Thou art {e} the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee {f} so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the {g} stones of fire.

(e) He means the royal state of Tyre, which for the excellency and glory of it he compares to the cherubim which covered the Ark, and by anointed he signifies the same.

(f) I did you this honour to make you one of the builders of my temple, which was when Hiram sent to Solomon things necessary for the work.

(g) That is, among my people Israel, which shined as precious stones.

Wesley's Notes

28:14 Cherub - For thy wisdom, power, and excellency, like a cherub, or angel; for the sacredness of thy person, and office, as the anointed of God; for the exercise of thy power, as a shield, as a protector of the weak. And I - I, whom thou forgetest have made thee so. Thou wast - Thou wast advanced to kingly dignity, (which David calls a mountain, Psa 30:7,) a sacred office, and of divine institution. In the midst - Surrounded with stones, that sparkle like fire.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

14. anointed cherub-Gesenius translates from an Aramaic root, "extended cherub." English Version, from a Hebrew root, is better. "The cherub consecrated to the Lord by the anointing oil" [Fairbairn].

covereth-The imagery employed by Ezekiel as a priest is from the Jewish temple, wherein the cherubim overshadowed the mercy seat, as the king of Tyre, a demi-god in his own esteem, extended his protection over the interests of Tyre. The cherub-an ideal compound of the highest kinds of animal existence and the type of redeemed man in his ultimate state of perfection-is made the image of the king of Tyre, as if the beau ideal of humanity. The pretensions of Antichrist are the ulterior reference, of whom the king of Tyre is a type. Compare "As God . in the temple of God" (2Th 2:4).

I have set thee-not thou set thyself (Pr 8:16; Ro 13:1).

upon the holy mountain of God-Zion, following up the image.

in . midst of . stones of fire-In ambitious imagination he stood in the place of God, "under whose feet was, as it were, a pavement of sapphire," while His glory was like "devouring fire" (Ex 24:10, 17).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

28:1-19 Ethbaal, or Ithobal, was the prince or king of Tyre; and being lifted up with excessive pride, he claimed Divine honours. Pride is peculiarly the sin of our fallen nature. Nor can any wisdom, except that which the Lord gives, lead to happiness in this world or in that which is to come. The haughty prince of Tyre thought he was able to protect his people by his own power, and considered himself as equal to the inhabitants of heaven. If it were possible to dwell in the garden of Eden, or even to enter heaven, no solid happiness could be enjoyed without a humble, holy, and spiritual mind. Especially all spiritual pride is of the devil. Those who indulge therein must expect to perish.