The cherub in Eden is a figure mentioned in . Many translations, including the ''
New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
'', identify the cherub with the King of
Tyre, specifically
Ithobaal III (reigned 591–573 BCE) who according to the
list of kings of Tyre of
Josephus was reigning contemporary with Ezekiel at the time of the first
fall of Jerusalem. Other translations, including the ''
New Revised Standard Version'', see the cherub as the king's guardian.
Background
Ezekiel has cited Eden in two extensive passages and one of these (28:11-19) portrayed the king of Tyre in terms of the cherub in
Eden
Eden may refer to:
* Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis
Places and jurisdictions
Canada
* Eden, Ontario
* Eden High School
Middle East
* Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric
* Camp Eden, Iraq
O ...
.
The city is famed for the temple complex of Melkart with its renowned garden enclosure.
Tertullian
Tertullian in ''Against
Marcion'' 2:10 linked the reference to the fall of
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
. This has been followed by many Christians since.
[''The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament'', p. 1283 John F. Walvoord, Walter L. Baker, Roy B. Zuck - 1985 "This "king" had appeared in the ]Garden of Eden
In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
(v. 13), had been a guardian cherub
A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...
(v. 14a), had possessed free access ... The best explanation is that Ezekiel was describing Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
who was the true "king" of Tyre, the one motivating." Its theological interpretation is subject to much theorizing. One recognized that the prophet depicted such cherub within a primordial perfection, which was terminated by sin and consequent exile from the "mountain of God".
A theory also posited that Eden was a simile for the portrayal of the splendor of a given geographical area, which in this case is Tyre and that its human king represented
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
, who was an angel in the garden in Genesis 3.
See also
*
Ezekiel 28
Ezekiel 28 is the twenty-eighth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets ...
References
{{Book of Ezekiel
Angels in Christianity
Angels in Judaism
Book of Ezekiel
Satan
Garden of Eden