Ezekiel 28 17

Ezekiel 28:17 kjv

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Ezekiel 28:17 nkjv

"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.

Ezekiel 28:17 niv

Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

Ezekiel 28:17 esv

Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

Ezekiel 28:17 nlt

Your heart was filled with pride
because of all your beauty.
Your wisdom was corrupted
by your love of splendor.
So I threw you to the ground
and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.

Ezekiel 28 verses

Ezekiel 28 17 Meaning

Ezekiel 28:17 describes the fall of a once perfect and exalted being, identifying the root cause as pride originating from its own beauty and splendor. This self-admiration corrupted its inherent wisdom, leading to its downfall. Consequently, God's divine judgment resulted in its forceful expulsion from its elevated position, being cast to the ground and made a public spectacle of humiliation before earthly kings. This verse is often interpreted typologically as a prophetic declaration against the literal King of Tyre and, more profoundly, against Satan's original rebellion and fall from heaven.

Ezekiel 28 17 Context

Ezekiel chapter 28 presents two distinct oracles against Tyre, first against the city itself (vv. 1-10) and then specifically against its king (vv. 11-19). This particular verse, Ezekiel 28:17, falls within the second oracle. The historical King of Tyre was a powerful and wealthy monarch, whose kingdom was a leading maritime trading center, attributing its prosperity and security to its own wisdom and strength. This self-exaltation led to an intense pride, described in this oracle with language that goes far beyond any ordinary human ruler.

The preceding verses (28:12-16) describe this king in terms previously unseen for a human. He is said to have been "in Eden, the garden of God," "an anointed guardian cherub," "on the holy mountain of God," "perfect in beauty" and "blameless in his ways from the day he was created, till unrighteousness was found in you." This cosmic language elevates the subject to a primeval, created spiritual being rather than merely a human king. The human king of Tyre is seen as an embodiment or manifestation of this spiritual pride. Therefore, verse 17, explaining the cause of his fall, ties into this elevated description of original perfection and the subsequent iniquity. The prophet highlights that it was not external forces initially, but internal corruption – pride derived from the being's own beauty and splendor – that initiated its catastrophic downfall, resulting in divine judgment and public disgrace.

Ezekiel 28 17 Word analysis

• Your heart (לִבְּךָ - libbeḵā) was lifted up (רָם - rām):
  • Your heart (לִבְּךָ - libbeḵā): In Hebrew thought, the heart signifies not merely emotion but also the seat of intellect, will, understanding, and inner character. It represents the core of a person's being. Here, it highlights an internal predisposition.
  • was lifted up (רָם - rām): This verb means to be high, exalted, lifted up. In the context of the heart, it unequivocally denotes arrogance, haughtiness, and pride. It suggests a self-exaltation that crosses the boundary of one's proper place, aiming to ascend beyond created limits.
  • Significance: The very essence of the being, its inner life, was permeated by pride, stemming from an inappropriate self-assessment rather than external pressure.
• because of your beauty (יָפְיֶךָ - yāfyeḵā);
  • your beauty (יָפְיֶךָ - yāfyeḵā): Refers to physical comeliness or perfection of form. Earlier verses describe this entity as "perfect in beauty." This beauty was an endowment from God, a gift.
  • Significance: The object of pride was an inherent, divinely granted attribute. Instead of prompting gratitude, this perfection led to self-adulation and arrogance, demonstrating how even good gifts can become stumbling blocks when misappropriated.
• you corrupted (שִׁחַתְּ - šiḥatt) your wisdom (חָכְמָתְךָ - ḥāḵmāṯəḵā):
  • you corrupted (שִׁחַתְּ - šiḥatt): This verb implies spoiling, ruining, destroying, or making vile/depraved. It signifies an active process of marring what was once good and pure.
  • your wisdom (חָכְמָתְךָ - ḥāḵmāṯəḵā): This refers to practical skill, insight, discernment, and understanding. In earlier verses, this entity possessed "perfect wisdom." It implies not just intellectual capacity but an inherent understanding of its place and creation.
  • Significance: Pride led to a perversion of a God-given intellectual and spiritual faculty. What was meant for understanding and righteous governance was twisted by self-centeredness, demonstrating that even brilliant intellect can be ruined by moral failing.
• by reason of your splendor (יִפְעָתֶךָ - yif'āṯeḵā).
  • your splendor (יִפְעָתֶךָ - yif'āṯeḵā): Signifies brightness, radiance, magnificence, or outward glory. This complements "beauty" as an external attribute, a manifestation of its original perfection.
  • Significance: This emphasizes that both intrinsic attractiveness (beauty) and extrinsic glory (splendor) became fuel for its pride, leading to the corruption of its internal understanding. The outer perfection masked the inner rot of arrogance.
• I cast you (הִשְׁלַכְתִּיךָ - hišlakəṯîḵā) to the ground (אֶרֶץ - 'ereṣ);
  • I cast you (הִשְׁלַכְתִּיךָ - hišlakəṯîḵā): The divine "I" (God) is the active subject, emphasizing a deliberate, forceful act of judgment and expulsion. It's an irrevocable action, not a passive falling.
  • to the ground (אֶרֶץ - 'ereṣ): Refers to the earth or common land. Symbolically, this means extreme humiliation, loss of exalted status, and being brought down to the lowest possible position, far removed from its original high place.
  • Significance: This describes the direct, punitive action of God, a decisive intervention to depose the arrogant being from its lofty position to utter degradation.
• I laid you (נְתַתִּיךָ - nəṯattîḵā) before kings (לִפְנֵי מְלָכִים - lišnê məlāḵîm), that they might gaze at you (יִרְאוּ - yir'ū).
  • I laid you (נְתַתִּיךָ - nəṯattîḵā): Again, a direct divine action, indicating that God made this being an object of observation.
  • before kings (לִפְנֵי מְלָכִים - lišnê məlāḵîm): Earthly rulers who were once awestruck or inferior to this being are now positioned as witnesses to its humiliation. This makes the downfall explicitly public and spectacular.
  • that they might gaze at you (יִרְאוּ - yir'ū): To look intently, behold, or stare. The gazing implies not admiration but morbid curiosity, scorn, or shock at the precipitous fall of such a magnificent being.
  • Significance: The judgment is not only a fall from status but also a public shaming, where previous subjects or peers become spectators of degradation, thereby demonstrating God's ultimate sovereignty and justice over all perceived power.

• Words-group Analysis:
  • "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor": This phrase perfectly articulates the cause-and-effect of pride. An internal moral failing ("heart was lifted up") was triggered by external, God-given attributes ("beauty," "splendor"), which then led to the destruction or perversion of an essential internal faculty ("wisdom"). It's a progression from self-admiration to self-destruction.
  • "I cast you to the ground; I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you": This describes the nature of divine judgment. It is swift ("cast"), absolute ("to the ground" – total loss of position), and public ("before kings, that they might gaze at you" – public shame and disgrace). The punishment directly contrasts the sin; private pride leads to public humiliation by the sovereign God.

Ezekiel 28 17 Bonus section

This verse carries immense theological weight due to its widely accepted typological interpretation. While explicitly addressed to the "King of Tyre," the highly poetic, almost mythical language—referring to Eden, a guardian cherub, being blameless until iniquity was found, and "the holy mountain of God"—has led many significant Christian and Jewish scholars throughout history to view this passage as dual prophecy. It speaks of the King of Tyre as an earthly manifestation or symbol of a far greater cosmic figure: Satan, the devil.

This perspective understands Ezekiel 28:17 to describe Satan's original fall from heaven. Satan, created with immense beauty and wisdom (referred to in earlier verses), allowed these God-given perfections to fuel his pride. He self-exalted, desiring to be like God, thereby corrupting his divinely imparted wisdom and turning his splendor into a cause for rebellion. Consequently, God "cast him to the ground," metaphorically (and later literally, as described in New Testament prophecies like Revelation 12) removing him from his place in heavenly glory and consigning him to judgment. The "kings" who gaze at him can represent fallen humanity or other angelic beings witnessing his degradation.

This interpretation illuminates the nature of evil and its origin: it's not a created substance but a corruption of good, rooted in the pride of a creature desiring autonomy and self-worship above the Creator. It highlights that no amount of created beauty or wisdom can withstand God's judgment if tainted by arrogance.

Ezekiel 28 17 Commentary

Ezekiel 28:17 unveils the profound consequences of pride. This verse pinpoints the genesis of a monumental fall not in external attack, but in an internal moral decay: the self-exaltation stemming from divinely bestowed perfection. The subject's "heart" (the core of its being) became haughty due to its "beauty" and "splendor"—gifts from its Creator. This hubris didn't just puff up; it actively "corrupted" the entity's "wisdom," twisting its understanding and proper discernment. In response to this grave sin of self-deification, God, as the supreme sovereign, rendered an emphatic and irreversible judgment: "I cast you to the ground," signifying utter removal from its exalted sphere and a plunge into degradation. Furthermore, "I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you," underscores the public and humiliating nature of this divine punishment, serving as a stark warning against all forms of pride and rebellion against the Most High. The verse speaks to the ultimate consequence of preferring self-glory over Creator-glory.