Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

EZEKIEL 31:5KJV
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Ezekiel 31:5 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 31:5 mean?

Ezekiel 31:5 uses the image of a towering tree to describe how something or someone became greater and more impressive than all others around it, with spreading branches and abundant growth because it had plenty of water. The verse highlights extraordinary growth and strength, made possible by a rich and sustaining source.

In this part of Ezekiel, the prophet is speaking God’s words to the king of Egypt, comparing him to the mighty Assyrian empire, which was once powerful and majestic like a great cedar tree. The verse uses this tree as a symbol for greatness and prosperity, showing how it flourished above all others because it had everything it needed to thrive.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 31:5

  • height (קוֹמָה, qomah): This word means physical height or stature. The use here emphasizes just how much taller and more impressive the tree (and by comparison, the kingdom) was than anything else in its environment.
  • boughs (סְעִפָּה, se‘ippah) and branches (דָּלִיּוֹת, daliyyot): These words point to the spreading limbs and offshoots of the tree, suggesting not just size but influence and reach.
  • multitude of waters (מַיִם, mayim): The phrase highlights abundance and the essential source of the tree’s growth. In the ancient Near East, water was a symbol of life and blessing, so this detail underlines how the tree’s greatness depended on what nourished it.

Why Ezekiel 31:5 matters

  • Ezekiel 31:5 clarifies that greatness and growth are not just about natural strength, but about being supplied and supported—here, by “the multitude of waters.” This points to dependence on something beyond oneself.
  • The verse sets up a warning for Egypt by reminding them that even the greatest can fall if they forget where their strength comes from, as the following verses will show.
  • Understanding the tree as a symbol for a kingdom helps make sense of the poetic language throughout Ezekiel 31, connecting the imagery to real historical powers and their rise and fall.

Where else these words appear

“branches” Hebrew H6288 · used in 7 verses

  • Isaiah 10:33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
  • Ezekiel 31:6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
  • Ezekiel 31:12 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.

“exalted” Hebrew H1361 · used in 33 verses

  • 1 Samuel 10:23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
  • Psalms 113:5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,
  • Ezekiel 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

“long” Hebrew H748 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
  • Deuteronomy 22:7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
  • Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

“height” Hebrew H6967 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 6:10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
  • 2 Chronicles 4:2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.