Revised Literal Translation
Ezekiel 31:3
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.1
Ezekiel 31:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, With fine branches that shaded the forest, And of high stature; And its top was among the thick boughs.
Context of Ezekiel 31:3
1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of Yhwh came unto me, saying, 2Son 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. 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.
Read all of Ezekiel 31Ezekiel 31:3 word by word
הִנֵּ֨ה אַשּׁ֜וּר אֶ֣רֶז בַּלְּבָנ֗וֹן יְפֵ֥ה עָנָ֛ף וְחֹ֥רֶשׁ מֵצַ֖ל וּגְבַ֣הּ קוֹמָ֑ה וּבֵ֣ין עֲבֹתִ֔ים הָיְתָ֖ה צַמַּרְתּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
- Behold, the Assyrianאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804
- a cedarאֶ֫רֶז'erez · cedarH730
- in Lebanonלְבָנוֹןlebânôn · LebanonH3844
- with fairיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
- branchesעָנָף‛ânâph · branchH6057
- and with a shadowingצָלַלtsâlal · to shadeH6751
- shroudחֹ֫רֶשׁchôresh · woodH2793
- and of an highגָּבֹהַּgâbâhh · highH1362
- statureקוֹמָהqômâh · heightH6967
- and his topצַמֶּ֫רֶתtsammereth · treetopH6788
- was among the thick boughsעֲבֹת‛ăbôth ‛ăbôth ‛ăbôthâh · cordH5688
Cross-references for Ezekiel 31:3
- Nahum 3:1Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
- Zephaniah 2:13And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.
- Ezekiel 17:3And say, Thus saith the Lord Yhwh; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
- Isaiah 10:33Behold, the Lord, Yhwh of Armies, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
- Isaiah 37:24By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
- Daniel 4:10Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
- Zechariah 11:2Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.
- Ezekiel 31:6All 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.
- Judges 9:15And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
- Daniel 4:12The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 31:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar - Why is the Assyrian introduced here, when the whole chapter concerns Egypt? Bp. Lowth has shown that ארז אשור ashshur erez should be translated the tall cedar, the very stately cedar; hence there is reference to his lofty top; and all the following description belongs to Egypt, not to Assyria. But see on Ezekiel 31:11; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3-9Verses 3-9 Fifth prophecy against Egypt: a warning to Pharaoh from the fate of the Assyrians. The Assyrian empire, after having been supreme in Asia for four centuries, had been overthrown by the united forces of the Babylonians and Medes, in the year of the battle of Carchemish (605 b.c.), which had broken the power of Egypt. This gives force to the warning to Egypt from Assyria‘s fall. Ezekiel 31:4 His plants - Rather, her plantation. The water…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4The cedar of Lebanon was a tree known for its beauty and great value. People used its wood for building, trade, and even military purposes. Assyria is compared to a tall cedar tree. Its army had once been stronger than any other army. Like a tree whose top reaches the clouds, Assyria’s power seemed greater than all others.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. He illustrates the pride and the consequent overthrow of the Assyrian, that Egypt may the better know what she must expect. cedar in Lebanon--often eighty feet high, and the diameter of the space covered by its boughs still greater: the symmetry perfect. Compare the similar image (Eze 17:3; Da 4:20-22). with a shadowing shroud--with an overshadowing thicket. top ... among ... thick boughs--rather [Hengstenberg], "among the clouds." But English Version…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 31:3
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Ezekiel 31:3 with fair branches: Heb. fair of branches. ↩
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries