With an anointed guardian cherub I placed you: This line is very uncertain in Hebrew. The first Hebrew word here is the second person feminine singular pronoun ʾatte (“You”), which does not fit grammatically in the context. So some translations change this word to read ʾet, which they render “With” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; similarly Moffatt). Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, and Revised English Bible also follow this reading, but without the word “with.” Even though the Septuagint follows this reading, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends against it. Instead, on the basis of a few examples of the Hebrew pronoun ʾatte being used as the masculine pronoun ʾatta (which does not involve changing the Hebrew consonants), Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends rendering this line as “you [are/were] a cherubim … ; I had established you” (similarly New International Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible). A cherub is an angelic being or “angel” (Good News Translation). Here it is a different sort of angel from the living creatures that carried the throne of God in chapters 1–3 and 9–11, even though they are called cherubim in chapters 9–11 (see the comments on 9.3). Translators may begin this verse with “You were one of the creatures of heaven (called cherub)” or “You were one of the creatures I made (called cherub).”
Many translations understand the Hebrew word for anointed to mean that God appointed the cherub to a certain task by metaphorically smearing it with oil (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New International Reader’s Version, New Living Translation, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible). The Hebrew word here is mimshach, which is similar to the word for “anoint” (mashach). It occurs only here in the Bible. Some translations take it from an Aramaic word, meaning “to extend,” and understand it to refer to the cherub’s “outstretched” wings (so New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Many translations omit the word entirely (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt, Septuagint). Since the meaning of this word is so uncertain, any rendering is just a guess, so translators may choose whichever of the above alternatives makes most sense to them; for example, they may begin this verse with “You were appointed as a heavenly creature” or “You were a heavenly creature with outstretched wings.”
Guardian is literally “the covering one.” Most translations include this idea, but it not clear what the cherub guarded. Presumably it was the garden of God in Eden (see verse 13), but those who follow the Septuagint‘s reading of the first word of this verse take it that God appointed the cherub to guard the king of Tyre (so Good News Translation, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible). God placed, that is, “appointed” (New Century Version, Revised English Bible), the cherub to this task. This shows the greatness of the king.
A model for the first line of this verse is “You were an angel [or, creature of heaven] with outstretched wings. I appointed you to be guardian [of the garden].”
You were on the holy mountain of God: Whereas the previous line suggested that the king of Tyre was a superhuman, angelic being, this line says that he had direct access to God, because he lived with God. In Babylonian myth the gods lived on the holy mountain. This line again stresses the greatness of the king. Translators may say “You were on the sacred mountain where I live [or, the sacred mountain of the gods].”
In the midst of the stones of fire you walked: In Babylonian myth the mountain of the gods was surrounded by brilliant jewels and shining gems. Stones of fire may be rendered “sparkling gems” (Good News Translation) or “gems that dazzled like fire” (Contemporary English Version). Walked probably means “lived” in this context. Many translators will reorder this line to make it more natural, saying “You lived [or, walked] among the gems [or, precious stones] that shone like fire.”
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .