The Aramaic ilan (אִילָן) is the word for 'tree,' equivalent to the Hebrew ets. It appears in the Aramaic sections of Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a great tree — vast, strong, visible to the ends of the earth — which is then cut down as a divine judgment on his pride.
The great tree of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 4 is one of Scripture's most vivid portraits of pride brought low and restored through humility. The tree reaches heaven and feeds all living creatures — a picture of empire and human glory at its zenith. Yet God commands it cut down until Nebuchadnezzar learns that 'the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes' (Dan 4:25). Greatness apart from God's sovereignty is a tree waiting to be felled. The restoration of the stump promises that even kings who humble themselves can be renewed. This is the gospel logic: humiliation leads to exaltation.