The big picture
Ezekiel 28 opens in verse 1 with “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 13 with “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the…”, and closes in verse 26 with “And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, midst, heart, know, wisdom. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 26Ezekiel 28:1-7
1–7: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 28:1–7 opens with “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,” and reaches “Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 28 develops its own movement around LORD, midst, heart, know, wisdom, with particular weight carried by heart, LORD, riches.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,” The line’s distinctive content terms include LORD, word. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast…” Naming Because keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:” Naming Daniel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 28:1-7
King James Version1The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
3Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:
4With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
5By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
6Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
7Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
Ezekiel 28:8-14
8–14: They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of…
Ezekiel 28:8–14 opens with “They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in…” and reaches “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 28 develops its own movement around LORD, midst, heart, know, wisdom, with particular weight carried by LORD, deaths, hand.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Ezekiel 28:8-14
King James Version8They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
9Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
10Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD .
11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Ezekiel 28:15-21
15–21: Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till…
Ezekiel 28:15–21 opens with “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in…” and reaches “Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 28 develops its own movement around LORD, midst, heart, know, wisdom, with particular weight carried by midst, fire, iniquity.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore…” The verse names God rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.
“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will…” Naming Thine keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 28:15-21
King James Version15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
20Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
21Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,
Ezekiel 28:22-26
22–26: Say, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I…
Ezekiel 28:22–26 opens with “And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified…” and reaches “And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 28 develops its own movement around LORD, midst, heart, know, wisdom, with particular weight carried by LORD, know, dwell.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Ezekiel 28:22-26
King James Version22And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD , when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.
23For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD .
24And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD .
25Thus saith the Lord GOD ; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.
26And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Ezekiel 28:1 begins with “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Ezekiel 28:9 forms a natural hinge: “Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.”
The final note
Ezekiel 28:26 leaves the reader with “And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, midst, heart, know, wisdom, wast help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Which promise most directly answers Jacob's situation?
God will be with him, keep him and bring him back to the land in verse 15.
How does the place change for Jacob?
An ordinary stopping place becomes recognized as the setting of divine encounter.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.