Ezekiel 28

This week we are studying Ezekiel 28. In Ezekiel’s first two prophecies against Tyre, he condemned Tyrian civilization. In this chapter, God tells Ezekiel to address only the king of Tyre. The first ten verses deliver a warning and a condemnation. Ezekiel avoided naming the king, but historians identify him as King Ethbaal II (585-573 BCE). In biblical stories and prophecies, foreign leaders often go unnamed. That way the text can focus on the characteristics of the leader and emphasize the universal themes that make the prophecies relevant beyond their immediate historical context. For example, the Exodus story does not name the Pharaoh. His anonymity highlights his role as the quintessential oppressor, rather than his personal story. With Ezekiel 28, the arrogant Tyrian king represents all despotic leaders who elevate themselves over God, forgetting that “there is no authority except from God” (Rom. 13:1). 

Ezekiel accused the king of being so vain that he fancied himself to be divine. Ezekiel voiced the internal thoughts of the king, saying, “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’” (28:2). The prophet did not focus on the wrongfulness of the king’s actions, but his mindset. Ezekiel sharply rebuked the king’s delusion of grandeur, saying, “you are but a mortal and no god” (28:2). 

Unlike in Egypt, Canaanite royals did not claim to be superhuman. Ezekiel did not reveal if the Tyrian king claimed godhood outwardly to his subjects, or if his ego only secretly fueled his delusions. However, he likely felt like an object of worship because so many nations relied on his vast trade network to prop up their economies. Their material success depended on Tyre’s strength. Despite the gold and silver that the king amassed in his treasury, divinity was not a rank he could buy. 

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