Ezekiel 28

The LORD’s word came again to me, saying,

“Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the middle of the seas;’ yet you are man, and no god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god—

behold, you are wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that is hidden from you.

By your wisdom and by your understanding you have gotten yourself riches, and have gotten gold and silver into your treasuries.

By your great wisdom and by your trading you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches—”

“‘therefore the Lord GOD says: “Because you have set your heart as the heart of God,

therefore, behold, I will bring strangers on you, the terrible of the nations. They will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom. They will defile your brightness.

They will bring you down to the pit. You will die the death of those who are slain in the heart of the seas.

Will you yet say before him who kills you, ‘I am God’? But you are man, and not God, in the hand of him who wounds you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers; for I have spoken it,” says the Lord GOD.’”

Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and tell him, ‘The Lord GOD says: “You were the seal of full measure, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. They were prepared in the day that you were created.

You were the anointed cherub who covers. Then I set you up on the holy mountain of God. You have walked up and down in the middle of the stones of fire.

You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.

By the abundance of your commerce, your insides were filled with violence, and you have sinned. Therefore I have cast you as profane out of God’s mountain. I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the middle of the stones of fire.

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I have cast you to the ground. I have laid you before kings, that they may see you.

By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your commerce, you have profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought out a fire from the middle of you. It has devoured you. I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all those who see you.

All those who know you among the peoples will be astonished at you. You have become a terror, and you will exist no more.”’”

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it,

and say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Sidon. I will be glorified among you. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have executed judgments in her, and am sanctified in her.

For I will send pestilence into her, and blood into her streets. The wounded will fall within her, with the sword on her on every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

“‘“There will no longer be a pricking brier to the house of Israel, nor a hurting thorn of any that are around them that scorned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”

“‘The Lord GOD says: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am shown as holy among them in the sight of the nations, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob.

They will dwell in it securely. Yes, they will build houses, plant vineyards, and will dwell securely when I have executed judgments on all those around them who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”’”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter delivers a twofold oracle: first, a judgment pronounced against the earthly prince of Tyre for his pride and self-deification, and second, a lament over the spiritual fall of a once-glorious, Edenic figure—commonly interpreted as a symbolic or typological reference to the fall of Satan—followed by a prophetic word against Sidon and a final promise of Israel’s restoration, grounding divine judgment in God’s zeal for His holy name.

Flow.

The chapter opens with a direct address to the human prince of Tyre, condemning his arrogance in claiming divine status and wisdom, and pronouncing military defeat and a humiliating death (vv. 1–10).
Transitioning from political ruler to a more cosmic figure, the text presents a lament over the king of Tyre, depicting him as a perfect, anointed cherub in Eden whose moral corruption led to expulsion and destruction (vv. 11–19).
The focus shifts to Sidon, another Phoenician city, as God declares judgment upon it for its hostility toward Israel (vv. 20–23).
The chapter closes with a promise of Israel’s future gathering, secure dwelling, and recognition of God’s lordship, fulfilling His covenant with Jacob (vv. 24–26).

Connections.
Following chapter 27, which mourns the commercial glory and inevitable fall of Tyre as a city, chapter 28 deepens the theme by exposing the spiritual arrogance underlying its power, tracing moral decay to a primordial fall. The shift from the prince to the king of Tyre suggests a move from the historical to the archetypal, preparing the reader for the eschatological and restorative visions in chapter 29, where Egypt’s judgment and Israel’s renewal continue the pattern of divine reckoning and redemptive purpose. The final verses on Israel’s restoration echo themes from earlier prophecies and pave the way for the oracles against the nations and the hope of new life in the latter chapters.

What it teaches.
Pride and self-deification provoke divine judgment, for no creature may claim the prerogatives of God (WCF 4.1; HC LD 9). The description of the king of Tyre evokes the original goodness and subsequent fall of a heavenly being, reflecting the reality of angelic rebellion (; HC LD 9). God’s holiness demands that sin—especially pride and profanation of His sacred order—be punished (WCF 5.5). Yet in His sovereignty, He governs the rise and fall of nations to reveal His name (WCF 3.7), and He remains faithful to His covenant with Israel, promising restoration not for their sake, but that He may be known as LORD (; cf. HC LD 10).

Apply.
The Lord brings down the arrogant and lifts up the humble, that all may see His hand and know His name.

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