Ezekiel 27-28
Dear RTB’ers,
Except for the last six verses in the second chapter, it’s all about Tyre today. The first chapter is a straightforward lament. Tyre is described as a beautiful ship, and the splendor of her trade with dozens of cities and nations is recounted – until the ship and its cargo are dumped into the sea.
The second chapter is much more challenging. Verse 2 mentions the prince of Tyre while verse 11 mentions the king of Tyre. Are these two peoplethe same person? Seemingly, yes, with references to their “god-ness” mentioned for both: Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas…; You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God… (vv. 2b, 12b-13a; see also verses 15-17 and 17). Some scholars suggest that this prince-king is Satan, cast down from Heaven to the Earth. Try reading the chapter again, imagining that all the first nineteen verses in the chapter apply to Satan.
Finally, this second chapter closes with a short oracle against Sidon and encouragement for Israel. My Study Bible notes that these verses about Sidon are the only place in Scripture where Sidon is mentioned separate from Tyre. That is, there are dozens of mentions of the phrase “Tyre and Sidon” in the Bible, but only one (here) where Sidon stands alone. Interesting…
Blessings.
Fred