Ezekiel 28:4
With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
Original Language Analysis
וּבִתְבוּנָ֣תְךָ֔
and with thine understanding
H8394
וּבִתְבוּנָ֣תְךָ֔
and with thine understanding
Strong's:
H8394
Word #:
2 of 9
intelligence; by implication, an argument; by extension, caprice
וַתַּ֛עַשׂ
and hast gotten
H6213
וַתַּ֛עַשׂ
and hast gotten
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
3 of 9
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
חָ֑יִל
thee riches
H2428
חָ֑יִל
thee riches
Strong's:
H2428
Word #:
5 of 9
probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength
וַתַּ֛עַשׂ
and hast gotten
H6213
וַתַּ֛עַשׂ
and hast gotten
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
6 of 9
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
זָהָ֥ב
gold
H2091
זָהָ֥ב
gold
Strong's:
H2091
Word #:
7 of 9
gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e., yellow), as oil, a clear sky
Historical Context
Tyre's commercial success resulted from strategic location, navigational skill, trade networks, and shrewd business practices. These are real human contributions. Yet Phoenician prosperity also depended on factors beyond their control: Mediterranean geography, available resources, relative peace enabling trade, and the intelligence God gave them. Acknowledging human contribution while denying divine foundation is incomplete and proud.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we balance acknowledging human effort while crediting God's enabling?
- What role does God play in our economic success beyond our own effort?
- Why is taking sole credit for prosperity a form of practical atheism?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches attributes Tyre's wealth to human intelligence. And hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures details the accumulation. This isn't entirely false—human intelligence does produce wealth. But the error is attributing everything to human effort while ignoring God who gives the intelligence, the resources, the opportunity, and the stability enabling commerce. All prosperity ultimately comes from God (Deuteronomy 8:18). Taking sole credit for what God enables is prideful blindness. We are stewards, not creators, of wealth.