Ezekiel 31:3

English Revised Version

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.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,with beautiful branches and shady foliageand of lofty height.Its top was among the clouds.

Hebrew Names Version
Behold, the Ashshur was a cedar in Levanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds.

New American Standard Bible
'Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon With beautiful branches and forest shade, And very high, And its top was among the clouds.

New Century Version
Assyria was once like a cedar tree in Lebanon with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It was very tall; its top was among the clouds.

Amplified Bible
'Behold (listen carefully), Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon With beautiful branches and with forest shade, And of high stature, With its top among the clouds.

World English Bible
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Beholde, Asshur was like a cedar in Lebanon with faire branches, & with thicke shadowing boughes, and shot vp very hye, and his toppe was among the thicke boughes.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon With beautiful branches and forest shade, And very high, And its top was among the clouds.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, Assyria was a cedar in LebanonWith beautiful branches and forest shadeAnd lofty in height,And its top was among the clouds.

Berean Standard Bible
Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.

Contemporary English Version
There was once a cedar tree in Lebanon with large, strong branches reaching to the sky.

Complete Jewish Bible
Like Ashur, a cedar in the L'vanon. It had beautiful branches, dense foliage, its tall crown surrounded by leafy boughs.

Darby Translation
Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and a shadowing shroud, and of a high stature: and his top was amidst the thick boughs.

Easy-to-Read Version
Assyria was a cedar tree in Lebanon with beautiful branches, with forest shade, and very tall. Its top was among the clouds!

George Lamsa Translation
Behold, the Assyrian was like a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches giving a thick shade and of a high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

Good News Translation
You are like a cedar in Lebanon, With beautiful, shady branches, A tree so tall it reaches the clouds.

Lexham English Bible
Look! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and a forest giving shade, and very high, and its treetop was between the clouds.

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

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Beholde, Assur was like a Cedre tre vpo the mount of Libanus, with fayre brauches: so thicke, that he gaue shadowes, and shot out very hye. His toppe reached vnto the cloudes.

American Standard Version
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

Bible in Basic English
See, a pine-tree with beautiful branches and thick growth, giving shade and very tall; and its top was among the clouds.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of a high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

King James Version (1611)
Behold, the Assyrian was a Cedar in Lebanon with faire branches, and with a shadowing shrowd, and of an hie stature, and his top was among the thicke boughes.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Behold, Assur is a Cedar in Libanon, with faire braunches, and with thycke shadowing bowes, of a hygh stature, & his top was among the thicke bowes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Behold, the Assyrian was a cypress in Libanus, and was fair in shoots, and high in stature: his top reached to the midst of the clouds.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lo! Assur as a cedre in Liban, fair in braunchis, and ful of boowis, and hiy bi hiynesse; and his heiyte was reisid among thicke bowis.

Update Bible Version
Look, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, the Assyrian [was] a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shady cover, and of a high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

New English Translation
Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade, and extremely tall; its top reached into the clouds.

New King James Version
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.

New Living Translation
You are like mighty Assyria, which was once like a cedar of Lebanon, with beautiful branches that cast deep forest shade and with its top high among the clouds.

New Life Bible
Look at Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches and many leaves. It was very high, and its top was among the heavy branches.

New Revised Standard
Consider Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade, and of great height, its top among the clouds.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lo! Assyria, was a cedar in Lebanon, Beautiful in bough and Dense in foliage and Lofty in stature, - and Among the clouds, came to be his top:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold, the Assyrian like a cedar in Libanus, with fair branches, and full of leaves, of a high stature, and his top was elevated among the thick boughs.

Revised Standard Version
Behold, I will liken you to a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade, and of great height, its top among the clouds.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, Fair in branch, and shading bough, and high in stature, And between thickets hath its foliage been.

Contextual Overview

¹ And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? 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. ⁴ The waters nourished him, the deep made him to grow: her rivers ran round about her plantation; and she sent out her channels unto all the trees of the field. ⁵ Therefore his stature was exalted above all the trees of the field: and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long by reason of many waters, when he shot them forth. ⁶ All 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. ⁷ Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by many waters. ⁸ The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the plane trees were not as his branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like unto him in his beauty. ⁹ I made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Assyrian: Nahum 3:1-19, Zephaniah 2:13

a cedar: Ezekiel 17:3, Ezekiel 17:4, Ezekiel 17:22, Isaiah 10:33, Isaiah 10:34, Isaiah 37:24, Daniel 4:10, Daniel 4:20-23, Zechariah 11:2

with fair branches: Heb. fair of branches

of an high: Ezekiel 31:6, Judges 9:15, Daniel 4:12

Reciprocal: Numbers 24:6 - as cedar 2 Kings 18:28 - the king of Assyria 2 Kings 19:23 - With the multitude Isaiah 2:13 - General Isaiah 8:7 - the king Isaiah 36:4 - Thus saith Isaiah 36:13 - Hear Isaiah 45:14 - men of stature Jeremiah 50:18 - as I Ezekiel 19:11 - her stature Ezekiel 31:17 - dwelt Ezekiel 32:22 - General Hosea 14:6 - branches Amos 6:2 - better Nahum 3:3 - and there Nahum 3:8 - thou Nahum 3:18 - O King Mark 4:32 - shooteth

Cross-References

Genesis 13:15
for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Genesis 21:22
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

Genesis 26:24
And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

Genesis 28:4
and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham.

Genesis 28:13
And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

Genesis 30:25
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

Genesis 31:2
And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime.

Genesis 31:3
And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

Genesis 31:5
and said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me.

Genesis 31:13
I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon,.... Here grew the tallest, most stately, broad and flourishing ones. This sense is, that he was as one of them; comparable to one, for his exaltation and dignity; for the largeness of his dominion, the flourishing circumstances of it, and its long duration; that empire having lasted from the times of Nimrod unto a few years of the present time; for this is to be understood, either of the monarchy itself, or of Esarhaddon; or rather of Chynilidanus, or Saracus, the last king of it. The Septuagint, and Arabic versions render it the "cypariss" in Lebanon; but not that, but the cedar, grew there, and which best suits the comparison:

with fair branches; meaning not children, nor nobles, nor subjects; but provinces, many and large, which were subject to this monarch:

and with a shadowing shroud; power, dominion, authority, a mighty army sufficient to protect all that were under his government, and subject to it:

and of an high stature: exalted above all the kings and kingdoms of the earth:

and his top was among the thick boughs; his kingly power, headship, and dominion, was over a multitude of petty princes and states, comparable to the thick boughs and branches of a tree: or, "among the clouds"; as the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it; above the heights of which the Assyrian monarch attempted to ascend, Isaiah 14:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 represents the riches and might which flowed into Assyria.

Ezekiel 31:5

When be shot forth - Or, when the deep water sent forth its streams.

Ezekiel 31:8

Garden of God - Paradise.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 31:3. Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar — Why is the Assyrian introduced here, when the whole chapter concerns Egypt? Bp. Lowth has shown that אשור ארז 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.