Lexical Summary c'appah: To overlay, to cover, to plate Original Word: סְעַפָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bough, branch Feminine of ca'iyph; a twig -- bough, branch. Compare car'appah. see HEBREW ca'iyph see HEBREW car'appah Brown-Driver-Briggs [סְעַמָּה] noun feminine bough, branch; — plural suffix סְעַמֹּתָיו Ezekiel 31:6,8 (of king under figure of cedar). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery The word depicts the large, spreading boughs of a stately tree—limbs that fork outward to form a protective canopy. By extension, it evokes ideas of abundance, prominence, and a sphere of influence wide enough to give refuge to creatures that dwell or lodge within its shade. Occurrences and Context Ezekiel uses the term twice in a single oracle (Ezekiel 31:6, Ezekiel 31:8) when comparing Assyria (and, by warning, Pharaoh of Egypt) to a towering cedar in Lebanon. The prophet paints a vivid picture of imperial power: • “All the birds of the air nested in its branches; all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; and all the great nations dwelt in its shade.” (Ezekiel 31:6) In verse 8 the word appears again to show that no other tree could rival the luxuriant spread of those same boughs. The image underscores both the magnificence of worldly power and its creaturely dependence on the life that God alone sustains. Theological Themes 1. Divine Sovereignty over Nations The luxuriant branches stand only because “the waters made it grow” (Ezekiel 31:4). However glorious the boughs, their source is outside themselves. Ezekiel reminds rulers and peoples alike that political greatness is derivative, not ultimate. Birds and beasts finding safety under the branches illustrate how God intends authority to provide covering, not oppression. When the cedar is later felled (Ezekiel 31:12-13), the very creatures that once flourished in its shelter scatter—an implicit warning that failure in stewardship invites judgment. Ezekiel 31:8 situates the tree “in the garden of God,” linking imperial pomp with Edenic imagery. The lush boughs call to mind humanity’s original vocation to cultivate and guard creation, a task forfeited in Adam yet ultimately realized in Christ, “the shoot from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1). The metaphor anticipates a future tree whose branches never wither: the tree of life that brings “healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). The contrast between Assyria’s desiccated boughs and the eternal tree invites hope that God will plant an everlasting kingdom where shelter is never lost. Historical Background Assyrian monarchs used arboreal symbolism on palace reliefs, presenting themselves as cosmic trees sustaining subject peoples. Ezekiel appropriates that language, only to invert it: the lofty empire, like Egypt whom he addresses, will fall once God withdraws the waters that nourished its boughs. Contemporary hearers in exile would have recognized both the grandeur and fragility of such royal claims. Connections to Other Biblical Imagery • Daniel 4:12 records a similar picture of Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion as a great tree providing food and lodging. While these passages employ different vocabulary, the shared imagery links Ezekiel’s warning to the broader biblical storyline of human kingdoms contrasted with God’s kingdom. Ministry Applications • Leadership: Authority must function as a protective canopy rather than a platform for self-exaltation. Those who recognize the Source of life-giving growth will flourish; those who forget Him will find their branches dried and scattered. Forms and Transliterations בִּסְעַפֹּתָ֤יו בסעפתיו סְעַפֹּתָ֔יו סעפתיו bis‘appōṯāw bis·‘ap·pō·ṯāw bisappoTav sə‘appōṯāw sə·‘ap·pō·ṯāw seappoTavLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 31:6 HEB: בִּסְעַפֹּתָ֤יו קִֽנְנוּ֙ כָּל־ NAS: nested in its boughs, And under KJV: made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches INT: boughs nested All Ezekiel 31:8 2 Occurrences |
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