Ezekiel 31:12 kjv
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Ezekiel 31:12 nkjv
And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.
Ezekiel 31:12 niv
and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.
Ezekiel 31:12 esv
Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it.
Ezekiel 31:12 nlt
A foreign army ? the terror of the nations ? has cut it down and left it fallen on the ground. Its branches are scattered across the mountains and valleys and ravines of the land. All those who lived in its shadow have gone away and left it lying there.
Ezekiel 31 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezek 31:11 | Therefore I have given him into the hand of the oppressor of the nations. | Divine Judgment |
| Ezek 31:13 | Upon the ruined ground of the fallen shall his carcass lie, with his branches in all valleys. | Consequences of Pride |
| Ezek 31:15 | I will cover the waters with him, and their rivers I will hold back. | Ecological Judgment |
| Ezek 31:16 | When I extinguish him, I will cover the peoples with darkness, and they will be covered with darkness. | Obscurity of Judgment |
| Isa 14:15 | But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. | Pride leads to fall |
| Isa 14:19 | But you are cast out of your grave like a loathed branch. | Rejection and Ruin |
| Jer 15:2 | When they say to you, 'Where shall we go?' tell them, 'Thus says the LORD: Those doomed to death, to death; those to the sword, to the sword; those to famine, to famine; those to captivity, to captivity.' | God's Decree of Destruction |
| Jer 16:4 | They shall die by deathly plagues, and they shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall become like dung on the face of the land. | Public Disgrace |
| Jer 22:24-26 | "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would pull you off, and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those whose faces you dread. I will give you into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. | Prophecy against Jehoiakim |
| Ezek 28:7-10 | "Therefore I will bring the worst of the nations upon you, and they shall exercise their swords against the beauty of your wisdom. They shall bring you down to the pit. You shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. Will the slayer still say, 'I have smitten a smiter'? Will the banes say, 'I have vanquished'? Will the nations cease at your approach? For you have made your heart like the heart of God. | Judgment on Tyre |
| Rev 18:2 | He shouted with a mighty voice, like a lion roaring: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every unclean spirit, a haunt of every unclean and detested bird. | Fall of Babylon |
| Rev 18:21 | Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will not be found again. | Violent Destruction |
| Ezek 32:1-10 | Furthermore, come, O son of man, wail over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, ‘You consider yourself a lion among the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas… I will spread my net over you… Then shall all the birds of the heavens roost upon you, and all the beasts of the field shall stamp upon you... | Prophecy against Pharaoh |
| Amos 6:11 | For when the LORD has struck the house of the master, and when the king has rent the kingdom, when it is done. | Divine Smiting |
| Hos 10:15 | Since their evil has come, it shall bring you to your own evil, O Samaria, for against their god they stood. | Retribution |
| Zech 11:1-3 | Open your doors, Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars! Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the majestic trees are destroyed! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the forest of the vintage has come down! | Destruction of Lebanon |
| Nah 2:11-12 | Where is the lions’ den, the great lions’ cave, the place where I fed both lion and lioness, where the lion cub walked, with no one to make them afraid? The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled for his lionesses, filled his caves with prey and his dens with what he took. | Fall of Nineveh |
| Luke 13:7 | And he said to the dresser of the vineyard, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I found none. Cut it down. Why should it still encumber the ground?' | Barrenness leads to judgment |
| Ps 37:2 | For they will soon be cut down like the grass and wither like the green herb. | Transient Wickedness |
| Ps 75:10 | All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted high. | Divine Justice |
Ezekiel 31 verses
Ezekiel 31 12 Meaning
Strangers and fiercest of the nations will cut him down and leave him. They will leave his carcasses upon the mountains and in all the valleys, and his branches will be broken and his spread will be left in the ravines.
Ezekiel 31 12 Context
Ezekiel chapter 31 is a prophecy directed at Pharaoh, king of Egypt, likening him to a mighty cedar tree in Lebanon that has reached its zenith. This chapter serves as a divine pronouncement of judgment against Egypt's pride and perceived strength, symbolized by the grandeur of the cedar. The verse specifically details the fate of this once-mighty "tree," highlighting that foreign oppressors, the fiercest of nations, will bring about its downfall. This judgment is not a swift demise but a thorough destruction, leaving the remnants scattered and exposed, signifying total ruin and public disgrace. Historically, this prophecy was delivered during a period of Babylonian dominance over the region, with Nebuchadnezzar being a prominent instrument of God's judgment against nations like Egypt, which often tried to assert independence or challenge Babylonian authority. The imagery of branches broken and left in ravines underscores the complete dismantling of Egypt's power and influence.
Ezekiel 31 12 Word Analysis
- Strangers: The Hebrew word is ger (גֵּר), referring to sojourners, aliens, or foreigners. In this context, it signifies people from other nations who are not part of Egypt's own political or military sphere. These strangers are the agents of divine retribution.
- Fiercest: The Hebrew word is az (עַז), meaning strong, mighty, powerful, or fierce. It emphasizes the overwhelming and brutal nature of these foreign powers.
- Nations: The Hebrew word is goyim (גּוֹיִם), referring to nations or peoples, often used in contrast to Israel. Here, it represents the Gentile world powers that God uses to execute judgment.
- Cut him down: The Hebrew phrase is yikretuhu (יִכְרְתֻהוּ), meaning "they shall cut him down" or "they shall hew him down." This imagery is agricultural, directly related to felling a tree, reinforcing the cedar metaphor.
- Leave: The Hebrew verb is ‘azavu (עָזְבוּ), meaning to leave, forsake, abandon, or leave behind. It signifies a complete abandonment after the act of destruction.
- Carcasses: The Hebrew word is pegarayhem (פְּגָרֵיהֶם), meaning their dead bodies or corpses. It highlights the finality and ignominy of death in a public and unhonored manner.
- Mountains: The Hebrew word is harîm (הָרִים), meaning mountains. This implies the debris of the fallen tree (Egypt) will be scattered across significant and prominent locations.
- Valleys: The Hebrew word is ‘emeq (עֵמֶק), meaning valley or plain. This contrasts with mountains, suggesting that the destruction will be widespread, covering both high and low grounds.
- Branches: The Hebrew word is qanotayv (קָּנֹתָיו), referring to his branches or shoots. This refers to the different aspects of Egypt's power, its extensions, and its influence.
- Broken: The Hebrew verb is yishavu (יִשַׁבֻּ) from shavar (שָׁבַר), meaning broken, shattered, or rent.
- Spread: The Hebrew word is yihî (יְהִי), from hâyeh (הָיָה), meaning to be, to become. In this context, it's translated as "spread" or "remains." It denotes the parts of the tree that were once prominent.
- Ravines: The Hebrew word is ‘amaqîm (עֲמָקִים), meaning valleys, deep ravines, or gorges. This further emphasizes the fragmentation and obscurity of the remnants.
Ezekiel 31 12 Bonus Section
The judgment depicted is not merely political or military but carries spiritual overtones. The utter ruin and lack of burial for the "carcasses" highlight the ultimate disgrace and the loss of identity. This aligns with Old Testament passages where unburied bodies were a sign of extreme divine displeasure (Jer 16:4; Ps 79:3). The scattering across mountains and valleys underscores the extent to which the entity’s influence will be erased from all levels of prominence and concealment. The broken branches speak to the fragmentation of power, leaving nothing coherent or useful behind.
Ezekiel 31 12 Commentary
This verse vividly portrays the comprehensive judgment that will fall upon a proud and powerful entity, likened to a magnificent cedar tree. The "strangers and fiercest of the nations" represent the external forces that God raises up to execute His wrath. This act of being "cut down" and having its "branches broken" signifies a total demolition of its power, influence, and structural integrity. The scattering of its "carcasses upon the mountains and in all the valleys" and the remnants left in the "ravines" emphasizes that there will be no monument to its former glory, only scattered and dishonored pieces, lost to obscurity and decay. This speaks to the complete dismantling of pride and arrogance when confronted by divine power.