Ezekiel 28:11-19
This section of chapter 28 offers
various interpretive encounters, including likely allusions to ancient myths,
that make an exegetical analysis of the passage difficult. As mentioned above,
it is possible that the section of the passage that follows is an addition by a
later editor that further details the fall of this once highly esteemed king.
The author’s switch from nagid to melech indicates that verse
11-19 may be an addition to verses 1-10. The mythical language contained in
these verses reveals the position this historical figure once held among the
rulers of the world. He is the ruler of a powerful and prosperous kingdom,
which, of course, does not reflect the sin, but perhaps led to it. Beginning in
verse 28:12, we find the prophet is called to offer up a lament to the king due
to his apparent fall from grace because of his pride. However, before
describing the fall of the king, the author first sets out the prestige the
king once held as the אתה חותם תכנית (ata chatem tochnit). This phrase
has been primarily translated as “you are (or were) the seal of perfection.”
The term perfection, תכנית, is used only here and in Ezekiel 4310, where
it suggests a measurement. Walter Zimmerli has argued a broad range on the
possible allusion to the story of the origin of
a broad range of meaning here while suggesting “correctness” may be
suitable. (Ezekiel 2: A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel,
Chapters 25-48, Hermeneia [Minneapolis: Fortress, 1983], 81) I would
suggest that based on the possible allusion to the story of the origin of
humanity, it should perhaps be translated “you were the perfect form [of
humanity].”
It has been argued that what is found
in verses 12-15 is a parallel to the Genesis Adamic myth presented through the
lens of the Ugaritic Adapa myth. In the Ugaritic myth, the man, Adapa, is the
son of Sa, the god of Wisdom. Ea had created him “as the model of man” and
granted him wisdom but not eternal life. Adapa is created in perfect beauty and
wisdom, and he is the king of Eridu in Mesopotamia, thus a possible connection
can be made to the king in Ezekiel 28:12. The Adapa myth does not, however, state
that Adapa is the original human, as is the case with Adam in Genesis. Nor do
we see any hint that Adam is perfect in wisdom apart from the episode in which
he names the animals. Erich Eberling equated the name Adapa etymologically with
the Hebrew Adam; if this is the case (although dubious), the Adapa myth is
about the first man, witnessing to the highly esteemed position of the king in
Ezekiel as the first man.
Verse 28:12 has created many
exegetical problems for interpreters. Nancy Bowen describes verses 13-14 as
“hopelessly obscure”; though, granted, the challenges of interpreting and
understanding the text are significant, they are perhaps not hopeless. The author
of Ezekiel 28;13 locates the king in Eden, the Garden of God, perhaps giving
credence to the connection to the Adamic myth, while in verse 14, he parallels
Eden with the “holy mountain of God,” likely an allusion to a northern
Canaanite myth about Al’eyan, Ba’al, and Mot, which is represented also in
Isaiah 14:13 and Psalm 82. The Canaanite myth describes a “divine” being who
was perfect in his service to the deity until he thought to make himself ruler
of the cosmos (cf. Isa 14;13). He was then cast off the mountain of the gods
(Mount Tsaphon?), home of El and Elyon (see Ps 82:1), perhaps intimated in
Ezekiel 28:8 when the nagid is cast down to the Pit. The second part of
verse 13 leaves us with the imagery of the priesthood in Exodus 28:17-20 and
the precious stones of the priestly vestments; however, Genesis 2:12 states
Eden itself was filled with gold and precious stones. The question arises, “Was
there such a Gentile king who could be paralleled with a priest?” Tradition
suggests that Ethba’al, the king of Tye (ca. 915-847 BCE), was considered the
high priest of Astarte in the cult of the city, while during the Eastly
Dynastic Period in Mesopotamia, the kings often functioned in a priestly role.
The Canaanite priestly king Melchizedek also comes to mind. Nonetheless, it is
likely the author of Ezekiel is using the language found in the Canaanite
Adamic myth to refer to the king figure in Ezekiel 28. The close of 28:13
suggests a further connection to the Adamic creation myth with the language,”
On the day of your creation they [settings and engravings] were prepared.”
Ezekiel 28:14 contains the
controversial description of the king את-כרוּב ממשח חסוכך (at cherub mimshach
hasochech). It is from this verse that many argue that the king of Tyre is
none other than the stan figure, the fallen angel. This supposition has
developed from the exegesis of the Hebrew phrase, translated as, “You are the
anointed guardian cherub.” First, it can be argued that the “anointed guardian
cherub” is not the problem; it is clear from the text this can be reading. The
problematic portion of the verse is the first word in the Hebrew text, אַ֨תְּ.
The first point to note is that originally the Hebrew text was
unvocalized—that it, without vowels. It would have appeared as simply -את. The
Masoretic text reads a patach vowel with the Aleph consonant (אַ֨תְּ)
and a nonvocal sheva with the Tav consonant (תְּ). If אַ֨תְּ is
the accepted reading of the text, as a pronoun, then it would in fact be the
second feminine singular (2fs) form of “you,” which in my estimation would not
correspond with the rest of the passage. We do, however, have the LXX to help
with the translation. The LXX has translated the - את with the preposition μετα, or “with,” and is read “with the anointed
Cherub . . . I have set you upon the mountain of God.” This would be a more
natural translation considering the use of the metheg to connect -
את to the following כרוּב.
In 28:15 the author states that the
king of Tyre was created “blameless” until “iniquity was found in you,” perhaps
alluding to the fall in the creation narrative. The verb used by the author ברא,
to create, it used only with God as its subject, again perhaps alluding to the
Adamic myth. The iniquity (עוולתה) of the ruler reveals his true nature. A
related form of the noun (עול) is used in Leviticus 19:15 in the sense of
injustice toward the poor and possibly deferring to the rich or powerful of
society (cf. Lev 19:35; Deut 25;13-16; Ezek 18:8). Concerning the king, verse
28:12 states, “You were the perfect form”—he was formed in the image of God,
but now the king has spoiled that image with his iniquity, with his misuse of
power and prosperity. He has previously thought himself to be capable of being
like God, having the same mind as God. his self-proclaimed divine status in
28:2, like other kings of the ancient world, has done little to save him from
God’s wrath. Consequently, he has been cast from the “Holy Mountain of God,”
perhaps a metaphor for divine protection over his kingdom or the ability to
hear the voice of God as Moses did on the holy mountain of Sinai in Exodus 3:1
and 24:13. This metaphor of “hearing the voice of God” may be alluded to 28:3 with
the comment, “You are indeed wiser than Daniel, no secret is hidden from you.”
The story of Daniel depicts the hero as an individual who hears from God,
whether through the voice of the spirit or through an angel. The king of Tyre
is no longer granted that divine wisdom due to his sins of injustice and pride.
Verse 28:16b is an extremely complex
verse that contains a similar Hebrew problem with the phrase “anointed cherub.”
Some translations (e.g., KJV, ESV) read, “So I cast you in disgrace from the
mountain of God and drove you, O guarding cherub, from among the fiery stones.”
Although the Hebrew of the MT can be read as “I drove you out” (וָֽאַבֶּדְךָ֙),
a first common singular (1cs) Piel perfect, a variant Hebrew reading of וָיְאַבֶּדְךָ,
a third masculine singular (3ms) Piel perfect verb, along with the LXX reading,
are understood as “a guardian cherub has banished you from among the fiery
stones.” (The variant is supported by the reading in the LXX: “και ηγαγεν
σε το
χερουβ εκ
μεσου λιθων
πυρινων”) [And the cherub banished you from the midst
of the stones of fire]) Of course, both these verses would recall the Adamic
story of the Garden of Eden (see Gen 3:24). It should be mentioned that כרוּב is
never used in the HB to refer to the Christian image of the satan figure; one
might go so far as to say there is no fallen stan figure in the HB or LXX. Cherub
is used to describe the angelic figures that make up the throne of God. (See 1
Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 1 Chr 13:6; 2 Kgs 19:15; Isa 37:16; Ps 80:2; 99:1; Exod
25:18-22; 37:7-9; Num 7:89; they are described in Ezek 1:5-28; 9:3; 10:1-20 as
“four living creatures with four faces and four wings and with the figure and
hands of a human and the feet of a calf”) A further troublesome phrase in 28:16
is אבני-אש, avnai esh, “stones of fire.” It is a phrase created by the
author of Ezekiel but may be tied to the Moses/Sinai tradition in Exodus 34.
Exodus 34:1 reads, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Cut two tablets of stone like the
former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former
tablets, which you broke.” Although there is no mention of creation of stones
of fire in the Exodus tradition, in Exodus 24:17, the top of the mountain, the
place to which Moses took the tablets of stone upon which God wrote the
commandments, is said to be consumed by fire (Exod 34:1). The suggestion may be
made that the king of Tyre once walked obedient to the laws of God (following
the stones of fire) until iniquity was found in him. The term תמים (tamim)
in Ezekiel 28:15 may offer further support to this reading. It is used in
multiple occasions concerning the “blameless” who walk in obedience to God,
such figures as Noah (Gen 6:9) and Abram (Gen 17:1). Throughout Leviticus, it
is used to describe the perfect sacrifice, “one without blemish.” In Joshua
24:14, Joshua is told to serve the Lord “blameless” and in faithfulness—that
is, walking in obedience to the commandments. Perhaps what we see is a “pagan”
king who had at one time followed the voice of the God of Irael, YHWH, but due
to his great prosperity and success, he began to rely on his own abilities and
ceased to seek out and hear the voice of divine wisdom, and his pride caused
him to fall from his royal position. The remainder of the passage describes the
further destruction of the human king because of his pride and sin.
The preceding discussion has
identified key components of Ezekiel 28 that use mythical language related to
the Canaanite Adapa myth, which includes language that recalls the Genesis
narrative about Adam and his sin. At the same time, the author has used language
that clearly identified the figure as a human king or prince of the city rather
than the “fallen angel” figure, satan. If one looks at the chapter in context
and its literary setting, one can surmise that the author is referring to an
earthly king and not a “fallen angel.” One question could be asked at this
point: if the author of Ezekiel 28 is describing the fall of the satan figure,
is it a futuristic even or something that occurred in the primeval history? If
the figure is the satan and it does describe his fall from heaven, whether
primeval or after the author’s life, why is he not dead and in his grave in
Sheol? The answer perhaps is that the figure of the king of Tyre, who is in
Sheol, a place reserved for “human” spirits, not “angelic” spirits. (Archie T.
Wright, Satan and the Problem of Evil: From the Bible to the Early Church
Fathers [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2022], 44-48)
On
the vocalization of – את:
James Barr argues that it is possible
that this is an extremely rare form of the 2ms pronoun found in only three
places in the HB—Ezek 28:14; Num 11:15; and Deut 5:24. Barr states that the
Greek and Syriac translation of “with” are due to the translators’ ability to
identify this rare form of the pronoun. Interestingly, the two other places
where the rare form appears, both the LXX and Syriac texts translate it as
“you.” Barr suggests that the mistranslation here is due to the obscurity of
the passage. See James Barr, “’Thou Art the Cherub’: Ezekiel 28:14 and the
Post-Ezekiel Understanding of Genesis 2-3,” in Priests, Prophets and
Scribes: Essays on the Formation and Heritage of Second Temple Judaism in Honor
of Joseph Blekinsopp, ed. Eugene Ulrich et al., JSOTSS 149 (London:
Bloomsbury, 1992), 212-23, here, 215-17. (Ibid., 46 n. 134)
