Bible Strands
Ezekiel 31:17
They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Ezekiel following His declaration of casting the great cedar down to Sheol. He describes the fate of the allied nations that once dwelt beneath its branches.
The words — The Hebrew יָרְדוּ (yaradu) and חַלְלֵי חֶרֶב (challei cherev) literally mean "they went down" and "[those] slain by the sword." These terms establish that the tree's allies physically descend to the grave alongside it.
The thread — The descent to Sheol mirrors Psalms 9:17, where the nations who forget God return to Sheol. It also echoes Ezekiel 31:6, which previously noted the birds and beasts that once nested in the cedar's boughs.
Why it lands — The text records that political allies share the fallen tree's descent to the grave before drawing any inference about divine judgment. It requires the reader to acknowledge that earthly alliances and shared prosperity cannot prevent shared ruin.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
Cross-references
- Psalms 9:17 The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations who forget God.
- Ezekiel 31:6 All the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.
- Ezekiel 31:3 Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.
- Nehemiah 3:17 Next to him, the Levites made repairs under Rehum son of Bani, and next to him, Hashabiah, ruler of a half-district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.
- Isaiah 14:9 Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you—all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.
- Lamentations 4:20 The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”
- Ezekiel 30:6 For this is what the LORD says: The allies of Egypt will fall, and her proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Lord GOD.
- Ezekiel 30:21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.
- Ezekiel 32:20 They will fall among those slain by the sword. The sword is appointed! Let them drag her away along with all her multitudes.
- Daniel 4:11 The tree grew large and strong; its top reached the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth.