Albert Barnes Commentary Ezekiel 28:11-19

"Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was in thee; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. 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. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee. By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee. By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being." — Ezekiel 28:11-19 (ASV)

The dirge of the prince of Tyre, answering to the dirge of the state. The passage is ironical; its main purpose is to depict all the glory, real or assumed, of “the prince of Tyrus,” in order to show how deplorable his ruin should be.

Regarding Ezekiel 28:12: To seal the sum is to make up the whole measure of perfection. Compare the Septuagint.

Regarding Ezekiel 28:13: Thou hast been in Eden - “You” were, etc. The prince of Tyrus is ironically described as the first of creation; but at the same time the parallel is to be maintained in his fall from glory. Like Adam in the enjoyment of paradise, he shall be like Adam in his fall.

Every precious stone - All the stones named here are found in the High Priest’s breastplate (Exodus 28:17–20), but their order is different, and three stones named in Exodus (the third row) are missing. The prophet may purposely have varied the description because the number twelve (that of the tribes of Israel) had nothing to do with the prince of Tyrus, and he wished to portray, not a high priest, but a king, having in view a figure that was to a Jew, especially to a priest, the very type of magnificence.

Tabrets - (or, drums) and pipes were a common expression for festivity and triumph.

Regarding Ezekiel 28:14: Thou art - Better, “You” were. The verse speaks of the anointed cherub that covereth. In the temple, the cherubim and all holy things were consecrated and anointed with oil (Exodus 30:26 and following). The prince of Tyre was also anointed as a sovereign priest—covering or protecting the minor states, like the cherubim with outstretched wings covering the mercy-Seat.

Thou wast upon the holy mountain - As the cherub was in the temple on the holy mountain, so the prince of Tyre was presiding over the island-city, rising like a mountain from the deep.

Stones of fire - that is, bright and shining. Decked with bright jewels, the prince walked among jewels in gorgeous splendor.

Regarding Ezekiel 28:15: The perfection was false, unsuspected until the iniquity that lay beneath was found out.