Ezekiel 31

A continuation of the judgments denounced against Pharaoh and his kingdom; whose pride God humbles by putting him in mind of the dreadful fall of the king of,. Nineveh, much superior to him in power and greatness, whose ruin the prophet elegantly describes under the metaphor of a fair flourishing tree cut down and withered.

Ezekiel 31:2

WHOM art thou like unto in greatness?. Thou pridest thyself as if there never was any prince or king that could compare with thee.

Ezekiel 31:3

Behold, the Assyrian teas a cedar in Lebanon, &c. By the Assyrian, Archbishop Usher, ad A. M. 3378. and Dr. Prideaux, par. i. p. 47. do most probably understand that king of Assyria, whom some call Chyniladanus, others Saracus. It is of this king of Assyria, the words of the prophet Nahum are to be understood, iii. 18. In like manner Zephaniah joins the destruction of Assyria, and the desolation of Nineveh together, ii. 13. Nabupolassar, the king of Babylon, and Cyaxares, the king of Media, called by the names of Nebuchadonosor and Assuerus in Tobit, xiv. 15. joining their forces together against him, besieged Nineveh, took it, and after having slain the king, utterly destroyed that great and famous city; and put an end to that part of the Assyrian empire. Nabupolassar having before possessed himself of the other part, which was properly called the Babylonian empire. (Seer Dr. Prideaux, p. 45.) In this remarkable catastrophe, the prophecies of Jonah, Nahum, and Zephaniah, foretelling the destruction of Nineveh, were fulfilled. The king of Nineveh is compared here to a fair and tall cedar, such as grow in Mount Lebanon. (See the like comparison, Isa. x. 34. xxxvii. 24. Zech. xi. 2.) The greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s power and kingdom, is set forth under the same resemblance, Dan. iv. 10, &c., His top was among the thick bouglis.] He overtopped all the other flourishing trees. (Compare xvii. 3. xix. 11.)

Ezekiel 31:4

The waters made him great, &c. As trees flourish by a river side, (compare xvii. 5.)*so the traffic of the several branches of the river Tigris, upon which Nineveh was situate, made that city and kingdom rich and populous, and she imparled her wealth and stores among the neighbouring provinces. (Compare Nahum ii. 6.)

Ezekiel 31:5

Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field. He became greater than all the kings about him. (Compare Dan. iv. 11.)

Ezekiel 31:6

All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, &c. Several nations" applied to him for protection, and thought themselves and all their concerns safe under his government. (Compare xvii. 23. Dan. iv. 12.)

Ezekiel 31:8

Tlie cedars in the garden of God could not hide him. He overtopped the goodly cedars, called in the Hebrew, the cedars of God: (Psal. Ixxx. 10.) such fair ones as might be supposed to have grown in Paradise. (Compare xxviii. 13.)

Ezekiel 31:9

So that all the trees of Eden— envied him. All the kings of the east envied him and his greatness; as the Chaldee paraphrast expresseth the sense.

Ezekiel 31:10

Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, Microsoft® 5G [chap. XXXII. &c. Because thy pride hath still increased with thy prosperity. (Compare xxviii. 17.) Vcr. 11. I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen.’] Or, Jhe mighty one of the nations, as the word gojim is rendered in the next verse. The word El, though commonly spoken of God, yet is sometimes applied to heroes; (see xxxii. 21.) sometimes to angels, as being mighty in strength, as Psal. lxxxix. G. So God here saith, he delivered the Assyrians into the hand of Nahupolassar king of Babylon, who joining his forces with Cyaxares king of Media, his confederate, made themselves masters of Nineveh, and the king of Assyria, whose seat it was. Vcr. 12. And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have ait him off, and have left him, &c.] Compare xxviii. 7. xxx. 11. The armies of the kings of Babylon and Media shall utterly destroy him and his empire, and leave him without life or strength, like a tree that is cut down, dried up, and withered. Upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, &c.] As the limbs of such a tree arc broke by the fall, and those that rested under its shadow arc frighted away, and have forsook the place: so the Assyrian army lies slain here and there: (compare xxxii. 5. xxxv. 8.) and those that lived under his protection and government withdrew their obedience from him. (Compare Dan. iv. 14.)

Ezekiel 31:13

Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, &c. As the birds sit upon the boughs of a tree cut down, and the beasts browse upon its branches;. so his dominions shall be a prey to the conquerors: or his armies that are slain, shall become meat to the birds and beasts. (Compare xxix. 5. Isa. xviii. G.)

Ezekiel 31:14

To the end that none of the trees by the ivaters exalt themselves, &c. Thy destruction shall be a warning to other kings and potentates, to deter them from priding themselves in the time of their prosperity. (See xxviii. 17.) For they are all delivered unto death.’] Whatever distinction there is between them and the inferior sort, death shall make them all equal; (see Psal. lxxxii. 7.) and particularly to Egypt, and those other countries against which God hath denounced his judgments, the same fate is allotted which this Assyrian monarch has already undergone. (See xxxii. 18, &c.) Vcr. 15. In the day when he went down to the grave.] This and the following verse are an elegant description of that consternation that seized the king of Assyria’s allies at the suddenness of his downfal: the same metaphor being still pursued. I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him.] The sense might better be expressed thus: I covered the deep with mourning: for when two verbs are joined together in the Hebrew, one is usually taken in the sense of a noun, or an adverb. The deep that nursed up this fair tree, (vcr. 4.) is described as mourning at its downfal. I restrained the floods thereof and the great ivaters were stayed.] As if the streams had stopped their usual course, on purpose to lament his fate. I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, &c.] The forest of Lebanon, and all the stately trees in it, sympathized with his misfortunes; t. e. all his confederates and allies. Vcr. 16. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall] See xxvi. 15. Wlien I cast him down to hell [or the grave] with them that descend into the pit.] See xxxii. 18. 21. Isa. xiv. 15. All the trees of Eden, the choim of Lebanon, all that drink water, [see ver. 14.] shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.] The deceased princes, confederates to the Assyrians, described here as so many stately trees and cedars, shall feel some mitigation of their calamities, when they see thee brought down as low as themselves. (Comxxxii. 31. Isa. xiv. 8 — 10. a place exactly parallel to this.) Vcr. 17. They also went down to hell [or the grave] with him.] His allies underwent the same fate with himself, and were cut ofFin the common destruction. (Seexxxii.20,&c.) Even they that ivere’his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.] Or, the nations; (see ver. 11.) his auxiliaries: (see xxx. 8. xxxii. 21.) who lived under his protection in several countries and provinces. (Compare Lam. iv. 20.) Vcr. 18. To ivhom art thou thus like in glonj and greatness among the trees of Eden?] The prophet now applies himself to the king of Egypt; q. d. Wilt thou still boast thyself, as if no prince were thine equal? (sec ver. 2.) yet thou shalt undergo the same fate with this fair flourishing cedar, the king of Assyria. (See ver. 14. and compare xxxii. 19.) Thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, &c.] Sec xxviii. 10. xxxii. 19, 20. This is Pharaoh, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.] The judgment that befel the king of Assyria here described, is an exact representation of the destruction that remains for Pharaoh and his people: the word is commonly denotes the same as to signify or represent, especially in prophecies, parables, and such-like figurative descriptions. (Sec xxxiv. 31. xxxvii. 11. Gen. xli. 2G. Exod. xii. 11. Matt. xiii. 19’. xxvi. 2G.)