I made it beautiful in the mass of its branches: The beauty of the cedar tree did not occur by chance, or by its own efforts. God made it so. In some languages it may be helpful to begin this verse with “I, God, made it beautiful” to remind the readers of who the speaker is. The most beautiful aspect of the cedar tree seems to be the mass of its branches, that is, its “many branches” (New International Reader’s Version, New Century Version); God focuses on these branches throughout verses 3-9. A model for this whole clause is “I made it beautiful with all its spreading branches.”

And all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God: The trees in the garden of Eden were believed to be the tallest and most beautiful trees in the world, and because the cedar tree was taller and more beautiful than them, they all “were jealous of it” (New International Reader’s Version), “wanted to be like it” (New Century Version). All the trees of Eden … that were in the garden of God is repetitious because Eden is the garden of God. One model for these line is “All the trees in the garden of Eden, [which is] God’s garden, were jealous of it.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .