The Curse of Pride: God’s Judgment on Assyria Served as a Warning to Egypt (Ezekiel 31)

Scripture reading – Ezekiel 31

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.

Ezekiel 31 – The Fourth Judgment 

Egypt’s Judgment Compared to Assyria’s Fall (Ezekiel 31:1-9)

Ezekiel 31 continues with God’s warning of judgment against Egypt, referencing the fall of ancient Assyria as a warning to “Pharaoh, king of Egypt” (Ezekiel 31:2). Assyria was depicted as a mighty “cedar in Lebanon,” whose stature and beauty surpassed all the trees in the “forest” of the nations (Ezekiel 31:3). At her zenith, Assyria towered as a giant among the nations, even as Egypt, at her peak, oppressed weaker nations and peoples. As the Nile River nourished Egypt, so the rivers and streams of Assyria nourished her fields and forests (Ezekiel 31:4-5).

Continuing the depiction of Assyria as a mighty cedar, we find that the nations of the world sought shelter in her “branches” as famine compelled people to retreat to Egypt (the “bread basket” of the ancient world, Ezekiel 31:6). The Assyrians, incomparably proud, boasted that they excelled all other nations, claiming they surpassed “all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God” (Ezekiel 31:8-9). 

Assyria’s Fate Served as a Warning to Egypt (Ezekiel 31:10-17)

Assyria’s fate should have served as a warning to Egypt. The LORD declared that He had “delivered [Assyria] into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen” (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel 31:11). Remembered as a ruthless and proud nation, Assyria was abandoned by its allies when Babylon attacked its strongholds. Thus, Egypt would face a similar fate to that of the once-great Assyria (Ezekiel 31:12-13).

Although Nebuchadnezzar acted as God’s instrument of judgment, the LORD ultimately decided that all proud hearts would be “delivered unto death… [and] go down to the pit” (Ezekiel 31:14). Assyria “went down to the grave,” and the LORD stated, “I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees [i.e., nations]of the field fainted for him” (Ezekiel 31:15).

The LORD halted the rivers’ flow, causing crop failures, while the “trees of the field fainted” (Ezekiel 31:15). When news of Assyria’s fall spread, the nations of the world were shaken (Ezekiel 31:16). The LORD condemned Assyria and her allies to hell (Ezekiel 31:16-17).

Closing thoughts (Ezekiel 31:18)

With the words, “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the LORD God” (Ezekiel 31:18b), Ezekiel foretold that Assyria’s fall would serve as God’s warning to Egypt.

Warning – Individuals and nations who exalt themselves against the God of Heaven will suffer Assyria’s fate and be sentenced “unto the nether parts of the earth” (Ezekiel 31:18a). The pride of Assyria and Egypt was an insult to the LORD, as is the pride of man. Wise men and women will remember that the LORD hates pride and that the proud inevitably fail and fall.

Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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