Ezekiel 31:18

For the Lord Ezekiel asked Pharaoh and the Egyptians which of the trees (nations) in God’s garden they resembled. Egypt was obviously like Assyria in its greatness and pride and may have thought of itself as Assyria’s equal. Nevertheless God would cut down Egypt as He had felled Assyria. The people would die among the uncircumcised, like barbarians (cf. Ezekiel 28:10; Ezekiel 29:5; Ezekiel 32:19; Ezekiel 32:21; Jeremiah 9:25-26). This was a terrible fate for people who regarded a proper burial as preparation for life beyond the grave, as the Egyptians did. The Egyptians practiced circumcision, but the Babylonians did not. They also despised foreigners. They would die by the sword in war. This would be the fate of Pharaoh and the Egyptians that Almighty God promised. If Assyria could not escape Yahweh’s judgment, how could Egypt?

"The story of the cedar revisits several familiar themes that occurred in the prophecies against foreign nations. First, God hates pride because it leads people and nations to ruin (Ezekiel 27:3; Ezekiel 28:2; Proverbs 16:18). Second, the mighty fall as do the weak (cf. Ezekiel 27:27-36). When the mighty fall, it is also a loss for the weak and dependant [sic dependent]. Third, the fall of the tree was a reminder of the mortality of human beings and individual accountability to God (cf. Ezekiel 3:16-21; Ezekiel 18:1-21)." [Note: Cooper, p. 284.]

If the Jewish exiles still entertained any hope that Egypt would save them from captivity, this prophecy would have encouraged them to abandon such a dream.