Ezekiel 28:1-19

A Prophecy against the Ruler of Tyre

1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.
3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you!
4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained your wealth and amassed gold and silver for your treasuries.
5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has grown proud because of it.
6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you regard your heart as the heart of a god,
7 behold, I will bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations. They will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and will defile your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’ in the presence of those who slay you? You will be only a man, not a god, in the hands of those who wound you.
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. For I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.”

A Lament for the King of Tyre

11 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: [a] ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, [b] turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways— until wickedness was found in you.
16 By the vastness of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and I banished you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.
18 By the multitude of your iniquities and the dishonesty of your trading you have profaned your sanctuaries. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the eyes of all who saw you.
19 All the nations who know you are appalled over you. You have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”

Ezekiel 28:1-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 28

This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of the prince of Tyre; a lamentation for the king of Tyre; a denunciation of judgments on Zidon, and a promise of peace and safety to Israel. The order given the prophet to prophesy of the ruin of the prince of Tyre, Eze 28:1,2, the cause of his ruin, his pride on account of his wisdom and riches, which rose to such a pitch, as to make himself God, Eze 28:2-6, the manner in which his destruction shall be accomplished, Eze 28:7-10, the lamentation for the king of Tyre begins Eze 28:11,12, setting forth his former grandeur and dignity, Eze 28:13-15, his fall, and the cause of it, injustice and violence in merchandise, pride because of beauty and wisdom, and profanation of sanctuaries, Eze 28:16-19, next follow the judgments on Zidon, Eze 28:20-23, and the chapter is concluded with a promise of the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and of great tranquillity and safety in it, Eze 28:24-26.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.
  • [b]. Or lapis lazuli
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