Ezekiel 31:3-5
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The phrase "among the thick boughs" can also be read as "among the clouds," which powerfully highlights the Assyrian empire's immense pride and ambition to reach heights far beyond what was natural or even divinely permitted. This elevated imagery isn't just about size, but about a defiant aspiration that ultimately sets the stage for its downfall.
Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds. The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow around the place of its planting, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field. So it towered high above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long from abundant water in its shoots.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is about to unleash a powerful prophecy against Egypt, using the past glory and subsequent downfall of Assyria as a stark warning. The prophet likens Assyria to a magnificent cedar tree in Lebanon, symbolizing its immense power, expansive empire, and impressive stature among nations. This grandeur, however, is immediately set up as a prelude to its eventual destruction, which serves as a lesson for the proud Pharaoh of Egypt.
Imagine the most impressive tree you've ever seen. Now, amplify that by a thousand. Ezekiel uses a powerful image to describe a mighty empire.
The prophet Ezekiel compares Assyria to a grand cedar tree from the famous Lebanon mountains. This wasn't just any tree; it was known for its:
This imagery paints a picture of absolute power, extensive influence, and unparalleled majesty.
This magnificent cedar wasn't meant to stand forever. Its description is a setup for a dramatic downfall, carrying a vital message.
While the description of the cedar highlights Assyria's former glory, the context of Ezekiel's prophecy reveals this as a cautionary tale. The Assyrian empire, once like this towering cedar, had been devastatingly overthrown. Ezekiel uses this fallen giant as a lesson for Egypt:
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Understand the original words
ashshur · Hebrew Proper Noun
A major ancient empire characterized by power, conquest, and pride. In the prophets, Assyria is frequently used as an example of a nation that exalted itself and was eventually judged by God.
erez · Hebrew Noun
A conifer tree native to the mountains of Lebanon, known for its size, strength, durability, and beauty. Biblically, it often symbolizes majesty, strength, pride, and sometimes the glory of God's creation or the arrogance of earthly kingdoms.
tehom · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to primeval, subterranean waters. In biblical cosmology, it often represents the vast, chaotic, or deep resources that sustain life, but can also signify the unbridled forces of nature or the abyss that only God controls.
Ezekiel uses the image of a magnificent cedar in Lebanon to describe the powerful Assyrian Empire, but this is a *warning* to Egypt. The text implies that Egypt, like Assyria before it, has become excessively proud and will face a similar downfall after its defeat at Carchemish.
c. 745 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire's Rise
Tiglath-Pileser III ascended the throne, ushering in a new era of Assyrian expansion and military dominance. This marked the beginning of Assyria's ascendancy as a major world power.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire, under Sargon II, conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens. This event demonstrated Assyria's immense power and its reach into the region.
612 BC
Fall of Nineveh
The great Assyrian capital, Nineveh, was destroyed by a coalition of Babylonians and Medes. This marked the end of the Assyrian Empire as a major political force.
605 BC— this verse
Battle of Carchemish
The Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar II, decisively defeated the Egyptian forces. This battle solidified Babylonian dominance in the region and broke Egyptian imperial ambitions.
c. 600 BC
Ezekiel's Ministry Begins
Ezekiel, a priest exiled to Babylon, began his prophetic ministry. He delivered messages of judgment and hope to the exiles, using vivid imagery.
This passage also uses the imagery of a tall, majestic tree to describe the greatness and power of a king, emphasizing how his dominion reached to the heavens, similar to the Assyrian cedar's top among the clouds.
Ezekiel 17:3This passage employs the same metaphor of a cedar tree in Lebanon, but applies it directly to the king of Judah, highlighting themes of exaltation, pride, and eventual downfall due to self-reliance.
Psalm 80:10This psalm describes Israel as a vine brought out of Egypt, with branches stretching to the sea and boughs to the river, mirroring the widespread influence and flourishing state depicted by the Assyrian cedar.
Isaiah 14:13This verse speaks of ascending to heaven and raising one's throne above the stars of God, a sentiment of lofty ambition that resonates with the description of the Assyrian king's top reaching among the clouds.
bensonEzekiel 31:3: "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."
Ezekiel 31:3-9 . Behold the Assyrian — This, says Archbishop Secker, seems an admonitory comparison of Pharaoh to the late Assyrian monarch, applied to Pharaoh, Ezekiel 31:18 . By the Assyrian, compared here to a tall and fair cedar, such as grew in mount Lebanon, Archbishop Usher and Dr. Prideaux understand that king of Ass…
barnesEzekiel 31:3: "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."
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 giv…
The phrase "among the thick boughs" can also be read as "among the clouds," which powerfully highlights the Assyrian empire's immense pride and ambition to reach heights far beyond what was natural or even divinely permitted. This elevated imagery isn't just about size, but about a defiant aspiration that ultimately sets the stage for its downfall.
Ezekiel is about to unleash a powerful prophecy against Egypt, using the past glory and subsequent downfall of Assyria as a stark warning. The prophet likens Assyria to a magnificent cedar tree in Lebanon, symbolizing its immense power, expansive empire, and impressive stature among nations. This grandeur, however, is immediately set up as a prelude to its eventual destruction, which serves as a lesson for the proud Pharaoh of Egypt.
Ezekiel is about to unleash a powerful prophecy against Egypt, using the past glory and subsequent downfall of Assyria as a stark warning. The prophet likens Assyria to a magnificent cedar tree in Lebanon, symbolizing its immense power, expansive empire, and impressive stature among nations. This grandeur, however, is immediately set up as a prelude to its eventual destruction, which serves as a lesson for the proud Pharaoh of Egypt.
"Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds. The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow…" — The phrase "among the thick boughs" can also be read as "among the clouds," which powerfully highlights the Assyrian empire's immense pride and ambition to reach heights far beyond what was natural o…
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Last reviewed October 2026
