Ezekiel 28:6

THE MESSAGE

"‘Therefore, God , the Master, says: "‘Because you're acting like a god, pretending to be a god, I'm giving fair warning: I'm bringing strangers down on you, the most vicious of all nations. They'll pull their swords and make hash of your reputation for knowing it all. They'll puncture the balloon of your god-pretensions. They'll bring you down from your self-made pedestal and bury you in the deep blue sea. Will you protest to your assassins, "You can't do that! I'm a god"? To them you're a mere mortal. They're killing a man, not a god. You'll die like a stray dog, killed by strangers— Because I said so. Decree of God , the Master.'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God , the Master: "You had everything going for you. You were in Eden, God's garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in settings of engraved gold. A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection... and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you. In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you! Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise. By sin after sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes. All anyone sees now when they look for you is ashes, a pitiful mound of ashes. All who once knew you now throw up their hands: ‘This can't have happened! This has happened!'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God , the Master: "‘Look! I'm against you, Sidon. I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.' They'll know that I am God when I set things right and reveal my holy presence. I'll order an epidemic of disease there, along with murder and mayhem in the streets. People will drop dead right and left, as war presses in from every side. Then they'll realize that I mean business, that I am God . "No longer will Israel have to put up with their thistle-and-thorn neighbors Who have treated them so contemptuously. And they also will realize that I am God ." God , the Master, says, "When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they've been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they'll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They'll live there in safety. They'll build houses. They'll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I'll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they'll realize that I am God ."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

Hebrew Names Version
therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have set your heart as the heart of God,

King James Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

English Standard Version
therefore thus says the Lord God : Because you make your heart like the heart of a god,

New American Standard Bible
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,

New Century Version
"‘So this is what the Lord God says: You think you are wise like a god,

Amplified Bible
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have imagined your mind [to be] Like the mind of God [having thoughts and plans like God Himself],

World English Bible
therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have set your heart as the heart of God,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore thus sayeth the Lorde God, Because thou didest thinke in thine heart, that thou wast equall with God,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh,‘Because you have made your heartLike the heart of God,

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you regard your heart as the heart of a god,

Contemporary English Version
You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the Lord God,

Complete Jewish Bible
"Therefore Adonai Elohim says, ‘Because you think that you think like God,

Darby Translation
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,

Easy-to-Read Version
"‘So this is what the Lord God says: Tyre, you thought you were like a god.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore thus says the LORD God: Because you think of your heart as though it were the heart of God;

Good News Translation
"Now then, this is what I, the Sovereign Lord , am saying: Because you think you are as wise as a god,

Lexham English Bible
Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Because of your regarding your mind like the mind of a god,

Literal Translation
So the Lord Jehovah says this: Because you have given your heart as the heart of gods,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore thus saieth ye LORDE God: For so moch as thou hast lift vp thine herte, as though thou werst God:

American Standard Version
therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,

Bible in Basic English
For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have made your heart as the heart of God,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God;

King James Version (1611)
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore thus sayth the Lorde God, Forsomuch as thou hast set thyne heart as the heart of God:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Since thou hast set thine heart as the hart of God;

English Revised Version
therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, For thin herte was reisid as the herte of God, therfor lo!

Update Bible Version
therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have set your heart as the heart of God,

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God;

New English Translation
"‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are godlike,

New King James Version
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,

New Living Translation
"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are as wise as a god,

New Life Bible
So the Lord God says, ‘Because you think you are as wise as God,

New Revised Standard
Therefore thus says the Lord God : Because you compare your mind with the mind of a god,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therefore, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, - Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Because thy heart is lifted up as the heart of God:

Revised Standard Version
therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you consider yourself as wise as a god,

Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of thy giving out thy heart as the heart of God,

Contextual Overview

¹ God's Message came to me, "Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God , the Master, says: "‘Your heart is proud, going around saying, "I'm a god. I sit on God's divine throne, ruling the sea"— You, a mere mortal, not even close to being a god, A mere mortal trying to be a god. Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel. No enigmas can stump you. Your sharp intelligence made you world-wealthy. You piled up gold and silver in your banks. You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head—what a big head! ⁶"‘Therefore, God , the Master, says: "‘Because you're acting like a god, pretending to be a god, I'm giving fair warning: I'm bringing strangers down on you, the most vicious of all nations. They'll pull their swords and make hash of your reputation for knowing it all. They'll puncture the balloon of your god-pretensions. They'll bring you down from your self-made pedestal and bury you in the deep blue sea. Will you protest to your assassins, "You can't do that! I'm a god"? To them you're a mere mortal. They're killing a man, not a god. You'll die like a stray dog, killed by strangers— Because I said so. Decree of God , the Master.'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God , the Master: "You had everything going for you. You were in Eden, God's garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in settings of engraved gold. A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection... and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you. In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you! Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise. By sin after sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes. All anyone sees now when they look for you is ashes, a pitiful mound of ashes. All who once knew you now throw up their hands: ‘This can't have happened! This has happened!'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God , the Master: "‘Look! I'm against you, Sidon. I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.' They'll know that I am God when I set things right and reveal my holy presence. I'll order an epidemic of disease there, along with murder and mayhem in the streets. People will drop dead right and left, as war presses in from every side. Then they'll realize that I mean business, that I am God . "No longer will Israel have to put up with their thistle-and-thorn neighbors Who have treated them so contemptuously. And they also will realize that I am God ." God , the Master, says, "When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they've been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they'll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They'll live there in safety. They'll build houses. They'll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I'll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they'll realize that I am God ."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Because: Ezekiel 28:2, Exodus 9:17, Job 9:4, Job 40:9-12, 1 Corinthians 10:22, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, James 1:11

Cross-References

Genesis 27:33
Isaac started to tremble, shaking violently. He said, "Then who hunted game and brought it to me? I finished the meal just now, before you walked in. And I blessed him—he's blessed for good!"

Genesis 28:1
So Isaac called in Jacob and blessed him. Then he ordered him, "Don't take a Caananite wife. Leave at once. Go to Paddan Aram to the family of your mother's father, Bethuel. Get a wife for yourself from the daughters of your uncle Laban.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore thus saith the Lord God,.... Now follows the punishment threatened, because of all this pride, haughtiness, and blasphemy:

because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; seeking thine own glory; setting up thyself above all others; assuming that to thyself which belongs to God; and making thyself equal to him, or showing thyself as if thou wast God; :-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The prophecy against the prince of Tyre. Throughout the east the majesty and glory of a people were collected in the person of their monarch, who in some nations was worshipped as a god. The prince is here the embodiment of the community. Their glory is his glory, their pride his pride. The doom of Tyre could not be complete without denunciation of the prince of Tyre. Idolatrous nations and idolatrous kings were, in the eyes of the prophet, antagonists to the true God. In them was embodied the principle of evil opposing itself to the divine government of the world. Hence, some of the fathers saw upon the throne, not simply a hostile monarch, but “the Prince of this world, spiritual wickedness (or wicked spirits) in high places.” Whenever evil in any way domineers over good, there is a “prince of Tyrus,” against whom God utters His voice. The “mystery of iniquity is ever working, and in that working we recognize the power of Satan whom God condemns and will destroy.

Ezekiel 28:2

Thou hast said, I am a god - Compare Ezekiel 29:3; Daniel 4:30; Acts 12:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

I sit in the seat of God - Words denoting the speaker’s pride; but the situation of the island-city, full of beauty, in the midst of the blue water of the Mediterranean, gives force to the expression. Compare the words describing the lot of Tyre as having been in Eden Ezekiel 28:13.

Thou art a man - Rather, thou art man.

Ezekiel 28:3

Thou art wiser than Daniel - The passage is one of strong irony. Compare Ezekiel 14:14; Daniel 6:3.

Ezekiel 28:9

But thou shalt be a man - Rather, yet art thou man.

Ezekiel 28:10

The uncircumcised - The pagan idolaters as opposed to the covenant-people.

The prophecy against the prince of Tyre. Throughout the east the majesty and glory of a people were collected in the person of their monarch, who in some nations was worshipped as a god. The prince is here the embodiment of the community. Their glory is his glory, their pride his pride. The doom of Tyre could not be complete without denunciation of the prince of Tyre. Idolatrous nations and idolatrous kings were, in the eyes of the prophet, antagonists to the true God. In them was embodied the principle of evil opposing itself to the divine government of the world. Hence, some of the fathers saw upon the throne, not simply a hostile monarch, but “the Prince of this world, spiritual wickedness (or wicked spirits) in high places.” Whenever evil in any way domineers over good, there is a “prince of Tyrus,” against whom God utters His voice. The “mystery of iniquity is ever working, and in that working we recognize the power of Satan whom God condemns and will destroy.

Ezekiel 28:2

Thou hast said, I am a god - Compare Ezekiel 29:3; Daniel 4:30; Acts 12:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

I sit in the seat of God - Words denoting the speaker’s pride; but the situation of the island-city, full of beauty, in the midst of the blue water of the Mediterranean, gives force to the expression. Compare the words describing the lot of Tyre as having been in Eden Ezekiel 28:13.

Thou art a man - Rather, thou art man.

Ezekiel 28:3

Thou art wiser than Daniel - The passage is one of strong irony. Compare Ezekiel 14:14; Daniel 6:3.

Ezekiel 28:9

But thou shalt be a man - Rather, yet art thou man.

Ezekiel 28:10

The uncircumcised - The pagan idolaters as opposed to the covenant-people.