They shall bring thee down to the pit ,.... Or, "to corruption" F11 לשחת "ad corruptionem". ; to the grave, the pit of corruption and destruction; so antichrist shall go into perdition, into the bottomless pit from whence he came, Revelation 17:8 , and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas ; that die in a sea fight, whose carcasses are thrown overboard, and devoured by fishes. read more
Pride's terrible fall. A real king incorporates in himself all that is best and mightiest in the people. The aims, and enterprises, and ambitions, and spirit of the nation should find a place in his breast. He is a mirror, in which the life of the empire is reflected. Whether he leads or whether he follows the bent of the nation's will (and, in part, he will do both), he becomes the visible exponent of the nation's life. All that is good in the empire, and all that is evil, blossoms in... read more
The course and doom of arrogance. This prophecy is directed against "the Prince [or, 'King'] of Tyre" ( Ezekiel 28:1 ), and was doubtless meant lot him particularly; but it may be taken that he was representative of his court and of his people, and that the denunciation and doom here recorded apply to the state as well as to its head. We have suggested to us the course as well as the doom of arrogance. I. IT BEGINS IN A DANGEROUS AND IRREVERENT COMPLACENCY . The... read more
The Prince of Tyre; or, the expression and punishment of pride. "The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the Prince of Tyre," etc. Following the prophecies concerning the city and state of Tyre, and completing them, Ezekiel delivers these concerning the king of the famous city. They apply to him, not only as a person, but as the representative of the people in their prosperity, power, and pride. "Throughout the East," says the 'Speaker's Commentary,' "the... read more
The folly of worldly wisdom. It might not have occurred to an ordinary observer that Tyre owed its position to its wisdom, and its downfall to an unwise confidence in that wisdom. Bat the Prophet Ezekiel looked below the surface, and traced the arrogance and presumptuous ungodliness of the great city to its claim to worldly prudence, sagacity, and skill, which, being substituted for true and Divine wisdom, became the occasion of the city's downfall and destruction. I. THE RANGE ... read more
The effect of the Chaldean invasion was to bring the king down to the nether world of the dead. In the use of the plural "deaths" we have a parallel to the "plurima morris imago" of Virgil (' AE neid,' 2.369). And this death was not to be like that of a hero-warrior, but as that of those who are slain in the midst of the seas , who fall, i.e; in a naval battle, and are cast into the waters. Would he then repeat his boast, I am God? read more
The prophecy against the prince of Tyre. Throughout the east the majesty and glory of a people were collected in the person of their monarch, who in some nations was worshipped as a god. The prince is here the embodiment of the community. Their glory is his glory, their pride his pride. The doom of Tyre could not be complete without denunciation of the prince of Tyre. Idolatrous nations and idolatrous kings were, in the eyes of the prophet, antagonists to the true God. In them was embodied the... read more
Ezekiel 28:3-8. Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel In thy own conceit. The fame of Daniel’s wisdom was quickly spread over Chaldea, upon his being advanced to several posts of honour and dignity by Nebuchadnezzar. See Daniel 2:8. So here the prophet in an ironical manner upbraids the vain boasts which the prince of Tyre made of his wisdom, and the policy of those about him, as if it exceeded the endowments of Daniel. The Phenicians, of whom the Tyrians were a colony, (see note on Isaiah... read more
Judgment on the king of Tyre (28:1-19)The king of Tyre, as representative of the whole nation, is now condemned on account of the pride for which Tyre was famous. Because of the wealth and strength that the country gained through clever trading, Tyre saw itself as all-powerful, answerable to no one. It considered itself to be a god among the nations of the commercial world (28:1-5).Yahweh, the only true God, will tolerate Tyre’s arrogance no longer. The day of Tyre’s judgment has come (6-7).... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 28:1-10
We had done with Tyrus in the foregoing chapter, but now the prince of Tyrus is to be singled out from the rest. Here is something to be said to him by himself, a message to him from God, which the prophet must send him, whether he will hear or whether he will forbear. I. He must tell him of his pride. His people are proud (Ezek. 27:3) and so is he; and they shall both be made to know that God resists the proud. Let us see, 1. What were the expressions of his pride: His heart was lifted up,... read more