In Eze 28:14 Ezekiel says about the King of Tyre that he "walked among the
fiery stones". Is there some symbolic meaning in Hebrew of the "fiery
stones". What are they?
Eric:
In the second volume ( Chapters 25-48 ) of:
Block, Daniel I. The Book of Ezekiel. 2 vols. . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
you will find footnotes devoted to the varying interpretations of " stones
of fire " -- but all of these seem more concerned with identifying the
nature of the stones, rather than any possible symbolic meanings.
Block himself holds to the opinion that " these stones are best understood
as decorative, contributing to the magnificence and brilliance of the
picture ".
Block goes on:
>> If this interpretation is correct, this passage is illuminated by a
remarkable analogue in a fragment of the Gilgamesh Epic that describes the
arrival of the hero in the garden of the gods:
[ <snipped> you will find his quotation on p. 115, and he references this
to ANET p.89 ]
For myself, I would be more interested in the form of the verb, the
hithpael, "walking up and down ", with, as Block points out, echoes
of/references to God in the garden ( Gn. 3:8 ) " of Abraham walking up and
down the land, in effect staking this claim to it, Gn. 13:17, also the
surveyors of the land of Canaan ( Josh. 18:4) and the satan in Job 1:7 ".
Incidentally, Block has a cautionary note:
>> Even if the link between Ezekiel's list of gemstones and the high
priest's chestpiece is strong, the significance of this connection should
not be exaggerated, nor blind the reader to the prophet's special
adaptation of the imagery for his own rhetorical purposes............He has
no interest in identifying the king of Tyre with the high priest of Israel. <<<
Maurice A. O'Sullivan
[Bray, Ireland]
mauros AT iol.ie
"Mere description is impossible. Language forces you to an implicit
comment." C.S. Lewis