By the multitude of thy merchandise, thy inner parts were filled with iniquity, and thou hast sinned: and I cast thee out from the mountain of God, and destroyed thee, O covering cherub, out of the midst of the stones of fire.
בְּרֹ֣ב רְכֻלָּתְךָ֗ מָל֧וּ תוֹכְךָ֛ חָמָ֖ס וַֽתֶּחֱטָ֑א וָאֶחַלֶּלְךָ֩ מֵהַ֨ר אֱלֹהִ֤ים וָֽאַבֶּדְךָ֙ כְּר֣וּב הַסֹּכֵ֔ךְ מִתּ֖וֹךְ אַבְנֵי־אֵֽשׁ׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
I will cast you down, O anointed Cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. He refers to him as anointed because he was a ruler, even though not anointed in a sacred manner. However, this statement, similar to the previous one, should be understood in both a historical and spiritual context.
Due to the multitude of your actions, you have filled your storehouses with wrongdoing, leading to sin and injury. When you were content with the wisdom and strength bestowed upon you and sought even more, you became saturated with iniquity and have encountered the afflictions of sin. The prophet Isaiah spoke of him: 'How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star! You who once illuminated the nations are now cast down to the earth' (Isaiah 14:12). Though he held dominion over all, he lost his autonomy through the redemptive cross.
Then he reveals his prior folly and excessive pride: You declared in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13, 14). By referencing the northern mountains, he indicates the opportunities for sin, as from the north, the prophet proclaims, the wicked shall be set ablaze against all who dwell on the earth (Jeremiah 1:17). Thus, Isaiah uncovers his arrogance but also predicts his downfall: you shall be brought down to the grave, to the depths of the earth (Isaiah 14:15). God also instructs the holy Ezekiel to declare: And the cherubim shall cast you down from the midst of the flames. Consequently, these cherubim, who were honored to bear the glory of God, distance him from the sacred powers, referred to as the fiery ones. However, now, because of the purity of their souls, those who are deemed worthy of divine ascent, who carry God’s ascent within their hearts, as the divine Prophet states (Psalms 83:6), now possess the authority to trample upon him.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS