Ezekiel 28:14
in Ezekiel 28You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
KJV
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
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This verse in Ezekiel 28
Commentary
10 notes on this verseFor the king who was anointed with the holy oil was called a cherub. And he was overshadowing all his people.… They were sitting in the shadow of the king, while he was standing at their head. And when the crown of their head fell, they were without shade. And if anyone should say that this word is spoken concerning Christ, let him accept what I write for him without dispute, and he will be persuaded that it was said with reference to the king.
This site's exposition
Again the word of the LORD came to me
on Ezekiel 28:11-14
The lament shifts to the king of Tyrus: thou art the anointed cherub that covereth. Keil and much of the critical bench take the vocabulary as maximal court imagery. Fairbairn and the older writers, joined by modern voices, such as Michael Heiser, read a being addressed behind the throne.
This site's exposition
anointed as a guardian cherub
Cherubim guarded the garden of Eden in Genesis 3, and two gold cherubim spread their wings over the mercy seat of the ark. The Hebrew for guardian means covering, the posture of those outstretched wings. Ezekiel had seen cherubim beside the throne of God in chapter 10.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Vers. 11 seqq.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him: Thus says the Lord God: You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: carnelian, topaz, and jasper, chrysolite, onyx, and beryl, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald. Gold was the workmanship of your settings and your engravings; on the day that you were created they were prepared.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
), he walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, that is, these precious stones, which glittered and sparkled like fire. His rooms were in a manner set round with jewels, so that he walked in the midst of them, and then fancied himself as glorious as if, like God, he had been surrounded by so many angels, who are compared to a flame of fire.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
6 ), and had his habit on, which had precious stones both in the breast and on the shoulders; in that he seemed to walk in the midst of the stones of fire. " Thus glorious is the king of Tyre; at least he thinks himself so. Let us now see what was the ruin of the king of Tyre, what it was that stained his glory and laid all this honour in the dust (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+odd-straight-quotes
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth,....
He as a man, but it is here owned that he was a very considerable man and one that made a mighty figure in his day. (1.) He far exceeded other men. Hiram and other kings of Tyre had done so in their time; and the reigning king perhaps had not come short of any of them: Thou sealest up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth - The irony is continued; and here he is likened to the Cherub that guarded the gates of Paradise, and kept the way of the tree of life; or to one of the cherubs whose wings, spread out, covered the mercy-seat.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The cherub--an ideal compound of the highest kinds of animal existence and the type of redeemed man in his ultimate state of perfection--is made the image of the king of Tyre, as if the beau ideal of humanity. The pretensions of Antichrist are the ulterior reference, of whom the king of Tyre is a type. Compare "As God . . . in the temple of God" (2Th 2:4).
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
In Eden, the garden of God With much goodness and pleasure. You enjoy yourself as if you were dwelling in Eden, the garden of God. All wealth, pride, and honor are given to you: all precious stones are set on your raiment.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַ֨תְּ־ | ʾat- | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| כְּר֔וּב | keruv | [were] a cherub of | H3742 → | 91 times |
| מִמְשַׁ֖ח | mishach | expansion | H4473 → | |
| הַסּוֹכֵ֑ךְ | hasokhekh | <the> [one which] covers | H5526 → | |
| וּנְתַתִּ֗יךָ | unetatikha | and I appointed you | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְּהַ֨ר | behar | on [the] mountain of | H2022 → | 546 times |
| קֹ֤דֶשׁ | kodesh | [the] holiness of | H6944 → | 469 times |
| אֱלֹהִים֙ | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הָיִ֔יתָ | hayita | you were | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְּת֥וֹךְ | betokh | in [the] middle of | H8432 → | 418 times |
| אַבְנֵי־ | ʾavnei- | stones of | H68 → | 273 times |
| אֵ֖שׁ | ʾesh | fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃ | hithalakheta | you walked about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
אַ֨תְּ־you
ʾat-H859 →1094 times
כְּר֔וּב[were] a cherub of
keruvH3742 →91 times
מִמְשַׁ֖חexpansion
mishachH4473 →
הַסּוֹכֵ֑ךְ<the> [one which] covers
hasokhekhH5526 →
וּנְתַתִּ֗יךָand I appointed you
unetatikhaH5414 →2011 times
בְּהַ֨רon [the] mountain of
beharH2022 →546 times
קֹ֤דֶשׁ[the] holiness of
kodeshH6944 →469 times
אֱלֹהִים֙God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
הָיִ֔יתָyou were
hayitaH1961 →3559 times
בְּת֥וֹךְin [the] middle of
betokhH8432 →418 times
אַבְנֵי־stones of
ʾavnei-H68 →273 times
אֵ֖שׁfire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃you walked about
hithalakhetaH1980 →1546 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 30:26Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
it leads to
- Numbers 7:1
On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 7:1
Through
Ezekiel 28:13You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 28:15
From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways—until wickedness was found in you.
- Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.
- Ezekiel 27:16
Aram was your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.
- Ezekiel 28:15
Through
Ezekiel 20:40For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them…
it leads to
- Isaiah 56:7
I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called…
- Malachi 3:4
Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.
- Isaiah 60:7
All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on My altar with acceptance; I will adorn My glorious house.
- Isaiah 56:7
Through
Exodus 40:9Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy.
it leads to
- Leviticus 8:10
Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them.
- Leviticus 8:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
On this verse
About Ezekiel
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Aphrahat the Persian Sage, DEMONSTRATIONS 5:9; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Ezekiel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm; Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel and Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible.