Ezekiel 28:1-10

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 ¹  of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘Your heart is proud ²  and you said, “I am a god; ³ 

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. ⁴ 

28:3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; ⁵ 

no secret is hidden from you. ⁶ 

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 ⁷  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, ⁸ 

28:7 I am about to bring foreigners ⁹  against you, the most terrifying of nations.

They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, ¹⁰ 

and they will defile your splendor.

28:8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violently ¹¹  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 ¹²  by the hand of foreigners;

for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

[28:2]  ¹ tn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).

[28:2]  ² tn Heb “lifted up.”

[28:2]  ³ tn Or “I am divine.”

[28:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and you made your heart (mind) like the heart (mind) of gods.”

[28:3]  ⁵ 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.

[28:3]  ⁶ sn The tone here is sarcastic, reflecting the ruler’s view of himself.

[28:5]  ⁷ tn Or “wisdom.”

[28:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”

[28:7]  ⁹ sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.

[28:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”

[28:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”

[28:10]  ¹² 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.