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Ezekiel 28:12

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 28:12 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Ezekiel 28:12 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 28

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou art man, and not God, in the hand of him that woundeth thee.
10Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
11Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
12Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the 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 in thee; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared.
14Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, [so that] thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee.
← Ezekiel 28:11Ezekiel 28:13 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, &c.] Who is before called the prince of Tyre; and who he was (see Gill on “<262802>Ezekiel 28:2”), the bishop of Rome was first only a “nagid”, a prince, ruler, governor, and leader in the church; afterwards he became a king, a head, even over other kings, princes, and states; perhaps this may also point to his twofold power, secular and ecclesiastical, and so he is represented by two beasts, (<661301>Revelation 13:1,11), here a lamentation or funeral ditty is ordered to be taken up and said for him, to denote his certain destruction and ruin; though some have thought the fall of the angels, and others the fall of Adam, is referred to; several…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“sealest up the sum--literally, "Thou art the one sealing the sum of perfection." A thing is sealed when completed (Dan 9:24). "The sum" implies the full measure of beauty, from a Hebrew root, "to measure." The normal man--one formed after accurate rule.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The dirge of the prince of Tyre, answering to the dirge of the state. The passage is ironical; its main purpose is to depict all the glory, real or assumed, of “the prince of Tyrus,” in order to show how deplorable should be his ruin. Ezekiel 28:12 To “seal the sum” is to make up the whole measure of perfection. Compare the Septuagint Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden - “Thou” wast etc. The prince of Tyrus is ironically described as the first of creation; but at the same time the parallel is to be maintained in his fall from glory. Like Adam in the enjoyment of paradise, he shall be like Adam in his fall. Every precious stone - All the stones here named are found in the High priest’s…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Thou sealest up - Thou fanciest that fulness of wisdom, and perfection of beauty are in thee. Ezekiel 28:13”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“28:12-19 This eulogy at first appears to take the prince of Tyre’s aspirations to divinity seriously. He was the very model of perfection, full of wisdom and . . . beauty. It turns out to be a sarcastic lament.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“take up: Eze 28:2, Eze 19:1, Eze 19:14, Eze 26:17, Eze 27:2, Eze 27:32, Eze 32:2, Eze 32:16; Ch2 35:25; Isa 14:4; Jer 9:17-20 Thou sealest: Eze 28:2-5, Eze 27:3, Eze 27:4; Rom 15:28; Co2 1:22 full: Pro 21:30; Isa 10:13; Jer 9:23; Luk 2:40; Act 6:3; Co1 1:19, Co1 1:20, Co1 3:19; Col 1:9, Col 2:3; Jam 3:13-18 Ezekiel 28:13”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 28 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification