Ezekiel28

Ezekiel 28 delivers divine judgment against Tyrus, first condemning its prince for his arrogant claim to godhood, despite being merely a man. A lamentation then describes the king of Tyrus as a once-perfect, cherubic being in Eden, who fell due to pride, beauty, and the violence of his merchandise. The chapter concludes with a prophecy against Zidon, promising the Lord's glorification through judgment, and a future promise of Israel's secure restoration, free from their surrounding adversaries.

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Judgment Against the Prince of Tyre

The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying,

Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyre, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art man, and not God, though thou didst set thy heart as the heart of God;—

behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that is hidden from thee;

by thy wisdom and by thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures;

by thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of thy riches;—

therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,

therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.

They shall bring thee down to the pit; and thou shalt die the death of them that are slain, in the heart of the seas.

Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou art man, and not God, in the hand of him that woundeth thee.

Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Lamentation Over the King of Tyre

Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was in thee; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared.

Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee.

By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.

Prophecy Against Zidon

And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

Son of man, set thy face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it,

and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Sidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.

For I will send pestilence into her, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall fall in the midst of her, with the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

The Restoration and Security of Israel

And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor a hurting thorn of any that are round about them, that did despite unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the nations, then shall they dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob.

And they shall dwell securely therein; yea, they shall build houses, and plant vineyards, and shall dwell securely, when I have executed judgments upon all those that do them despite round about them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah their God.

Study Notes for Ezekiel 28

Verse 2

The 'prince' (Heb. *nagid*) is the human ruler of Tyre, identified historically with King Ithobaal III. His central sin is hubris, claiming divine status, likely due to Tyre’s great wealth and perceived impregnability as an island fortress.

Verse 3

This is likely a sarcastic challenge. Daniel was a contemporary figure renowned for his wisdom (Ezek. 14:14, 20), emphasizing the Prince’s foolish arrogance in believing his worldly intelligence surpassed all others.

Verse 5

The text links the Prince’s wisdom directly to his commercial success, emphasizing that his pride is rooted in material wealth gained through extensive, highly profitable maritime trade (*traffick*).

Verse 7

The 'terrible of the nations' refers to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, whom God uses as the instrument of judgment against Tyre’s arrogance and perceived beauty.

Verse 8

'The pit' (Heb. *shahat*) refers to the grave or Sheol. The judgment emphasizes that despite his claims of divinity, the prince will suffer a definite, humiliating human death.

Verse 10

To die 'the deaths of the uncircumcised' meant dying an ignoble, non-covenantal death—the fate of pagans—a profound insult to a powerful ruler who claimed divine status.

Verse 12

Ezekiel shifts from the human 'prince' (v. 2) to the mythic, idealized 'king' (Heb. *melek*), a figure representing the perfect embodiment of Tyre’s glory, wisdom, and original beauty before its fall. The passage is a funeral dirge or lamentation.

Verse 13

The reference to 'Eden the garden of God' connects this figure to primeval perfection. The nine precious stones listed may allude to the stones on the High Priest’s breastplate (Ex. 28), symbolizing a sacred, priestly status corrupted by sin.

Verse 14

The 'anointed cherub that covereth' is a guardian angelic figure set upon the 'holy mountain of God.' This description is foundational to the traditional Christian and Jewish interpretation linking this passage to the fall of Satan, a high-ranking angelic being.

Verse 15

This confirms the figure’s original perfection and emphasizes that the corruption originated internally ('till iniquity was found in thee'), not externally.

Verse 16

The immediate cause of the fall is defined as the 'multitude of thy merchandise,' indicating that the excessive wealth and global trade led directly to moral compromise, corruption, and violence.

Verse 17

Pride, stemming from beauty and brightness (glory), is identified as the root sin, mirroring the sin of the human Prince (v. 2). The king's fall is public, serving as a warning to earthly rulers.

Verse 18

The 'sanctuaries' may refer to the city’s temples or, metaphorically, the sacred status of Tyre itself. The judgment is a self-inflicted destruction: the fire comes 'from the midst of thee,' meaning the destruction arises from internal corruption.

Verse 20

Zidon (Sidon) was a powerful Phoenician city, Tyre’s older sister, often grouped with Tyre in prophetic judgments due to their similar maritime trade and idolatry.

Verse 22

God promises to be 'glorified' and 'sanctified' through judgment. The destruction of Zidon will demonstrate God’s holiness and sovereignty to the surrounding nations.

Verse 24

This verse concludes the major section of oracles against the surrounding nations (Ezek. 25–28). The destruction of hostile neighbors like Tyre and Sidon removes the 'pricking brier' that constantly irritated and threatened Israel.

Verse 25

The ultimate goal of all these judgments is the restoration and sanctification of Israel. God will gather the scattered exiles, and in their restoration, His holiness will be displayed to the heathen.

Verse 26

The promise includes physical blessings (building houses, planting vineyards) and spiritual security ('dwell safely... with confidence'), establishing the covenant relationship between the LORD and His people.

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Ezekiel28

Judgment Against the Prince of Tyre

Lamentation Over the King of Tyre

Prophecy Against Zidon

The Restoration and Security of Israel

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