Ezekiel 31:4

Eze 31:4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.

Ver. 4. The waters made him great.] He had a confluence of all prosperities. Watered he was, non aquis sed abyssis; est autem abyssus, inexhausta felicitas et rerum affluentia. He overabounded with all outward happiness. In wealth, victories, and triumphs, he gave place to no man.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, country.

Many other nations were under their dominion.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

waters . . . little rivers--the Tigris with its branches and "rivulets," or "conduits" for irrigation, the source of Assyria's fertility. "The deep" is the ever flowing water, never dry. Metaphorically, for Assyria's resources, as the "conduits" are her colonies.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. The waters made him great] Alluding to the fertility of Egypt by the overflowing of the Nile. But waters often mean peoples. By means of the different nations under the Egyptians, that government became very opulent. These nations are represented as fowls and beasts, taking shelter under the protection of this great political Egyptian tree, Eze 31:6.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(4) His plants.—Should rather be, his plantation.

Sent out her little rivers.—The thought is that the various surrounding and subordinate nations were nourished from the great stream of prosperity which swelled the power and wealth of Assyria.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. set him up on high] i.e. made him grow lofty. There is probably, however, the figure of a parent nourishing his offspring. The words “made great” and “set on high” are rendered “nourished and brought up” children, Isa_1:2; cf. Isa_23:4. The waters rear the tree as their child. The waters are those of Egypt.

with her rivers running] The construction is anomalous, and with expresses accompaniment, not instrumentality. It is easiest to read (with LXX.): she (the deep) made her rivers to run round … and sent out. Or possibly: as for her rivers, they ran, &c.

his plants] Rather: her plantation, “her” referring to the “deep,” which nourished the plantation, though this is not quite natural.

her little rivers] Marg. conduits, the small canals for irrigation. The plenteous waters nourished the great tree and the other trees alike.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The waters made him great,.... The waters of the river Tigris, near to which stood the city of Nineveh, the metropolis of the Assyrian monarchy; the traffic brought by which river made it rich and great, and the whole empire, and the king of it:

the deep set him up on high, with her rivers running round about his plants; the vast trade by sea, the profits and commodities of which were conveyed through various rivers, which ran about the provinces of the empire, which were as plants in a field; and by which they were enriched, and the whole empire, and the king of it, were raised to a prodigious pitch of wealth and power:

and sent out little rivers to all the trees of the field; so that the common people, comparable to the trees of the field for their number and usefulness, all received profit and advantage hereby: or else by waters and the deep may be meant the multitude of people, as in Rev 17:15, which increased his kingdom, filled his provinces, supplied his colonies, and enlarged his power and riches. The Targum is,

"by the people he was multiplied; by his auxiliaries he became strong; he subjected kings under his government; and his governors he appointed over all the provinces of the earth.''

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Roots. Various nations paid tribute to the Assyrians, (St. Jerome; Calmet) while he sent his troops, like rivulets, to keep all in subjection. (Theodoret)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

As cedars grow great by the watercourses, so did this kingdom by multitudes of people and convenience of trade; or by the plenty of the country, if no trade, for it was first planted in the fruitful fields among the sweet rivers, Euphrates, Tigris, Lycus, Diava, and others. The deep set him up on high; the sea sent out her waters, which gave being to the rivers that watered him and improved him; whereas, Egypt, thy rivers rise out of a lake, which, though great, is not to be compared with the deep. His plants; the provinces of this mighty kingdom, that are like plants about a great tree. Little rivers; beneficence, justice, protection, encouragements, that subjects need, and good princes disperse among them; so the deep filled this king, and he sent out his streams to all his subjects in his kingdom.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. R.V., “The waters nourished him, the deep made him to grow: her rivers ran round about her plantation; and she sent out her channels,” etc. This could be said more naturally of Egypt than of any other country. (See note Eze_31:3.) The Nile and its canal created Egypt and made it great.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The waters made him great. The scenery is hardly that of Lebanon, but finds its counterpart in that of the Nile, perhaps also of the Tigris, with the waters of the river diverted into streams and channels by a careful system of irrigation. The cedar grew close to the river itself; the other trees of the field were watered only by the smaller channels, and so were inferior to it in the fullness of their growth. (For the general imagery, Eze_17:5; Psa_1:3; Jer_17:8; Num_24:6)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The waters - Cedars grow great by the water-courses. The deep - The sea sent out her waters, which gave being to the rivers, that watered him. His plants - The provinces of this mighty kingdom, that were like plants about a great tree. All the trees - To all his subjects.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

its canals [Heb. תְּעָלתֶיהָ,] fosses in French, ditches, canals.

to all the trees of the field to water them. The symbol is as the Targum of Jonathan interprets it: Behold the Assyrians were like the cedars of Lebanon, etc., as above.

Water nurtured it; the deep made it grow tall [Jonathan paraphrases:] Among nations he is great; because of his supporters he is powerful; he subjugates kings under his kingdom, and he appoints rulers over every state of the earth. The Midrash Aggadah (Pesikta Rabbathi 34:11, Meir Ayin 33) [states]: “and among the interwoven branches was its lofty top.” Whence did he merit greatness? Because 1) he withdrew from the counsel of the generation of separation, as it is said (Gen. 10: 11): “Out of that land Asshur went forth. “When all those who came upon the world formed one league to enter counsel to rebel against Him, then his lofty top was visible by itself, and [he] did not link himself with them. “Water nurtured him; the [waters of the] deep raised him up” and because 2) he hearkened to the voice of Jonah the son of Amittai, who descended into the [waters of the] deep, and the people of Nineveh repented of the violence that was in their hands.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.