16 "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence , And you sinned ; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God . And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub , From the midst of the stones of fire . 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty ; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor . I cast you to the ground ; I put you before kings , That they may see you. 18 "By the multitude of your iniquities , In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries . Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 28:16-18
Commentary on Ezekiel 28:1-19
(Read Ezekiel 28:1-19)
Ethbaal, or Ithobal, was the prince or king of Tyre; and being lifted up with excessive pride, he claimed Divine honours. Pride is peculiarly the sin of our fallen nature. Nor can any wisdom, except that which the Lord gives, lead to happiness in this world or in that which is to come. The haughty prince of Tyre thought he was able to protect his people by his own power, and considered himself as equal to the inhabitants of heaven. If it were possible to dwell in the garden of Eden, or even to enter heaven, no solid happiness could be enjoyed without a humble, holy, and spiritual mind. Especially all spiritual pride is of the devil. Those who indulge therein must expect to perish.