Midrash su Ezechiele 28:14

Hiram constructed his palace between the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea with certain protective devices (but to no avail), as it is said: And they shall take up in lamentation for thee and say to thee: How art thou destroyed, that was peopled from the seas, the renowned city, that was strong in the sea (ibid. 26:17). Still, you claim: A god am I; in the dwelling-place of gods I sit, in the midst of the sea (ibid. 28:2). Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: For thus saith the Lord God: And I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; and I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and the great waters shall cover thee (ibid. 26:19). (This will be your fate, and) you will descend to your comrades, as it is written: Then I will bring thee down with them that descend into the pit to the people of old times, and will make thee to dwell in the nether parts of the earth (ibid., v. 20). The nether parts of the earth refers to Gehenna. Hence we read in Scripture: Thou wast the far-covering cherub; and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou has walked up and down in the midst of stones of fire … and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire (ibid. 28:14–16). Concerning Israel, however, Scripture states: When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, etc. (Isa. 43:2).

In the Torah of Rabbi Meir they found written 'and behold it was very good' - as 'and behold death was good'. Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nachman said: I was riding on the shoulder of my elder, and he was going from his city to Kfar Chanan through the way of Beit She'an, and I heard Rabbi Shime'on ben Eleazar sitting and explaining in the name of Rabbi Meir: 'and behold it was very good' - as 'and behold death was good.' Rabbi Chama bar Chanina and Rabbi Yonatan [disagree]. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: "it would have been proper that the First Adam did not taste the taste of death - and why was he charged with death? One reason: it is written (Ezekiel 28:13) [Ezekiel 28:12 begins: Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him: Thus says the Lord GOD: Your seal most accurate, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty] 'you were in the Garden of Eden' - was Chirom in the Garden of Eden? Impossible! Rather, [Ezekiel/Gd] said to him 'you were the one who caused the one in the Garden to die.'" Rabbi Chia, the son of the son of Rabbi Berachia said in the name of Rabbi Berachia 'you were a covering cherub' (Ezekiel 28:14) ['covering' can also be understood as 'washing away'] you were the one who cause that same cherub to die." Rabbi Yonatan said to him: "if that was so, let [God] decree death to the evil ones only, and let Him not decree death on the righteous. But then the evil ones would not repent over their deceptions, and also so that the evil ones wouldn't say 'the only reason the righteous are alive is that they are accostumed to do mitzvot and good deeds, let us be accostumed to do mitzvot and good deeds - and this doing would not be for its own sake. ...