Ezekiel 31: The Fall of Pride and Power
And 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,
Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
Behold, 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.
The 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.
Therefore 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.
All 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.
Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
The 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.
I 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.
Therefore 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;
I 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.
And 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.
Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:
To 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.
Thus 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.
I 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.
They 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.
To 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.
Ezekiel 31 delivers a powerful message about the dangers of pride and the inevitable downfall of earthly power, using vivid imagery and historical context to drive home its point. This chapter, delivered shortly after the prophecy in Ezekiel 30:20 (Ezekiel 31:1), serves as a stark warning to Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt, who, in his arrogance, believed himself to be unmatched in greatness (Ezekiel 31:2). Ezekiel masterfully employs an allegory centered on Assyria, a former dominant power, to illustrate Egypt’s impending destruction. The memory of Assyria's defeat at the hands of the Babylonians in 609 BC (under Nebuchadnezzar) would have served as a chilling reminder to Hophra that even the mightiest empires can fall, and that God would use the same Babylonian power to humble Egypt.
The Lofty Cedar: Assyria's Rise and Pride
The prophet likens Assyria to a magnificent cedar of Lebanon (Ezekiel 31:3). These cedars were renowned in the ancient world for their towering height and unparalleled beauty, making them a fitting symbol for a proud king or nation that considers itself superior to all others. Ezekiel describes how the cedar, nourished by the life-giving waters of the Tigris River (Ezekiel 31:4), grew to become greater than all the trees of the field, representing other nations (Ezekiel 31:4-5). Its immense size provided shade and shelter for many nations around it (Ezekiel 31:6), emphasizing Assyria's widespread influence and dominion. Ezekiel even uses hyperbole, suggesting that even the cedars in God's garden, Eden, could not compare to Assyria and envied its splendor (Ezekiel 31:8-9).
This depiction of Assyria's greatness was not mere fantasy; it reflected historical reality. The Assyrian Empire dominated the ancient world from the ninth to the seventh centuries BC before its conquest by Babylon. From God's perspective, Pharaoh Hophra's self-aggrandizement was a dangerous illusion. He fancied himself the next great world leader, oblivious to the fact that God had brought down even mightier powers than his.
The Felling of the Cedar: Assyria's Downfall and a Lesson Ignored
The allegory then shifts to the inevitable fall of this great empire. Assyria's very stature, its position as the "top dog" among nations, led to pride and arrogance (Ezekiel 31:10). This pride, in the biblical context, signifies an elevation of oneself above God, a refusal to humbly acknowledge Him as the one true God. Assyria's wickedness compounded its pride, leading God to hand it over to ruthless men – the Babylonians – who cut it down and left it in ruins (Ezekiel 31:11-14). This served as a powerful object lesson to other nations: self-exaltation leads to destruction, and all are destined for the grave ("the Pit"), not for lasting glory (Ezekiel 31:14).
Tragically, Egypt completely disregarded this warning. The nations that had once lived under Assyria's shadow mourned its downfall, trembling at the thought that such a mighty empire could be destroyed (Ezekiel 31:15-16). The imagery of nations already in Sheol (the grave or underworld) being "comforted" by Assyria's fall (Ezekiel 31:16-17) suggests a grim satisfaction, a relief that even the mighty Assyria could not escape the common fate of death and destruction.
Egypt's Impending Doom: A Full Circle
Egypt, having been Assyria's ally before its defeat, should have heeded this lesson. However, they failed to learn from history and were destined to share the same fate. Ezekiel concludes the prophecy by explicitly stating, "This is Pharaoh and all his hordes" (Ezekiel 31:18), bringing the allegory full circle and directly applying the warning to Egypt. Pharaoh's reliance on his vast army would prove futile against the Babylonian invasion.
Ezekiel 31 serves as a timeless reminder that pride precedes a fall (Proverbs 16:18). It underscores the futility of earthly power and the importance of humility before God. The chapter is a powerful warning against self-reliance and a call to acknowledge God's sovereignty in all things. Just as Assyria and Egypt were humbled, so too will all those who exalt themselves above God. The chapter encourages us to examine our own hearts, ensuring that we are not placing our trust in our own strength or accomplishments, but in the unfailing power and grace of God.
And 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,
Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
Behold, 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.
The 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.
Therefore 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.
All 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.
Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
The 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.
I 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.
Therefore 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;
I 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.
And 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.
Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:
To 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.
Thus 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.
I 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.
They 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.
To 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.
Ezekiel 31 delivers a powerful message about the dangers of pride and the inevitable downfall of earthly power, using vivid imagery and historical context to drive home its point. This chapter, delivered shortly after the prophecy in Ezekiel 30:20 (Ezekiel 31:1), serves as a stark warning to Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt, who, in his arrogance, believed himself to be unmatched in greatness (Ezekiel 31:2). Ezekiel masterfully employs an allegory centered on Assyria, a former dominant power, to illustrate Egypt’s impending destruction. The memory of Assyria's defeat at the hands of the Babylonians in 609 BC (under Nebuchadnezzar) would have served as a chilling reminder to Hophra that even the mightiest empires can fall, and that God would use the same Babylonian power to humble Egypt.
The Lofty Cedar: Assyria's Rise and Pride
The prophet likens Assyria to a magnificent cedar of Lebanon (Ezekiel 31:3). These cedars were renowned in the ancient world for their towering height and unparalleled beauty, making them a fitting symbol for a proud king or nation that considers itself superior to all others. Ezekiel describes how the cedar, nourished by the life-giving waters of the Tigris River (Ezekiel 31:4), grew to become greater than all the trees of the field, representing other nations (Ezekiel 31:4-5). Its immense size provided shade and shelter for many nations around it (Ezekiel 31:6), emphasizing Assyria's widespread influence and dominion. Ezekiel even uses hyperbole, suggesting that even the cedars in God's garden, Eden, could not compare to Assyria and envied its splendor (Ezekiel 31:8-9).
This depiction of Assyria's greatness was not mere fantasy; it reflected historical reality. The Assyrian Empire dominated the ancient world from the ninth to the seventh centuries BC before its conquest by Babylon. From God's perspective, Pharaoh Hophra's self-aggrandizement was a dangerous illusion. He fancied himself the next great world leader, oblivious to the fact that God had brought down even mightier powers than his.
The Felling of the Cedar: Assyria's Downfall and a Lesson Ignored
The allegory then shifts to the inevitable fall of this great empire. Assyria's very stature, its position as the "top dog" among nations, led to pride and arrogance (Ezekiel 31:10). This pride, in the biblical context, signifies an elevation of oneself above God, a refusal to humbly acknowledge Him as the one true God. Assyria's wickedness compounded its pride, leading God to hand it over to ruthless men – the Babylonians – who cut it down and left it in ruins (Ezekiel 31:11-14). This served as a powerful object lesson to other nations: self-exaltation leads to destruction, and all are destined for the grave ("the Pit"), not for lasting glory (Ezekiel 31:14).
Tragically, Egypt completely disregarded this warning. The nations that had once lived under Assyria's shadow mourned its downfall, trembling at the thought that such a mighty empire could be destroyed (Ezekiel 31:15-16). The imagery of nations already in Sheol (the grave or underworld) being "comforted" by Assyria's fall (Ezekiel 31:16-17) suggests a grim satisfaction, a relief that even the mighty Assyria could not escape the common fate of death and destruction.
Egypt's Impending Doom: A Full Circle
Egypt, having been Assyria's ally before its defeat, should have heeded this lesson. However, they failed to learn from history and were destined to share the same fate. Ezekiel concludes the prophecy by explicitly stating, "This is Pharaoh and all his hordes" (Ezekiel 31:18), bringing the allegory full circle and directly applying the warning to Egypt. Pharaoh's reliance on his vast army would prove futile against the Babylonian invasion.
Ezekiel 31 serves as a timeless reminder that pride precedes a fall (Proverbs 16:18). It underscores the futility of earthly power and the importance of humility before God. The chapter is a powerful warning against self-reliance and a call to acknowledge God's sovereignty in all things. Just as Assyria and Egypt were humbled, so too will all those who exalt themselves above God. The chapter encourages us to examine our own hearts, ensuring that we are not placing our trust in our own strength or accomplishments, but in the unfailing power and grace of God.