Ezekiel 31:9

יָפֶ֣ה עֲשִׂיתִ֔יו בְּרֹ֖ב דָּֽלִיֹּותָ֑יו וַיְקַנְאֻ֨הוּ֙ כָּל־עֲצֵי־עֵ֔דֶן אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּגַ֥ן הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ ס

I made it beautiful in the multitude of its branches, and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.’

Morphology

1. יָפֶה (yafeh) – Root: יפי (yafi); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “beautiful”; Notes: Describes aesthetic and moral splendor. The adjective reflects divine craftsmanship—YHWH Himself enhancing the cedar’s majesty.
2. עֲשִׂיתִיו (ʿasitiv) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “I made it”; Notes: The speaker is YHWH, emphasizing divine agency—He made Assyria’s might and beauty possible.
3. בְּרֹב (be-rov) – Root: רבב (ravav); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “in the multitude of”; Notes: Expresses the means by which the cedar’s beauty is manifested—abundance of branches, symbolizing expansion and dominion.
4. דָּלִיֹּותָיו (daliyotav) – Root: דלה (dalah); Form: Noun feminine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “its branches”; Notes: Refers to spreading limbs that drew water—metaphor for the empire’s vast influence and prosperity.
5. וַיְקַנְאֻהוּ (vayqanneʾuhu) – Root: קנא (qanʾa); Form: Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and they envied it”; Notes: The Piel stem intensifies emotion—conveys jealous admiration. The “trees of Eden” symbolize other nations admiring Assyria’s exalted state.
6. כָּל־עֲצֵי־עֵדֶן (kol-ʿatsei-ʿeden) – Root: עץ (ʿets); Form: Noun masculine plural construct with כָּל (“all”) and genitive complement “Eden”; Translation: “all the trees of Eden”; Notes: Represents the nations within God’s creation—Eden functions as an allegory for the world’s political order under divine design.
7. אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that” or “which”; Notes: Links the relative clause specifying where these trees were located.
8. בְּגַן (be-gan) – Root: גן (gan); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the garden”; Notes: Reinforces Edenic imagery—place of divine planting and abundance.
9. הָאֱלֹהִים (ha-elohim) – Root: אלהים (ʾelohim); Form: Definite noun masculine plural (with singular sense); Translation: “the God”; Notes: Denotes YHWH’s domain—His cosmic garden where all creation is ordered. Highlights that even in divine perfection, pride can arise and provoke envy.