Ezekiel 28:12-18

12 ¹"Son of man, ²raise a lamentation over ³the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection,^{[a] 4}full of wisdom and ⁵perfect in beauty.

13 You were in ⁶Eden, the garden of God; ⁷every precious stone was your covering, ⁸sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire,^[b]9emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings.^{[c] 10}On the day that you were created they were prepared.

14 You were an anointed ¹¹guardian cherub. I placed you;^[d] you were on ¹²the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

15 You were blameless in your ways ¹³from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.

16 In the abundance of ¹⁴your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from ¹⁵the mountain of God, and I destroyed you,^[e]16O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 ¹⁷Your heart was proud because of ¹⁸your 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 ¹⁹I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth ²⁰in the sight of all who saw you.

Ezekiel 28:12-18 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.

Cross References

• 1. See Ezekiel 2:1
• 2. See Ezekiel 19:1
• 3. [ver. 2]
• 4. [ver. 3]
• 5. Ezekiel 27:3
• 6. Ezekiel 31:8, 9; See Isaiah 51:3
• 7. [Ezekiel 27:16]
• 8. Revelation 4:3; Revelation 21:19, 20
• 9. [Ezekiel 27:16]
• 10. ver. 15
• 11. Exodus 25:20; 1 Kings 8:7
• 12. [Ezekiel 20:40]
• 13. ver. 13
• 14. [ver. 5]
• 15. [See ver. 14 above]
• 16. [See ver. 14 above]
• 17. ver. 2, 5
• 18. [ver. 7]
• 19. [Ezekiel 30:8, 14, 16; Revelation 18:8]
• 20. [ver. 17]

Footnotes

• [a]. The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
• [b]. Or lapis lazuli
• [c]. The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
• [d]. The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
• [e]. Or banished you