The Meaning of Ezekiel 31:16 Explained

Ezekiel 31:16

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.

YLT: From the sound of his fall I have caused nations to shake, In My causing him to go down to sheol, With those going down to the pit, And comforted in the earth -- the lower part, are all trees of Eden, The choice and the good of Lebanon, All drinking waters.

Darby: I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol, with them that go down into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth.

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 Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 31:16 Mean?

Study Notes

hell
Heb. "Sheol," .
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Verse Meaning

The fall of Assyria created the same reaction among the nations as the felling of a mighty tree does in the forest; all the other nations (trees) quaked. The other nations also were able to grow better themselves since they no longer had to live in the shadow of mighty Assyria.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 31

1  A relation unto Pharaoh
3  of the glory of Assyria
10  and the fall thereof for pride
18  The like destruction of Egypt

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 31:16 mean?

At the sound of its fall I made shake the nations when I cast down it to hell together with those who descend into the Pit and were comforted in the earth The depths of all the trees of Eden the choice and best of Lebanon all that drink water
מִקּ֤וֹל מַפַּלְתּוֹ֙ הִרְעַ֣שְׁתִּי גוֹיִ֔ם בְּהוֹרִדִ֥י אֹת֛וֹ שְׁא֖וֹלָה אֶת־ י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר וַיִּנָּ֨חֲמ֜וּ בְּאֶ֤רֶץ תַּחְתִּית֙ כָּל־ עֲצֵי־ עֵ֔דֶן מִבְחַ֥ר וְטוֹב־ לְבָנ֖וֹן כָּל־ שֹׁ֥תֵי מָֽיִם

מִקּ֤וֹל  At  the  sound 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
מַפַּלְתּוֹ֙  of  its  fall 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַפֶּלֶת  
Sense: carcass, ruin, overthrow.
הִרְעַ֣שְׁתִּי  I  made  shake 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָעַשׁ 
Sense: to quake, shake.
גוֹיִ֔ם  the  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
בְּהוֹרִדִ֥י  when  I  cast  down 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
שְׁא֖וֹלָה  to  hell 
Parse: Noun, common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
אֶת־  together  with 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
י֣וֹרְדֵי  those  who  descend 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
ב֑וֹר  into  the  Pit 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּור 
Sense: pit, well, cistern.
וַיִּנָּ֨חֲמ֜וּ  and  were  comforted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָחַם  
Sense: to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted.
בְּאֶ֤רֶץ  in  the  earth 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
תַּחְתִּית֙  The  depths 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: תַּחְתִּי  
Sense: low, lower, lowest.
כָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֲצֵי־  the  trees 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
עֵ֔דֶן  of  Eden 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֵדֶן 
Sense: the first habitat of man after the creation; site unknown.
מִבְחַ֥ר  the  choice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִבְחָר  
Sense: choicest, best.
וְטוֹב־  and  best 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
לְבָנ֖וֹן  of  Lebanon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לְבָנׄון  
Sense: a wooded mountain range on the northern border of Israel.
שֹׁ֥תֵי  that  drink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
מָֽיִם  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.