Ezekiel 28:12

King of Tyre. Verses 11-19, though presented as a dirge upon the king of Tyre, can hardly be limited in its application to the Tyrian prince. The imagery so far transcends such a local reference that designations such as “extreme irony” fail to answer the problems created if a wholly local application is given to the passage.

The following statements seem particularly difficult to apply to any literal “king of Tyre”: (1) “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God,” v. 13; (2) “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; . . . thou wast upon the holy mountain of God,” v. 14; (3) “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee,” v. 15; (4) “I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub,” v. 16. It seems that as Ezekiel beheld the character and activities of the literal king of Tyre in vision, Inspiration lifted the veil between the seen and the unseen and the prophet was permitted to see the invisible yet powerful being whom the king of Tyre served. Similarly, Isaiah had been permitted to see beyond the literal king of Babylon (ch. 14:4) to Satan, whose character and policies the king of Babylon carried out (vs. 12-16).

It thus appears simpler to consider the passage as digressing from the prophecy upon the prince of Tyre to present a history of him who was indeed the real king of Tyre, Satan himself. So understood, this passage provides us with a history of the origin, initial position, and downfall of the angel who later became known as the devil and Satan. Apart from this passage and the one in Isa. 14:12-14, we would be left without a reasonably complete account of the origin, primeval state, and causes of the fall of the prince of evil. The NT references to this being (Luke 4:5, 6; 10:18; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 12:7-9; etc.), though fully consistent with these ancient prophecies, in themselves do not supply the complete history.

It was the Holy Spirit who planned and unified the Scriptures, and it was He who saw to it that sufficient information was given on all essential matters, including the history of Satan. Furthermore, it was He who determined when, how, and by whom the revelation should be given. The occasion under consideration was especially appropriate in that the prince of Tyre had so remarkably imitated the example of his true leader, the devil. In the light of the great controversy, Tyre, together with all heathen nations, was controlled by the principles of this great rebel leader, and his influence in their history needed to be appropriately exposed.

For a discussion of the history of the origin and destiny of Satan see PP 33-43 and GC 492-504.

Sealest up the sum. The word translated “sum” is found only here and in ch. 43:10, where it is rendered “pattern.” An alternative translation of the clause is, “You set a seal to your completeness.” The general meaning is clear. Lucifer was clothed with wisdom, glory, and beauty above all other angels.