English Standard Version
Ezekiel 31:14
14All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit.
Ezekiel 31:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.
- New King James Version (NKJV)‘So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them. ‘For they have all been delivered to death, To the depths of the earth, Among the children of men who go down to the Pit.’
- New Living Translation (NLT)Let the tree of no other nation proudly exult in its own prosperity, though it be higher than the clouds and it be watered from the depths. For all are doomed to die, to go down to the depths of the earth. They will land in the pit along with everyone else on earth.
Context of Ezekiel 31:14
12Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. 13On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit. 15"Thus says the Lord God: On the day the cedar went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the world below.
Read all of Ezekiel 31Ezekiel 31:14 word by word
לְמַ֡עַן אֲשֶׁר֩ לֹא־יִגְבְּה֨וּ בְקוֹמָתָ֜ם כָּל־עֲצֵי־מַ֗יִם וְלֹֽא־יִתְּנ֤וּ אֶת־צַמַּרְתָּם֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ין עֲבֹתִ֔ים וְלֹֽא־יַעַמְד֧וּ אֵלֵיהֶ֛ם בְּגָבְהָ֖ם כָּל־שֹׁ֣תֵי מָ֑יִם כִּֽי־כֻלָּם֩ נִתְּנ֨וּ לַמָּ֜וֶת אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ תַּחְתִּ֗ית בְּת֛וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י אָדָ֖ם אֶל־י֥וֹרְדֵי בֽוֹר׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- To the end that none of all the treesעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
- by the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- exaltגָּבַהּgâbahh · be highH1361
- themselves for their heightקוֹמָהqômâh · heightH6967
- neither shoot upנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- their topצַמֶּ֫רֶתtsammereth · treetopH6788
- among the thick boughsעֲבֹת‛ăbôth ‛ăbôth ‛ăbôthâh · cordH5688
- neither their treesאַ֫יִל'ayil · terebinthH352
- stand upעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: riseH5975
- in their heightגֹּ֫בַהּgôbahh · heightH1363
- all that drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- for they are all deliveredנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- unto deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- to the nether partsתַּחְתִּיtachtîy · lowerH8482
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- with them that go downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- to the pitבּוֹרbôr · pitH953
Cross-references for Ezekiel 31:14
- Deuteronomy 13:11And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.
- Deuteronomy 21:21Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
- Nehemiah 13:18Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath."
- Daniel 4:32and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will."
- Daniel 5:22And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this,
- 1 Corinthians 10:11Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
- 2 Peter 2:6if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
- Psalms 82:7nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince."
- Hebrews 9:27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
- Ezekiel 32:18"Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and send them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, to the world below, to those who have gone down to the pit:
- Psalms 63:9But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
Commentaries on Ezekiel 31:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14To the end that none of all the trees - Let this ruin, fallen upon Egypt, teach all the nations that shall hear of it to be humble, because, however elevated, God can soon bring them down; and pride and arrogance, either in states or individuals, have the peculiar abhorrence of God. Pride does not suit the sons of men; it made devils of angels, and makes fiends of men.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-14Verses 10-14 Assyria‘s fall. Ezekiel 31:11 More accurately: Therefore I will deliver him, etc he shall surely deal with him. I have driven him out, etc. Ezekiel 31:14 Their trees - Rather, as in the margin, “standing unto themselves” meaning “standing in their own strength.” The clause will then run thus: “Neither all that drink water stand up” in their own strength. “All that drink water” means mighty princes to whom wealth and prosperity flow in. The…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-18Verses 10-18 The king of Egypt resembled the king of Assyria in his greatness: here we see he resembles him in his pride. And he shall resemble him in his fall. His own sin brings his ruin. None of our comforts are ever lost, but what have been a thousand times forfeited. When great men fall, many fall with them, as many have fallen before them. The fall of proud men is for warning to others, to keep them humble. See how low Pharaoh lies; and see what all…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-14Egypt’s judgment would teach the other nations an important lesson. No matter how powerful they believed themselves to be, they would all one day die and go down to the Pit (the place of the dead).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. trees by the waters--that is, that are plentifully supplied by the waters: nations abounding in resources. stand up in their height--that is, trust in their height: stand upon it as their ground of confidence. Fairbairn points the Hebrew differently, so as for "their trees," to translate, "(And that none that drink water may stand) on themselves, (because of their greatness)." But the usual reading is better, as Assyria and the confederate states…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 31:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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