Ezekiel 28 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Ezekiel 28

Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre

28:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, 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 man, and no god,
    though you make your heart like the heart 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 made wealth for yourself,
  and have gathered gold and silver
    into your treasuries;
5   by your great wisdom in your trade
    you have increased your wealth,
    and your heart has become proud in your wealth—
6   therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
  Because you make your heart
    like the heart of a god,
7   therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,
    the most ruthless of the nations;
  and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
    and defile your splendor.
8   They shall thrust you down into the pit,
    and you shall die the death of the slain
    in the heart of the seas.
9   Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
    in the presence of those who kill you,
  though you are but a man, and no god,
    in the hands of those who slay you?
10   You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
    by the hand of foreigners;
    for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.”

A Lament over the King of Tyre

11 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 12 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD:

  “You were the signet of perfection,¹
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13   You were in Eden, the garden of God;
    every precious stone was your covering,
  sardius, topaz, and diamond,
    beryl, onyx, and jasper,
  sapphire,² emerald, and carbuncle;
    and crafted in gold were your settings
    and your engravings.³
  On the day that you were created
    they were prepared.
14   You were an anointed guardian cherub.
    I placed you;⁴ you were on the holy mountain of God;
    in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15   You were blameless in your ways
    from the day you were created,
    till unrighteousness was found in you.
16   In the abundance of your trade
    you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
  so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
    and I destroyed you,⁵ O guardian cherub,
    from the midst of the stones of fire.
17   Your heart was proud because of your 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 I brought fire out from your midst;
    it consumed you,
  and I turned you to ashes on the earth
    in the sight of all who saw you.
19   All who know you among the peoples
    are appalled at you;
  you have come to a dreadful end
    and shall be no more forever.”

Prophecy Against Sidon

20 The word of the LORD came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD:

  “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
    and I will manifest my glory in your midst.
  And they shall know that I am the LORD
    when I execute judgments in her
    and manifest my holiness in her;
23   for I will send pestilence into her,
    and blood into her streets;
  and the slain shall fall in her midst,
    by the sword that is against her on every side.
  Then they will know that I am the LORD.

24 “And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.

Israel Gathered in Security

25 “Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”

Footnotes

[1] 28:12 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
[2] 28:13 Or lapis lazuli
[3] 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
[4] 28:14 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
[5] 28:16 Or banished you

Commentary

v1-2: Tyre's pride, a heart lifted up; "I am a god," proclaimed the proud city. Compare Acts 12.20-23.

v3-5: Wisdom brought riches, and riches brought pride. Tyre exalted herself, but gave no honour to God.

v6-8: Her self-deification was judged by God; she endured death, something that happens to a man, not to a god. Her fall involved foreigners, ruthless nations, gathering against her.

v9-10: A true god cannot die by the hand of man, and her claim will be proved a lie. The Phoenicians, who practised circumcision, would be defeated by the Babylonians, who did not.

v11-14: The blessing upon Tyre, for her riches were obtained with God's blessing. She was the "model of perfection, full of wisdom, perfect in beauty." Nations were exalted by God, and judged by God. He is ultimately in control of all history.

v15: Initially she was blameless, until iniquity appeared. Many start well, but are led astray. Some struggle with the glorious description of the youthful nation. But her good start was not continued. Like King Uzziah, her heart was lifted up (2 Chr 26.16). This verse marks a dramatic change in tone.

v16-19: An indication of her sinfulness. There is reference to her widespread trade, which seems to have been the route to many sins. Perhaps zeal for trade led to deceit in trade. Her trading brought her riches, but also "violence" and pride, corrupted wisdom, dishonesty. Thus, we see that desire for material things can not only smother faith, but can lead us into unspiritual and ungodly attitudes.

These verses may also picture Satan himself, originally given a place of honour. But he sought to usurp the very throne of God, and was cast out of Heaven; Is 14.12-14 present the same themes.

v20-23: God demonstrates His character through judgment upon the ungodly; He manifests His glory.

v24-26: The promise of security for Israel, no longer surrounded by painful briers and sharp thorns, picturing aggressive and cruel neighbours, but dwelling securely. Gathered from the nations, Israel will once more dwell in her own land. Through the numerous prophecies about the nations, the key nation remained Israel.

Those nations guilty of mistreating Israel will be judged.