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Welcome to Bible Fiber, where we are encountering the textures and shades of the biblical tapestry through twelve Minor Prophets, two reformers, and one exile. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern. Please tolerate me for a few more weeks harping on the release of the first Bible Fiber book! If you haven’t already, please go to Amazon and get your copy of Bible Fiber: The Twelve Minor Prophets. And if you would do me another favor, please leave the book a review on Amazon. I would really appreciate it! Ok, now back to Ezekiel.
The Tyrian King’s Arrogance
This week we are studying Ezekiel 28. In Ezekiel’s first two prophecies against Tyre, he condemned Tyrian civilization. In this chapter, God tells Ezekiel to address only the king of Tyre. The first ten verses deliver a warning and a condemnation. Ezekiel avoided naming the king, but historians identify him as King Ethbaal II (585-573 BCE). In biblical stories and prophecies, foreign leaders often go unnamed. That way the text can focus on the characteristics of the leader and emphasize the universal themes that make the prophecies relevant beyond their immediate historical context. For example, the Exodus story does not name the Pharaoh. His anonymity highlights his role as the quintessential oppressor, rather than his personal story. With Ezekiel 28, the arrogant Tyrian king represents all despotic leaders who elevate themselves over God, forgetting that “there is no authority except from God” (Rom. 13:1).
Ezekiel accused the king of being so vain that he fancied himself to be divine. Ezekiel voiced the internal thoughts of the king, saying, “Because your heart is proud and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas’” (28:2). The prophet did not focus on the wrongfulness of the king’s actions, but his mindset. Ezekiel sharply rebuked the king’s delusion of grandeur, saying, “you are but a mortal and no god” (28:2).
Unlike in Egypt, Canaanite royals did not claim to be superhuman. Ezekiel did not reveal if the Tyrian king claimed godhood outwardly to his subjects, or if his ego only secretly fueled his delusions. However, he likely felt like an object of worship because so many nations relied on his vast trade network to prop up their economies. Their material success depended on Tyre’s strength. Despite the gold and silver that the king amassed in his treasury, divinity was not a rank he could buy.
Wisdom of Daniel
In addressing the king, Ezekiel mocked the ruler’s alleged superior wisdom and his self-aggrandizement. He told the king, “You are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you” (28:3). The reference to Daniel is intriguing, as it’s the second time Ezekiel mentions him (the first being in 14:12-14). There are two dominant theories about who this Daniel might be. Some biblical historians suggest Ezekiel was referring to a mythical Ugaritic king named Dan’el, known in non-biblical sources for his piety and justice. Others believe Ezekiel was aware of his contemporary, the biblical Daniel, who had risen to prominence in the Babylonian courts while exemplifying strong faith and devotion to Yahweh. For a more detailed exploration of these possibilities, I recommend relistening to Chapter 14’s episode.
By mentioning Daniel’s wisdom, it becomes clearer that the reference is to biblical Daniel. Contrary to the king, biblical Daniel was renowned for his ability to interpret dreams and visions, a gift he displayed by interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. Daniel humbly recognized his wisdom as a gift from God, praising God for choosing to reveal the “deep and hidden things” to him (Dan. 2:22). In contrast, Ezekiel attributed similar words to the Tyrian king, but with a crucial difference. The king arrogantly claimed to have knowledge of all secrets, attributing this omniscience to himself rather than recognizing a higher power.
In his oracle, Ezekiel admits to the Tyrian king’s prosperity and wisdom. In fact, he describes the king’s gifts as bestowed on him by God. In Ezekiel’s day, the Tyrians had a reputation for wisdom and intelligence, largely because of their extensive trading activities and interactions with various cultures around the Mediterranean. As a major commercial hub, Tyre was a melting pot of ideas, which allowed its people to acquire knowledge and skills from different societies.
Without denying the king’s wisdom, Ezekiel accused the king of using it solely to increase trade and amass wealth (28:4). The riches were not the problem; wisdom without God was folly. Ezekiel highlighted the corrupting influence of unchecked power and wealth. He said, “By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth” (28:5). The theme of the entire passage is human arrogance.
Ezekiel warned that such hubris ensured the king’s downfall. God was about to send foreign enemies against the megalomaniacal king. He prophesied, “Because you compare your mind with the mind of a god, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor” (28:6-7). Death by the sword would prove the king’s mortality. The foreign enemy was Babylon, who Ezekiel had named outright in the earlier oracle (26:7). Nebuchadnezzar’s army would “defile” the king’s royal palace and city. The word choice reflects the king’s claims to divine status. The city would suffer destruction and desecration. The king would face the same fate as the city of Tyre, cast into the Pit of death at the bottom of the sea (28:8).
Lament over the King
After pronouncing Tyre’s violent and humiliating death, God told Ezekiel to raise a lament for the Tyrian king. What follows is one of the most enigmatic passages in the entire book. Like his lament over the Tyrian ship that represented the entire city, Ezekiel’s lament over the king is allegorical. What is hotly debated is the identity of the mysterious figure behind the allegory.
At first, the prophet’s praise of the king seems drastically overstated. He portrays the king as a beautiful signet ring, “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (28:11). In antiquity, a signet ring could only be worn by the king’s most trusted advisor since it bore the king’s official mark. According to Ezekiel, God granted the Tyrian king wisdom and beauty. Like a signet ring holder, he should be grateful for the privilege.
In the next verse, Ezekiel compared the king to a figure from the creation narrative. He said, “You were in Eden, the garden of God” (28:13). After describing the beautification of the figure, adorned with every type of precious stone, he continued, “You were a cherub; I placed you on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of fire” (28:14).
Biblical interpretation of these verses goes in one of two directions. Either God was comparing the Tyrian king to Adam, the first human who lived in perfect harmony with God in the garden. Or the point of comparison focused on an angel who once dwelled with God on his holy celestial mountain. Everything that Bible readers know about Adam stems from Genesis 1-3. While Ezekiel was clearly alluding to Genesis’ creation account with his paradise motif, he also reached beyond the paradise imagery and pulled from other extrabiblical traditions of prehistoric history.
Herein lies the great mystery of Chapter 28 and is the key to its interpretive challenge. God was either accusing the king of following the example of Adam or he was comparing the king to an angel who was expelled from heaven. If the latter is the case, Ezekiel 28 contains a rare glimpse at the origin story of Satan, God’s chief adversary. Interpretations can never be certain though because Ezekiel did not make an explicit comparison to either Adam or Satan, nor mention either by name.
Some scholars do not read Satan into Ezekiel’s account because of its oblique language. They believe Ezekiel is only connecting the king with Adam, who had been privileged by God but lost his exalted position in the garden due to sin and arrogance. However, this interpretation has its limitations. Genesis never describes Adam as perfect, wise, or beautiful, nor does it attribute any supernatural qualities to him. Also, Adam never became violently wicked.
One possibility is that Ezekiel had both Adam and Satan in view. Many scholars suggest that the text intentionally blends these images, comparing the king of Tyre to both Adam and a fallen angel. I support this perspective because Ezekiel preferred intricate, multi-dimensional imagery to convey his messages.
Ezekiel lamented, “you were blameless in your ways, from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you” (28:15). Before Adam sinned and ate the fruit of the tree, Adam was certainly attributed with innocence. Adam was created in God’s image and given authority over all earth’s creatures (Gen. 1:26-27). Like Adam, God also blessed the Tyrian king with all he possessed. Rather than turning to the creator God with gratitude and devotion, the king abused his power. Ezekiel said, “in the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned” (28:16).
In his distinct language, Ezekiel portrayed the king as a guardian angel in heaven. He said, “I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I drove you out, O guardian cherub, from among the stones of fire” (28:16). In the Genesis account, the cherubim’s only job was to protect the garden of Eden’s entrance (Gen. 3:24). But Ezekiel may be describing an angel that God commissioned to guard the heavenly throne room. Perhaps the stones of fire are an oblique reference to stars. When the angel became too taken by his own splendor, God cast him down to earth. Ezekiel explained, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you” (28:17). If being expelled from God’s throne was not bad enough, the figure self-combusted.
Isaiah 14
Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 are the only two Old Testament passages that allude to a story of the origin and nature of Satan. If Ezekiel was making his point by repurposing a mythical account of Satan’s origins, the prophet Isaiah shared the same knowledge. Both are oracles against foreign kings: Ezekiel prophesied against the king of Tyre, while Isaiah taunted the king of Babylon. These rulers, who attributed semidivine status to themselves, were easy targets to compare to the puffed-up angel who once faced off with God.
There is almost full scholarly consensus that Isaiah 14 is pointing to a story beyond the Bible that reveals the ancient Jewish understanding of Satan’s origins. Isaiah, in clearer language, describes a supernatural being that was once perfect and beautiful, holding an exalted office in the heavenly court. His beauty led to his downfall as he tried to become God’s equal. Isaiah recounted:
“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit” (Isa. 14:13-15).
Early church fathers, including Origen, interpreted Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 as referring to the fall of Satan. Origen saw the description of the cherub figure in the mountain of God as a clear allusion to Satan’s original status in heaven. The two prophets revealed how pride led to Satan’s downfall. Admittedly, Origen’s interpretations of other biblical texts were often speculative. However, in this case, he built his idea upon much earlier Jewish perspectives that also identified Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 as pointing to the devil’s rebellion and cosmic fall. The apostle Paul was familiar with Satan’s wish to supersede God as an object of worship. In his letter to the Corinthians he wrote, “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).
Notably, Jesus himself alluded to the downfall of Satan from heaven. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus’s disciples happily reported back to him that they could heal demon-possessed people in his name. Jesus responded, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning” (Luke 10:18). He used the image of Satan expelled from heaven to illustrate the defeat of evil powers through his ministry and that of his anointed followers. He was affirming the cosmic significance of the disciples’ work in advancing God’s kingdom. Jesus may also have been pointing to Ezekiel’s imagery of Satan’s self-combustion when he said, “So I brought out fire from within you; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you” (28:18).
Ezekiel, known for his vivid metaphors, once again chose rich imagery to make his point. He contrasted the Tyrian king’s once-exalted status with his eventual shameful demise. To highlight the magnitude of this fall, Ezekiel drew comparisons to Adam’s expulsion from Eden and Satan’s banishment from heaven.
Through his poetic yet impactful language, Ezekiel conveyed a crucial message: whether it’s Adam, Satan, or the King of Tyre, God appoints all leaders. Every power, earthly or heavenly, owed allegiance to him. When these figures credited themselves, instead of God, for their position, they lost paradise.
Redemption of Tyre
Ezekiel’s prophecy was complete with Alexander the Great’s assault on the island city. The Phoenician civilization experienced a severe decline after the destruction of their trade centers. However, Phoenician settlements continued to exist within the boundaries of the Roman province of Judea and the Galilee region during the 1st century CE.
The Gospel of Mark records a moment when Jesus entered the home of a Phoenician family in Tyre. For whatever reason, Jesus did not want to attract attention. He may have planned to dedicate this time to ministering to the Gentiles in that area, free from the usual crowd distractions in Galilee and Judea. Word spread of his arrival, as it often did, and a Phoenician woman with a demon-possessed daughter begged Jesus to heal her. Jesus famously responded to her request, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (Mark 7:27). What he meant was that he was sent first to the Jews. The woman demonstrated her great faith by responding humbly yet persistently, acknowledging the priority of the Jews but pleading for his mercy for her daughter (Mark 7:28).
The woman’s faith moved Jesus to expand his compassion beyond the Jewish people, foreshadowing the eventual spread of the gospel to all nations. This interaction highlights Jesus’ willingness to challenge cultural and religious barriers, as well as his responsiveness to genuine faith from anyone, even the previously cursed Tyrians. This is a crucial moment for Jesus’ ministry expanding to the Gentile world.
The story of the Bible is a revelation of God extending himself to humanity and expanding the covenant to the faithful. All things find redemption and renewal in Jesus. In Ezekiel, the Tyrians were banished to the realm of the dead alongside their Satanesque ruler. Yet, Jesus, in one crucial moment of compassion, redeemed a Tyrian child, demonstrating his power over Satan and the expansiveness of his love.
Jesus was the opposite of the Tyrian king. The Tyrian king was condemned to eternal exile in the Pit. Jesus descended to the realm of the dead to proclaim his victory over sin and death (1 Pet. 3:19-20; Eph. 4:9-10). Jesus’s death was not a consequence of his pride, like the king. He died because of my pride and your pride. The Tyrian King, like Satan, lost paradise because of his conceit. Jesus gained paradise for us all through his weakness.
Conclusion
That’s it for Ezekiel 28. At the end of the chapter, two crucial verses offer a future blessing for Israel. I hold them tightly as a message for modern Israel. I shared those verses in the Special Episode marking the one-year anniversary of October 7th.
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Shabbat Shalom and Am Israel Chai