Ezekiel 28

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

1 The word of the LORD came to me:

2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.

3 Are you wiser than Daniel^[a] ? Is no secret hidden from you?

4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.

5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.

6 “ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,

7 I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining 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 then say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a mortal, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.

10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”

11 The word of the LORD came to me:

12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.^[b]Your settings and mountings^[c] were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.

14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.

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

16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.

17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.

19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’ ”

A Prophecy Against Sidon

20 The word of the LORD came to me:

21 “Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her

22 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘I am against you, Sidon, and among you I will display my glory. You will know that I am the LORD, when I inflict punishment on you and within you am proved to be holy.

23 I will send a plague upon you and make blood flow in your streets. The slain will fall within you, with the sword against you on every side. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

24 “ ‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

25 “ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.

26 They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’ ”

Ezekiel 28 Commentary

Chapter 28

The sentence against the prince or king of Tyre. (1-19) The fall of Zidon. (20-23) The restoration of Israel. (24-26)

Verses 1-19 Ethbaal, or Ithobal, was the prince or king of Tyre; and being lifted up with excessive pride, he claimed Divine honours. Pride is peculiarly the sin of our fallen nature. Nor can any wisdom, except that which the Lord gives, lead to happiness in this world or in that which is to come. The haughty prince of Tyre thought he was able to protect his people by his own power, and considered himself as equal to the inhabitants of heaven. If it were possible to dwell in the garden of Eden, or even to enter heaven, no solid happiness could be enjoyed without a humble, holy, and spiritual mind. Especially all spiritual pride is of the devil. Those who indulge therein must expect to perish.

20-26. The Zidonians were borderers upon the land of Israel, and they might have learned to glorify the Lord; but, instead of that, they seduced Israel to the worship of their idols. War and pestilence are God's messengers; but he will be glorified in the restoring his people to their former safety and prosperity. God will cure them of their sins, and ease them of their troubles. This promise will at length fully come to pass in the heavenly Canaan: when all the saints shall be gathered together, every thing that offends shall be removed, all griefs and fears for ever banished. Happy, then, is the church of God, and every living member of it, though poor, afflicted, and despised; for the Lord will display his truth, power, and mercy, in the salvation and happiness of his redeemed people.

Cross References

• 1. S Isaiah 13:11
• 2. S Isaiah 14:13
• 3. Zephaniah 2:15
• 4. S Genesis 3:5; S Psalms 9:20; Psalms 82:6-7; Isaiah 31:3; S Ezekiel 16:49; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
• 5. S Ezekiel 14:14; Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:20-23,28; Daniel 5:11-12
• 6. Isaiah 10:13; Zechariah 9:3
• 7. S Isaiah 23:8
• 8. S Jeremiah 9:23; S Ezekiel 27:33
• 9. S Job 31:25; Psalms 52:7; Psalms 62:10; Hosea 12:8; Hosea 13:6
• 10. Ezekiel 30:11; Ezekiel 31:12; Ezekiel 32:12; Habakkuk 1:6
• 11. Jeremiah 9:23
• 12. S Ezekiel 7:24
• 13. S Psalms 55:23; Ezekiel 32:30
• 14. Revelation 18:7
• 15. S Ezekiel 26:12; Ezekiel 27:27
• 16. S Isaiah 31:3
• 17. S Ezekiel 16:49
• 18. S 1 Samuel 14:6; S Jeremiah 9:26; Ezekiel 31:18; Ezekiel 32:19,24
• 19. S Ezekiel 19:1
• 20. Ezekiel 27:2-4
• 21. S Genesis 2:8
• 22. Ezekiel 31:8-9
• 23. Revelation 17:4
• 24. S Ezekiel 27:16
• 25. Isaiah 14:11; Revelation 21:20
• 26. Exodus 30:26; Exodus 40:9
• 27. Exodus 25:17-20
• 28. S Genesis 6:11; Habakkuk 2:17
• 29. S Genesis 3:24
• 30. Isaiah 10:12; Ezekiel 16:49; Ezekiel 31:10
• 31. S Ezekiel 19:12
• 32. Obadiah 1:18
• 33. Malachi 4:3
• 34. Zechariah 9:2-4
• 35. S Leviticus 26:32
• 36. S Jeremiah 51:64; S Ezekiel 26:21; Ezekiel 27:36
• 37. S Ezekiel 13:17; Ezekiel 6:2
• 38. S Genesis 10:15; S Jeremiah 25:22
• 39. Ezekiel 39:13
• 40. Ezekiel 30:19
• 41. S Leviticus 10:3
• 42. S Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 38:22
• 43. Numbers 33:55; Joshua 23:13; S Isaiah 5:6; S Ezekiel 2:6
• 44. Psalms 106:47; Jeremiah 32:37
• 45. S Isaiah 11:12
• 46. S Ezekiel 20:41
• 47. Jeremiah 12:15; Jeremiah 23:8; S Ezekiel 11:17; Ezekiel 34:27; Ezekiel 37:25
• 48. S Leviticus 25:18; S 1 Kings 4:25; S Jeremiah 17:25; Jeremiah 23:6
• 49. S Deuteronomy 20:6
• 50. S Psalms 149:9
• 51. S Isaiah 65:21; S Jeremiah 32:15; Ezekiel 38:8; Ezekiel 39:26-27; Hosea 2:15; Hosea 11:11; Amos 9:14-15

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "Danel" , a man of renown in ancient literature
• [b]. The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
• [c]. The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

Chapter Summary

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.