Ezekiel 28:12

Ezekiel 28:12

Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

a. ASV: 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.

b. YLT: 'Son of man, lift up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, And thou hast said to him: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Thou art sealing up a measurement, Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

c. Classic Amplified: Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You are the full measure and pattern of exactness [giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

d. Septuagint: Son of man, take up a lamentation for the prince of Tyre, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou art a seal of resemblance, and crown of beauty.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: Son of Man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre. Say to him: Thus saith the Lord HASHEM/ELOHIM: Are you [Adam] the culmination of perfection, full of wisdom, perfect in beauty?

1. “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus…”

a. Son [Strong: 1121 bên, bane; from H1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.):—afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, × came up in, child, colt, × common, × corn, daughter, × of first, firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, × in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, rebel, + robber, × servant born, × soldier, son, + spark, steward, + stranger, × surely, them of, + tumultuous one, valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

b. [of] man [Strong: 120 ʼâdam, aw-dam'; from H119; ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.):—× another, hypocrite, common sort, × low, man (mean, of low degree), person.]

c. take up [Strong: 5375 nâsâʼ, naw-saw'; or נָסָה nâçâh; (Psalm 4:6 [7]), a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative:—accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ( man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, × needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, swear, take (away, up), × utterly, wear, yield.]

d. [a] lamentation [Strong: 7015 qîynâh, kee-naw'; from H6969; a dirge (as accompanied by beating the breasts or on instruments):—lamentation.] [Gesenius: a mournful song, a lamentation.]

1).  D.C: This word is used 18 times in the Old Testament and it is always translated “lamentation”, a song. It is ironic that a passage revealing how music was used in the fall of angels is itself a song.

e. upon [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

f. [the] king [Strong: 4428 melek, meh'-lek; from H4427; a king:—king, royal.]

g. [of] Tyrus [Strong: 6865 Tsôr, tsore; or צוֹר Tsôwr; the same as H6864; a rock; Tsor, a place in Palestine:—Tyre, Tyrus.]

1). Institute Of Creation Research Daily Devotional 7/14/14 This prophecy against the King of Tyre is very similar to the prophecy given over a century earlier against the King of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3-28). Both are ostensibly addressed to earthly kings, yet both are impossible to apply to any mere human monarch. In both instances, it becomes obvious that an evil spirit—in fact, none other than Satan himself—had possessed the bodies of these kings. Thus God, through Ezekiel, is here speaking primarily to Satan. Satan had been “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” but he became proud instead of thankful. “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” (Ezekiel 28:17). He had been “the anointed cherub” on “the holy mountain of God” (v. 14), the highest of all the mighty cherubim, covering the very throne of God. But “thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (v. 16). Satan, the covering cherub, had been “created” (v. 13), but he was not content to serve his Creator. When he sinned—probably refusing to believe that God was his Creator, desiring God’s throne for himself (Isaiah 14:13)—God cast him out, saying, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:15). Yet he still refuses to acknowledge God and has since persuaded multitudes of men and women to assume that they, too, can be “as gods” (Genesis 3:5). This belief can only—if they persist—result in their eternal ruin. HMM

2. “…and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God, Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”

a. [and] say [to him] [Strong: 559 ʼâmar, aw-mar'; a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):—answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.]

b. Thus [Strong: 3541 koh ko from the prefix k and 1931; properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now:--also, here, + hitherto, like, on the other side, so (and much), such, on that manner, (on) this (manner, side, way, way and that way), + mean while, yonder.]

c. saith [Strong: 559 ʼâmar, aw-mar'; a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):—answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.]

d. [the] Lord [Strong: 136 ʼĂdônây, ad-o-noy'; an emphatic form of H113; the Lord (used as a proper name of God only):—(my) Lord.]

e. God [Strong: 3069 Yᵉhôvih, yeh-ho-vee'; a variation of H3068 [used after H136, and pronounced by Jews as H430, in order to prevent the repetition of the same sound, since they elsewhere pronounce H3068 as H136]:—God.]

f. Thou [Strong: 859 'attah at-taw' or (shortened); aatta {at-taw'}; or wath {ath}; feminine (irregular) sometimes nattiy {at-tee'}; plural masculine attem {at- tem'}; feminine atten {at-ten'}; or oattenah {at-tay'naw}; or fattennah {at-tane'-naw}; a primitive pronoun of the second person; thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you:--thee, thou, ye, you.]

g. sealest [up] [Strong: 2856 châtham, khaw-tham'; a primitive root; to close up; especially to seal:—make an end, mark, seal (up), stop.]

h. [the] sum [Strong: 8508 toknîyth, tok-neeth'; from H8506; admeasurement, i.e. consummation:—pattern, sum.]

i. full [Strong: 4392 mâlêʼ, maw-lay'; from H4390; full (literally or figuratively) or filling (literally); also (concretely) fulness; adverbially, fully:—× she that was with child, fill(-ed, -ed with), full(-ly), multitude, as is worth.]

j. [of] wisdom [Strong: 2451 chokmâh, khok-maw'; from H2449; wisdom (in a good sense):—skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit.]

k. perfect [Strong: 3632 kâlîyl, kaw-leel'; from H3634; complete; as noun, the whole (specifically, a sacrifice entirely consumed); as adverb, fully:—all, every whit, flame, perfect(-ion), utterly, whole burnt offering (sacrifice), wholly.]

l. [in] beauty [Strong: 3308 yŏphîy, yof-ee'; from H3302; beauty:—beauty.]

1). Although it is addressed to the king of Tyrus, it is clear, God is speaking to the being behind the king, a cherub or cherubim. The adjectives describing this being could not be used to describe a man. Likewise, the comparative passage in Isaiah 14 that speaks about Lucifer the same being is addressed to the king of Babylon. In looking at the Hebrews definitions there are two translations that come the closest in my opinion.

a). Ezekiel 28:12 [NKJV] "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:  "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

b). Ezekiel 28:12 [NIV] "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: " 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.