Midrash su Ezechiele 31:3

It is not written (Exodus 15:7) "He has consumed them as stubble," but "He will consume them as stubble" — in time to come, viz. (Ovadiah 1:18) "And the house of Yaakov will be fire, and the house of Joseph, flame, and the house of Esav, stubble, and they will ignite them and consume them, etc." And it is written (Zechariah 12:6) "On that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a stove — fire (burning) wood, torch (burning) sheaf, etc." All woods, when they burn, their sound is not heard; but stubble, when it burns, it crackles and is heard. Thus did the sound of Egypt, in its destruction, make itself heard. All woods, when they burn, leave a trace; but stubble, when it burns, leaves no trace. And the L rd said (Isaiah 43:17) "They (the chariots of Egypt) all lie together, never to rise, snuffed out like flax" — to teach that there was no kingdom so abject as that of Egypt, but it seized power for the moment towards the aggrandizement of Israel. When the (other) kingdoms are symbolized, they are symbolized as cedars, viz. (Ezekiel 31:3) "Behold, Ashur, a cedar in the Levanon," and (Amos 2:9) "And I destroyed the Emori from before them, whose height was as the height of cedars, etc.", and (Daniel 4:17) "The tree (Bavel) that you have seen, etc." And when Egypt is symbolized, it is symbolized only as stubble, viz. "He will consume them as stubble." And when the (other) kingdoms are symbolized, they are symbolized as silver and gold (Ibid. 2:32) "This statue, its head of fine gold, etc." And when Egypt is symbolized, it is symbolized only as lead, viz. (Exodus 15:10) "they sank as lead." And when the (other) kingdoms are symbolized, they are symbolized as beasts, viz. (Daniel 7:3) "and four immense beasts, etc." And when Egypt is symbolized, it is symbolized only as a fox, viz. (Song of Songs 2:15) "Seize for us the foxes, etc." Antoninus asked Rabbeinu Hakadosh: I want to go to Alexandria. Is it possible that a king will arise there who will beat me? He answered: I do not know. In any event, we have it in writing that Egypt is incapable of establishing either a king or a governor, viz. (Ezekiel 29:15) "Of all the kingdoms it (Egypt) will be the lowest, and it will not exalt itself again among the nations. And I will diminish them, so that they not dominate the nations."

Sennacherib erected his palace in Lebanon with certain protective devices, between two lofty mountains, but wells sprang forth out of the mountains, tore the palace from its foundations, and bore it away, as it is said: Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowy shroud, and of a high stature, and its top was among the thick boughs. The water nourished it; the deep made it grow (Ezek. 31:3–4). And it says also: Thus was it fair in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters (ibid., v. 7), and it states: I have digged and drunk waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of Egypt (Isa. 37:25). What was his ultimate end? Thus said the Lord God: in the day when he went down to the netherworld I caused the deep to mourn and cover itself for him (Ezek. 31:15).

Furthermore it says: Fear not, thou worm Jacob (Isa. 41:14). Why is Israel compared to a worm? To teach us that just as a worm has only a soft and tender mouth with which to strike at a hard cedar tree, so Israel has only its prayers. Idolaters are likened to a cedar, as Scripture states: Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon (Exod. 31:3). And yea, the Lord breaketh in pieces the cedars in Lebanon (Ps. 29:5). Whenever their enemies overpowered them, the Israelites would become penitent and would plead and pray. Hence it says: I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren which I took out of the hand of the Amorites, with my sword and with my bow (Gen 48:29). Did he actually seize it with his sword and his bow? Has it not already been said: For I trust not in my bow, neither can my sword save me (Ps. 44:7)? This implies that my sword refers to prayer and my bow to beseeching. Scripture says: And this for Judah, and he said: “Hear Lord, the voice of Judah,” etc. (Deut. 33:7). Similarly, David said: Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast taunted (I Sam. 17:45). It says also: Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will make mention of the name of the Lord his God (Ps. 20:8), and it is said: There is none beside Thee to help, between the mighty and him that hath no strength; help us, O Lord our God; for we rely on Thee, and in Thy name are we come against this multitude. Thou art the Lord our God; let not man prevail against thee (II Chron. 14:10). Concerning Moses it states: And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom … how our fathers went down into Egypt, and when we cried unto the Lord, He heard our voice (Num. 20:14–15). He said to them: Ye exalt yourselves because of your fathers’ legacy to you, but the voice is the voice of Jacob, and the hands are the hands of Esau (Gen. 27:40). Thus the verse The children of Israel cried out unto the Lord indicates that they followed the practices of their fathers. After they cried out to Him, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to them, as it is said: But from thence ye will seek the Lord thy God; and thou shall find him (Deut. 4:29).