Ezekiel · chapter 28 of 48
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Ezekiel 28 contains three oracles. The prince of Tyre, who thinks he is a god, will be handed over to ruthless foreigners and die like a mere man. In a lament over the king of Tyre he is pictured with the imagery of Eden and of a cherub who falls through pride. Then judgment is announced on Sidon, along with the promise that Israel will live securely in its land.
After the judgment on the city of Tyre (chapter 26) and the lament over its ship (chapter 27), Ezekiel now addresses its ruler. The chapter is one of the most debated in the book, because the description of the king of Tyre uses language that seems to go beyond what could be said of a human monarch. It shows how the pride of wanting to take God's place always leads to a fall.
The Lord tells the prince of Tyre that his heart is proud and that he has said he is a god, sitting in the seat of the gods in the heart of the seas. He thinks himself wiser than Daniel and believes no secret is hidden from him; by his wisdom and trade he has piled up gold and silver, and his wealth has fed his pride. God announces that foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, will draw their swords against his splendor and bring him down to die like a slain man, not like a god.
Then comes a lament over the king of Tyre. He is pictured as a seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, placed in Eden, the garden of God, covered with precious stones. He was an anointed guardian cherub on the holy mountain of God, blameless until wickedness was found in him. Because of his violent trade and a heart made proud by his beauty, God casts him from the mountain, reduces him to ashes and makes him a horror among the peoples.
The next oracle condemns Sidon, Tyre's sister city, so that the glory of the Lord will be known. The chapter ends with a promise for Israel: when the Lord gathers his people from among the nations, they will live securely in their land, build houses and plant vineyards, and the neighbors who despised them will no longer be a thorn to them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The prince of Tyre declares himself a god and sits in the seat of the gods. God reminds him that he is a man and not a god, though he boasts of having the mind of God. The pride that wants the Creator's place is the root of every fall.
The lament places the king in Eden, the garden of God, and calls him a guardian cherub. It is poetic language that uses the story of the garden to show how much he received and how much he lost. Some interpreters see here only a description of the human king of Tyre, others also see an echo of the fall of God's adversary.
His heart grew proud because of his beauty, and he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. The problem was not beauty or wisdom, which were gifts, but thinking they were his own and using them to exalt himself.
When God carries out justice on the neighbors who despised Israel, his people will live securely, build houses and plant vineyards. The chapter ends with hope: judgment on the nations opens the way to Israel's restoration.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That he was a god and sat in the seat of the gods. — Ezekiel 28:2
Answer: Daniel's; he thought himself wiser. — Ezekiel 28:3
Answer: Ruthless foreigners will kill him like a slain man, not like a god. — Ezekiel 28:7-9
Answer: In Eden, the garden of God, and on the holy mountain of God. — Ezekiel 28:13-14
Answer: Because of his beauty; he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. — Ezekiel 28:17
Answer: That it will live securely in its land, build houses and plant vineyards. — Ezekiel 28:25-26
Ezekiel 28 describes a very old sin: wanting to take God's place. We rarely say it in so many words, but we can live it when we think our success is ours alone, that we need no help or that we can control life. In a class or small group it helps to ask what gifts, such as intelligence, looks or resources, we are tempted to use to build ourselves up instead of to serve.
The chapter also encourages, because its last message is one of safety and restoration for God's people. Pride ends in ruin, but the Lord cares for those who trust in him.
Ezekiel 28 closes the oracles against Tyre and Sidon with a message about pride and a promise for Israel. Chapter 29 opens the next block, directed against Egypt, the great power to the south.
In its context the text speaks of a human ruler of Tyre, and the images of Eden and the cherub poetically express his greatness and his fall. Many Christians also see an echo of the fall of Satan, because the language seems to go beyond the human; others prefer to stay with the description of the king of Tyre. Both readings agree on the lesson: pride leads to a fall.
It probably refers to a man of proverbial wisdom, known in Ezekiel's day, who is also mentioned in Ezekiel 14. The prince of Tyre thought himself wiser than the wisest, and God shows him that his wisdom will not save him.