The Meaning of Ezekiel 28:16 Explained

Ezekiel 28:16

KJV: By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

YLT: By the abundance of thy merchandise They have filled thy midst with violence, And thou dost sin, And I thrust thee from the mount of God, And I destroy thee, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.

Darby: By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore have I cast thee as profane from the mountain of God, and have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

ASV: By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

By the multitude  of thy merchandise  they have filled  the midst  of thee with violence,  and thou hast sinned:  therefore I will cast thee as profane  out of the mountain  of God:  and I will destroy  thee, O covering  cherub,  from the midst  of the stones  of fire. 

What does Ezekiel 28:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Abundant trade had made this king increasingly violent to the point that he sinned against God. The reference to trade supports the view that the earthly king is in view.
Because of this sin, the Lord had cast the king from His mountain as profane or common. The king could no longer rule under God"s permissive authority. The Lord had destroyed His servant in that He had removed him from his privileged place of service and allowed his enemies to defeat him.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 28

1  God's judgment upon the prince of Tyrus for his sacrilegious pride
11  A lamentation of his great glory corrupted by Sidon
20  The judgment of Zion
24  The restoration of Israel

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 28:16 mean?

By the abundance of your trading You became filled within with violence and you sinned and therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God And I destroyed you cherub covering from the midst of the stones fiery
בְּרֹ֣ב רְכֻלָּתְךָ֗ מָל֧וּ תוֹכְךָ֛ חָמָ֖ס וַֽתֶּחֱטָ֑א וָאֶחַלֶּלְךָ֩ מֵהַ֨ר אֱלֹהִ֤ים וָֽאַבֶּדְךָ֙ כְּר֣וּב הַסֹּכֵ֔ךְ מִתּ֖וֹךְ אַבְנֵי־ אֵֽשׁ

בְּרֹ֣ב  By  the  abundance 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹב  
Sense: multitude, abundance, greatness.
רְכֻלָּתְךָ֗  of  your  trading 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: רְכֻלָּה  
Sense: merchandise, traffic, trade.
מָל֧וּ  You  became  filled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
תוֹכְךָ֛  within 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
חָמָ֖ס  with  violence 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָמָס  
Sense: violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice.
וַֽתֶּחֱטָ֑א  and  you  sinned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
וָאֶחַלֶּלְךָ֩  and  therefore  I  cast  you  as  a  profane  thing 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
מֵהַ֨ר  Out  of  the  mountain 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
אֱלֹהִ֤ים  of  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וָֽאַבֶּדְךָ֙  And  I  destroyed  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
כְּר֣וּב  cherub 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּרוּב  
Sense: cherub, cherubim (pl).
הַסֹּכֵ֔ךְ  covering 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: סוּךְ 
Sense: (Qal) to hedge, fence about, shut in.
מִתּ֖וֹךְ  from  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
אַבְנֵי־  of  the  stones 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
אֵֽשׁ  fiery 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.