The king of Tyre, who affected to be like to God, shall fall under the like sentence with Lucifer. The judgment of Sidon. The restoration of Israel.
For most insolent pride Tyre shal be vtterly destroyed. 20. Sidon likewise ouerthrowne. 24. And the people of Israel at last restored.
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:E il Signore parlommi, e disse:AND the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:Et factus est sermo Domini ad me, dicens: 2Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said: I am God, and I sit in the chair of God in the heart of the sea: whereas thou art a man, and not God: and hast set thy heart as if it were the heart of God.Figliuolo dell'uomo dì al principe di Tiro; Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Perchè si è innalzato il cuor tuo, ed hai detto: Io sono un Dio, e sul trono sono assiso qual Dio in mezzo al mare; mentre tu se' un uomo, e non un Dio, e ti se' attribuitamente, quasimente di un Dio:Sonne of man say to the prince of Tyre: Thus saith our Lord God: For that thy hart is eleuated, & thou hast sayd: I am God, and I haue sitten in the chaire of God in the hart of the sea: wheras thou art a man, and not God: and hast geuen thy hart as the hart of God.Fili hominis, dic principi Tyri: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Eo quod elevatum est cor tuum, / et dixisti: Deus ego sum, / et in cathedra Dei sedi in corde maris, / cum sis homo, et non deus: / et dedisti cor tuum quasi cor Dei: 3Behold thou art wiser than Daniel: no secret is hid from thee.Ecco che tu se' più saggio di Daniele: nissun arcano e ascoso a te.Loe thou art wiser then Daniel: euerie secret is not hid from thee.ecce sapientior es tu Daniele: / omne secretum non est absconditum a te: 4In thy wisdom and thy understanding thou hast made thyself strong: and hast gotten gold an silver into thy treasures.Tu ti se' fatto forte colla tua sapienza, e prudenza, e riponesti oro, ed argento ne' tuoi tesori.In thy wisedom and thy prudence thou hast made thee strength: and hast gotten gold, and siluer in thy treasures.in sapientia et prudentia tua fecisti tibi fortitudinem, / et acquisisti aurum et argentum in thesauris tuis: 5By the greatness of thy wisdom, and by thy traffic thou hast increased thy strength: and thy heart is lifted up with thy strength.Colla tua molta sapienza, e colla tua mercatura hai accresciuta la tua potenza, e il cuor tuo si è innalzato a motivo di tua robustezza.In the multitude of thy wisedome, & in thy merchandise thou hast multiplied strength to thee: and thy hart is eleuated in thy strength.in multitudine sapientiæ tuæ, / et in negotiatione tua multiplicasti tibi fortitudinem, / et elevatum est cor tuum in robore tuo: 6Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Because thy heart is lifted up as the heart of God:Per questo così dice il Signore Dio: Dappoiché il tuo cuore si è innalzato, come se fosse cuore di un Dio;Therfore thus saith our Lord God: For that thy hart is eleuated as the hart of God:propterea hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Eo quod elevatum est cor tuum quasi cor dei,
7Therefore behold, I will bring upon thee strangers: the strongest of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy beauty.Ecco, che io perciò condurrò contro di te degli stranieri fortissimi tralle nazioni, e sguaineranno le spade loro contro la tua bella saggezza, e oscureranno il tuo splendore.therfore behold I wil bring vpon thee strangers the strongest of the Gentils: and they shal draw their swordes vpon the beautie of thy wisedome, and shal pollute thy comelines.idcirco ecce ego adducam super te alienos, / robustissimos gentium: / et nudabunt gladios suos super pulchritudinem sapientiæ tuæ, / et polluent decorem tuum. 8They shall kill thee, and bring thee down: and thou shalt die the death of them that are slain in the heart of the sea.Ti uccideranno, e ti getteranno per terra, e morrai della morte di quegli, che sono uccisi in mezzo al mare.They shal kil, and plucke thee downe: and thou shalt dye in the death of the slaine in the hart of the sea.Interficient, et detrahent te: / et morieris in interitu occisorum in corde maris. 9Wilt thou yet say before them that slay thee: I am God; whereas thou art a man, and not God, in the hand of them that slay thee?Parlerai tu forse, e dirai dinanzi a' tuoi uccisori, io sono un Dio; mentre tu se' un uomo dato in potere di quegli, che ti torranno la vita, e non un Dio?Why, shalt thou speake saying: I am God, before them that kil thee: wheras thou art a man, and not God, in the hand of them that slay thee?Numquid dicens loqueris: Deus ego sum, / coram interficientibus te, / cum sis homo, et non deus, / in manu occidentium te ? 10Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.Morrai della morte degl'incirconcisi per man di stranieri; perchè io ho parlato, dice il Signore Dio.By the death of the vncircumcised shalt thou dye in the hand of strangers: because I haue spoken, saith our Lord God.Morte incircumcisorum morieris in manu alienorum, / quia ego locutus sum, ait Dominus Deus. 11And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyre:E il Signore parlommi, e disse: Figliuolo dell'uomo intuona lugubre cantico sopra il re di Tiro;And the word of our Lord was made to me, saying: Sonne of man lift vp a lamentation vpon the king of Tyre:Et factus est sermo Domini ad me, dicens: Fili hominis, leva planctum super regem Tyri, 12And say to him: Thus saith the Lord God: Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.E gli dirai: Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Tu sigillo di somiglianza, pieno di sapienza, e perfetto in bellezza,and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith our Lord God: Thou the signet of similitude, ful of wisedom, and perfect of beautie,et dices ei: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Tu signaculum similitudinis, / plenus sapientia, et perfectus decore.
13Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God: every precious stone was thy covering: the sardius, the topaz, and the jasper, the chrysolite, and the onyx, and the beryl, the sapphire, and the carbuncle, and the emerald: gold the work of thy beauty: and thy pipes were prepared in the day that thou wast created.Tu vivevi tralle delizie del paradiso di Dio: sul tuo vestimento era ogni sorta di pietre preziose, il sardio, il topazio, e l'iaspide, il crisolito, e l'oniche, e il berillo, il saffiro, il carbonchio, e lo smeraldo, e l'oro, che ti da va splendore, e gli strumenti musicali furon pronti per te nel giorno di tua creazione.thou wast in the delicacies of the paradise of God: euerie precious stone thy couering: sardius, topatius, and the iasper, chrysolithus, and onyx, and berillus, the sapphire, and the carbuncle, and the emerald: gold the worke of thy beautie: and thy pipes were prepared in the day, that thou wast created.In deliciis paradisi Dei fuisti: / omnis lapis pretiosus operimentum tuum, / sardius, topazius, et jaspis, / chrysolithus, et onyx, et beryllus, / sapphirus, et carbunculus, et smaragdus: / aurum, opus decoris tui: / et foramina tua, in die qua conditus es, præparata sunt. 14Thou a cherub stretched out, and protecting, and I set thee in the holy mountain of God, thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire.Tu Cherubino, che le ali stende, e adombra; e io ti collocai nel santo monte di Dio: tu camminavi in mezzo alle pietre (preziose), che gettavan fuoco.Thou Cherub streched out, and protecting, and I sette thee in the holie mount of God, in the middes of fyrie stones thou hast walked.Tu cherub extentus, et protegens, / et posui te in monte sancto Dei: / in medio lapidum ignitorum ambulasti, 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation, until iniquity was found in thee.Perfetto nelle tue vie dal giorno, in cui fosti creato, fino a tanto che in te si trovò iniquità.Perfect in thy wayes from the day of thy creation, vntil iniquitie was found in thee.perfectus in viis tuis a die conditionis tuæ, / donec inventa est iniquitas in te. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise, thy inner parts were filled with iniquity, and thou hast sinned: and I cast thee out from the mountain of God, and destroyed thee, O covering cherub, out of the midst of the stones of fire.Nell'ampiezza del tuo traffico si riempì il tuo interno d'iniquità, e tu peccasti, ed io ti discacciai dal monte di Dio; e te Cherubino protettore spogliai delle pietre preziose, che avevano splendor di fuoco.In the multitude of thy merchandise, thyne inner partes were filled with iniquitie, and thou didst sinne: and I cast thee out from the mount of God, and destroyed thee ô Cherub protecting, out of the middes of the fyrie stones.In multitudine negotiationis tuæ / repleta sunt interiora tua iniquitate, et peccasti: / et ejeci te de monte Dei, / et perdidi te, o cherub protegens, de medio lapidum ignitorum.
17And thy heart was lifted up with thy beauty: thou hast lost thy wisdom in thy beauty, I have cast thee to the ground: I have set thee before the face of kings, that they might behold thee.Perocché il tuo cuore si innalzò nella tua magnificenza: la saggezza perdesti, insieme, e la magnificenza: io ti gittai per terra: ti esposi agli occhi dei re, affinchè ti mirassero.And thy hart was eleuated in thy beautie: thou hast lost thy wisedome in thy beautie, I haue cast thee to the earth: before the face of kinges I haue geuen thee, that they might behold thee.Et elevatum est cor tuum in decore tuo; / perdidisti sapientiam tuam in decore tuo: / in terram projeci te; / ante faciem regum dedi te ut cernerent te. 18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities, and by the iniquity of thy traffic: therefore I will bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, to devour thee, and I will make thee as ashes upon the earth in the sight of all that see thee.Col gran numero di tue iniquità, e cogl'ingiusti tuoi traffichi contaminasti col tuo santuario: io adunque di mezzo a te farò nascere un fuoco, che ti divori, e ti ridurrò in cenere sulla terra dinanzi a tutti coloro, che han gli occhi sopra di te.In the multitude of thine iniquities, & in the iniquitie of thy merchandise, thou hast polluted thy sanctification: I wil therfore bring forth a fyre out of the middes of thee, to eate thee, and I wil make thee as ashes vpon the earth in the sight of al that see thee.In multitudine iniquitatum tuarum, / et iniquitate negotiationis tuæ, / polluisti sanctificationem tuam: / producam ergo ignem de medio tui, qui comedat te, / et dabo te in cinerem super terram, / in conspectu omnium videntium te. 19All that shall see thee among the nations, shall be astonished at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more.Tutti quegli d'altre nazioni, che ti vedranno, resteran commossi per causa tua: tu se' ridotto al niente, e in perpetuo non sarai più.Al that shal see thee in the Gentils, shal be astonied vpon thee: thou art become a thing of naught, and thou shalt not be for euerOmnes qui viderint te in gentibus, obstupescent super te: / nihili factus es, et non eris in perpetuum. 20And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:E il Signore parlommi, dicendo:And the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:Et factus est sermo Domini ad me, dicens: 21Son of man, set thy face against Sidon: and thou shalt prophesy of it,Figliuolo dell'uomo, volgi la tua faccia contro Sidone, e profeta sopra di lei,Sonne of man, set thy face against Sidon: and thou shalt prophecie of it,Fili hominis, pone faciem tuam contra Sidonem, et prophetabis de ea: 22And shalt say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, Sidon, and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall execute judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.E dirai: Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Eccomi a te, o Sidone, ed io sarò glorificato in mezzo a te: imperocché conosceran, ch'io sono il Signore, allorché farò giudizio di lei, e farò in lei risplendere la mia santità.and shalt say: Thus saith our Lord God: Behold I to thee Sidon, and I wil be glorified in the middes of thee: and they shal know that I am the Lord, when I shal doe iudgements in it, and shal be sanctified in it.et dices: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Ecce ego ad te, Sidon, / et glorificabor in medio tui: / et scient quia ego Dominus, / cum fecero in ea judicia, / et sanctificatus fuero in ea.
23And I will send into her pestilence, and blood in her streets: and they shall fall being slain by the sword on all sides in the midst thereof: and they shall know that I am the Lord.Io manderò a lei la pestilenza, e il sangue inonderà le sue piazze, e cadranno gli uomini in mezzo a lei uccisi di spada in ogni parte, e conosceranno, ch'io sono il Signore.And I wil send into it pestilence, and bloud in the streetes therof: & the slaine shal fal in the middes therof by the sword round about: and they shal know that I am the Lord.Et immittam ei pestilentiam, / et sanguinem in plateis ejus: / et corruent interfecti in medio ejus gladio per circuitum, / et scient quia ego Dominus. 24And the house of Israel shall have no more a stumblingblock of bitterness, nor a thorn causing pain on every side round about them, of them that are against them: and they shall know that I am the Lord God.Ed ella non sarà più d'inciampo, e di amarezza alla casa d'Israele, né spina, che fa dolore saranno quei, che d'ogni parte lo attorniano, e a lui sono infesti: e conosceranno, ch'io sono il Signore.And there shal be no more scandal of bitternes to the house of Israel, and thorne causing payne on euerie side round about them, that are against them: and they shal know that I am the Lord God.Et non erit ultra domui Israël offendiculum amaritudinis, / et spina dolorem inferens undique / per circuitum eorum qui adversantur eis: / et scient quia ego Dominus Deus. 25Thus saith the Lord God: When I shall have gathered together the house of Israel out of the people among whom they are scattered: I will be sanctified in them before the Gentiles: and they shall dwell in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.Queste cose il Signore Dio: Quando io avrò raunata la casa d'Israele di mezzo a' popoli, tra' quali la ho dispersa, io farò in lei conoscere la mia santità dinanzi alle nazioni: ed ella abiterà nella sua terrà data da me a Giacobbe mio servo.Thus saith our Lord God: When I shal haue gathered together the house of Israel out of the peoples, in which they are dispersed: I wil be sanctified in them before the Gentils: and they shal dwel in their land, which I gaue to my seruant Iacob.Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Quando congregavero domum Israël / de populis in quibus dispersi sunt, / sanctificabor in eis coram gentibus: / et habitabunt in terra sua, / quam dedi servo meo Jacob: 26And they shall dwell therein secure, and they shall build houses, and shall plant vineyards, and shall dwell with confidence, when I shall have executed judgments upon all that are their enemies round about: and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.E vi abiteranno scevri di timore, e fabbricheranno case, e pianteranno vigne, e viveranno tranquilli, allorché io avrò fatto giudizio di tutti i confinanti, che son loro nemici; e conosceran ch'io sono il Signore Dio loro.And they shal dwel therin secure, and they shal build houses, and shal plant vineyards, and shal dwel confidently, when I shal haue done iudgements in al, that are their enemies round about: & they shal know that I am the Lord their God.et habitabunt in ea securi, / et ædificabunt domos, et plantabunt vineas, / et habitabunt confidenter, / cum fecero judicia in omnibus qui adversantur eis per circuitum: / et scient quia ego Dominus Deus eorum.
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Year of the World 3415.
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Josephus
Prince. The Jews say Hiram, (St. Jerome) supposing that he lived a thousand years; though this is not requisite, as he died only four hundred and thirty years before. The idea is childish. The king who was taken and slain at this siege, was probably (Calmet) Ithobalos. (Josephus, Antiquities 10:11.)
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Worthington
Than Daniel; viz., in thy own conceit. The wisdom of Daniel was so much celebrated in his days, that it became a proverb among the Chaldeans, when any one would express an extraordinary wisdom, to say he was as wise as Daniel. (Challoner) (Worthington)
He was now at court, and had explained the dream of Nabuchodonosor, Daniel 2:27.
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Calmet
Uncircumcised. The Jews deem this a disgrace, 1 Kings 31:4. The king would be exposed to eternal death, being devoid of faith, etc. (Calmet)
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Challoner
Resemblance. The king of Tyre, by his dignity and his natural perfections, bore in himself a certain resemblance to God, by reason of which he might be called the seal of resemblance, etc. But what is here said to him is commonly understood of Lucifer, the king over all the children of pride. (Challoner)
A seal is perfect when it represents things exactly. The prophet speaks ironically, to repress the king's vanity.
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Calmet
Paradise. Thou hadst every thing delightful at Tyre. (Calmet)
Covering. Hebrew, "bandage;" diadem, (Haydock) or belt. Septuagint specify twelve stones. See Exodus 28:17.
Calmet
Pipes; music used at the coronation, which was celebrated as a birth-day. (Calmet)
Haydock
God gives and withdraws power from all kings. As long as they act well, they are in a sort of sanctuary. (Haydock)
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St. Jerome
Stretched out. That is, thy wings extended. This alludes to the figure of the cherubims in the sanctuary, which with stretched out wings covered the ark, (Challoner) on the holy mountain. (St. Jerome, etc.)
Challoner
Fire. That is, bright and precious stones, which sparkle like fire. (Challoner)
Calmet
With these the king's robes glittered, or he walked upon them, Esther 1:6. (Calmet)
Lucan x
Calcacabatur onyx. (Lucan x.)
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Worthington
Iniquity. Tyre was before wicked; but when the king pretended to be a god, (ver. 2.) it could no longer be endured. (Worthington)
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Beauty. Riches have corrupted thy heart.
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Haydock
Sanctuaries, or temples, which was a crime (Calmet) in an idolater, as he took them to be the temples of a real deity. (Haydock)
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Sidon. It gave rise to Tyre, yet was now inferior, though independent of it, (Isaias 23:4.) or subject to Egypt. (Diodorus 2:2.)
It was now pillaged.
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Calmet
Bitterness. Jezabel came hence; (4 Kings 16:31.) and the Phoenicians hemmed in the Israelites as much as possible, and fought against them. (Calmet)
Sidon was near Tyre, and imitating her crimes was also punished.
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Worthington
When. All shall praise God, seeing that he receives his people again after he has justly chastised them. (Worthington)
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Thou art wiser than Daniel.... Viz., in thy own conceit. The wisdom of Daniel was so much celebrated in his days, that it became a proverb amongst the Chaldeans, when any one would express an extraordinary wisdom, to say he was as wise as Daniel.
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Thou wast the seal of resemblance.... The king of Tyre, by his dignity and his natural perfections, bore in himself a certain resemblance to God, by reason of which he might be called the seal of resemblance, etc. But what is here said to him is commonly understood of Lucifer, the king over all the children of pride.
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A cherub stretched out.... That is, thy wings extended. This alludes to the figure of the cherubims in the sanctuary, which with stretched out wings covered the ark.—Ibid. The stones of fire.... That is, bright and precious stones which sparkle like fire.
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Daniel was so famous for vvisdom, that therof came a prouerbe in Chaldea, to compare wisemen vvith Daniel; and to reproch those that arrogated more wisdom then they had, that they semed vainely to themselues. vviser then Daniel.
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〈…〉. pl••• taking breath.
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Tyre had much iniquity long before, but when the king thought himself to be God. v. 2 this iniquity could not be longer tolerated.
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As Sidon was nere in situation to Tyre, so it was made like in ruine for their like pride.
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Al nations wil praise God when they see that he iustly punisheth his owne people, & afterwards restoreth them to their former state.
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St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 2.4
… from being a good servant of God he has become rightly named Satan; for “Satan” is interpreted the adversary . And this is not my teaching, but that of the inspired prophet Ezekiel: for he takes up a lamentation over him and says, Thou wast a seal of likeness, and a crown of beauty; in the Paradise of God wast thou born
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 18
… and they shall bring thee down; and thou shalt die by the death of the wounded in the midst of the sea. Wilt thou yet say before them that slay thee, I am God? But thou art a man, and no God, in the hand of them that wound thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord.”
St Hippolytus † AD 235 Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 53
53. These things, then, shall be in the future, beloved; and when the three horns are cut off, he will begin to show himself as God, as Ezekiel has said aforetime: “Because thy heart has been lifted up, and thou hast said, I am God.”
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 5.7
… they are not more in number than those of the Prince of Tyre who ruled the Kingdom during the days of twenty-two Kings of the house of Judah, that is, for four hundred and forty years. And since the years of that King of Tyre were many, all the time he thus said in his heart, I am God and sit in the seat of God in the heart of the seas .
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 3.25
… and how again we become One in Him, and how far the Son differs in nature from us, and will stop the Arians from any longer thinking that they shall be as the Son, lest they hear it said to them, ‘Thou art a man and not God,’ and ‘Stretch not thyself, being poor, beside a rich man
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 20
… And if I were to set before you every expression of them that are reckless, you would not be able to distinguish whether the words are those of a reckless man or a fool. So entirely the same is this failing and that. And another of a strange nation says again, “I am God and not man” (
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Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 3.45
… And in the book of Ezekiel it is said to the ruler of Tyre, who greatly prided himself on his wisdom, “Art thou wiser than Daniel? Every secret was not revealed to thee.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.11
57. Who would refuse the counsel of Daniel, of whom God Himself said: “Who is wiser than Daniel?”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.2
12. There is also diversity even among men themselves. Daniel, of whom it was said: “Who is wiser than Daniel?”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Philippians 5
Again, listen to him who descended from Joseph, than whom no one was wiser. “Art thou wiser,” says he, “than Daniel?” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 26
… And because he was held in admiration not only in the place where he was, but everywhere, and was greater than if the rest of the nations had been present and seen him; when even by letters [the King] confessed his submission and the miracle. But yet again for his wisdom he was also held in admiration, for it is said, “Art thou wiser than Daniel?” (
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 2
1 Tim. vi. 16 . God only hath immortality and is “only wise”; yet others, like the Prince of Tyre (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 111.4
4. Nay, can we be better men than Daniel himself, concerning whom God, speaking to the prince of Tyre, says by the prophet Ezekiel, “Art thou wiser than Daniel?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 2.13
Daniel, indeed, after the prayer which he poured out before God, actually says respecting himself, “Whilst I was praying and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people, before the Lord my God.” This is the reason, if I am not mistaken, why in the above-mentioned Prophet Ezekiel a certain most haughty person is asked, “Art thou then wiser than Daniel?”
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 53
… “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven: I will be like the Most High. Yet now thou shalt be brought down to hell (Hades), to the foundations of the earth.” In like manner also Ezekiel: “Wilt thou yet say to those who slay thee, I am God? But thou (shalt be) a man, and no God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 11.4
… thee, and the worm is thy covering;” but his meaning is, “Dost thou dare, O man, whom such an end is awaiting, to entertain such imaginations?” Again, of another, I mean the king of the Tyrians, when he conceived the like aims, and was ambitious to be considered as a God, he says, “Thou art not a God, but a man, and they that pierce thee shall say so.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 2.10
… From the day when thou wast created, when I set thee, a cherub, upon the holy mountain of God, thou wast in the midst of stones of fire, thou wast irreproachable in thy days, from the day of thy creation, until thine iniquities were discovered. By the abundance of thy merchandise thou hast filled thy storehouses, and thou hast sinned,” etc.
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 1.5.4
… And I shall bring forth fire from the midst of thee, and it shall devour thee, and I shall give thee for ashes and cinders on the earth in the sight of all who see thee: and all who know thee among the nations shall mourn over thee. Thou hast been made destruction, and thou shalt exist no longer for ever.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 8.8
… And thy heart was lifted up with thy beauty: thou hast lost thy wisdom in thy beauty, I have cast thee to the ground: I have set thee before the face of kings, that they might behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities and by the iniquity of thy traffic.”
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Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.2.1
… Isaiah says that the sword of the Lord arises against the dragon, the crooked serpent. And what shall I say of Ezekiel, who in his second vision prophesies most unmistakeably to the prince of Tyre regarding an opposing power, and who says also that the dragon dwells in the rivers of Egypt?
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 2.4
… from being a good servant of God he has become rightly named Satan; for “Satan” is interpreted the adversary . And this is not my teaching, but that of the inspired prophet Ezekiel: for he takes up a lamentation over him and says, Thou wast a seal of likeness, and a crown of beauty; in the Paradise of God wast thou born
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.90
… For the diadem of beauty, the signet of glory,
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St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.4
… “Shall mortal man,” he says, “be just before God? Shall a man be spotless in his works? If he putteth no trust in his servants, and chargeth his angels with folly, how much more them that dwell in houses of clay,” amongst whom are we, and made of the same clay too. “The life of man is a warfare upon earth.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 11.15
… for if sin be natural, it is not sin at all. And how do they answer the prophetic proofs,—either what Isaiah says when he represents the devil under the person of the king of Babylon, “How art thou fallen, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” or what Ezekiel says, “Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering,”
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Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 5.7
… But Ezekiel said to him: Thou art a man and thou art not God . For while the Prince of Tyre was walking without fault in the midst of the stones of fire , there was mercy upon him. But when his heart was lifted up, the cherub who overshadoweth, destroyed him .
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 5.9
9. And again (God) said to him:— Thou wast with the Cherub who was anointed and overshadowing .
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Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 6.44
… With more propriety, however, is he called “adversary,” who was the first among those that were living a peaceful and happy life to lose his wings, and to fall from blessedness; he who, according to Ezekiel, walked faultlessly in all his ways, “until iniquity was found in him,”
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Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 5.9
… For Jeremiah said in behalf of the people:— Woe unto us, for the crown of our head has fallen ! But Christ has not fallen, because He rose again the third day. For the king fell from the house of Judah, and never again was their kingdom set up. And as for that He said again:— I will destroy the overshadowing Cherub .
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Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 6.44
… “Thou hast fallen into destruction, and shalt not abide for ever.”
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.34.1
… And they shall dwell in it in peace; and they shall build houses, and plant vineyards, and dwell in hope, when I shall cause judgment to fall among all who have dishonoured them, among those who encircle them round about; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and the God of their fathers.”
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2. Say to the Prince of Tyre, — that is to the devil, say St. Jerome, epistle 146 to Damasus; St. Augustine, book XI On the City of God, chapter 15; Origen, Isidore, On the Highest Good, chapter XII, and Bede, book Questions, Question IX On Angels; Ambrose, book On Paradise, chapter II; Tertullian, book II Against Marcion, chapter 10. Secondly, Polycarp wishes this prince to be the very king of Tyre, who was exceedingly proud on this account, that he could not be overcome by Nebuchadnezzar, who in this eleventh and last year of Zedekiah, who was Nebuchadnezzar's, he says, 22, set up a statue, so that it might be adored by all in it. But he errs in chronology. For this was the 18th year, not the 22nd of Nebuchadnezzar: also in the 18th year, he overthrew the king and kingdom of Judaea. The statue also was erected by the king in another year, as I shall show in Daniel III, 1. Thirdly, Apollinaris, and from him Theodoret, think that here some things are said of the devil, some of the king of Tyre, some of both. But I say that the Prophet properly speaks of the king of Tyre, as is evident from his words: but so that under the type of the devil, whom the king imitated, he describes the pride and ruin of the king. Thus Isaiah in chapter XIV, under the type of Lucifer describes the pride and fall of Baltasar similar to it. Where note, that in both places some things are said, which properly and grammatically belong to the devil, but must be explained hyperbolically, or metaphorically of the king of Babylon or Tyre, as what Isaiah says: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer?" And what Ezekiel says here: "Thou saidst: I am God, and I sit in the seat of God." Which words, says St. Jerome, properly belong to raving demons, but hyperbolically to the king of Tyre, who was so puffed up with his prosperity, and the power of his kingdom, that thinking his present goods to be perpetual, he knew not that he was a man, and claimed for himself an eternal empire. See Canon V. To the Prince. — In Hebrew it is nagid, which is derived from neged, that is before, namely before the people; because the king is as it were a mirror before the people, whom namely the people behold and follow in all actions. Thus the people followed the pride of the king of Tyre. Hence the Prophet emphasizes the sin of the king above others. Because thy heart is lifted up. — These words depend upon and are completed in verse 7: "Therefore behold I will bring upon thee strangers." Thou saidst: I am God. — In Hebrew el ani, I am that mighty one, namely the almighty, who can do all things. Thus Julius Caesar suffered himself to have altars and temples dedicated to him, as Suetonius testifies. Alexander wished to be had and worshipped as the son of Jupiter Ammon. Thus Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel III, 1, and another, Judith chapter III, 13. Likewise Caius Caligula, Domitian, Elagabalus wished to be worshipped as gods. This rightly Optatus of Milevis adapts to Donatus, the author of the Donatist heretics, book III. For Donatus was a prince, that is a Bishop, of Tyre, that is of Carthage, which is a colony of the Tyrians. To whom God says: "Thou saidst: I am God. For he lifted up his heart, so that he thought no man comparable to himself. Then since Bishops ought to serve God, he demands so much of Bishops, that all should venerate him with no less fear than God. And since men are accustomed to swear only by God alone, he suffered men to swear by himself, as by God. Then since before his pride, all who believed in Christ were called Christians, he dared to divide the people with God, so that those who followed him should not be called Christians, but Donatists: hence to individuals coming from elsewhere, these are his words: 'What is being done among you concerning my part?' And he was also in the heart of the sea, that is in the love of the world. He seemed to himself wiser than Daniel in rejecting gifts, while he was unwilling to accept (like Daniel) what appeared to have been sent by the Christian Emperor (Constans). Whence it is clear that Donatus was the source of all evil causes." Thus far Optatus. In like manner adapt these things to Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and similar ones. In the seat of God I sat (that is I sit) in the heart of the sea, — that is to say, In this lofty throne of an eminent rock, which is surrounded on all sides by the sea and has all beauty, fortification, riches, merchandise and glory; I sit as God, so strong and secure, that I fear no one: I act as some god in the sea: I sit in lofty and inaccessible Tyre, as God in heaven, whom no one can touch, or provoke. What heaven is to God, the sea is to me: for I am as safe and fortified by this island surrounded by the sea, as God is by the walls of heaven. Whereas thou art a man, — that is to say, Thou hast forgotten thy origin, misery and human condition, and mortal, thou boastest thyself to be a god. This king of Tyre named Tobaal, and that he was besieged for thirteen years by Nebuchadnezzar, Josephus relates from Berossus, book I Against Apion, toward the end. You have given your heart as the heart of God,—you have borne yourself with the spirit of God: so elevated were you in mind and spirit, as if you seemed to yourself to be God. Note that "heart," or mind, signifies counsel, wisdom, prudence joined with greatness of soul, which is neither depressed by adversities nor exalted by prosperity. This is evident from what follows. Whence it is said of it: "Each man's mind is his god;" and: "Mind, queen of heaven and earth," which Socrates celebrates in Plato's Philebus: and Pythagoras "approached the gods with his mind," says Ovid in the fifteenth book of the Metamorphoses, on account of his wisdom and virtue. These virtues are royal, and necessary to a king, that he may rule the commonwealth rightly, as is evident in Solomon, III Kings IV, 20, in which God excels as king of kings, and prince of princes, being as it were their origin and end. This excellence of God this king of Tyre arrogates to himself, as if he possessed these gifts from himself, not from God, and in them surpasses absolutely all living things, both men and genii and gods. Truly St. Gregory, in the seventeenth book of the Morals, VI: "Humble," he says, "ignorance pleases God more than lofty knowledge."
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3. Behold.—It is irony. Whence the Septuagint translates: Are you wiser than Daniel? It presses down the pride of the king of Tyre, as if to say: You arrogate to yourself the wisdom of God, when Daniel, although a captive and a Hebrew, from the Hebrews whom you despise, is far wiser than you, and whom Nebuchadnezzar and all his satraps revere as most wise, as Theodoret and the Scholiast say. Indeed, that entire age held Daniel, as if he excelled all mortals in wisdom, and as if he were comparable to none, in mouth and in eyes, so much so that not even the king of Tyre would dare to compare himself to him, especially in explaining dreams and foretelling the future. Otherwise Vilalpandus, as if to say: Since you have the heart of God, who would doubt that you are wiser than Daniel? For he ascribes his wisdom not to himself, but to God, cap. II, 28; you ascribe it neither to man nor to God, but to yourself. He, when Nebuchadnezzar wished to be adored, refused; you wish to be adored even by the unwilling, as if to say: And this is absurd; for all revere Daniel as the wisest of mortals. See therefore, and acknowledge your foolishness and arrogance. Note: Ezekiel prophesied this in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, as is evident cap. XXVI, vers. 1, when Daniel was 38 years old, as is gathered from what is said cap. XIV, vers. 14. See therefore how young Daniel was, when he was most celebrated throughout the whole world in wisdom, virtue and fame. At that age therefore Daniel was of such great wisdom and fame, that the wisest kings and princes desired to hear of "another Daniel:" just as of an excellent orator we say: He is another Cicero; of a rare philosopher: He is another Aristotle; of a physician: He is another Galen; of a theologian: He is another Augustine. Thus to Peter Abelard, a man of great genius and learning (who, correcting his errors and embracing the monastic life, died a holy death at Cluny in the year of Christ 1140) the French gave these titles in his epitaph: Socrates of the Gauls, greatest Plato of the West, Our Aristotle; in Logic, whoever they were, Either equal or better. Thus the Colonians gave this epitaph in the old style and verse to Albert the Great, teacher of St. Thomas, among the Preachers: Phoenix of doctors, without peer among philosophers, Prince of doctors, vessel pouring forth the dogma of sacred things. Greater than Plato, scarcely inferior to Solomon. Indeed, Sidonius Apollinaris wrote this epitaph for Claudian the presbyter, brother of St. Mamercus Bishop of Vienne, in the year of Christ 400: Glory and sorrow of the Germans, O Mamercus, Unique gem of admiring Bishops, Triple library by which master Roman, Attic, Christian shone forth. Orator, dialectician, poet, Theologian, geometer, and musician, Learned to loose the bonds of questions, Modulator of Psalms and master of chant, etc.
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4. You have made yourself strong,—you have made for yourself fortifications, and the establishment of your wealthy kingdom, towers, furnished with the best and perpetually enduring laws. Whence the Chaldean translates: You have made for yourself riches, substance, abundance and armies. For all these things the Hebrew חיל chel signifies. All these things are to be understood not in themselves, but in the reality of the matter, but from the opinion of the king himself. For the king thought and boasted that he abounded in all these things.
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5. In Strength.—R. David, in your army; others, in riches. For these two things make the strength of a kingdom. In Hebrew again it is חיל chel.
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7. Most mighty.—The Septuagint, pestilent, who will infect you like the air of plague and bodies, and will slay you, with no distinction of age, kind or sex. The beauty of your wisdom,—that is, your most beautiful kingdom, and the glory of your city. Or rather, whatever is beautiful in you, in your city and kingdom, which you ascribe entirely to your wisdom, all of this the Chaldeans will defile with their swords with your blood. They shall profane,—they shall destroy, they shall lay waste.
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8. They shall slay.—In Hebrew: They shall cast you into a pit, that is, they shall plunge you into the abyss of your sea. And you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the sea.—That is, you shall die and be buried in the sea, as happens to those who die in the sea; namely, in the sea in which you gloried, as in a place impregnable, and most wealthy with merchandise brought in, in that same sea you shall be submerged by the waves, and shall become food for fishes, and the sea itself shall be your sepulcher.
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9. Do you say, speaking thus. — It is sarcasm, as if to say: O king of Tyre! you are accustomed to boast that you are God: will you do this when enemies invade you, so that you might put forward the name of God to them, and as it were stupefy them by the name of God? Not at all. Rather, they themselves, by killing you, will show that you are a man, not God. Thus Theodoret.
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10. By the death of the uncircumcised, — which namely the uncircumcised shall bring upon you, that is, the impious gentiles, the barbarous and cruel Chaldeans. Whence follows, "in the hand of strangers." For this death was shameful among the Jews. Whence Saul, surrounded by the Philistines, lest he be killed by them, commanded his armor-bearer to kill him, 1 Kings 31:4. Thus Maldonatus. Secondly, "by the death of the uncircumcised," that is, such a death as the uncircumcised, that is, the unfaithful and impious, deserve, you shall die. For these for the most part have an unhappy and miserable end of life. Thus the Chaldean and R. David. Thirdly, Vilalpando explains it, as if to say: When the vengeance which you exercised upon others shall be exercised upon you, then you shall appear uncircumcised in vengeance, that is, in it to have been superabundant, and altogether exceeding the bounds prescribed to you by God's justice and mercy. For judges and princes ought to punish the guilty in such a way that they mix in nothing of their own indignation: but rather with Christ, Luke 19:41; indeed even with Titus, who in the just destruction of Jerusalem wept and grieved, let them weep and sympathize. But to you dying the Chaldeans will not sympathize, but will insult; because you likewise, affecting others with death, did not sympathize with them, but insulted them. Just as therefore you did not circumcise your vengeance upon others, but permitted it to rage freely: so also the Chaldeans will not circumcise their vengeance upon you, but will permit it to rage freely. In the hand of strangers, — so that you may know that I am not only the God of the Jews, but also of the Chaldeans, by whom as by ministers I shall punish you. Thus Polychroius.
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11. Raise a lamentation, — bewail with a great voice a mournful song. For this is קינה kina, of which verse 19.
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12. Thou art the seal, — namely perfectly expressed. For a seal is the impression of a signet, such as that which is impressed upon letters by a signet and expressed, when they are closed and sealed, lest anyone be able to open and read them. Secondly, "seal" could be taken for the signet itself: for this is what the Hebrew חותם chotam signifies, as if to say: Thou shalt be a signet perfectly engraved, and plainly representing and expressing both thy exemplar and thy maker and sculptor. Vatablus from the Hebrew translates: Thou art sealing the arrangement or figure of the building, that is, thou wast perfect and complete on all sides. For he who seals something imposes upon it the final hand, and completes and finishes the work. For the Hebrew chotam signifies a signet or seal; but with another pointing חותם chotem, (as the Hebrews now point and read it) it signifies one who seals and sigils. In like manner the Syrian translates: Thou art the seal of the likeness of the thing, full of wisdom, and a crown of glory; and the Arabic of Antioch: And thou art a seal in the likeness of the thing full of wisdom, and a crown of glory; and the Arabic of Alexandria: But thou art as a seal full of wisdom. Of the likeness. — That is, most similar, and most apt to represent the exemplar or the signet itself which is engraved on the ring, as if to say: Thou fillest the form, beauty and arrangement of all things, as if sealed and expressed by God, and consequently the likeness of all things, or as if the seal of all things expressed. Whence the Septuagint, explaining, adds: Thou art a crown of beauty, as if to say: O king of Tyre! once when thou didst dwell with David, Solomon and other pious kings of Judaea and holy friends of God, thou wast as a seal, a true image expressed of God in wisdom, beauty, glory, riches, as were David and Solomon. Thus the Scholiast. Secondly, as a seal seals and confirms the letters of the king, and the work of the artificer (for then the work is perfect, when the artificer affixes his seal to it): so thou wast, as it were, the ultimate and most perfect completion of all God's works. Whence Maldonatus: "Thou art the seal of the likeness," that is, he says, thou art the perfection of the image. For images, as well as other works, when they are perfect, are wont to be sealed, as if to say: If anyone had wished to paint the image of the most happy and perfect prince, he ought to have taken it from thee and painted thee. For thou wast an exemplar of a wonderful perfection, into which all, as into a most perfect mirror of virtues, could and ought to gaze. For God marked thee with his likeness, and as if with a seal affixed and impressed, testified and as it were gloried that thou wast his illustrious work, namely magnificent, perfect, first and principal; in which before others his wisdom, goodness, power and glory shone forth and gleamed, as an image in a mirror. Whence Vatablus translates: Thou art an exemplar complete in all respects; others translate: Thou sealing the number, or sealing the sum, that is, thou wast complete in all respects, or certainly thou didst seem to be so. For the Hebrew תכנית tachnit signifies many things: first, the sum and number, thus Pagninus; secondly, arrangement, figure, adaptation, thus Marinus; thirdly, measured, proportioned, elaborated according to all its dimensions, as if to say: Thou wast as a seal measured, or proportioned, and thoroughly elaborated on all sides, and plainly commensurate and equal to its idea. Thus Forster. For the root תכן tathan signifies to hang, to weigh, to arrange, to adapt, to measure with certainty, to commensure. Hence fourthly, tachnit signifies likeness (although Pagninus thinks it should then be read as תבנית tabnit), as the Septuagint and our version translate. But all these versions come to the same thing: for they signify that this seal was so perfect that it was plainly adapted, commensurate and similar to its exemplar. Chotam signifies a seal, not an unsealing. Parabolically Rupert, book I On the Victory of the Word of God, chapter VIII: The Devil, he says, was the seal of the likeness of the Holy Trinity in three respects, namely magnitude, knowledge and beauty: "For what likeness, except the seal of the holy and adorable Trinity, according to these three things was it? Inasmuch as the Trinity itself is magnitude, wisdom and beauty. For the magnitude of the Son and the Holy Spirit is the Father. The wisdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit is the Son. The beauty of the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit: because he participated in magnitude, wisdom and beauty (the devil, namely Lucifer) before others. But he, being mad, when he was in such honor, did not understand, and turned all these things into matter for pride. The great liberality of the Creator was not enough for him, unless the same should be said or thought of him as of God. For he denied God to be his creator, and said that he himself was God." Thus far Rupert. In like manner Trismegistus said in the Pimander, chapter XI: "The image of God is the world, of the world the sun, of the sun man," rather an angel, especially Lucifer. For, as the same says in the Asclepius, chapter XI: "With God stands eternity, having the world within itself, and the image of God; consequently the world (especially the angelic and man) became an imitator of eternity."
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13. In the delights of the paradise of God thou wast,—O king of Tyre, happy as it were in the paradise of God, that is, thou wast in a most pleasant city, and most full of delights. In the Hebrew it can be translated: Thou wast in the garden of Eden, that is, thou wast as it were in the terrestrial paradise, in which Adam was placed. For the same are the Hebrew words here and in Genesis II, 8. Whence the Arabic Antiochene translates: In the Eden of the paradise of God thou wast. For the opulence and delights of this paradise have become a proverb, so that it is said of any most rich and most delightful place, such as Tyre was. Thus for the Greeks were the gardens of Alcinous, the Thessalian Tempe, the rose-garden of Midas, the Elysian Fields, which learned men think Homer borrowed from the terrestrial paradise. For in paradise there was not only a happy abundance of trees and fruits, but also of gold and gems, which are attributed to the king of Tyre. Hear concerning it from Tertullian, book On the Judgment of the Lord: Flowers fragrant in the meadows, and purple in the fields. And soon after: The gem shines beautiful with colored stones; hence the green stone gleams; thence the carbuncle burns; and the emerald grows green with exceeding great light in the grass. Then concerning aromatics he adds: Here too cinnamon is born on fragrant branches, and amomum burns luxuriant with thick foliage. And concerning metals: Here lies gold of ignited radiant light, and the most abundant sprouts weigh down the flourishing branches. Note: First, Origen, book I of the Periarchen, and St. Gregory, book XXXII of the Morals, chapter XVIII, and Tertullian, book II against Marcion, chapter X, and some others, think that all these things belong not to man, for example the prince of Tyre, but to the devil alone, that is to Lucifer. For he was the wisest and most eminent of all angels. He was born in the paradise of God. He was the extended Cherub, etc. But St. Ambrose, book I On Paradise, chapter II, St. Jerome, Theodoret and others explain these things literally concerning the king of Tyre: figuratively, or parabolically concerning the devil. And St. Augustine, book XI On Genesis Literally, chapter XXV, proves expressly that these things cannot be understood of the devil. Whence he contends that from this place it cannot be proved that angels were created in grace: I say proved, namely directly and demonstratively: but indirectly and probably enough the same can be deduced and proved from this place. Therefore the Prophet speaks literally of the king of Tyre, but under a type and parable, as I said verse 2, as if to say: Just as the devil was created the most beautiful angel, so that there might be marked a likeness, that is a perfect image of God, but from this dignity he fell through pride, and was cast down: so entirely has it happened to thee, O king of Tyre! In like manner to the Hebrews, I, 3, the Son of God is said to be "the splendor and figure of the substance of the Father," as I said there. The Prophet therefore alludes to the creation of an angel, as much as of the first man in paradise (whence thou mayest rightly adapt all these things to both); but he speaks directly and properly in the literal sense to the king of Tyre alone. This king therefore is called the seal and image, not of the devil, as a certain learned interpreter wishes, but of God, as is evident from what follows, as if to say: Thou didst appear, O king of Tyre! to be a living image of God on earth, and to be a certain earthly God. Note: Second, Tertullian, book II Against Marcion, X, reads: Thou art the unsealing of likeness; because namely the devil, turning away his heart from his God, his heart sealed with his seal, fraudulently unsealed it for himself through the appetite of his own excellence: "Thou," he says, "art the unsealing of likeness, thou who namely hast unsealed and lost the integrity of image and likeness." St. Jerome mentions this reading in Ezekiel, but does not approve it: "In the Latin," he says, "codices, for seal, unsealing is read: while ἀποσφράγισμα, that is a great imitator, a word-for-word expression, which the Septuagint have, he translates as unsealing. Whence some understand thus, that the seal of God, and the figure, which as if impressed in the softest wax, the king of Tyre unsealed and lost, so that for a seal there might be an unsealing." But the Hebrew Finally, concerning the abundance of honey and milk he concludes hyperbolically thus: Honey burns rich in the green cane, and milk also flows drinkable in full streams. Second, Theodoret: "Thou wast in the paradise of God," that is, he says, in Jerusalem as a familiar friend and ally to it. For Jerusalem is called the paradise of God, because it had the law, prophecies, priests, etc., supplying salvation and life. Parabolically, the demon was in paradise, that is in the empyrean heaven; for there he was created. Thus St. Jerome. Every precious stone was thy covering. — The Chaldean: All precious stones were arranged in thy garment. St. Jerome notes that these are the same stones which were in the Breastplate of the high priest, Exodus XXVIII, 17 (see what I said of them there), and in the foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem, Apocalypse XXI, 18; but there are twelve there, here only nine, as if it were reckoned a fault in the king of Tyre that he profaned these sacred gems, and wearing them and his diadem, sought divine honours. But rather these things pertain to the praise and glory of the king of Tyre, as is evident. He is therefore praised here for his riches and beauty, in that clothed with gold and gems, he shone altogether, so that he seemed to be a gem. Symbolically, by these gems are understood the spiritual graces and ornaments of the angels before the fall. St. Gregory, book XXXII of the Morals, XVIII, by these nine stones understands the nine choirs of angels, with which as with attendants and his camps the leader of all, Lucifer, was clothed and adorned: and he contained in himself the perfections of all these, as being himself superior. Gold the work of thy beauty, — that is, thou didst adorn thyself with gold artificially and laboriously wrought; the Septuagint: Thou didst fill thy treasures with gold; the Hebrew: thy timbrels, so that from luxury the king made timbrels and other musical instruments from gold. Thy holes. — Namely of gold, in which the gems were enclosed: or he calls holes the very gems shining, on account of their brightness to the eyes or similar to holes. R. David translates, thy pipes. They can also be understood as all musical instruments, which consist of holes. Mystically St. Gregory, book XXXII of the Morals, XVIII: "The holes of gold," he says, "are the capacity for charity." For the devil himself "was created capable of charity," understand perfect and constant. For otherwise Lucifer was created not only capable but also endowed with charity. For all angels, even those who fell, were created in grace. That St. Gregory means this is evident from what follows: "For if," he says, "he had shown himself penetrable to the gold of charity, joined with the holy angels, the stone would remain fixed in royal ornament. This stone therefore had holes, but through the vice of pride not filled with the gold of charity." In the day that thou wast created, — that is, From the day of thy birth thou wast created king, shining with precious gems, as if acting as some god on earth, whose power thou exercisest. It can be translated, in the day that thou wast recreated, or fattened, that is, thou didst begin to abound in the plenty of all things. For the Hebrew bara signifies both to create and to recreate: hence bari is called recreated, shining, fat. Otherwise the Chaldean explains it, that is, Thou didst swell with such pride that, forgetting thy condition, thou didst not consider that thou art a man, and that on the day thou wast born, as to a man, holes of mouth and nostrils were given to thee for breathing. Again the Hebrews, equally as the Chaldean, referring these things to what follows, explain it, that is, The work of thy timbrels and thy pipes in thee, on the day thou wast created, were prepared, that is, with timbrels sounding, pipes and other musical instruments thou wast born. Thus R. David.
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14. Thou Cherub. — Note: "Cherub" is said of the king of Tyre, first, on account of the multitude of wisdom which he either possessed or arrogated to himself. For "Cherub" is the same as כרב kerab, that is, like rabbi, like a wise man and teacher: hence the eighth order of angels is called Cherubim, and here there is an allusion to it. For a king, a prelate and a prince ought to be a Cherub, that is, to excel and surpass in wisdom: concerning which I have said much in Exodus XXV, 18. Secondly, there is an allusion to the Cherubim of the temple, as is evident from what follows, as if to say: Thou, O king, who with the wings of thy power and dominion extended and lifted up on high, dost protect many peoples subject to thee, just as the Cherubim protect the ark and the mercy seat. Thus St. Jerome. Hence R. David explains it, as if to say: "Thou Cherub," that is, a king of the greatest dignity: for the Hebrew כר rab signifies great, abounding in riches, strength, wisdom and other gifts, and powerful, as a king is. For Tyre was in the sea like a winged creature, which with the two wings of its power and empire overshadowed and protected the sea and land, and especially Jerusalem and Judaea, in which were the temple, the ark and the mercy seat. Again, just as the ark was covered by two Cherubim, placed on either side: so on the part of the West, Tyre and the sea were to the temple, to Jerusalem and Judaea, as it were a Cherub, that is, a wall and bulwark; but on the part of the East, Jericho, the Jordan and the Dead Sea provided the same service to them. Moreover, just as a Cherub with a flaming sword guards the earthly paradise, Genesis III, 24; so thou, as another Cherub, dost guard with thy sword the holy land, which is as it were the paradise of God. Whence concerning him it was said in verse 13: "Thou wast in the delights of the paradise of God." And in this verse: "In the midst," he says, "of the stones of fire thou didst walk." Thirdly, by metathesis "Cherub" is said as if rocheb, that is, riding, that is, a prince, ruler, governor: for these formerly were carried on horses; and just as a horseman guides his horse with reins, so they governed the people with laws. Again, "Cherub" is said from רכב recheb, that is, a chariot. For a prince is as it were the chariot of the commonwealth, which bears its burdens. Thus Elias is called "the chariot of Israel, and the charioteer thereof," IV Kings II, 12; and Christ is said to bear all things by the word of his power, Hebrews I, 3. Parabolically, Lucifer is called a Cherub, that is, full of knowledge; because in knowledge and other natural gifts, as much as in grace, he surpassed the other angels. Thus St. Thomas, I part. Question LXIII, art. 7. Where note. Ezekiel compares the king of Tyre, and his antitype the devil, to a Cherub, not to a Seraph; because he was conversant among the Cherubim, as is evident from cap. I, cap. X, cap. XIII, 3, and elsewhere. On the other hand, Isaiah, cap. XIV, 12, compares the king of Babylon and his antitype the devil to a Seraph, namely to the prince of all the angels, who is Lucifer: because Isaiah was conversant among the Seraphim, as is evident from Isaiah VI. Again, Lucifer, although he was of the Seraphim, is rightly nevertheless called a Cherub: because Lucifer is said from light, just as Cherub is said from knowledge, which is the light of the soul. But because this light in him was burning, that is, Seraphic, hence alluding to the Seraphim, Ezekiel says of him, and of the king of Tyre: "In the midst of the stones of fire thou didst walk." Extended. — The Hebrew ממשח mimsach; the Septuagint, χρισθείς, that is, anointed, namely to the kingdom, as the Chaldean has it, or bright, shining, illustrious. For these are the effects of oil and anointing. Whence Forster renders mimsach, anointed, explains it, painted, colored, bright, illustrious; Vatablus renders it, anointed. So also R. David, Pagninus, Mercier, Marinus and others. Our Interpreter perhaps for ממשח mimsach read ממשא mimsa, that is, extended, extended, expanded, from the root משא masa, that is, drew, drew out, extended. For this properly befits the Cherubim, who, with wings extended, covered the mercy seat. Whence it follows, "and protecting." The sense is that which I gave a little before. The Syriac renders: And thou wast with a Cherub measured (or anointed) and overshadowing; the Antiochene Arabic: And thou wast with a Cherub measured and illuminated; the Alexandrian Arabic: And thou wast with a Cherub measured (or anointed) who reclined in shadow (who is excellent in shadow). The same word both in Syriac and in Arabic signifies to measure and to anoint. Symbolically, these things more aptly apply to the demon, and his followers, who before the fall were Cherubim, that is, full of knowledge, especially those who were of the eighth order of Cherubim. These from the day and instant of their creation were anointed with the oil of grace. This anointing therefore was sanctification, say Theodoret and St. Jerome. These also with the wings of their power and wisdom, as it were extended, protected the inferior angels, men and other created things. I have set thee in the holy mountain of God. — The Chaldean paraphrast wrongly translates: Thou hast despised the holy mountain of God, thou hast thought to rule over the holy people. Maldonatus better explains these things of Hiram, king of Tyre, who supplied Solomon with timber for the building of the temple, III Kings V, 9; and therefore he is said to have been placed "in the holy mountain of God," because he aided in the building of the temple. Thus also the Hebrews, who think all these things are said of Hiram: for they believe he lived a thousand years, namely from the age of Solomon even to the times of Daniel. This fable St. Jerome ridicules here. But note: Tyre was situated on a mountain within the borders of the Holy Land, namely in the tribe of Asher, although the Jews were not able to possess it. Hence it is called Holy, just as all Chanaan, destined for the holy people of the Jews, is called the Holy Land, even when it was inhabited by the wicked Chanaanites, Wisdom XII, 3; Deuteronomy XXXII, 8 and 9. The king of Tyre is here reproved because he lived impiously, not holily, in the Holy Land. Wherefore St. Augustine, book XI On Genesis according to the letter, chapter XXV, vol. III, takes these things literally in a broader sense of the impious, who have fallen from the grace of God into a state of sin, "and have become the body of the devil. For these, he says, were created Cherub, that is with the seat of God, which is interpreted as multiplied knowledge, and I set thee in my holy mountain, that is in the Church." Thou wast in the midst of the stones of fire, that is of Saints burning with spirit, of living stones: thou didst walk without blemish in thy days, from the day thou wast created, until iniquity was found in thee. Tropologically Theodoret: "The holy mountain, he says, is the height of the knowledge of God." Otherwise Rabbi David and Rabbi Solomon, as if to say: I gave thee occasion for merit, namely by giving thee the faculty of sending timber and craftsmen of Solomon for the building of the temple. Symbolically St. Jerome: the holy mountain is heaven, and, as the Scholiast says, the most exalted angelic status, from which the Cherubim as it were armed with spears cast out the devil, who had corrupted knowledge, and on account of his pride was unable to hold his station and place. In the midst of stones of fire, — that is shining and flashing like fire, for example carbuncles, as if to say: Thus thou wast abounding in gems, as appears from verse 13, thus thou wast covered with them, so that thou seemest to walk among carbuncles. Rabbi David adds that the king of Tyre used them at night for light in place of candles. But this is frivolous and impossible. Secondly and more sublimely, he alludes to the twelve precious stones which were in the Rational of the high priest, on which were inscribed the names of the twelve sons of Jacob and of the tribes of Israel: which are rightly called from this stones of fire, especially because by the splendor of these stones at the time of war, as Josephus says, God signified his favor and protection toward the twelve tribes, as if to say: Thou didst dwell among the Jews as stones of fire; and yet thou didst remain cold, and destitute of the vital warmth of grace and faith. Whence Rabbi Jonathan explains, as if to say: Thou didst live among the holy people. Polychronius understands by stones of fire the stone tablets of the decalogue, given and promulgated with fire on Sinai. With these tropes he graphically depicts the beauty and glory of the king of Tyre. With a similar trope an orator described the beauty of the rose, saying: "The rose among flowers is a carbuncle, the purple of gardens, the sapphire of perfumes, the eye of April, the phoenix of spring, the pomp of nature." With a similar scheme the Vindocinensis placed this epitaph for his Tobias: Noble-beamed bird, glory of the world, form of the honest, Gem of priests, light of the flock. In a similar manner St. Jerome is called by St. Lawrence Justinian, sermon on St. Jerome, "the common father of all, the light of the world, the preacher of the kingdom, the mediator of God and men, the mirror of holiness, the exemplar of virtue, the defender of the Church, the protector of the faithful, a martyr, though without the shedding of blood, of the Lord." And by others: "The jasper of faith, the emerald of hope, the carbuncle of charity, the diamond of constancy." And St. Augustine is called by St. Paulinus and others "the salt of the earth, the well of wisdom, the master of Theology, the flower of geniuses, the ornament of schools, the temple of religion, the pillar of the Church, the shield of faith, the exemplar of prelates, the light of preachers, the doctor of Doctors, a man taught by God, the most holy of the learned, and the most learned of the holy." And St. Chrysostom, in the homily on Sts. Peter and Paul, calls them "the light of the world, more powerful than kings, stronger than soldiers, more abundant than the rich, wiser than philosophers, more eloquent than orators, having nothing, and possessing all things, the exemplar of martyrs, the crown of virgins, the rule of the married, the form of monks, the ornament of kings, the bridle of barbarians, the hammer of heretics." And Eusebius of Emesa, in a sermon on the same, calls them "two fountains flowing forth from the throne of God, two heavenly physicians, two sharp arrows sent forth from the quiver of God, two trumpets of the world, two lamps of the earth." And St. Gaudentius, sermon 3 on the same, says they are "the founders of the Church, the teachers of innocence, the authors of all holiness and truth." And St. Leo calls them "the two eyes of the mystical body of Christ." Symbolically, the demon, among the nine stones mentioned, that is, among the nine orders of angels, and among the burning Seraphim, says R. Jonah, dwelt similar to them, but now he dwells in the fires of hell. Thus St. Jerome and St. Gregory, XXXII Moral. XVIII, according to another edition XXV, near the end: "The Devil," he says, "walked in the midst of the burning stones; because among the hearts of the angels kindled with the fire of charity, he was illustrious in the glory of his condition." For what good did he not possess, he who was the seal of the likeness of God? For Lucifer was among the burning stones a burning stone, among the Seraphim a Seraph, indeed the leader and prince of the Seraphim. You walked. — In Hebrew התהלכתי hithallacthi, in the hitpael reciprocal conjugation, signifies a gait composed for ostentation and pride, as peacocks in the midst of the eyes of their raised tail, turning themselves about with extended neck, as if to say: You walked proudly as a peacock, displaying your riches and glory.
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15. Perfect in your ways. — This is a hyperbole, as if to say: From infancy you learned to live, act, and govern the people well and perfectly. Polychronius expounds it, as if to say: You learned my laws by experience. Symbolically, these words apply more aptly to the demon. Whence from this place St. Augustine, Gregory and the Theologians teach that the angel was created by God perfect in grace, but by his own free will sinned freely, and became a demon. Whence it follows: Perfect in your ways from the day of your creation. — These words indicate parabolically that the angels exercised not one, but several good and meritorious operations in the state of the way, says Louis Molina, I part. Question LXIII, art. 6. The same is signified by the word you walked. For to walk signifies more than one instant, and more than one step of operation. Literally, ways signify the works, actions and events of the king of Tyre, as if to say: You were powerful and fortunate, you did whatever you wished, wherever you turned yourself, whatever you did, whatever you undertook, all things succeeded for you happily according to your desire. But this happiness made you proud, and thereby unhappy.
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16. In the multitude of thy merchandise, — that is to say, Thy commerce and riches were to thee the cause and occasion of avarice, injustice, frauds, pride, gluttony, luxury, and all sins. Thus Polychronius. Parabolically St. Jerome and Theodoret, that is to say, The demon, not content with his own knowledge and power given to him, but inflamed with desire for greater things, kicked against his Creator. R. David notes that the frauds and sins of the merchants of Tyre are imputed to the king; because he did not prevent them when he could and ought to have done so. A similar case is found in Numbers XXV, 1 and following. And Thou hast sinned, — The Hebrew חטא chata, and the Greek ἁμαρτάνειν, signifies to go astray from the hope, and aim, and proposed end, that is to say, When thou wast living in the highest felicity, glory, riches, beauty, wisdom, thou didst proudly seek and expect greater things, namely divinity: but thou didst go astray in every way, thou didst choose means contrary to the end: hence thou dost obtain an end altogether contrary to what was intended, says Vilalpando, so that namely thou dost not ascend to the highest, but descendest to the lowest; so that thou becomest not a Cherub, but a Nochote, that is, ignorant and erring; not happy, but unhappy. Otherwise the Scholiast, that is to say, "Thou hast sinned," or so that thou didst not repent, namely through impenitence: hence thou art punished. Otherwise also Polychronius, "thou hast sinned," that is, thou hast been punished, and cast down from thy rank and place. Morally, learn here that the true way to eminence and glory is self-abasement and humility. This the humble and likewise wise St. Francis knew and entered upon. St. Bonaventure relates in his Life, cap. VI, that a certain religious of great virtue saw in an ecstasy among many seats in heaven one more worthy than the rest, adorned with gems, and shining with all glory, and heard a voice: "This seat was of one of the fallen, and now it is kept for the humble Francis." In order to explore the truth of the vision, he asked St. Francis what he thought of himself? To whom Francis replied: "I seem to myself the greatest of sinners." The other replied that he could not say or feel this with a sound conscience. Francis answered: "If Christ had shown such mercy to a man however wicked, I truly think that he would be much more pleasing to him than I." The religious was confirmed by hearing such admirable humility, concerning the truth of the vision shown, knowing from the Gospel, that the truly humble man is exalted to the excellence of glory.
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17. Thou hast lost (in Hebrew, thou hast corrupted) thy wisdom in thy beauty. — The Septuagint, with thy beauty. "When thou wishest to be more, says St. Jerome, than thou wast created, and to know more than thou hadst received from God, thou hast even lost what thou hadst, and in place of beauty and learning, deformity and foolishness have possessed thee." Polychronius aptly understands by beauty the glory of the kingdom, that is to say, When thou didst proudly exalt thyself from the splendor of thy royal dignity and glory, thou didst lose true wisdom, which consists in true knowledge of thyself, self-abasement and modesty. It can, secondly, be rendered: Thou hast corrupted wisdom because of thy beauty, namely when thou art excessively devoted to and eager for beauty. Women often do this, says Tertullian, in the book On the Dress of Women. For when they adorn themselves excessively, they corrupt their native beauty, and wisdom, which consists in the gravity and modesty of dress. Morally St. Bernard, sermon 74 in the Canticles: "Thou hast lost wisdom in thy beauty. I do not wish, he says, a beauty that takes away wisdom from me. Thou askest, what is this so harmful beauty of thine? Hear more plainly, thy own property. We do not blame the gift, but the use. If I am not mistaken, the one beauty of angel and soul is wisdom itself. For what are either of these, without wisdom, but rude and deformed misery? But he lost it, when he made it his own, so that there is nothing else in his beauty than to have lost wisdom in his own wisdom. Property is the cause. That he was wise, that he did not give glory to God, that he did not return grace for grace, this is why he lost it, nay this is what lost it for him. For to have it thus is to lose it." Into the earth have I cast thee, — that is to say, I have cast thee down from the kingdom, says St. Jerome, and, as Polychronius, I have deprived thee of excellence: for he who, being set over others, grows proud, falling from dignity, surpasses his subjects in nothing else except the mark of infamy, says Vilalpando. Symbolically, the demon fell from heaven into this air, earth and hell, says Apollinaris. This is what Christ says, Luke X: "I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven." In a similar way Adam was cast out of paradise on account of pride, Genesis cap. III, says St. Jerome.
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18. Thou hast polluted thy sanctification, — that is, thy former holiness and religion: or rather the holy mountain of God, in which thou didst appear as a Cherub. For in Hebrew it is מקדש micdash, that is, sanctuary, as if to say, Thou hast polluted by thy pride and sins thy city, thy royal and palace, which was on the mountain and in the holy land, and whatever was holy and unviolated by enemies, was celebrated and worshipped by all nations: that very thing I shall now expose to the incursions of enemies as if it were profane, and shall cause it to be defiled and overthrown by them. Thus Maldonatus, Vilalpando and others. Moreover, or rather R. David feigns that the palace of the king of Tyre was built in the manner and form of a sanctuary, that is, of the temple. I will bring forth fire from the midst of thee, — namely, O Tyre, which shall burn thee with thy king, as if to say, I shall cause that from thy sins a punishment shall be born, by which thou shalt be consumed, just as a house is wont to be consumed and burned up by fire kindled in it. Thus tropologically, by the collision of commerce, avarice and pride, the fire of discord is kindled, devouring the prince with the republic. Thus the demon, thus the sinner builds for himself by his sins a fire both present and eternal, Isa. L, 11. Others interpret it, as if to say, I shall cause that some of thy inhabitants shall flee to the Chaldeans and betray thee to them. And I will give thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all, — so that this ash may be a monument of the burning of Tyre, remaining for eternity, as an example to others. Symbolically Theodoret: "Man," he says, "fallen in his own land has become dust; and the devil, who ruled the world, being overthrown by Christ, is trampled upon by men as ashes."
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19. Thou art made nothing, — thou who didst wish to be god, O king, and O demon, thou art made nothing, most abject, most vile, and thou shalt not be restored to thy former dignity for ever. In Hebrew it is, thou shalt be a terror, that is, thou shalt be a terror to all ages, all posterity shall be deterred by thy example from sins and offences against God, because thou shalt utterly perish, and thou shalt not be for ever. Others take these things not of the king, but of Tyre itself, which was restored after 70 years; and then perpetual, or age, signifies 50 years of jubilee. Morally, Tyre and the king of Tyre is a type of sinners, especially the proud and apostates, who from the clergy, or from an Order, or even from the Holy Church desert to heretics or others: and his abjection and burning represent the fires of hell. Thus the highest mountains are struck by lightning. Why? "Because," says Augustine, "they wished to ascend the mountain, which the angel ascended, and the devil descended;" the mountain, I say, of loftiness, equality with God, pride and haughtiness. Wherefore all these things which are said to the king of Tyre, thou mayest rightly accommodate and say to Judas the traitor, Origen, Tertullian, Luther, Calvin and their like.
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21. Set thy face. — This phrase signifies freedom and immovable constancy of mind required in preachers, says the Scholiast. Secondly, as Vilalpando says, it signifies that they ought to be vigilant in pronouncing, so that they take care by action, for example here to express by a stern countenance what they signify by words. The sense is, as if to say, Turn thy countenance and thy speech to Sidon, and preach to it freely and severely the destruction which, as it is near to Tyre in place and customs, so it shall be similar in punishment and deaths. Sidon. — Sidon was founded by Sidon, son of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah, says Josephus, lib. I Antiq. VI. Although Justin, lib. XVIII, wishes Sidon to be named from the multitude of fishes: for the Phoenicians call fishes Sidon, from the Hebrew ציד tsud, that is, to hunt: whence צידה tseda signifies hunting both of birds and of fishes.
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22. Behold, I come against thee, — supply, I shall come, that I may punish, says St. Jerome. It is an aposiopesis of the angry one. I will be glorified in the midst of thee, — in thy just punishment and vengeance I shall show my justice and glory. When, etc., I shall be sanctified (when punishing Sidon, I shall show myself to be just, and holy avenger of the impious, so that all may glorify and praise me, and my holy justice and vengeance upon the impious Sidonians. Hence) 23. I will send upon it pestilence and blood, — slaughter, effusion of blood.
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24. And there shall no longer be for the house of Israel a stumbling block of bitterness, — that is, a scandal causing bitterness, or bringing affliction and distress. R. David translates it, a pricking thorn. For the Sidonians and neighbouring nations by their example, familiarity, and persuasions, were drawing the Jews to their crimes, especially idolatry. Whence God delivered them to be vexed and punished by these very people: who not moderately, nor as God's justice required, but to satisfy their own hatred and indignation, most grievously afflicted the Jews, and thus were to them as a pricking thorn, Joshua XXIII, 12, and adversaries, as is said here, as if to say, I God so love the Jews and my people, that for their sake I will overthrow the Sidonians and others dwelling round about them; lest the Jews henceforth have them as an example of impiety, and likewise as enemies frequently invading and tormenting them. Thus Theodoret.
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25. I shall be sanctified in them, — so that all may celebrate my holy justice, equally as my mercy and faithfulness, and care for my people, when they shall have seen me punish him with long captivity on account of sins: but punished and corrected, I shall have restored him to his former state, liberty and fatherland through Cyrus; and mystically through Christ himself I shall have recalled him from the captivity of sin and the devil to his former liberty and the grace of God: then indeed they shall dwell altogether secure in the Church, having internal peace of conscience with God. Theodoret notes: God punishes his friends in one way, his enemies in another; the elect in one way, the reprobate in another: these he destroys, those he corrects and amends. Thus he amended the Jews here, he destroyed the Sidonians. Finally, see how the king of Tyre fell, see how the illustrious fall. Lastly, Ambrose Leo, a distinguished philosopher, proposes an excellent problem on this matter in Problem. cap. CCLXXXIII: "Why," he says, "have very many of those who are called heroes and illustrious men fallen into the greatest misfortunes, as Isocrates says, such as Hercules, Achilles, Ajax, Hector, Themistocles, Romulus, Camillus, Marcellus, both Scipios, Hannibal, C. Caesar, Cicero, Demosthenes, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Euripides, Empedocles, Pliny, and innumerable others?" And he responds first: "Is this very thing not true? It seems nevertheless to be. For the whole life of men is afflicted with various kinds of calamities, so that there is no one who is not affected by the severity of evils even a great part of the illustrious, if not all, are touched by misfortunes. Nevertheless, the excellence of the person, by which each one of the heroes is placed before the eyes of all, makes the misfortunes of those bearing them more illustrious." Secondly: "Is this also true, and does it happen on account of the arduous and difficult condition of the highest good, which Nature and fortune can scarcely tolerate? For which reason he who, nature as his guide, excelled in genius and body, fortune often could not match; just as often he who excelled in fortune lay with dull genius and a weak body." For thus God instituted nature, so that goods are mixed with evils, and consequently great evils with great goods in life, so that we might aspire to the blessed life. I omit envy, which often oppresses great men: and that great men often expose themselves to great dangers, in which they perish. Finally, the moral cause, which the Prophet here assigns, is pride; for great men bear great spirits, which God almighty oppresses.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
28:3
DANIEL (Dan'el). - An Oriental figure, mentioned in Ex. 14:14-20, to demonstrate the inexorability of God's judgment against an unfaithful land despite the hypothetical presence of Noah, D. and Job, that is, of the greatest righteous men (and therefore intercessors) of the land; then in Ez. 28:3 to measure the supposed divine omniscience of the nāghāth ("prince") of Tyre, Ithobaal III.
… Perhaps Danel too (cf. Ezek. 14:14-20; 28:3) lived in the time of the P. Of the antediluvians there are two
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Arvad (Hebrew 'Arvād; Assyrian 'Arvada; Septuagint Ἀράδιοι, Ἀρσάοι; Vulgate Aradii, Aradus)
… In the middle of the 6th century B.C. it seems subject to Tyre, to which it supplied sailors and soldiers (Ezek. 28:8, 11); but, under the Maccabees, it reappears as independent (1 Macc. 15:23). The pseudo-Clementine writings place a visit of St. Peter there (Recogn., hom. VII, 26; XII, 12: PG 1, 1360; …
28:10
Circumcision (From Lat. circumcisio, «cutting around»; Gr. περιτομή; Heb. Milāh)
… From the time of Joshua circumcision was universally observed and became the sacred seal of the people of God: its absence was a cause of dishonor and ignominy (cf. Judg. 14:3; 15:18; I Sam. 14:6; 17:26, 36; Ezek. 28:10; 31:18; 32:19 ff.). …
28:13
The memory of the extraordinary vegetation of the terrestrial paradise returns in the Bible as a term of hyperbolic comparison: Gen. 13:10; Is. 51:3; Ez. 28:13; 31:8 ff.; 36:35; Ioel 2:3; Eccli. 40:17.
28:14
Cherubim (Hebrew Plural Hērubhîm)
… The c. first appear in Gen. 3:23-24, at the gate of the earthly Paradise, to prevent the first parents, with a flaming sword, from access to the tree of life (cf. Ezek. 28:14, 16). Their depiction was the only one permitted to the Hebrews.
… Various scriptural texts (Ez. 28, 14-16; Rom. 8, 38; Eph. 6, 12; I Cor. 15, 24) lead to the conclusion that the rebels belonged to different orders in the celestial hierarchy. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.