Ezekiel 28:11-19

[alon]

My JPS TNK notes on this verse says this passage only refers to the King of Tyre "pictured as a quasi-mythical being in a bejeweled Garden of Eden."

Ezekiel 28:11-19 11 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 12 "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. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire,emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you,O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 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. 18 By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever."

This sounds to me like it refers to ha satan, who was the power behind the pride and arrogance of the rulers of Tyre. If not, it would have to be an extreme type.

Dan C

[garrett]

Interesting, I just started reading this book again for the first time in a long while....wait till I get to Chapter 28 and I'll get back to you! Kidding aside, it really does come across as ha satan (an anointed cherub, I placed you, you were on the holy mountain of G-d, I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of G-d, your heart was proud because of your beauty, you were in Eden).

Let me look into it and maybe I will have more to offer. The one that gets me is, "in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries..." This causes my mind to wander to the idea of ha satan profaning all the sanctuaries (or areas) he was given authority over because of his self-corruption.

[alon]

garrett, the passage was taken from the haftorah for last week. Do you read the weekly p'rashah, haftorah and B'rit Chadasha portions and study them each week?

Dan C

[garrett]

Hi Dan, I do read them. However I sometimes I feel like I have no short term memory these days. By the time we're done reading the parasha (and rabbinical commentary) my mind is spent. I often read from the Chumash/transliterated version.

I recently decided that I need to read the whole book of Ezekiel straight through, as a side thing. This is the only way I can get the best perspective and the full context of things (obviously).

The stuff from Bereishit and Shemos just blows me away. I think everyone should be reading it. Take care....

[alon]

Jan 20, 2015 5:59:58 GMT -8 garrett said:

Hi Dan, I do read them. However I sometimes I feel like I have no short term memory these days. By the time we're done reading the parasha (and rabbinical commentary) my mind is spent. I often read from the Chumash/transliterated version.

I recently decided that I need to read the whole book of Ezekiel straight through, as a side thing. This is the only way I can get the best perspective and the full context of things (obviously).

The stuff from Bereishit and Shemos just blows me away. I think everyone should be reading it. Take care....

I can understand the memory thing! And the "spent" mind too. I try to start early and read and study it through the week. If I can get done by Thursday (hey, it does happen ... sometimes) then Friday all the commentaries are up and I can hopefully read a few. Or I can cram all I didn't get read earlier; either way, that is what works best for me.

Reading straight through is also a good thing. Try ignoring the chapter and verse delineations as you read for a better perspective on it.

Dan C

[garrett]

I hope everyone is well...

After thinking about it, this passage in Ezekiel 28: 11-19 reminds me of similarities throughout the whole of scripture. It seems like G-d's consistent way of "reminding us of THE story." He seems to tell us what is happening - or what will happen - while simultaneously reminding us of His Story. It's this constant duality that, if recognized, can almost make you grateful that you are getting "two" messages in one. It is similar to getting a local message and an eternal message, rife with history.

The King of Tyre was a real king in Lebanon. His kingdom was corrupt and sexually immoral. He believed himself to be god-like. His empire eventually fell to the Babylonians and then to Alexander the Great (I hope I have my history right). This is my simple understanding of the king.

But when Ezekiel speaks the words of G-d, not only does he address the king of Tyre but he goes straight for ha satan himself. Because this earthly king is (yet again) another little prototype of the highest fallen (and evil) angel. When G-d speaks to evil on the earth, he is always addressing the SOURCE of that evil too. This is the only way I have been able to comprehend and digest the scriptures, knowing that there is a meaning within the meaning. When I realized that this was an advantage and not a "problem" I found that it was very helpful. If you take the creative part of your mind and pair it with knowledge you can have a wonderful time with the holy scriptures.

If I'm correct about this then G-d is addressing the King of Tyre while reminding ha satan of his past, present and future. And He is telling us about it too.

Any thoughts?

[garrett]

Forgot to add this: on the creative part - it's a method of knowing that there is more than one thing going on at a time, that you could have one thing figured out and not yet realize there is even more to what you have just read. The word of G-d is supposed to be living, right? So I encourage creativity and imagination when reading the scriptures. As long as the verses are kept as the highest standard.

Take care - Garrett

[alon]

garrett, I think you are getting to the sod level of understanding here! The deeper, revealed understanding of scripture!

Dan C

[garrett]

Yeah, I guess it does venture into the metaphysical/exegetical realm of thinking...

Quick, someone throw some candy and yell Mazel Tov!