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Contemporary English Version

Ezekiel 31:3

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Cedar;   Thompson Chain Reference - Assyrians;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Assyria;   Cedar, the;   Pride;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Cedar;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lebanon;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Repentance;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cedar;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Forest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Poetry;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Cedar;   Paradise;   Shroud;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Assyria ;   Cedar;   Nineveh ;   Shroud;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Cedar;   Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Egypt;   Obsolete or obscure words in the english av bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Cedar;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Branch and Bough;   Cedar;   Forest;   Horesh;   Shroud;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Box-Tree;   Cedar;   Eden, Garden of;  

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.
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.
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.
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 Eleven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the first day of the third month. He said: 2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Egypt and his people that I am saying: You are more powerful than anyone on earth. Now listen to this. 3 There was once a cedar tree in Lebanon with large, strong branches reaching to the sky. 4 This tree had plenty of water to help it grow tall, and nearby streams watered the other trees in the forest. 5 But this tree towered over those other trees, and its branches grew long and thick. 6 Birds built nests in its branches, and animals were born beneath it. People from all nations lived in the shade of this strong tree. 7 It had beautiful, long branches, and its roots found water deep in the soil. 8 None of the cedar trees in my garden of Eden were as beautiful as this tree; no tree of any kind had such long branches. 9 I, the Lord , gave this tree its beauty, and I helped the branches grow strong. All other trees in Eden wanted to be just like it.

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
I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever!
Genesis 21:22
About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, "God blesses everything you do!
Genesis 26:24
where the Lord appeared to him that night and told him, "Don't be afraid! I am the God who was worshiped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants."
Genesis 28:4
May he bless you with the land he gave Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.
Genesis 28:13
The Lord was standing beside the ladder and said: I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping.
Genesis 30:25
After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, "Release me from our agreement and let me return to my own country.
Genesis 31:2
Jacob also noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before.
Genesis 31:3
One day the Lord said, "Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will bless you."
Genesis 31:5
and he told them: Your father isn't as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God my ancestors worshiped has been on my side.
Genesis 31:13
and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel, when you poured olive oil on a rock and made a promise to me. Leave here right away and return to the land where you were born."

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.


 
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