1 The word of the Lord came to me:

2 “Son of man, say to the princetn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV). of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel;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.

4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself;

5 By your great skilltn Or “wisdom.” in trade you have increased your wealth,

6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:

7 I am about to bring foreignerssn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians. against you, the most terrifying of nations.

8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violentlytn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.” in the heart of the seas.

9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you –

10 You will die the death of the uncircumcisedsn 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, unclean, and perhaps even sub-human. See 31:18 and 32:17-32, as well as the discussion in D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:99. by the hand of foreigners;

11 The word of the Lord came to me:

12 “Son of man, singtn Heb “lift up.” a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God.sn The imagery of the lament appears to draw upon an extrabiblical Eden tradition about the expulsion of the first man (see v. 14 and the note there) from the garden due to his pride. The biblical Eden tradition speaks of cherubs placed as guardians at the garden entrance following the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:24), but no guardian cherub like the one described in verse 14 is depicted or mentioned in the biblical account. Ezekiel’s imagery also appears to reflect Mesopotamian and Canaanite mythology at certain points. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:119-20.

14 I placed you there with an anointedtn Or “winged”; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91. guardiantn The meaning of this phrase in Hebrew is uncertain. The word translated here “guards” occurs in Exod 25:20 in reference to the cherubim “covering” the ark. cherub;tn Heb “you (were) an anointed cherub that covers and I placed you.” In the Hebrew text the ruler of Tyre is equated with a cherub, and the verb “I placed you” is taken with what follows (“on the holy mountain of God”). However, this reading is problematic. The pronoun “you” at the beginning of verse 14 is feminine singular in the Hebrew text; elsewhere in this passage the ruler of Tyre is addressed with masculine singular forms. It is possible that the pronoun is a rare (see Deut 5:24; Num 11:15) or defectively written (see 1 Sam 24:19; Neh 9:6; Job 1:10; Ps 6:3; Eccl 7:22) masculine form, but it is more likely that the form should be repointed as the preposition “with” (see the LXX). In this case the ruler of Tyre is compared to the first man, not to a cherub. If this emendation is accepted, then the verb “I placed you” belongs with what precedes and concludes the first sentence in the verse. It is noteworthy that the verbs in the second and third lines of the verse also appear at the end of the sentence in the Hebrew text. The presence of a conjunction at the beginning of “I placed you” is problematic for the proposal, but it may reflect a later misunderstanding of the syntax of the verse. For a defense of the proposed emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.

15 You were blameless in your behaviortn Heb “ways.” from the day you were created,

16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence,tn Heb “they filled your midst with violence.” and you sinned;

17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;

18 By the multitude of your iniquities, through the sinfulness of your trade,

19 All who know you among the peoples are shocked at you;

20 The word of the Lord came to me:

21 “Son of man, turn towardtn Heb “set your face against.” Sidonsn Sidon was located 25 miles north of Tyre.map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. and prophesy against it.

22 Say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

23 I will send a plague into the citytn Heb “into it”; the referent of the feminine pronoun has been specified in the translation for clarity. and bloodshed into its streets;

24 “‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp brierssn Similar language is used in reference to Israel’s adversaries in Num 33:55; Josh 23:13. or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them.tn Heb “and there will not be for the house of Israel a brier that pricks and a thorn that inflicts pain from all the ones who surround them, the ones who scorn them.” Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

25 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When I regather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are dispersed, I will reveal my sovereign powertn Or “reveal my holiness.” See verse 22. over them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their land that I gave to my servant Jacob.

26 They will live securely in it; they will build houses and plant vineyards. They will live securelysn This promise was given in Lev 25:18-19. when I execute my judgments on all those who scorn them and surround them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”