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More Ezekiel commentaries
Ezekiel 25:1-7
Proclamation Against Ammon
Ezekiel 25:8-17
Proclamation Against Israel’s Enemies
Ezekiel 26:1-14
Proclamation Against Tyre
Ezekiel 26:15-21
The Effect of Tyre’s Destruction
Ezekiel 27:1-36
Lamentation for Tyre
Ezekiel 28:1-10
Lamentation Against the King of Tyre
Ezekiel 28:11-26
Proclamation Against Sidon
Ezekiel 29:1-21
Proclamation Against Egypt
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Lamentation Against the King of Tyre
Ezekiel 28:1–10
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
John Howard Griffin was a white man who believed he could never understand the plight of African-Americans unless he became like one. In 1959, he darkened his skin with medication, sun lamps, and stains, then traveled throughout the South. His book, “Black Like Me,&quo … More
Ezekiel’s third message against Tyre was directed specifically to the ruler of Tyre (vv. 1-5) (1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1; 13:14; 2 Sam. 7:8). Ezekiel had prophesied against the whole city; he was now singling out the city’s leader for a special word from God. This ruler then was Ethbaal III, who ruled from 591-572 b.c. The underlying sin of Tyre’s king was his pride, which prompted him to view himself as a god (vv. 6, 9). Evidently in Ezekiel’s day the kings of Tyre believed they were divine.
The king’s claims to deity were false. God said, You are a man and not a god. Ethbaal III was only a mortal. Evidently he felt he had wisdom that only a god could possess. In a statement dripping with irony Ezekiel asked the king, Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? The “Daniel” in view was probably the Prophet Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). He had already achieved a reputation for his wisdom in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:19-20; 2:46-49). The irony was that Ethbaal III felt his wisdom exceeded that of even Daniel who served the country that would ultimately defeat Tyre. Daniel, who attributed all his wisdom to God (Dan. 2:27-28), was much wiser than Ethbaal III, who claimed to be a god.
Ethbaal III had been able to use his wisdom and skill to acquire material possessions. His lucrative trade had produced great wealth, including gold and silver, but it also increased his pride. God would not let the pride (vv. 2, 5) of Tyre’s ruler go unchallenged. The foreigners whom God would bring against Tyre had already been identified as the Babylonians (vv. 6-10).Application
If I am truly wise I will daily humble myself and seek to get closer to God and thus recognize my complete dependence on Him for guidance.
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (English Standard Version)
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: "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,' yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god-- you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth-- therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you make your heart like the heart of a god, therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of those who kill you, though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who slay you? You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD."
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