The cherub in Eden is a figure mentioned in . Many translations, including the '' New International Version'', identify the cherub with the King of Tyre, specifically
Ithobaal III
Ithobaal III (Latin Ithobalus, Hebrew Ethbaal) was recorded by Josephus as the king on the list of kings of Tyre reigning 591/0–573/2 BCE at the time of the first fall of Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, ا ...
(reigned 591–573 BCE) who according to the
list of kings of Tyre
The King of Tyre was the ruler of Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city in what is now Lebanon. The traditional list of 12 kings, with reigns dated to 990–785 BC, is derived from the lost history of Menander of Ephesus as quoted by Josephus in ''Ag ...
of
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
was reigning contemporary with Ezekiel at the time of the first fall of Jerusalem. Other translations, including the ''
New Revised Standard Version
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.Eden. The city is famed for the temple complex of Melkart with its renowned garden enclosure.
Tertullian
Tertullian
Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of L ...
in ''Against
Marcion
Marcion of Sinope (; grc, Μαρκίων ; ) was an early Christian theologian in early Christianity. Marcion preached that God had sent Jesus Christ who was an entirely new, alien god, distinct from the vengeful God of Israel who had created ...
'' 2:10 linked the reference to the fall of Satan. 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 (v. 13), had been a guardian cherub (v. 14a), had possessed free access ... The best explanation is that Ezekiel was describing Satan 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, who was an angel in the garden in Genesis 3.