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A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28 The Lord’s message came to me: “Son of man, say to the prince[a] of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Your heart is proud[b] and you said, “I am a god;[c]
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.[d]
Look, you are wiser than Daniel;[e]
no secret is hidden from you.[f]
By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself;
you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
By your great skill[g] in trade you have increased your wealth,
and your heart is proud because of your wealth.
“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Because you think you are godlike,[h]
I am about to bring foreigners[i] against you, the most terrifying of nations.
They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom,[j]
and they will defile your splendor.
They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die violently[k] in the heart of the seas.
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?
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised[l] by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 28:2 tn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).
  2. Ezekiel 28:2 tn Heb “lifted up.” sn See Prov 16:5.
  3. Ezekiel 28:2 tn Or “I am divine.”
  4. Ezekiel 28:2 tn Heb “and you made your heart/mind (לֵב, lev) like the heart/mind of gods.”
  5. Ezekiel 28:3 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.
  6. Ezekiel 28:3 sn The tone here is sarcastic, reflecting the ruler’s view of himself.
  7. Ezekiel 28:5 tn Or “wisdom.”
  8. Ezekiel 28:6 tn Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”
  9. Ezekiel 28:7 sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.
  10. Ezekiel 28:7 tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”
  11. Ezekiel 28:8 tn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”
  12. Ezekiel 28:10 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 and unclean. See 31:18 and 32:17-32, as well as the discussion in D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:99.

28 The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyre, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the [a]midst of the seas; yet thou art man, and not God, though thou didst set thy heart as the heart of God;— behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that is hidden from thee; by thy wisdom and by thine understanding thou hast gotten thee [b]riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures; by thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy [c]riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of thy [d]riches;— therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God, therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall [e]defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit; and thou shalt die the death of them that are slain, in the heart of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou art man, and not God, in the hand of him that [f]woundeth thee. 10 Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 28:2 Hebrew heart.
  2. Ezekiel 28:4 Or, power
  3. Ezekiel 28:5 Or, power
  4. Ezekiel 28:5 Or, power
  5. Ezekiel 28:7 Or, profane
  6. Ezekiel 28:9 Or, profaneth