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Ezekiel 28:16

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 28:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Ezekiel 28:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 28

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
16By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.
← Ezekiel 28:15Ezekiel 28:17 →
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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
“By the multitude of thy merchandise, &c.] With the several nations of the earth, who came to the markets and fairs of Tyre, and to whom she sent her goods: they have filled the midst of thee with violence; or, as the Targum, “thy treasures are filled with rapine;” with ill gotten goods, as the pope’s coffers are through his merchandise of the souls of men, and the great trade that is driven in pardons and indulgences: and thou hast sinned; by this unjust and ungodly way of dealing: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; Mount Zion, the church of the living God, where he dwells, and is worshipped, and on which the Lamb stands with his hundred and forty and four…”
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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
“filled the midst of thee--that is, they have filled the midst of the city; he as the head of the state being involved in the guilt of the state, which he did not check, but fostered. cast thee as profane--no longer treated as sacred, but driven out of the place of sanctity (see Eze 28:14) which thou hast occupied (compare Psa 89:39).”
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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
“I will cast - Out thy kingly dignity. Ezekiel 28:17”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the multitude: Ezek. 27:12-36; Isa 23:17, Isa 23:18; Hos 12:7; Luk 19:45, Luk 19:46; Joh 2:16; Ti1 6:9, Ti1 6:10 filled: Eze 8:17; Gen 6:11; Amo 3:9; Mic 2:2, Mic 6:12; Hab 2:8, Hab 2:17; Zep 1:9 therefore: Gen 3:24; Lev 18:24-28; Isa 22:19, Isa 23:9; Mic 2:10; Pe2 2:4-6; Rev 12:9 O covering: Eze 28:14 Ezekiel 28:17”
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Related study paths

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

Sources and verification