Ezekiel 28:14

Ezekiel 28:14

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.

a. NLT: I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.

b. NIV: You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.

c. YLT: Thou art an anointed cherub who is covering, And I have set thee in the holy mount, God thou hast been, In the midst of stones of fire thou hast walked up and down.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].

e. Septuagint: From the day that thou wast created thou [wast] with the cherub: I set thee on the holy mount of God; thou wast in the midst of the stones of fire.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: You were a great sheltering cherub, and it is I [who] granted you this; You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones;

1. “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so…”

a. Thou [art] [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.]

b. the anointed [Strong 4473 * mimshach mim-shakh' from 4886, in the sense of expansion; outspread (i.e. with outstretched wings):--anointed.] [AMG: The term more likely expresses the sense of anointment or anointing. Taking the word this way, the phrase conveys the more satisfying expression “cherub of anointing,” that is, the anointed cherub.]

c. cherub [3742 * keruwb] [Strong: cherub, cherubim (pl), an angelic being, as guardians of Eden, as flanking God's throne, as an image form hovering over the Ark of the Covenant, as the chariot of Jehovah (fig.)]

1). A description of cherubim is given in Ezekiel 1:5-11 and Ezekiel 10:15.

a). Ezekiel 1:5-11 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

1:6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

1:7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

1:9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

1:11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

b). Ezekiel 10:15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

2). Scripture declares that two cherubim were put on the top of the Ark of the Covenant , but nowhere have I seen an image of the Ark of the Covenant that shows the cherubim with the appearance of the first chapter of Ezekiel. Perhaps cherubim were a kind of rank of angel that were composed of different kinds of angels, rather not just a specific kind of angel. In other words, some cherubim looked like the ones at the river Chebar while other looked like a man with wings.

a). Exodus 25:10-20 describes the cherubim placed on the top of the Ark of the Covenant.

3). After the fall of man and God removed Adam and Eve from the garden, God placed cherubims at the entrance to keep man from eating of the tree of life.

a). Genesis 3:22-24 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

b). Scripture does not say how long the cherubim remained there. It is possible they were there until the flood of Noah 1600 years later.

d. covereth [Strong: 5526 *  cakak saw-kak' or sakak (Exod. 33:22) {saw-kak'}; a primitive root; properly, to entwine as a screen; by implication, to fence in, cover over, (figuratively) protect:--cover, defence, defend, hedge in, join together, set, shut up.] [Outline of Biblical Usage: to hedge, fence about, shut in, to block, overshadow, screen, stop the approach, shut off, cover, to screen, cover, to cover oneself, protector (participle), to screen, cover, to cover, defecate (euphemism), to cover, lay over, to weave together, to weave together, to weave, weave together.]

1). Some scholars believe this to mean Lucifer was the covering or protector of the earth and I can see that. It could mean also refer to the cherubims that covered the “mercy seat”, that is, the throne, Lucifer was the covering or protector of the Throne. It could have been both.

e. and I have set [thee so] [Strong: 5414 * nathan naw-than' a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.):--add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, + cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander, strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to) God, yield.]

2. “…thou wast upon the holy mountain of God…”

a. thou wast upon the holy [Strong: 6944 * qodesh ko'-desh from 6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity:--consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.]

b. mountain [Strong: 2022 * har har a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X promotion.]

c. of God [Strong: 430 * 'elohiym el-o-heem' plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

1). The “holy mountain of God” is speaking of where God dwells.

a). Psalm 48:1, 2 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

2). In the comparative passage in Isaiah 14 that speaks of Lucifer’s rebellion, Lucifer mentions the “mount” or mountain located in the sides of the north.

a). Isaiah 14:12-14 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

3). John may be referring to this mountain in Revelation.

a). Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

3. “…thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”

a. thou hast [Strong: 1961 * hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

b. walked up and down [Strong: 1980 * halak haw-lak' akin to 3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):--(all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, + be eased, enter, exercise (self), + follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), + greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, X more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), + send, speedily, spread, still, surely, + tale-bearer, + travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-)faring man, X be weak, whirl.]

 c. in the midst [Strong: 8432 * tavek taw'-vek from an unused root meaning to sever; a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre:--among(-st), X between, half, X (there- ,where-), in(-to), middle, mid(-night), midst (among), X out (of), X through, X with(-in).]

d. of the stones [Strong: 68 * 'eben eh'-ben from the root of 1129 through the meaning to build; a stone:--+ carbuncle, + mason, + plummet, (chalk-, hail-, head-, sling-)stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).]

e. of fire [Strong: 784 * 'esh aysh a primitive word; fire (literally or figuratively):-- burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.]

1). Lucifer was and is an anointed cherub. He was anointed to fulfill his purpose, according to the previous verse, his ministry, his employment and the craftsmanship involved in his creation was fixed, secured and determined in the day he was created. Arguably, it involved music. In fact, all three traditional musical instrument classifications, wind, stringed and percussion are all mentioned in either his ministry or his fall. The wind and percussion classifications are listed in Ezekiel 28:13 and the stringed instruments are mentioned the companion passage in Isaiah 14.

a). Isaiah 14:11  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

b). Notice the “noise of thy viols” is brought down along with Lucifer’s pomp.

c). pomp [1347 * ga’own] [Strong: exaltation, majesty, pride, majesty, exaltation, excellence, of nations

of God, of the Jordan, pride, arrogance (bad sense)]

d). I am fully persuaded that this Scripture reveals that Lucifer’s anointed music was used in the fall to further the spread of his rebellion.

2). Family Bible Notes: The stones of fire are the stones mentioned in Ezekiel 28:13. It also may be referring to a passage in Exodus where Moses Aaron Nadab Abihu and 70 leaders of Israel experienced the presence of God.

a). Exodus 24:9, 10 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

3). I don’t know exactly what this phrase means, but I can’t help from thinking it has something to do with walking in the presence of God. In Ezekiel 28:13, 14, Scripture describes Lucifer’s creation and ministry and then describes some of his privileges, one of which is seemingly within his exalted ministry, Lucifer had the privilege of walking in the presence of God.