To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Fiery Stones
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 20:08:09 +1100
The fiery stones seem to be the equivalent of "masseboth" or "Bethel stones"
-- standing stones
that had cultic significance by being representations of deities. Many of
these stones can be found
at the city gates of many excavation sites in Palestine, such as Dan and
Bethsaida. Some of these
stones may well have been meteors, or were seen to be imbued with magical
powers.
You might want to check the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible
(DDD) and look under such
entries as BAETYL and BETHEL.
By comparing the King of Tyre with these stones, Ezekiel is probably saying
that the king was just
like a deity. In Ezek 28:14, they might be identified as icons of the divine
council members.