Text -- Ezekiel 28:1-12 (NET)

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘Your heart is proud and you said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas”– yet you are a man and not a god, though you think you are godlike. 28:3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you. 28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself; you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. 28:5 By your great skill in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart is proud because of your wealth. 28:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are godlike, 28:7 I am about to bring foreigners against you, the most terrifying of nations. They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, and they will defile your splendor. 28:8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violently in the heart of the seas. 28:9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you– though you are a man and not a god– when you are in the power of those who wound you? 28:10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.’” 28:11 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:12 “Son of man, sing a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the sealer of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Eze 28:2

¹ tn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).

² tn Heb “lifted up.”

sn See Prov 16:5.

³ tn Or “I am divine.”

⁴ tn Heb “and you made your heart (mind) like the heart (mind) of gods.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:3

¹ sn Or perhaps “Danel” (so TEV), referring to a ruler known from Canaanite legend. See the note on “Daniel” in 14:14. A reference to Danel (preserved in legend at Ugarit, near the northern end of the Phoenician coast) makes more sense here when addressing Tyre than in 14:14.

² sn The tone here is sarcastic, reflecting the ruler’s view of himself.

NET Notes: Eze 28:5

¹ tn Or “wisdom.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:6

¹ tn Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:7

¹ sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.

² tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:8

¹ tn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:10

¹ sn The Phoenicians practiced circumcision, so the language here must be figurative, indicating that they would be treated in a disgraceful manner. Uncircumcised peoples were viewed as inferior, unclean, and perhaps even sub-human. See 31:18 and 32:17-32, as well as the discussion in D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:99.

NET Notes: Eze 28:12

¹ tn Heb “lift up.”

² tn For a discussion of possible nuances of this phrase, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:580-81.