Ezekiel 28:17

17 Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise.

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 From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection... and then imperfection - evil! - was detected in you.
16 In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out - you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you!
17 Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise.
18 By sin after sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes. All anyone sees now when they look for you is ashes, a pitiful mound of ashes.
19 All who once knew you now throw up their hands: 'This can't have happened! This has happened!'"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.