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.
Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are man, and not God, though you set your heart as the heart of God—
therefore, behold, I will bring strangers on you, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness.
Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and tell him, Thus says the Lord GOD: You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. In the day that you were created they were prepared.
You were the anointed cherub who covers: and I set you, so that you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
By the abundance of your traffic they filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you.
By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your traffic, you have profaned your sanctuaries; therefore have I brought out a fire from your midst; it has devoured you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all those who see you.
and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, Sidon; and I will be glorified in your midst; and they shall know that I am the LORD, 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 on her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
There shall be no more a pricking brier to the house of Israel, nor a hurting thorn of any that are around them, that scorned them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
Thus says the Lord GOD: 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.
They shall dwell securely therein; yes, they shall build houses, and plant vineyards, and shall dwell securely, when I have executed judgments on all those who do them despite all around them; and they shall know that I am the LORD 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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