Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 31

Verse 1

the eleventh year . See note on Ezekiel 30:20 , and p. 1105. the third month. About two months before the fall of Jerusalem.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 .

Verse 2

Son of man . See note on Ezekiel 2:1 .

Verse 3

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos . App-6

the Assyrian. Ginsburg thinks this should read teashshur (= a box = tree) instead of ' ashshur (= an Assyrian). There is no article; and Egypt is the subject here, not Assyria. See note on Ezekiel 27:6 , and compare Isaiah 41:19 ; Isaiah 60:13 . The subject is the proud exaltation of Egypt, which is likened to a box or cypress, exalting itself into a cedar of Lebanon.

shroud = foliage.

Verse 4

waters . . . deep : i.e. the water = ways, and the Nile. Compare Ezekiel 31:15 .

Verse 5

branches. Hebrew text reads "branch" (singular); but margin, with some codices and four early printed editions, road "branches" (plural) Occurs only in Ezekiel.

Verse 6

boughs = arms. Occurs only here and in 31:8.

Verse 8

the garden of God. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 2:8 ). God. Hebrew. Elohim . App-4 .

Verse 9

Eden. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 2:0 ). Compare Ezekiel 28:13 . App-92 .

Verse 10

thus smith, he. See note on Ezekiel 44:9 .

the Lord God. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. See note on Ezekiel 2:4 .

thou . Pharaoh,

he . Ashur.

Verse 11

heathen = nations.

for. Many codices, with five early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "according to", as our text does. Other codices, with four early printed editions and Aramaean, read "in".

wickedness = lawlessness. Hebrew. rasha. App-44 .

Verse 12

strangers = foreigners.

rivers = torrents. Hebrew ' aphikim . See note on" channels", 2 Samuel 22:16 .

Verse 14

all. All the trees. So in Ezekiel 31:16 .

children = sons.

men. Hebrew ' adam . App-14 .

Verse 15

the grave. Hebrew. Sheol . App-35 .

Verse 16

I east gim down = I caused tint to descend.

hell = Sheol. Same word as "the grave" in Ezekiel 31:15 . the pit. Hebrew. bor . Showing the sense in which Sheol is used in Ezekiel 31:15 and Ezekiel 31:16 . See notes on "well", Genesis 21:19 ; and "pit", Isaiah 14:19 .

Verse 17

and they that were his arm. Septuagint and Syriac rend "and his seed".

Verse 18

saith the Lord GOD = [is] Adonai Jehovah's oracle.