Ezekiel 28:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because your heart is exalted like that of God, I will bring against you foreign invaders, the most formidable among the nations, and they will draw their swords against the splendor of your wisdom, and will mar your beauty. They shall slay you and betray you, and you shall die the death of those slain in the midst of the sea. You will proclaim before your executioners, ‘I am God,’ though you are a man and not God in the grasp of those striking you down. You will perish by the hands of the uncircumcised amidst the foreign invaders, for I have spoken, says the Lord God."

The prophetic address begins with the figure of the ruler of Tyre, who, in his arrogance, misused the wealth he possessed. The ensuing lamentation reflects how he has fallen from great favor to utter disgrace. In Isaiah 14, it is written regarding Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, how he raised himself to the level of God, boasting, ‘I will ascend above the stars of heaven, and be like the Most High.’ Yet, he was cast down from his throne and faced the question, ‘How you have fallen from heaven, O day star!’ It is similarly recorded of Pharaoh that he said, ‘My rivers are my own, and I have made them.’ Concerning the prince of Tyre, it is declared that he, with a haughty heart, claimed to be God and took his place on divine thrones, though he was only a man. These words may seem beyond human limits and resemble the utterances of mad spirits, yet they symbolize an arrogance so great that, intoxicated by power and temporary triumphs, they believe themselves eternal and forget their humanity.

This scripture also depicts the opposing spiritual forces, consistent with the insights of the Apostle Paul, who teaches that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Furthermore, he declares that true wisdom belongs not to this age nor to the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. He notes that if the rulers understood true wisdom, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Daniel also speaks of Michael, the prince of Israel, and the princes of Greece and Persia. Moses clarifies in Deuteronomy that when the Most High divided nations, He assigned boundaries according to the number of the children of Israel, with the Lord’s portion being His people, Jacob, His inheritance.

Recognizing that the greatest kings—David, Solomon, Josiah, along with the patriarchs and prophets—foreshadow the Lord Savior, we should not be surprised that the worst rulers serve as symbols of fallen kings. Thus, we ought to interpret the passages concerning proud kings and apostate princes in both literal and allegorical senses. Despite being amidst the sea or confined to an island, even if you are merely a man clothed in a perishable body, your heart has exalted itself to presume that you reside on the throne of God in heaven.

However, in the past, plagued by ignorance of God and bound by wickedness, Tyre was under the dominion of the devil, the architect and educator of evil. It had a tangible ruler who was governed by diabolical forces and enslaved by sin. Consequently, the prophetic word addresses both aspects, though not everything pertains equally to each; some matters are relevant to one and not the other, while some apply to both. The devil infiltrated this insanity and, in his delusion, declared himself as God, convincing people to worship him in that manner. The visible prince of Tyre, intoxicated by his own arrogance and wealth, fancied himself divine. Therefore, God asserts to him, "Thou art man, and not God," drawing a clear distinction.