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Ezekiel 28:18

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 28:18 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “By 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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

By 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.
Ezekiel 28:18 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 28

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
20And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
21Son of man, set thy face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it,
← Ezekiel 28:17Ezekiel 28:19 →
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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
“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, &c.] Or, “thy palaces”, as Kimchi; the palace of the king, and the palaces of the nobles, where much iniquity was committed, and which was the cause of their being defiled or destroyed by the Chaldeans; or it may design their sacred places, their temples, where their gods were worshipped, and idolatry committed. This may be applied to the places of religious worship among the Papists, their churches; which, instead of being adorned, are defiled with their images and image worship, and other acts of superstition and will worship: by the iniquity of thy traffic; as by bringing in ill gotten goods into the sacred places of…”
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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
“thy sanctuaries--that is, the holy places, attributed to the king of Tyre in Eze 28:14, as his ideal position. As he "profaned" it, so God will "profane" him (Eze 28:16). fire . . . devour--As he abused his supposed elevation amidst "the stones of fire" (Eze 28:16), so God will make His "fire" to "devour" him.”
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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 bring thee - Thou shalt be burnt to ashes, and trampled under feet. Ezekiel 28:19”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“28:18-19 Far from being a deity who could sanctify a piece of ground by his presence, the prince of Tyre had the opposite effect. He defiled the holy ground of his sanctuaries. Judgment was pronounced on his city in the previous two panels, and it was the prince of Tyre’s fate to come to a terrible end, and . . . exist no more (cp. 26:21; 27:36). The exalted captain would go down with his glorious ship and be brought to nothing by the Lord’s act.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“defiled: Eze 28:2, Eze 28:13, Eze 28:14, Eze 28:16 by the iniquity: Mar 8:36 therefore: Eze 5:4; Jdg 9:15, Jdg 9:20; Amo 1:9, Amo 1:10, Amo 1:14, Amo 2:2, Amo 2:5; Rev 18:8 I will bring: Mal 4:3; Pe2 2:6 Ezekiel 28:19”
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Related study paths

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

Sources and verification