EzekielChapter 28

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The word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: This is what the Lord GOD says: Because your heart is proud and you have said, "I am a god; I sit enthroned as a god in the heart of the seas"—yet you are a man and not a god, though you set your mind as if it were the mind of a god.

Look, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is too dark for you.

By your wisdom and understanding you have made yourself rich, gathering gold and silver into your treasuries.

By your great wisdom in your trading you increased your wealth, and your heart grew proud because of your wealth.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you set your mind as if it were the mind of a god,

I am bringing strangers against you, the most ruthless of nations. They will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor.

They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.

Will you still say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? Yet you are a man and not a god in the hands of those who wound you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. For I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.

The word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, raise a lament over the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord GOD says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and flawless in beauty.

You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all set in gold. Your settings and mountings were prepared for you on the day you were created.

You were an anointed guardian cherub, for so I appointed you. You were on God's holy mountain; you walked among the stones of fire.

You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until wickedness was found in you.

Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and I banished you, guardian cherub, from among the stones of fire.

Your heart grew proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the ground; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

By your many sins and dishonest trade you desecrated your sanctuaries. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you; I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who watched.

All who knew you among the peoples are appalled at you. You have come to a horrible end and will be no more forever.

The word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, set your face toward Sidon and prophesy against her.

Say: This is what the Lord GOD says: I am against you, Sidon, and I will display my glory within you. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I execute judgments against her and show myself holy in her.

I will send plague upon her and blood into her streets. The slain will fall within her, cut down by the sword that comes against her from every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

No longer will the house of Israel have a malicious briar or a painful thorn from any of their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.

This is what the Lord GOD says: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.

They will live there in safety, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will live in safety when I execute judgments against all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.

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Summary2

Chapter 28

Main Theme: God judges Tyre and Sidon for their pride but promises Israel future restoration.

Content: The chapter begins with a judgment against the prince of Tyre, who in his arrogance has exalted himself to be like God (vv. 1–10). This is followed by a lament over the king of Tyre using cosmic imagery: he is compared to an anointed cherub in Eden, covered with precious stones, who fell because of pride and unjust trade (vv. 11–19). Sidon also receives its judgment (vv. 20–24), before the chapter concludes with a promise that God will gather Israel and let them dwell securely in their land (vv. 25–26).

Key Words/Images:

Eden, God's garden: The king of Tyre is described as one who was in Eden, surrounded by precious stones and splendor, before his fall.
The anointed cherub: The king is compared to a protective cherub on God's holy mountain, who was cast down because of sin.
Pride and fall: Both the prince and the king fall because they exalted themselves and set their hearts as God's heart.
Israel's restoration: God promises to gather His scattered people back to the land He gave Jacob, where they will dwell securely.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Ezekiel 28

People

The chapter addresses two figures in Tyre: נְגִיד (nagid, "prince/ruler") in verses 1–10 and מֶלֶךְ (melek, "king") in verses 11–19. This distinction may reflect that Tyre had both a political ruler and a sacred royal tradition. The historical ruler at Ezekiel's time was likely Ittobaal III (Ethbaal III), who reigned during the Babylonian siege. Phoenician kings traditionally had close ties to the temple and priesthood, and royal self-exaltation to divine status was known in the eastern Mediterranean region.

The reference to Daniel (verse 3) shows a textual variant: דָּנִאֵל (ketiv) / דָּנִיֵּאל (qere). The shorter form without the yod may point toward the legendary wisdom tradition known from Ugaritic texts (the Dan'el story), rather than the biblical prophet Daniel. This was a mythical figure of wisdom known in Canaanite tradition.

Places

Tyre is described as located "in the heart of the seas" (בְּלֵב יַמִּים), an accurate description of the island city situated about 800 meters from the mainland. This location gave the city exceptional defensive capabilities and contributed to the ruler's arrogance. Sidon (verses 21–24), Tyre's neighboring city and occasional rival, was the oldest of the Phoenician city-states and the mother city of Tyre. At Ezekiel's time, Sidon was politically subordinate to Tyre but remained an important religious and commercial center.

Events and Customs

The description of "God's garden" (עֵדֶן גַּן־אֱלֹהִים) with precious stones and a cherub walking among "fiery stones" reflects Phoenician and Canaanite temple iconography. The nine precious stones mentioned in verse 13 partially overlap with the twelve stones on the high priest's breastplate (Exodus 28), suggesting a royal-priestly connection. "Fiery stones" may refer to sparkling gemstones or divine spheres in mythological cosmology. The anointed cherub (כְּרוּב מִמְשַׁח) reflects concepts of divine guardian beings known from both Israelite and Phoenician tradition.

The expression "the death of the uncircumcised" (מוֹתֵי עֲרֵלִים, verse 10) was a shameful death in Israelite thinking, since circumcision was the sign of covenant fellowship. The Phoenicians generally did not practice circumcision, so the judgment places Tyre's ruler among the despised nations.

Key Terms

The word רְכֻלָּה (rekullah, "trade/merchandise") appears several times (verses 5, 16, 18) and is a key term linking Tyre's wealth with its moral downfall. The trade filled the city with חָמָס (chamas, "violence/wrongdoing"). חוֹתֵם תָּכְנִית (chotem toknit, verse 12) is a rare expression – תָּכְנִית is a hapax legomenon – which can be translated "seal of perfection" or "pattern of perfection," a title expressing the highest claims of royal ideology.

סִלּוֹן מַמְאִיר and קוֹץ מַכְאִב (verse 24) – "pricking thorn" and "painful brier" – are metaphors for the hostile influence of neighboring peoples on Israel, imagery known from other prophetic texts.

People1

Daniel1

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Key words8

King of Tyre — A ruler from the ancient city of Tyre, used as an allegory for human pride and sin.
Eden — A symbolic garden representing God's perfect creation, where Adam and Eve lived before the fall.
Cherub — A type of angel with high status in the heavenly hierarchy, often described as God's protectors or servants.
Holy mountain — A symbol of God's divine presence and sovereignty, often associated with the spiritual realm.
Beauty — An attribute attributed to God's creation and beings, but which can lead to pride and sin when misused.
Pride — A sin involving excessive arrogance, self-satisfaction, and lack of humility, leading to God's judgment.
Wisdom — A virtue involving deep understanding, insight, and righteousness, but which can be corrupted by pride and selfishness.
Judgment — God's just punishment for sin and injustice, expressed through prophetic warnings and actions.