Is Ezekiel 28 About Satan?

It is popularly thought that Ezekiel 28:13–16 is a proclamation against Satan. However, in context, it was actually directed at “the king of Tyre”, and not at Satan (vv. 11–13). Moreover, in the previous prophecy to the same person (vv. 1–11), where he was called “the prince of Tyre”, God emphatically declares that he was a “man” (vv. 2, 9). The Hebrew word for “man” there is ʾāḏām, which means “human being”.

It may seem as that “the prince of Tyre” and “the king of Tyre” were two different people. However, the Hebrew word for “prince” is nāḡiyḏ, which is consistently used in the Bible to refer to kings. In fact, this same Hebrew word is used to describe Saul, David, and Solomon as “leaders; rulers” of Israel, even though they were kings of Israel (1 Sam. 9:15–16; 2 Sam. 7:8; 1 Ki. 1:35) Hence, the “prince” of Tyre is actually the same person as the “king” of Tyre. After all, a king is the “leader; ruler” of his kingdom.

However, some might argue, “But the passage says that this person was ‘in Eden, the garden of God’ (v. 13), and even calls him a cherub (vv. 14, 16). Clearly, this cannot be talking about a human being; this must be talking about a heavenly being—Satan!”

However, not every passage of the Bible was meant to be understood literally. Some Bible passages should be taken figuratively, especially prophetic declarations like in Ezekiel 28:13–16. Another example of figurative language in prophetic declaration is found in Ezekiel 31:3, 9:

Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
with beautiful branches and forest shade,
and of towering height,
its top among the clouds.
...
I made it beautiful
in the mass of its branches,
and all the trees of Eden envied it,
that were in the garden of God. (ESV)

Notice how God says that “Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon”, and that “all the trees of Eden envied it”. Now, was Assyria literally a cedar in Lebanon? Did all the trees of Eden literally envy Assyria? Of course not. Rather, God was speaking figuratively. God was not talking about a cedar in the garden of Eden in Ezekiel 31 any more than he was addressing a fallen angel in Ezekiel 28:13–16.