Ezekiel 28:3

3 You are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you;

Ezekiel 28:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 28:3

Behold; thou art wiser than Daniel
That is, in his own opinion; or it is ironically said. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it by way of interrogation, "art thou not wiser than Daniel?" who was now at the court of Babylon, and was famous throughout all Chaldea for his knowledge in politics, his wisdom and prudence in government, as well as his skill in interpreting dreams. The Jews have a saying, that

``if all the wise men of the nations were in one scale, and Daniel in the other, he would weigh them all down.''
And perhaps the fame of him had reached the king of Tyre, and yet he thought himself wiser than he; see ( Zechariah 9:2 ) , antichrist thinks himself wiser than Daniel, or any of the prophets and apostles; he is wise above that which is written, and takes upon him the sole interpretation of the Scriptures, and to fix the sense of them: there is no secret that they can hide from thee;
as he fancied; he had sagacity to penetrate into the councils of neighbouring princes, and discover all plots and intrigues against him; he understood all the "arcana" and secrets of government, and could counterwork the designs of his enemies. Antichrist pretends to know all mysteries, and solve all difficulties, and pass an infallible judgment on things; as if he was of the privy council of heaven, and nothing was transacted there but he was acquainted with it, and had full knowledge of the mind of God in all things.

Ezekiel 28:3 In-Context

1 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: Because your heart is proud and you have said, "I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas," yet you are but a mortal, and no god, though you compare your mind with the mind of a god.
3 You are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you;
4 by your wisdom and your understanding you have amassed wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries.
5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Or, as otherwise read, [Danel]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.