Bible Strands
Ezekiel 28:2
“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord GOD speaks through Ezekiel to the ruler of Tyre. This declaration follows the Lord’s initial prophetic command to deliver a message.
The words — The Hebrew נְגִיד (n.Gid) literally means "ruler," specifying the human office addressed. The verb אָמַר (a.Mar) translates as "he says," marking the divine speech formula.
The thread — The claim of occupying a divine seat appears in Isaiah 14:13 and reappears in the lawless one’s description in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The same ruler’s false assertion is directly challenged again in Ezekiel 28:9.
Why it lands — The text states that the ruler claims a divine position while remaining biologically human. It requires the reader to reject any posture that substitutes human ambition for created limits.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 28:9 Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’ in the presence of those who slay you? You will be only a man, not a god, in the hands of those who wound you.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
- Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north.
- Psalms 9:20 Lay terror upon them, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah
- Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- Isaiah 31:3 But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.
- Acts 12:22 And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
- Isaiah 2:12 For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—
- Genesis 3:5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
- Deuteronomy 8:14 then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.