Ezekiel 31:16
in Ezekiel 31I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
KJV
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
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This verse in Ezekiel 31
Commentary
8 notes on this verseHe must leave the king of Egypt to apply all this to himself, to see his own face in the looking-glass of the king of Assyria's sin, and to foresee his own fall through the perspective glass of his ruin,
This site's exposition
I caused mourning
on Ezekiel 31:15-17
The Lord marks the day of the fall with mourning fit for a funeral of cosmic scale. Fairbairn reads the descent language as the same underworld picture the book will use again over Egypt in the next chapter. The nations that had sheltered under Assyria's shadow go down with him.
This site's exposition
were consoled in the earth below
The trees of Eden are kings and nations that fell before Assyria. They take comfort when the greatest tree joins them below, since its fall proves no power escapes the grave. Pharaoh receives the same grim comfort at 32:31.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 31.) And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his people: Whom are you like in your greatness? Behold, Assyria was like a cedar (or cypress) in Lebanon, beautiful in branches and dense with foliage, towering in height, and its top was among the thick foliage (or in the midst of clouds).
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), He was cast down to hell with those that descend into the pit; he went into the state of the dead, and was buried as others are, in obscurity and oblivion.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
They were all struck with astonishment to see so mighty a prince brought down thus. It give a shock to all their confidences, every one thinking his turn would be next. When he went down to the grace (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
hell--Sheol or Hades, the unseen world: equivalent to, "I cast him into oblivion" (compare Isa 14:9-11). shall be comforted--because so great a king as the Assyrian is brought down to a level with them. It is a kind of consolation to the wretched to have companions in misery.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מִקּ֤וֹל | mikol | from [the] sound of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| מַפַּלְתּוֹ֙ | mapalto | downfall its | H4658 → | 8 times |
| הִרְעַ֣שְׁתִּי | hirashti | I caused to tremble | H7493 → | 30 times |
| גוֹיִ֔ם | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| בְּהוֹרִדִ֥י | behoridi | when brought down I | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֹת֛וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שְׁא֖וֹלָה | sheolah | Sheol towards | H7585 → | 66 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| י֣וֹרְדֵי | yordei | [those who] go down of | H3381 → | 381 times |
| ב֑וֹר | vor | [the] pit | H953 → | 66 times |
| וַיִּנָּ֨חֲמ֜וּ | vaiyinachamu | and they were comforted | H5162 → | 108 times |
| בְּאֶ֤רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| תַּחְתִּית֙ | tachtit | lowest | H8482 → | 19 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עֲצֵי־ | ʾatzei- | [the] trees of | H6086 → | 328 times |
| עֵ֔דֶן | ʾeden | Eden | H5731 → | 16 times |
| מִבְחַ֥ר | mivchar | [the] choicest | H4005 → | 12 times |
| וְטוֹב־ | vetov- | and [the] good of | H2896 → | 538 times |
| לְבָנ֖וֹן | levanon | Lebanon | H3844 → | 71 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| שֹׁ֥תֵי | shotei | drinkers of | H8354 → | 217 times |
| מָֽיִם׃ | mayim | water | H4325 → | 581 times |
מִקּ֤וֹלfrom [the] sound of
mikolH6963 →506 times
מַפַּלְתּוֹ֙downfall its
mapaltoH4658 →8 times
הִרְעַ֣שְׁתִּיI caused to tremble
hirashtiH7493 →30 times
גוֹיִ֔םnations
goyimH1471 →561 times
בְּהוֹרִדִ֥יwhen brought down I
behoridiH3381 →381 times
אֹת֛וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
שְׁא֖וֹלָהSheol towards
sheolahH7585 →66 times
אֶת־with
ʾet-H854 →929 times
י֣וֹרְדֵי[those who] go down of
yordeiH3381 →381 times
ב֑וֹר[the] pit
vorH953 →66 times
וַיִּנָּ֨חֲמ֜וּand they were comforted
vaiyinachamuH5162 →108 times
בְּאֶ֤רֶץin [the] earth
beeretzH776 →2504 times
תַּחְתִּית֙lowest
tachtitH8482 →19 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
עֲצֵי־[the] trees of
ʾatzei-H6086 →328 times
עֵ֔דֶןEden
ʾedenH5731 →16 times
מִבְחַ֥ר[the] choicest
mivcharH4005 →12 times
וְטוֹב־and [the] good of
vetov-H2896 →538 times
לְבָנ֖וֹןLebanon
levanonH3844 →71 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
שֹׁ֥תֵיdrinkers of
shoteiH8354 →217 times
מָֽיִם׃water
mayimH4325 →581 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 14:15But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
it leads to
- Matthew 11:23
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would…
- Acts 12:22–23
And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
- Ezekiel 32:23
Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terror in the land…
- Matthew 11:23
Through
Habakkuk 2:17For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 2:8
Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
- Psalms 55:23
But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- Zechariah 11:1
Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars!
- Habakkuk 2:8
Through
Ezekiel 26:15This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?
it leads to
- Ezekiel 27:35
All the people of the coastlands are appalled over you. Their kings shudder with fear; their faces are contorted.
- Jeremiah 49:21
At the sound of their fall the earth will quake; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.
- Ezekiel 27:35
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Ezekiel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.
