Ezekiel 31:8

Eze 31:8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

Ver. 8. The cedars in the garden of God.] No kingdom in the world was comparable to the Assyrian for thirteen hundred years together.

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.

Signifying, that there was no greater power in the world than his was.

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

cedars . . . could not hide him--could not outtop him. No other king eclipsed him.

were not like--were not comparable to.

garden of God--As in the case of Tyre (Eze 28:13), the imagery, that is applied to the Assyrian king, is taken from Eden; peculiarly appropriate, as Eden was watered by rivers that afterwards watered Assyria (Gen 2:10-14). This cedar seemed to revive in itself all the glories of paradise, so that no tree there outtopped it.

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 8. The cedars in the garden of God] Egypt was one of the most eminent and affluent of all the neighbouring nations.

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

(8) The garden of God.—See Eze_31:9; Eze_31:16; Eze_31:18; also Eze_28:13. This is not a representation of Assyria as being in the garden of God, as in the case of Tyre in Eze_28:13, but only a further expression of its greatness by a comparison of the tree representing it with the trees of Paradise. Yet this comparison may have been suggested by the fact that the traditionary site of Eden was within the bounds of the Assyrian Empire. Fir trees are generally understood to be cypresses, and chestnut to be plane-trees.

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

8. could not hide him] Probably: equal him, compare with him (cf. the common particle “over against” or “alongside of,” Eze_1:20, Eze_48:13, &c.).

chesnut trees] Probably: plane trees, Gen_30:37; cf. Psa_104:16; Num_24:6. The trees in the garden of God are naturally the most lofty.

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 cedars in the garden of God could not hide him,.... That is, could not rise so high as this cedar, and overtop him, and obscure his glory; even those that were most excellent, which grew in Eden, near to which Babylon stood, and where a mighty king dwelt. The sense is, that the greatest kings and potentates in the whole world, which is like a garden planted by the Lord, were not equal to the king of Assyria, and much less exceeded him in grandeur, wealth, and power:

the fir trees were not like his boughs: lesser kings and princes, comparable to fir trees for the beauty, regularity, order, and flourishing condition of their kingdoms; yet these were but petty states, and not to be compared even with the provinces of the king of Assyria:

and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; lesser states still: which, though well set, and well spread, and full of people, yet not answerable to some countries that were in the provinces that belonged to the Assyrian empire:

not any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty; no king, prince, or potentate whatever in the whole world, was to be compared to him for royal majesty and greatness. The Targum is,

"mighty kings could not prevail against him, because of the strength of his power, which he had from the Lord; rulers could not stand before his army, and mighty men could not prevail against his auxiliaries, because of the strength of power he had from the Lord; there is none like to him in his strength.''

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

The cedars; kings, the greatest and most magnificent.

In the garden of God; either in the most fruitful gardens, or in Judah and Israel; not David, not Solomon, Jehoshaphat, or Hezekiah, could top and shade him.

The fir trees; a meaner sort of trees, emblem of lesser kings and kingdoms; these were but like his boughs, though they grow to great height and bulk. The chesnut trees; the same in another allusion. Kings, like chesnut trees, great when by themselves, yet, compared with this Assyrian, were but as branches of his boughs; all which see in Isaiah’s words, Eze 10:7,8. There was some truth, though more pride, in this speech of the Assyrian, which the prophet reports.

Nor any tree in the garden of God; all summed up, none like him in all the kingdoms of the world.

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

8, 9. This was the greatest of all trees, its twigs being greater than fir trees (or, cypress; compare Eze_27:5), and its great branches reaching farther than the chestnut (or, “plane,” LXX.; Gen_30:37). For garden of God and Eden, see Eze_28:13.

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

The cedars in the garden of God. As in Eze_28:13, the thoughts of the prophet dwell on the picture of Eden in Gen_2:8. Far above all other trees, the cedar of Assyria rose high in majesty. All the trees that were in the garden of God envied him. The trees specially chosen for comparison are

(1) the fir tress probably, as in Eze_27:5, the cypresses; and

(2) the chestnut trees, for which the Revised Version, following the Vulgate and the LXX of Gen_30:9, gives the "plane," which held a high place in the admiration of Greek and Roman writers. Of this we have a special instance in the story of Xerxes, who decorated a plane tree near the Meander with ornaments of gold (Herod., 7:31; "AElicon," 5:14; also comp. Ecc 24:14; Virg., "Georg.," 4:146; Cicero, "De Ont.," 1:7, 28).

Vers. 8, 9. The garden of God.

garden of God," standing, as it does, for the ideal region in which man in his perfection was placed when God was" well pleased with "him, may be taken as a picture of human society itself as it once was for however brief a period, and as it shall be again when the purposes of the Redeemer are fulfilled.

I A REGION ABOUNDING IN FRUITFULNESS. In the first garden of God there grew every tree that was "good for food." The ideal state of human society is one in which all conceivable fruitfulness will be found; there will be ready for the hand of the Husbandman the fruits of faith, of devotion, of love, of sacred joy, of helpfulness, of calm contentment, of happy and unquestioning obedience. From all hearts and lives these fair fruits will spring.

II A SCENE OF EXQUISITE BEAUTY. "The garden of God" must be, quite independently of all reference to Eden, a place of perfect beauty. Its trees and shrubs, its herbs and flowers, its lawns and paths must together present the appearance of perfect pleasantness to the eye. Such should, such (one day) shall our human societies, our communities, and our Churches be; they will be scenes where there is every form of human loveliness. There must be no unnatural monotony. As in our gardens we like to have vegetation of every possible variety of size and shape and hue, so in "the garden of God" shall there be every manifestation of moral worth, of spiritual beauty. One will not say to another, "There is no need of your particular excellence;" but each will rejoice in the manifold graces which are to be seen on every hand.

III THE SPHERE OF HAPPY CULTURE. Our first parents were placed in Eden "to dress it and to keep it." Even "the garden of God" requires attention, planting, culture. So, certainly, does the most refined and Christianized human society. There may be much knowledge and there may be excellent habits within it, but it will always need careful and diligent culture much seed-sowing; some weeding; some pruning and occasional transplanting. We may learn:

1. That it is better to be the humblest herb in the garden of God than the stateliest cedar outside it; better be utterly obscure in the right place than very prominent in the wrong one.

2. That each particular flower in the garden of God lends its own fragrance to the air; the garden would not be complete without it.

3. That not only does it behoove us to be as a flower in the garden of God, but it also befits us to be as a gardener extending the grounds, or planting or tending within its bounds. C.

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

The cedars - The greatest kings. Garden of God - In the most fruitful gardens. Hide - Could not ever top, and shade him. The fir-trees - Lesser kings, and kingdoms, were not equal to his boughs. Nor any tree - All summed up, none like him in all the kingdoms of the world.

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

General Information:

Yahweh's parable about the cedar continues.

Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it

Since these were God's words to Pharaoh, it can also be translated with the first person. AT: "The cedar trees in my garden were not as great as that tree" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

the garden of God

This is another way of referring to "the garden of Eden."

None among the cypress trees matched its branches

Yahweh was comparing how many branches the trees had. AT: "None of the cypress trees had as many branches as the cedar" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

cypress trees

Cypress trees have very many branches. They can grow very tall. See how you translated "cypress" in Ezekiel 27:5.

the plane tree could not equal its boughs

It was implied Yahweh was comparing the long branches of the cedar tree with the long branches of the plane tree. AT: "the plane tree did not have branches like the cedar tree" or "no plane tree had branches as long as the branches of the cedar tree" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

plane tree

A plane tree was a large, leafy tree with strong branches. It is similar to a sycamore tree. (See: Translate Unknowns)

was like it in its beauty

"was as beautiful as the cedar tree"

I made it beautiful with its many branches

"I made the cedar beautiful by giving it many long branches"

envied it

"were jealous of the cedar tree"

translationWords

Eden

envy

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

did not dim it They did not dim its form; i.e., none among them surpassed it in beauty.

in the garden of God i.e., in the entire world.

and chestnut trees [Heb. ועֲרְמֹנִים,] chastaniyers, chastaneyrs in Old French [chataigniers in Modern French].

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.