THEOSISJerome of Stridon
Thus declares the Lord: I will select the finest portion of the lofty cedar and establish it. From the summit of its branches, I will take the delicate shoots and plant it upon a great and exalted mountain, specifically the high mountain of Israel. It shall sprout and yield fruit, becoming a magnificent cedar, providing shelter for all kinds of birds, where even predatory birds will find nesting beneath its leafy branches. The trees of the field will recognize that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and lifted the lowly tree, that I have withered the flourishing tree and caused the withered tree to flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and acted.
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As recorded in the LXX: Thus says the Lord to Adonai: I will take from the select cedars and gather from the top, taking the heartwood from its branches, which I will plant upon the exalted mountain, specifically the high mountain of Israel. It shall branch out, bear fruit, and grow into a majestic cedar, where every bird will find rest, and every winged creature will be shaded by its leaves. The branches will return to their original state, and all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord, who humbles the tall tree and elevates the humble tree, who withers the green tree and causes the dry tree to sprout branches. I, the Lord, have spoken and am accomplishing this.
The mention in LXX of giving from the top of his branches is supplemented from the edition of Theodotion. Moreover, the phrase regarding the branches returning to their former state should be marked as it does not appear in the Hebrew text. The historical Nebuchadnezzar was meant to take from the most select part of the high cedar, reducing his own kingdom’s prominence. In contrast, the Almighty Lord God, who spoke to Ezekiel, takes from the lineage of the king, the house of David, and plants one on the exalted mountain who declares in the psalm, “But I have been made king by Him over Zion, His holy hill” (Psalm 2:6).
The ruler has departed from Judah, and the leader from Israel, until those destined for him arrive, for He is the hope of the nations (Genesis 49:10). He has given a branch that yields fruit, surpassing all other cedars in height, allowing every bird of the sky to dwell beneath Him, with all winged creatures sheltered by His shade. Concerning Him, Habakkuk proclaims, “The brilliance is in His hands, there His strength is concealed” (Habakkuk 3:4), and He longs to gather His people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23), that all the trees of the earth may know that He is the Lord.
In a symbolic sense, referring to believers, it is He who humbled the lofty tree of Israel and exalted the lowly Gentile nation, who dried up the green tree of the Jews that once flourished through the law and the prophets, transforming the dry tree of the Gentiles into one that thrived, fulfilling what He had long proclaimed. This is reflected in the words of Simeon in the Gospel: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many” (Luke 2:34), and in the mustard seed, which, though it is the smallest of all seeds, grows into a home for the birds (Matthew 13:32).
Some interpret the high tree which has been made low and the low tree which has been made high as representing the suffering of the Lord Savior, who, existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but rather humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:6-7). After the resurrection, this tree was elevated again, having been withered by death and then revived, regaining its prior strength. Others, including the Jewish perspective, relate both trees to Israel, which was lowly and withered at the first coming but shall be restored in its former glory at the second coming, fulfilling what Paul states: “When the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25).