Summary
In Ezekiel 31 the prophet receives a divine message to speak to Pharaoh, describing the Assyrian empire as a mighty cedar of Lebanon whose great branches and roots were sustained by abundant waters. The imagery illustrates Assyria’s overwhelming power and the envy it arouses among all trees. God declares that due to its pride and arrogance, He will deliver the Assyrian to the “mighty one of the heathen,” causing its branches to fall and its shadow to vanish. The chapter warns that this destruction serves as a lesson: no tree that drinks from the waters will rise above its allotted height. Finally, the prophet applies the same judgment to Pharaoh and his people, promising that they too will be brought down into the nether parts of the earth.