31:1ff This message was given in 587 B.C. Ezekiel compared Egypt to Assyria, calling Assyria a great cedar tree. The Egyptians were to look at the fall of the mighty nation of Assyria (whose demise they had seen) as an example of what would happen to them. Just like Assyria, Egypt took pride in its strength and beauty; this would be its downfall. She would crash like a mighty tree and be sent to the grave. There is no permanence apart from God, even for a great society with magnificent culture and military power.
31:9 “All the trees of Eden” may refer to all the other nations of the world, which were jealous of Assyria’s power and grandeur.
31:11 The “mighty one” is Nebuchadnezzar (see Daniel 2:37, 38).