Ezekiel Chapter 31 — The Allegory of the Cedar Tree
God commands Ezekiel to warn Pharaoh by comparing Egypt to a magnificent cedar tree that was cut down because of its pride.
1In the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt and his multitude:
3Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon
4The waters nourished it.
5Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field;
6All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs.
7Thus it was beautiful in its greatness,
8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it.
9I made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches,
10“Therefore thus said the Lord GOD: ‘Because he is exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick branches, and his heart is lifted up in his height,
11I will deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. He will surely deal with him. I have driven him out for his wickedness.
12Foreigners, the tyrants of the nations, have cut him off and have left him. His branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land. All the peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow and have left him.
13All the birds of the sky will dwell on his ruin, and all the animals of the field will be on his branches,
14to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, and don’t set their top among the thick boughs. Their mighty ones don’t stand up on their height, even all who drink water; for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, among the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.’
15“The Lord GOD says: ‘In the day when he went down to Sheol,*Sheol is the place of the dead. I caused a mourning. I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers. The great waters were stopped. 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 Sheol†Sheol is the place of the dead. with those who descend into the pit. All the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth.
17They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, who lived under his shadow in the middle 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 will lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Ezekiel 31:10
“Therefore thus said the Lord GOD: ‘Because he is exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick branches, and his heart is lifted up in his height,'”
This verse identifies pride as the primary reason for the tree's downfall and the nation's judgment.
Ezekiel 31:18
“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.”
This concluding verse directly applies the allegory to Pharaoh, emphasizing that even the greatest powers are temporary.
Chapter Summary
In Ezekiel 31, the prophet receives a word for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, on the first day of the third month in the eleventh year of exile. Using a vivid allegory, God compares the greatness of an empire to a massive cedar in Lebanon, specifically referencing the glory and subsequent fall of Assyria as a warning. This tree was nourished by abundant waters, growing taller and more beautiful than any other in the garden of God, providing shelter for birds and shade for all nations. However, because the tree became proud of its height and stature, the Lord delivered it into the hands of a foreign ruler to be destroyed. The mighty cedar was cut down by foreigners, its branches scattered across the mountains and valleys. The chapter concludes by describing the tree's descent into Sheol, the place of the dead, where it joins other fallen leaders. This serves as a direct warning to Pharaoh that despite his current glory, he will be brought down to the lower parts of the earth.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cedar tree represents a great and beautiful empire—specifically Assyria—used as a metaphor to show Pharaoh that Egypt's own power and beauty are not permanent.
According to the text, the tree was judged because it became proud and 'exalted in stature.' God brought judgment because the tree's heart was lifted up due to its height and success.
The tree is cut down by foreign nations and cast into Sheol, the place of the dead. It serves as a somber warning that no earthly power can escape mortality or divine accountability.
Study Note
The imagery of 'the garden of God' and 'Eden' suggests that the world's great empires often rivaled the beauty of God's original creation, yet remained subject to His ultimate authority.
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