Ezekiel 28:1-26
“Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God... yet thou art a man, and not God... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth... thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”
King James Version
The oracle against the self-deifying prince of Tyre, and the lament over the 'king of Tyre' whose Edenic, cherubic language has fueled the debate over a typological reference to Satan's fall.
Fulfillment References
Isaiah 14:12-15 Ezekiel 26:1-21 1 Timothy 3:6 Genesis 3:1-7
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe creature who says 'I am a God' is exposed as a man; only Jesus is truly God manifest in flesh — the one God none can rival.
JewishAddressed to the historical king of Tyre, whose hubris in claiming divinity is condemned; Jewish interpretation does not read a Satan figure here.
CatholicThe proud king judged; many Fathers read the 'cherub in Eden' lament as also describing the fall of Lucifer behind the earthly king.
ProtestantThe historical prince condemned for self-deification; the 'anointed cherub' lament is widely (though not universally) read as a typology of Satan's fall.
OrthodoxThe judgment on pride; patristic tradition often sees the deeper reference to the fall of the devil.
DispensationalA primary text for the fall of Satan, the spiritual power behind the earthly ruler.
AcademicCritical scholars read the 'cherub in Eden' as drawing on an ancient Near Eastern primal-man/garden myth applied to the king's hubris, not a doctrine of Satan's fall — that identification is later Christian interpretation; its relation to Isaiah 14 is much discussed.
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Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.