Ezekiel 28
28
Judgment on the King of Tyre
1Yahweh spoke to me and said, 2“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Lord Yahweh says to you: # 28:2 The prophecy in the following verses details the judgment of the king of Tyre, who, according to Phoenician annals and the Jewish historian Josephus, was Ithobalus II. Ezekiel prophesied his judgment as though it had already happened. Although Ezekiel was giving a prophecy over a literal king, he was dealing with the spiritual principality of Tyre, not simply a man. This chapter can be interpreted figuratively since it does not entirely apply to a human king. This is recognized as a difficult text that inspired diverse interpretations. According to rabbinic tradition, the prophecy speaks of the fall of the first man, Adam, while the church fathers found in the same text a description of the fall of Lucifer. The first half of Ezekiel’s prophecy (vv. 1–10) seems to refer to a human (Adam) while the second half (vv. 11–19) seems to refer to Satan (Lucifer). Verses 1–10 are addressed to the “prince of Tyre” while verses 11–19 are addressed to the “king of Tyre.” For a detailed study of this chapter, see Hector M. Patmore, Adam, Satan, and the King of Tyre (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, Inc., 2012).
“ ‘Because your heart is swollen with pride, you have said,
“I am a god. I sit in the seat of a god,
enthroned in the heart of the sea.”
You think you are as wise as a god,
but you’re nothing but a man, # 28:2 Or “you are Adam [man].” not a god at all!
3So, you really think you are wiser than Daniel, # 28:3 See Dan. 1:17–20; 4:6–8.
and no mystery baffles you? # 28:3 Or literally “no secret is dark from you.”
4By your wisdom and vast understanding
you have amassed a great fortune!
You have accumulated gold and silver
and placed them into your royal treasuries.
5Through your great wisdom in trading,
your fortune has continued to increase,
but it has made your heart grow prouder.
6Therefore, Lord Yahweh says to you:
Do you really think your heart is like the heart of God? # 28:6 See Obad. 3.
7See for yourself as I bring ruthless enemies against you,
the most brutal of the nations!
They will unleash their swords
against all that your marvelous wisdom has built,
and they will strike down your splendor! # 28:7 Or “profane your brightness.”
8You will die a violent death
in the heart of the sea.
They will throw you down into the abyss!
9Will you still say in the presence of your killers,
“Don’t you know I’m a god?”
But you will be merely a mortal man, and not a god,
when you are in the clutches
of the ones who strike you down!
10You will die like an outcast, # 28:10 Or “die the death of the uncircumcised,” that is, the death of an outcast, cut off from others. The term “uncircumcised” (‘arelim) is a universal descriptor in Scripture to describe those who have been excluded from the community of God’s people, primarily because of their rejection of God’s unique character as the one true and living God. The physical mark of circumcision was, of course, the badge of Yahweh’s ownership of his covenant people in the old covenant era.
a shameful death at the hand of foreigners.
I, Lord Yahweh, have decreed it!’ ”
The King of Tyre Is Dead
11Yahweh spoke to me again, saying, 12“Son of man, mourn for the king of Tyre. Say to him, ‘Lord Yahweh says to you:
“ ‘You were once the consummate model of perfection. # 28:12 Or “a seal of perfection” (LXX). The Hebrew is uncertain.
You were full of great wisdom,
and your beauty seemed perfect.
13You lived in Eden, in the very garden of God.
Every precious jewel formed your mantle.
You were dressed in splendor with diamonds,
carnelian, topaz, chrysolite, beryl,
onyx, sapphire, turquoise, and emeralds; # 28:13 The nine precious stones listed in this verse are nearly impossible to identify with any certainty, as a comparison of other translations reveals. Although the high priest’s breastplate had twelve stones, the three missing stones in this list are included in the Septuagint. See Ex. 28:17–20; 39:10–13; Rev. 4:3; 21:19–20.
each gem engraved in settings of gold. # 28:13 The Hebrew of this clause is uncertain.
I, Yahweh, made them for you on the day I created you.
14I placed you with an anointed guardian cherub. # 28:14 The meaning of this Hebrew sentence is uncertain.
You were on the holy mountain of God # 28:14 The mountain of God is the dwelling place of Yahweh (see Isa. 2:2). The garden of Eden is likely a metaphor for this mountain, for the elevated location of the garden of Eden is indicated by the fact that a single river flows out of it, then divides into four rivers (see Gen. 2:10–14). The mountain of God is also the location of the New Jerusalem (see Rev. 21:10).
where you walked among the fiery stones. # 28:14 Or “you came to be in the midst of the firestones.” These firestones were possibly the hedge surrounding the manifestation of God’s glory (see Zech. 2:5).
15Your ways were blameless from the day I created you,
until wickedness first appeared in you.
16Your vast wealth filled you with violence and sin.
So, I have cast you down in disgrace
from the mountain of God.
I banished you, O guardian cherub,
from among the stones of fire.
17Your heart became swollen with pride because of your beauty;
your thirst for glory corrupted your wisdom.
So, I hurled you down to the earth,
and displayed you as a warning to other kings.
18So great was your sin—
the injustice of your buying and selling.
You defiled your sanctuaries.
So, I set a fire inside of you,
and it consumed you entirely!
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
before the eyes of all who saw you.
19All who once knew you
are stunned at your fate.
You have come to a terrible, dreadful end,
and will be no more!’ ”
Prophecy against Sidon
20 # 28:20 Ezekiel 28:20–32:32 constitutes panel J1 in the chiastic structure of the book. These chapters deal with the divine judgment on Sidon and Egypt—the latter at the hands of the Babylonians. This section serves as the first panel of the “descending” arm of the chiasmus. It parallels the group of oracles against other pagan nations in ch. 25 (i.e., panel J). Yahweh spoke to me and said, 21“Son of man, turn toward Sidon # 28:21 Sidon is a port city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea about twenty-five miles (forty kilometers) north of Tyre. The city was founded by Canaan’s firstborn son (see Gen. 10:15). The king of Sidon rebelled against the Babylonians in 594 BC and was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar during the same campaign that destroyed Jerusalem. Sidon is the seventh of the enemies surrounding Israel that are dealt with in Ezek. 25–32. Sidon is now known as Saida, a small seaport in Lebanon. See Judg. 10:6, 12; 1 Kings 11:33; Mark 3:8 (and second footnote); 7:24 (and footnote); Luke 10:13–14. and prophesy against her 22with these words: ‘Lord Yahweh says to you:
“ ‘Behold, I am against you, Sidon;
I will manifest my glory in you
when I bring my judgment upon you!
Everyone will see my display of holiness
and they will know that I am Yahweh!
23For I will send a plague,
and there will be blood in her streets.
Enemies will attack her on all sides
by the sword raised up against her,
and the dead will fall in heaps # 28:23 The Pilel form of the verb stem niphlal likely denotes intensity, thus, “fall in heaps.” within the city.
Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’ ”
Israel Delivered and Restored
24“As for the people of Israel, there will no longer be any hostile nation surrounding them like thorns or briars that would hurt or pierce them. Then people will know that I am Yahweh.”
25Lord Yahweh says: “When I regather the people of Israel from every place where they have been scattered, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26And they will live there securely, building houses and planting vineyards. When I execute judgment on all the mocking, hostile nations surrounding them, they will live in safety, and they will know that I am Yahweh, the God they worship.”
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