally made it great. The same verb form is used when God “makes great” His own name. The implication? This tree’s greatness was entirely dependent on divine favor.

The waters that nourish this cedar aren’t just irrigation—they’re mayim rabbim, “great waters” or “many waters,” the same phrase used to describe the primordial waters of creation and God’s own dwelling place. This tree isn’t just well-watered; it’s connected to the very source of life itself.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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What is the F.O.G?

To understand the gut punch this chapter delivers, you need to think like an ancient Near Easterner. Trees weren’t just landscaping—they were cosmic symbols. The Tree of Life, the World Tree, the axis connecting earth and heaven—every major culture had these concepts. When Ezekiel describes a cedar whose top reaches into the clouds and whose roots drink from the deep waters, his audience would immediately think: “This is the center of the world, the axis of all creation.”

The description in verses 5-9 would have sounded like their version of a nature documentary about the most amazing tree that ever existed. All the birds nest in its branches, all the animals give birth under its shade, all the great nations live in its shadow. This isn’t just a big tree—this is Eden-level perfection.

Did You Know?

Ancient Mesopotamian kings regularly compared themselves to cosmic trees in their royal inscriptions. Nebuchadnezzar II actually had a dream about a great tree (recorded in Daniel 4) that sounds remarkably similar to Ezekiel’s description. The imagery would have been instantly recognizable as royal propaganda—except here, God’s using it for a very different purpose.

But then comes the devastating turn in verse 10: “Because it towered high and set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was proud of its height…” The Hebrew word for “proud” here is gabah, which literally means “to be high” or “to be exalted.” The tree’s very strength became the source of its downfall—it forgot that its height was a gift, not an achievement.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s what makes this passage so powerful and so troubling: the tree did nothing wrong by growing tall. God gave it the water, God made it beautiful, God caused it to tower above every other tree. So why does it get chopped down for being exactly what God made it to be?

The answer lies in that crucial phrase about the heart being “proud of its height.” The tree didn’t sin by growing—it sinned by taking credit. It began to see its magnificence as self-generated rather than God-given. The same gifts that were meant to bring glory to the Giver became occasions for self-glorification.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Notice that the tree gets handed over to “the mighty one of the nations” (el gibbor goyim) in verse 11. This isn’t God directly destroying the tree—He’s using human agents. The fall of great powers rarely happens in a vacuum; there’s always someone else ready to take their place, often using the very pride that caused the downfall.

The imagery of verses 15-18 is haunting. When the great cedar falls, the waters are covered in mourning, Lebanon is made to quake, and all the trees of the field faint. It’s like watching the ecosystem collapse when the keystone species disappears. This isn’t just political change—it’s cosmic upheaval.

But here’s the most chilling part: all those other trees that found shelter and safety in the cedar’s shadow? They end up in Sheol (the realm of the dead) right alongside it. When the mighty fall, they often take their dependents down with them.

How This Changes Everything

The genius of Ezekiel 31 is how it flips our entire understanding of strength and security. We naturally look for the biggest, strongest, most impressive powers to align ourselves with. We want to nest in the branches of the mightiest cedar, to live in the shadow of the greatest empire, to hitch our wagons to the most successful stars.

But this chapter says: be very careful which tree you choose to shelter under. All human power, no matter how magnificent, no matter how God-blessed, carries the seeds of its own destruction the moment it forgets its dependence on the ultimate Source.

“The same gifts that were meant to bring glory to the Giver became occasions for self-glorification.”

This isn’t just ancient history or political commentary—it’s a mirror. Every time we start taking credit for our successes, every time we begin to see our achievements as self-generated, every time we forget that our breath itself is a gift, we’re following the cedar’s path toward prideful destruction.

The chapter ends with a direct address to Pharaoh in verse 18: “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.” The application is crystal clear. Egypt, for all its power and glory, is heading for the same fall as the magnificent cedar. And so is every other power that forgets its place in the cosmic order.

Key Takeaway

True security comes not from aligning with the mightiest earthly power, but from staying connected to the ultimate Source of all power—even when that Source seems less impressive than the towering cedars around us.

Ezekiel Chapter 31

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