THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And in the eleventh year, during the third month, on a certain day of the month, the Lord’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, proclaim to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his people, ‘Whom can you be compared to in your majesty? Look to Assyria, which was like a cedar in Lebanon, adorned with beautiful branches, lush foliage, and a towering presence. Its summit pierced the sky among the thick boughs. The waters nourished it, the deep raised it, and its rivers flowed around its roots, sending forth streams to all the trees of the field. Thus, its height surpassed all the trees of the field, and its branches proliferated, lifting themselves from abundant waters.
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When it cast its shadow, every kind of bird built nests in its branches, and the beasts of the forest brought forth under its leaves; under its shade all nations gathered. It was magnificent in its vastness and in the multitude of its branches, for its roots were near the waters. The cedars of God’s paradise were not taller than it, nor did the firs compare to its height, and the sycamores were not akin to its branches. No tree in the paradise of God could match it, nor its beauty, for I made it splendid with thick leaves; the trees of delight in paradise envied it. Therefore, the Lord says, ‘Because it is exalted, and its top has grown lush and dense, and its heart has become proud because of its height; for this reason, I will hand it over to the mightiest of nations; he will deal with it as he wishes, for wickedness has led to its downfall. Strangers, the cruelest of nations, shall fell it, and they will cast it down on the mountains; its branches shall fall in all the valleys, and upon the rocks of the earth, all nations shall flee from beneath its shade and abandon it. Upon its ruins, all the birds of the air will dwell, and every beast of the field will find rest on its branches. Thus, the trees by the waters will not be elevated in their height, nor will they lift their tops among the multitude of branches; nor will any that are filled with waters maintain their height; for they all must perish in the depths of the earth, among the children of men, who descend into the pit. The Lord God declares, ‘On the day he descended into the grave, I caused weeping; I covered him with the deep and hindered its rivers, holding back many waters. Lebanon mourned for him, and all the trees of the field trembled. At the sound of his fall, I shook the nations, and brought him down to the pit with those who descend. And all the trees of delight, the finest in Lebanon, and those filled with waters, were comforted in the grave. For they too shall descend with him to the pit, among those slain by the sword; the lives of all who dwelt under his shadow among the nations shall wither away. To whom are you likened, you who are glorious and majestic among the trees of delight? Behold, you are brought down with the trees of delight to the grave; among the uncircumcised, you will lie down, alongside those slain by the sword. Such is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God. I have combined the two versions, where there were significant differences, to avoid lengthening the volume of texts. It’s important to recognize that what is spoken of the king of Assyria in the future tense in the LXX appears as having occurred, addressed either to the prince of Assyria or to the tree; hence, both masculine and feminine references may denote a single subject since both the tree symbolically represents Assyria, and Assyria is figuratively referred to as a tree. However, there is no mention of the king of Babylon here to prevent inciting the rulers against the captive people in Chaldea; rather, it is referenced that the king of Assyria had already been conquered by the Chaldeans, placing the entire strength of Assyria under Babylonian rule. As such, the ten tribes of Israel fell to the Assyrians, while the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were subdued by the Chaldeans, leading to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.