# Behold!

"Listen!" or "Pay attention to what I am about to tell you". These are God's words to Pharaoh about Assyria. God gives his message in the form of a parable about a great cedar tree.

# Assyria was a cedar

In this parable, God speaks about Assyria as if it were a great tree to emphasize how great and powerful the Assyrians were. This parable continues until 31:9. "Assyria was like a cedar". 

# the branches formed its treetop

"its top was above the branches of the other trees" or "the top of the tree was in the clouds"