Son of man, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude. Whom are you like in your greatness?

Ezekiel Chapter 31

Against Egypt

Remember the cedar?
Key verse 31:2 Son of man, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude. Whom are you like in your greatness?
Before the fall of Jerusalem

11^th year of captivity

3^rd month Sivan (1^st June) 31:1-18

1. 
   And it was in the 11^th year, in the 3^rd month, in the 1^st day of the month, the word of YHWH came to me, saying,
   

Question

2. 
   Son of man, speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his multitude. Whom are you like in your greatness?
   

Egypt thought she was in a class of her own!

3. 
   Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, a forest shade exalted in height and his top was among the thick boughs.
   

There is some opinion that Assyria should read box-tree or cypress or pine tree (Ashshur) as the subject discussed is Egypt and not Assyria (Bullinger and others).

Daniel 4:10 ‘Thus 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.’

Daniel 4:20-23 ‘The tree that thou saw, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth.’

4. 
   The waters made her great, the deep set her up on high with her rivers running round about her planting, and she sent out her channels to all the trees of the field.
   

Jeremiah 51:36 ‘Therefore thus says YHWH; Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you and I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.’

5. 
   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 many waters, in his sending.
   
6. 
   All the birds of the heavens nested in his boughs, and all the beasts of the field gave birth under his branches and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
   
7. 
   Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches for his root was by many waters.
   

God’s garden

8. 
   The cedars in the garden of Elohim could not overshadow him. The fir trees were not like his boughs, and the plane trees were not like his branches. Nor any tree in the garden of Elohim was like him in his beauty.
   

Genesis 2:8,9 ‘And out of the ground made YHWH God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.’

Genesis 13:10 ‘And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before YHWH destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of YHWH, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar.’

9. 
   I have made him beautiful by his many branches so that all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of Elohim, envied him. SPACE
   

10. 
    Therefore thus says Adonai YHWH, Because you were exalted in height and he has set up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height.
    
11. 
    I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty nations. He will surely deal with him. I have expelled him for his wickedness.
    

Egypt is cut down like a falling tree by the Babylonians

12. 
    And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off and left him. On the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen. And his boughs have been broken by all the rivers of the land. And all the people of the earth have gone down from his shadow and have left him.
    
13. 
    On his fall all the birds of the heavens will dwell, and all the beasts of the field will be on his branches.
    

Isaiah 18;6 ‘They shall be left together to the birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the birds shall summer on them.’

14. 
    In order 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 given to death, to the lowest parts of the earth, in the midst of the sons of men, with them that go down to the pit. SPACE
    

Mourning

15. 
    Thus says Adonai YHWH, In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning! I covered the deep over him and I restrained her rivers, and the great waters were confined. And I darkened Lebanon for him, and all the trees of the field wilted away because of him.
    
16. 
    I made the nations shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, And will be comforted in the lowest parts of the earth.
    
17. 
    They also went down into Sheol with him to the slain of the sword. They that were his arm, who dwelt in his shadow in the midst of the nations.
    

18. 
    To whom are you thus like in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lowest parts of the earth. You will lie amidst the uncircumcised with the slain of the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, states Adonai YHWH.