‘I am a god’?
But you shall be a man, and not a god,
In the hand of him who slays you.
By the hand of aliens;
For I have spoken,” says the Lord God.’ ”
Lamentation for the King of Tyre
b“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of byour timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
I established you;
You were on bthe holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, aO covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
aYou have become a horror,
And shall be no bmore forever.” ’ ”
Proclamation Against Sidon
| << Ezekiel 28:10 | Ezekiel 28:12 >> |
Ezekiel 28:11-19
The dirge of the prince of Tyre, answering to the dirge of the state. The passage is ironical; its main purpose is to depict all the glory, real or assumed, of "the prince of Tyrus," in order to show how deplorable should be his ruin.
Ezekiel 28:12
To "seal the sum" is to make up the whole measure of perfection. Compare the Septuagint
Ezekiel 28:13
Thou hast been in Eden - " Thou" wast etc. The prince of Tyrus is ironically described as the first of creation; but at the same time the parallel is to be maintained in his fall from glory. Like Adam in the enjoyment of paradise, he shall be like Adam in his fall.
Every precious stone - All the stones here named are found in the High priest' s breastplate Exodus 28:17-20, but their order is different, and three stones named in Exodus (the third row) are wanting. The prophet may purposely have varied the description because the number twelve (that of the tribes of Israel) had nothing to do with the prince of Tyrus, and he wished to portray, not a high priest, but a king, having in view a figure which was to a Jew, especially to a priest, the very type of magnificence.
Tabrets - (or, drums) and "pipes" were a common expression for festivity and triumph.
Ezekiel 28:14
Thou art - Better," Thou" wert. "the anointed cherub that covereth" In the temple the cherubim and all holy things were consecrated and anointed with oil (Exodus 30:26 ff). The prince of Tyre was also anointed as a sovereign priest - covering or protecting the minor states, like the cherubim with outstretched wings covering the mercy-Seat.
Thou wast upon the holy mountain - As the cherub was in the temple on the holy mountain, so the prince of Tyre was presiding over the island-city, rising like a mountain from the deep.
Stones of fire - i. e., bright and shining. Decked with bright jewels, the prince walked among jewels in gorgeous splendor.
Ezekiel 28:15
The "perfection" was false, unsuspected until the "iniquity" which lay beneath was found out.
| << Ezekiel 28:10 | Ezekiel 28:12 >> |
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