Ezekiel 28

King James Version

Full text for Ezekiel Chapter 28

1¶ The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

2Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart [is] lifted up, and thou hast said, I [am] a God, I sit [in] the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou [art] a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

3Behold, thou [art] wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

4With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

5By thy great wisdom [and] by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

6Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

7Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.

8They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of [them that are] slain in the midst of the seas.

9Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I [am] God? but thou [shalt be] a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.

10Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.

11¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more.

20¶ Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

21Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,

22And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.

23For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

24And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor [any] grieving thorn of all [that are] round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.

25Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.

26And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD their God.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Ezekiel 28 delivers divine judgment against Tyrus, first condemning its prince for his arrogant claim to godhood, despite being merely a man. A lamentation then describes the king of Tyrus as a once-perfect, cherubic being in Eden, who fell due to pride, beauty, and the violence of his merchandise. The chapter concludes with a prophecy against Zidon, promising the Lord's glorification through judgment, and a future promise of Israel's secure restoration, free from their surrounding adversaries.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with a message to the prince of Tyrus, denouncing his pride and blasphemous assertion of being a god, despite his great wisdom and wealth. The Lord declares He will bring terrible strangers to destroy him, causing him to die the deaths of the uncircumcised. A lamentation follows for the king of Tyrus, depicted as a being of perfect wisdom and beauty, once in Eden and an "anointed cherub" on God's holy mountain. However, his perfection was corrupted by pride in his beauty and the violence stemming from his extensive merchandise. For this iniquity, he is cast out and consumed by fire, becoming ashes before all who knew him. Finally, the Lord prophesies judgment against Zidon, promising pestilence and blood, through which His name will be glorified, leading to a promise of Israel's secure gathering and dwelling in their own land, free from hostile neighbors.

Long Summary

Ezekiel 28 begins with the Lord God's word to the prophet concerning the prince of Tyrus, who, in his heart's arrogance, proclaimed himself a god seated in the midst of the seas. The Lord refutes this, emphasizing his mortal nature despite his perceived wisdom, which he used to amass great riches through his extensive traffic. Because of this self-exaltation, the Lord declares He will bring "strangers," the most terrible of nations, to draw their swords against Tyrus's wisdom and defile its brightness, bringing the prince down to the pit to die the ignominious deaths of the uncircumcised. Following this, a lamentation is taken up for the king of Tyrus, portrayed with imagery of profound initial perfection and divine favor. He is described as "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty," having been in "Eden the garden of God," adorned with every precious stone. He is further depicted as an "anointed cherub that covereth," set upon the holy mountain of God, walking amidst "stones of fire," perfect in his ways from creation until iniquity was found in him. This fall is attributed to his heart being lifted up because of his beauty, corrupting his wisdom, and the violence that filled him due to the multitude of his merchandise. Consequently, the Lord vows to cast him out as profane, destroy him, and bring forth a fire from within him to devour him, reducing him to ashes upon the earth, astonishing all who knew him. The chapter then shifts to a prophecy against Zidon, declaring the Lord's opposition and His intent to be glorified through executing judgments upon it, specifically through pestilence, blood, and the sword. This judgment will serve to make Zidon know that He is the Lord. The chapter concludes with a promise of hope for Israel, stating that their surrounding despisers will no longer be "pricking briers" or "grieving thorns." The Lord promises to gather the house of Israel from among the scattered peoples, sanctify them in the sight of the heathen, and enable them to dwell safely and confidently in their own land, building houses and planting vineyards, thereby knowing the Lord their God.

Core Concepts

  • Pride and Self-ExaltationThe prince of Tyrus is condemned for his arrogant claim to be a god, attributing his wisdom and riches to his own divine nature rather than acknowledging his mortality.
  • Divine JudgmentThe Lord God pronounces severe judgment upon both the prince and king of Tyrus, and Zidon, for their iniquity, promising destruction by foreign invaders, fire, and pestilence.
  • Fall from PerfectionThe king of Tyrus, initially described as a perfect, wise, and beautiful "anointed cherub" in Eden, falls from grace due to his heart's pride, corrupted wisdom, and the violence stemming from his extensive trade.
  • Merchandise and CorruptionThe vast wealth and trade ("traffick" and "merchandise") of Tyrus are directly linked to the prince's pride and the king's iniquity, filling the city with violence and leading to its downfall.
  • God's Sovereignty and GlorificationThroughout the judgments on Tyrus and Zidon, the Lord repeatedly states that these actions are to demonstrate His power and ensure that the nations "shall know that I am the LORD."
  • Restoration of IsraelThe chapter concludes with a promise of future hope for Israel, where they will be gathered from dispersion, sanctified, and dwell securely in their land, free from hostile neighbors, recognizing the Lord as their God.