31:1-3
The date for this is two months after Ezek 37:20. It is addressed to Pharaoh. Some commentators take it as being addressed to the office of Pharaoh, rather than an individual Pharaoh, though there would have been an individual Pharaoh at the time Ezekiel gave the word! However, the principle in the message applies more widely.
“Who can be compared with you in majesty?” This expresses the high opinion Egypt had of itself. “Consider Assyria ...”. Now come commentators say the reference to Assyria is a mistake, and that by changing one letter it becomes “I will liken you to a cedar” (RSV). However, this is all rather silly. There are very good reasons for talking about Assyria in this context. One is that Assyria was the only nation that had successfully invaded Egypt at this point. The second is related to this. Assyria had until recently been the dominant nation, but then had come to nothing after her defeat by Babylon. So Assyria was an example that Egypt should pay close attention to as she was about to suffer the same fate.
31:4-9
The analogy of a cedar is a common one in the Old Testament, a bit like we might talk about an oak tree. “The water nourished it ..”, Egypt was “nourished” by the Nile, and irrigation fed the water to many parts. The nation had spread out far and wide, and the nations “lived in its shade”, like many nations live in the shade of America. Egypt was the envy of all the nations. “I made it beautiful ...” It was God who had given Egypt her strength, yet she was claiming credit for herself. Being successful is not a problem, thinking that it is all down to us is. We need to give credit where credit is due.
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