וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   28:1

Ezek. 28:1   And the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

בֶּן־אָדָם אֱמֹר לִנְגִיד צֹר כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה יַעַן גָּבַהּ לִבְּךָ וַתֹּאמֶר אֵל אָנִי מֹושַׁב אֱלֹהִים   28:2             יָשַׁבְתִּי בְּלֵב יַמִּים וְאַתָּה אָדָם וְלֹא־אֵל וַתִּתֵּן לִבְּךָ כְּלֵב אֱלֹהִים׃

Ezek. 28:2   “Human, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:

                      Why is your heart so arrogant

                               that you say, ‘I am a god;

                       I inhabit the seat of God

                               at the heart of the seas?”

                      Though you are a man and not a god,

                               yet you designate your heart

                       as the heart of God.’

הִנֵּה חָכָם אַתָּה (מִדָּנִאֵל) [מִדָּנִיאֵל] כָּל־סָתוּם לֹא עֲמָמוּךָ׃   28:3

Ezek. 28:3   ‘Behold, you are wiser than Daniel.

                               They hide no secret from you.’

We learn from this verse that Daniel (and his wisdom) was known at the time.  But Daniel’s wisdom was hard to beat.  Could this be a facetious comparison?  It could very well be so.  And it looks like Ezekiel employs yet another third-person pronoun, they, that appears to have no antecedent, unless it resides in the preceding chapter.  Then there’s an error in this verse as well.  The word in the parentheses, minus the mem prefix, is Daniel’s name, and it is misspelled.  The correct spelling is in the brackets.

בְּחָכְמָתְךָ וּבִתְבוּנָתְכָ עָשִׂיתָ לְּךָ חָיִל וַתַּעַשׂ זָהָב וָכֶסֶף בְּאֹוצְרֹותֶיךָ׃   28:4

Ezek. 28:4   ‘With your wisdom and with your understanding,

                                you acquired wealth for yourself

                       and accumulated gold and silver in your treasuries.’

בְּרֹב חָכְמָתְךָ בִּרְכֻלָּתְךָ הִרְבִּיתָ חֵילֶךָ וַיִּגְבַּהּ לְבָבְךָ בְּחֵילֶךָ׃   28:5

Ezek. 28:5   ‘By the magnitude of your wisdom in your trade,

                                 you multiplied your wealth,

                       so your heart was arrogant because of your wealth.’

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה יַעַן תִּתְּךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ כְּלֵב אֱלֹהִים׃   28:6

Ezek. 28:6   ‘For this, thus says the Master, the Lord:

                      Because of your setting your heart as the heart of God,

לָכֵן הִנְנִי מֵבִיא עָלֶיךָ זָרִים עָרִיצֵי גֹּויִם וְהֵרִיקוּ חַרְבֹותָם עַל־יְפִי חָכְמָתֶךָ וְחִלְּלוּ יִפְעָתֶךָ׃   28:7

Ezek. 28:7   for this, behold, I am bringing strangers against you,

                                the mightiest ones of the nations,

                      and they will draw out their swords

                                against the beauty of your wisdom

                      and defile your brilliance.’

לַשַּׁחַת יֹורִדוּךָ וָמַתָּה מְמֹותֵי חָלָל בְּלֵב יַמִּים׃   28:8

Ezek. 28:8   ‘They shall bring you down to destruction,

                                and you shall die the premature deaths

                       of the slain in the heart of the seas.’

הֶאָמֹר תֹּאמַר אֱלֹהִים אָנִי לִפְנֵי הֹרְגֶךָ וְאַתָּה אָדָם וְלֹא־אֵל בְּיַד מְחַלְלֶיךָ׃   28:9

Ezek. 28:9   ‘Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’ before your slayer

                                 when you are a man and not a god

                       in the hand of those defiling you?’

מֹותֵי עֲרֵלִים תָּמוּת בְּיַד־זָרִים כִּי אֲנִי דִבַּרְתִּי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   28:10

Ezek. 28:10   ‘You shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised

                                  by the hand of strangers;

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

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   28:11

Ezek. 28:11   And the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

בֶּן־אָדָם שָׂא קִינָה עַל־מֶלֶךְ צֹור וְאָמַרְתָּ לֹּו כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה אַתָּה חֹותֵם תָּכְנִית מָלֵא חָכְמָה   28:12 וּכְלִיל יֹפִי׃

Ezek. 28:12   “Human, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  You are a complete model, full of wisdom with perfection of beauty.’

בְּעֵדֶן גַּן־אֱלֹהִים הָיִיתָ כָּל־אֶבֶן יְקָרָה מְסֻכָתֶךָ אֹדֶם פִּטְדָה וְיָהֲלֹם תַּרְשִׁישׁ שֹׁהַם וְיָשְׁפֵה סַפִּיר   28:13       נֹפֶךְ וּבָרְקַת וְזָהָב מְלֶאכֶת תֻּפֶּיךָ וּנְקָבֶיךָ בָּךְ בְּיֹום הִבָּרַאֲךָ כֹּונָנוּ׃

Ezek. 28:13   ’In Eden, garden of God, you were; your covering was every precious stone, ruby, topaz, and onyx, chrysolite, beryl, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, and gold; the workmanship of your drums and your settings was in you; on the day of your creation they were prepared.’

אַתְּ־כְּרוּב מִמְשַׁח הַסֹּוךֵךְ וּנְתַתִּיךָ בְּהַר קֹדֶשׁ אֱלֹהִים הָיִיתָ בְּתֹוךְ אַבְנֵי־אֵשׁ הִתְהַלָּכְתָּ׃   28:14

Ezek. 28:14   ‘You were a cherub, anointing covering you, and I would have set you on the holy mountain of God; you were amid stones of fire; you walked about.’

תָּמִים אַתָּה בִּדְרָכֶיךָ מִיֹּום הִבָּרְאָךְ עַד־נִמְצָא עַוְלָתָה בָּךְ׃   28:15

Ezek. 28:15   ‘You were innocent in your ways from the day of your creation until unrighteousness was found in you.’

בְּרֹב רְכֻלָּתְךָ מָלוּ תֹוךְךָ חָמָס וַתֶּחֱטָא וָאֶחַלֶּלְךָ מֵהַר אֱלֹהִים וָאַבֶּדְךָ כְּרוּב הַסֹּךֵךְ    28:16                     מִתֹּוךְאַבְנֵי־אֵשׁ׃

Ezek. 28:16   ‘With the magnitude of your traffic they made your midst full of violence, and you sinned; so I had to dishonor you from the mountain of God, and destroy you, the cherub, your covering, from the midst of the stones of fire.’

גָּבַהּ לִבְּךָ בְּיָפְיֶךָ שִׁחַתָּ חָכְמָתְךָ עַל־יִפְעָתֶךָ עַל־אֶרֶץ הִשְׁלַכְתִּיךָ לִפְנֵי מְלָכִים נְתַתִּיךָ לְרַאֲוָה בָךְ׃   28:17

Ezek. 28:17   ‘Your heart was arrogant because of your beauty; you perverted your wisdom on account of your brilliance.  On the ground I cast you down; I set you before kings to be looking at you.’

מֵרֹב עֲוֹנֶיךָ בְּעֶוֶל רְכֻלָּתְךָ חִלַּלְתָּ מִקְדָּשֶׁיךָ וָאֹוצִא־אֵשׁ מִתֹּוךְךָ הִיא אֲכָלַתְךָ וָאֶתֶּנְךָ לְאֵפֶר   28:18               עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְעֵינֵי כָּל־רֹאֶיךָ׃

Ezek. 28:18   ‘Because of the magnitude of your iniquities, with the unrighteousness of your traffic, you defiled your sanctuaries; so I bring forth a fire from your midst that consumes you, and I turn you to ashes upon the earth for the eyes of all your observers.’

כָּל־יֹודְעֶיךָ בָּעַמִּים שָׁמְמוּ עָלֶיךָ בַּלָּהֹות הָיִיתָ וְאֵינְךָ עַד־עֹולָם׃   28:19

Ezek. 28:19   ‘All knowing you among the peoples are appalled by you:  Dreadful things you are, and you shall never be again.’”

The second part of this verse appeared previously in v. 27:36, where you’ll find my remarks about that.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   28:20

Ezek. 28:20   And the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

בֶּן־אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ אֶל־צִידֹון וְהִנָּבֵא עָלֶיהָ׃   28:21

Ezek. 28:21   “Human, set your face toward Zidon and prophesy about it;

וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנְנִי עָלַיִךְ צִידֹון וְנִכְבַּדְתִּי בְּתֹוךֵךְ וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה בַּעֲשֹׂותִי בָהּ   28:22 שְׁפָטִים וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בָהּ׃

Ezek. 28:22   and you will say, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:

                        Behold, I am against you, Zidon,

                                 and I will be glorified in your midst.

                        And they shall know that I am the Lord

                                 by My performing acts of judgment on it,

                        and I shall be sanctified by it.’

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־בָהּ דֶּבֶר וָדָם בְּחוּצֹותֶיהָ וְנִפְלַל חָלָל בְּתֹוכָהּ בְּחֶרֶב עָלֶיהָ מִסָּבִיב וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה׃   28:23

Ezek. 28:23   ‘So I shall send pestilence upon it,

                                  and blood shall be in its streets

                         as wounded fall in its midst by the sword

                                  against it from every side;

                          then they may know that I am the Lord.’

וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה עֹוד לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל סִלֹּון מַמְאִיר וְקֹוץ מַכְאִב מִכֹּל סְבִיבֹתָם הַשָּׁאטִים אֹותָם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי   28:24    אֲנִי אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃

Ezek. 28:24   ‘And there will not be a pricking brier or a festering thorn any more for the house of Israel from all those surrounding them, hating them, and they may know that I am the Master, the Lord.’

כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה בְּקַבְּצִי אֶת־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר נָפֹצוּ בָם וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בָם לְעֵינֵי   28:25           הַגֹּויִם וְיָשְׁבוּ עַל־אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְעַבְדִּי לְיַעֲקֹב׃

Ezek. 28:25   ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  On My gathering the house of Israel from the peoples throughout which they were scattered, when I am sanctified by them for the eyes of the nations, then they shall dwell on their own land that I gave to My servant, to Jacob.’

וְיָשְׁבוּ עָלֶיהָ לָבֶטַח וּבָנוּ בָתִּים וְנָטְעוּ כְרָמִים וְיָשְׁבוּ לָבֶטַח בַּעֲשֹׂותִי שְׁפָטִים בְּכֹל הַשָּׁאטִים אֹתָם   28:26 מִסְּבִיבֹותָם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃

Ezek. 28:26   ‘And they shall dwell on it safely, and build houses and plant vineyards, and they shall remain in safety.  On My performing acts of judgment on all those hating them from all around them, then they shall know that I am the Lord, their God.’”

This chapter ends on an unexpected note.  The two verses, 28:25 and 28:26 suddenly refer to the house of Israel and its salvation.  I presume this is another end-time prophecy.  Notice that it appears to be from another time, because the statement mentions the Jews having been scattered throughout the peoples.  Notice also that it mentions the land that the Lord gave to Jacob.  The present state of Israel is only a small part of that land.  So either the remaining land will eventually be part of this nation of Israel, or another larger Israel will arise in the future.  This would seem to be the basis for the ultra-orthodox belief that the present state of Israel is illegitimate.   Quite fascinating, don’t you think?

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