Chapter 28 – Ezekiel

The Prince of Tyre

God gave the prophet Ezekiel words to speak against the Prince of Tyre—a lament concerning his pride and coming judgment.

Because of his haughty heart, the prince believed himself to be a god. Yet God declared that he was only a man and not a god, though he exalted himself as one. He was indeed wise, even described as wiser than Daniel. Through wisdom, intelligence, and trade, he gained great wealth and riches.

But his pride led to destruction.

God declared that strangers would come against him—the most ruthless of nations. They would draw their swords against the beauty of his wisdom and defile his splendor. He would die a violent death in the heart of the seas. Then God asked: when standing face to face with his killers, would he still claim to be a god?

From verse 11 onward, the description appears to move beyond the earthly king and takes on language many interpret as a personification or reflection of Lucifer’s fall:

You were a seal of perfection,
    full of wisdom, perfect in beauty.
¹³ In Eden, the garden of God, you lived;
    precious stones of every kind were your covering:
Carnelian, topaz, and beryl,
    chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,
    sapphire, garnet, and emerald.

Their mounts and settings
    were wrought in gold,
    fashioned for you the day you were created.

With a cherub I placed you;
    I put you on the holy mountain of God,^[d]
    where you walked among fiery stones.
¹⁵ Blameless were you in your ways
    from the day you were created,
Until evil was found in you.
¹⁶     Your commerce was full of lawlessness, and you sinned.
Therefore I banished you from the mountain of God;
    the cherub drove you out
    from among the fiery stones.

~ Ezekiel 28:12-16

The imagery suggests a being created in beauty and wisdom who became corrupted through pride and sin. Just as evil and arrogance were first found in the devil, the Prince of Tyre mirrors that same proud spirit and faces a similar downfall.

God then gave Ezekiel another prophecy, this time against Sidon:

Watch out! I am against you, Sidon;
    I will win glory for myself in your midst.
They shall know that I am the Lord,
    when I deliver judgment upon it
    and manifest my holiness in it.
²³ I will send disease into it;
    blood will fill its streets,
Within it shall fall
    those slain by the sword
    raised against it on every side.
Then they shall know that I am the Lord.
²⁴ No longer will there be a thorn that tears
    or a brier that scratches for the house of Israel
From the surrounding neighbors
    who despise them;
    thus they shall know that I am the Lord.

~ Ezekiel 28: 22-24

God declared that judgment would come upon Sidon through disease, bloodshed, and the sword. Through these judgments, they would know that He is the Lord.

Yet the prophecy ends with restoration and hope for Israel. God promised to gather the house of Israel from the nations where they had been scattered. They would once again dwell securely in the land given to Jacob, building houses and planting vineyards in peace. Then all would know that the Lord is their God.