Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me:
A new word from the LORD opens a second message about Tyre. This one is addressed not to the "prince" but to the "king," and its language is so large that readers have long asked whether a man is still in view, or a power standing behind him.
Two messages, not one
Commentators read the chapter in two halves, and this new word marks the join. One writer sets them side by side:
J. N. DarbyIn Ezekiel 28 it is the prince and the king of Tyre who are judged for their pride. Verses 1–10 show us the prince of this world's glory as a man. He lifts himself up and tries to present himself as a god, having gained riches and glory by his wisdom. Verses 11–19 still speak of Tyre, but they go, I think, much farther. They uncover, though not clearly, the fall and the ways of Satan, who through our sin has become the prince and god of this world.
Prince, king and city are distinct
From here the address narrows. The city, the prince and the king are not one subject:
The Bible TreasuryTyre, the prince of Tyre, and the king of Tyre are distinct in Ezekiel's prophecy. The city is judged along with the other cities. But the prince and the king each have a lament of their own, apart from the city… The word to the prince of Tyre is what he has become in his pride, after he is prince. The word to the king is what he was before he is king — before iniquity was found in him.
The same writer traces where the prince's wisdom comes from:
The Bible TreasuryThe king has fullness of wisdom; the prince has wisdom handed down to him. The lament for the king describes Satan before he fell. He turns the power and wisdom he kept after his fall against God and His truth. With that aim they work in the prince of Tyre to pile up riches, so that this earth may not look like a place under a curse.
Why the title changes
Not everyone splits the two figures into two beings. One reading keeps the man in place and lets a second reference run beneath the words:
William KellyVerses 11–19 are harder. Is this the same person or a different one? I am inclined to think it is the same person in history, but with a deeper reference to Satan's fall built into it. This may be one reason why the Spirit of God changes "prince" into "king." The picture is far more detailed than the earlier sketch, yet links still connect the two.
A near fulfilment that points beyond itself
Commentators differ over how far to press this. One writer holds both together: the nearer fulfilment is real, and it is a pledge of a larger one:
F. W. GrantMany have seen in this account a greater prince than the king of Tyre, and we cannot refuse such a use of prophecies whose most obvious fulfilment is close at hand. But the nearer fulfilment is only the pledge and foretaste of the final one, which is always the great thing with God. Man easily loses sight of it, because what is nearer looms larger in his eyes… so we see here the fall, caused by self-absorption and the pride it breeds. This is how one who was created upright and glorious became an apostate and a devil.
The fall that began with admiring oneself
The section this verse opens traces a collapse that began inside a creature who had everything:
The Christian's FriendThere had been a great moral fall in one who held one of the highest places in the universe. His heart was lifted up because of his own beauty, and he was cast to the ground. To make your own self the object of your heart, to fall in love with your own beauty, is what always comes just before apostasy.
One commentator ties this to the rule that an overseer must not be a new convert:
Edward DennettSo this passage gives a remarkable insight into the cause of the devil's fall. He was puffed up with pride, tempted either by the position he held or by his own beauty and excellence (see Ezekiel 28:11–17), and for this reason judgment fell on him. The same danger could face a new convert who is given office in the assembly. He might be lifted up with pride, and fall as the devil had fallen.
Summary
- New word. This new word begins a second message. Verses 1–10 dealt with the prince; verses 11–19 go much farther.
- New title. The prince and the king each get a lament of their own, apart from the city. The change of title may be why the picture that follows is so much larger.
- Before and after. The word to the prince describes what he became in his pride. The word to the king describes what he was before iniquity was found in him.
- Near and final. A real king is still in view. His fall stands as the pledge of a greater one, though commentators differ over how far to identify him with Satan.
- The warning. Being taken up with yourself turned an upright, glorious creature into an apostate. The same pride can still bring down anyone raised to a place of honour.