Ezekiel 28:17

17 1Your heart was proud because of 2your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

Ezekiel 28:17 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 28:17

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty
Riches, wealth, power, and authority; see ( Ezekiel 28:5 ) , as the pope of Rome is, because of his dignity, the pomp and splendour of the Roman church, and the gaudy appearance it makes: thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness;
outward lustre and glory, which dazzled his eyes so that he could not see things in a true light; but neglecting the word of God, and setting up his own infallibility, corrupted his doctrine and worship, and became foolish, stupid, and sottish: I will cast thee to the ground;
from the throne and pinnacle of honour, to the lowest state and condition: and I will lay thee before kings:
prostrate at the feet of them, who heretofore has set his feet on the necks of them; or he shall fall before them, and be destroyed by them, when they shall hate the whore, and make her desolate, and burn her flesh with fire, ( Revelation 17:16 ) : that they may behold thee; with contempt and disdain, and as an instance and example of divine vengeance.

Ezekiel 28:17 In-Context

15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you,O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
18 By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever."

Cross References 2

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.