Discovery BoxEzekiel 28:2-9 
Context28:2 “Son of man, say to the prince 1 of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Your heart is proud 2 and you said, “I am a god; 3
I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas” –
yet you are a man and not a god,
though you think you are godlike. 4
28:3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; 5
no secret is hidden from you. 6
28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself;
you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
28:5 By your great skill 7 in trade you have increased your wealth,
and your heart is proud because of your wealth.
28:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Because you think you are godlike, 8
28:7 I am about to bring foreigners 9 against you, the most terrifying of nations.
They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, 10
and they will defile your splendor.
28:8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violently 11 in the heart of the seas.
28:9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you –
though you are a man and not a god –
when you are in the power of those who wound you?
1 tn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).
2 tn Heb “lifted up.”
sn See Prov 16:5.
3 tn Or “I am divine.”
4 tn Heb “and you made your heart (mind) like the heart (mind) of gods.”
5 sn Or perhaps “Danel” (so TEV), referring to a ruler known from Canaanite legend. See the note on “Daniel” in 14:14. A reference to Danel (preserved in legend at Ugarit, near the northern end of the Phoenician coast) makes more sense here when addressing Tyre than in 14:14.
6 sn The tone here is sarcastic, reflecting the ruler’s view of himself.
7 tn Or “wisdom.”
8 tn Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”
9 sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.
10 tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”
11 tn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”
