Ezekiel26

Ezekiel 26 records the Lord's judgment against Tyrus for rejoicing at Jerusalem's destruction. God declares that many nations, specifically Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, will utterly devastate Tyrus. Her walls will be broken, her wealth plundered, and she will be reduced to a bare rock, never to be rebuilt. This serves as a testament to God's sovereign power and justice.

Prophecy Against Tyre: The Reason for Judgment

On the first day of the month in the eleventh year, the word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, since Tzor has said against Yerushalayim, 'Ha! She is shattered, the gateway of the peoples. Now that she is ruined, her riches will be mine';

therefore, Adonai ELOHIM says, 'Look, Tzor! I am against you. Just as the sea churns up its waves, I will churn up many nations against you.

They will destroy the walls of Tzor, they will demolish her towers. I will scrape its soil from her and reduce her to bare rock.

With the sea all around her, she will be a place for drying fish nets and a plunder for the nations. I have spoken,' says Adonai ELOHIM.

'Her daughters on the mainland will be put to death with the sword; then they will know that I am ADONAI.'

Nebuchadnezzar's Siege and Destruction

"For here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'I will bring upon Tzor, from the north, N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel, king of kings, with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great and powerful army.

"'Your daughters on the mainland he will put to death with the sword. He will build siege-towers against you, he will build a ramp against you and raise a screen of shields against you.

He will pound your walls with his battering-rams and break down your towers with his axes.

His horses are so many that their dust will cover you. The thunder of cavalry, wagons and chariots will shake your walls, as he enters your gates, like men storming a city through a breach.

With the hoofs of his horses he will trample your streets. He will put your people to the sword and pull to the ground your massive standing-stones.

They will seize your wealth, loot your wares, break down your walls, destroy your fine houses; then they will throw your stones and timber and even your dust into the sea.

I will put an end to your singing, the sound of your lyres will be heard no more.

I will reduce you to bare rock, you will be a place for drying fish nets, you will never be built again, for I, ADONAI, have spoken,' says Adonai ELOHIM."

The Lament of the Maritime Nations

To Tzor Adonai ELOHIM says: "How the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter takes place in you!

Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones; they will put aside their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, trembling all the time, appalled at your condition.

Then they will raise this lament for you: "'How you have been destroyed, you who were peopled from the seas, city so renowned, once so strong at sea, you and your inhabitants, who used to spread terror over all [the mainland's] inhabitants!

Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your downfall, and the islands in the sea are in shock at your end.'

Tyre's Permanent Desolation

"For here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'When I make you a ruined city, like other uninhabited cities; when I bring the deep sea over you, and its mighty waters cover you;

then I will bring you down with those who descend to the pit, to the people of long ago, and make you live in underworld places like those who were ruined long ago, with those who descend to the pit, so that you will be uninhabited when I give glory to the land of the living.

I will make you horrible; you will cease to exist. People will seek you but never more find you,' says Adonai ELOHIM."

Study Notes for Ezekiel 26

Verse 1

This prophecy is dated to the eleventh year (c. 587 BC), placing it shortly after the final destruction of Jerusalem. This sets the immediate context for Tyre’s reaction.

Verse 2

Tyre rejoices over Jerusalem’s fall, viewing it not as a tragedy but as a commercial opportunity. Jerusalem, described as 'the gates of the people,' was an important trade hub whose destruction meant Tyre would now capture that regional commerce.

Verse 3

The judgment involves 'many nations,' suggesting a long-term, multi-stage destruction process, which historically included the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks.

Verse 4

The image of scraping her dust and making her like a rock emphasizes utter and permanent desolation. This detail found remarkable fulfillment when Alexander the Great used the debris of the mainland city to build a causeway to the island city in 332 BC.

Verse 5

The contrast is stark: the world’s greatest commercial center will become a barren, exposed rock suitable only for drying fishing nets.

Verse 6

The 'daughters which are in the field' are the smaller satellite towns and villages on the mainland surrounding the main city of Tyre.

Verse 7

Ezekiel now names Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar II) as the specific, immediate instrument of God’s wrath. He besieged Tyre for thirteen years (c. 586–573 BC).

Verse 8

The description details typical siege warfare: building siege ramps ('mount'), fortifications ('fort'), and using shields ('buckler') to protect the attackers.

Verse 9

Engines of war (battering rams and heavy artillery) were necessary to breach the formidable stone walls of the city.

Verse 12

This verse describes the complete dismantling of the city, where even the building materials are cast into the sea. This was fulfilled when Alexander the Great later used the wreckage to build his famous causeway.

Verse 13

The cessation of songs and harps symbolizes the end of Tyre’s luxurious, festive, and prosperous life, replacing joy with silence and ruin.

Verse 14

The prophecy is definitive: Tyre will not be rebuilt to its former glory or power. While a city remained, the ancient Phoenician power was permanently broken.

Verse 15

The 'isles' refers to the coastal regions, islands, and trading partners throughout the Mediterranean who relied on Tyre’s commerce and stability. Her fall causes widespread economic fear.

Verse 16

The 'princes of the sea' (merchant kings and rulers of trading nations) demonstrate deep humiliation and mourning, stripping their royal attire to sit in dust and tremble.

Verse 17

The lamentation acknowledges Tyre's former status as 'the renowned city' and a powerful maritime force whose influence was felt across the trading world.

Verse 19

Bringing up 'the deep upon thee' uses cosmic imagery (like a primordial flood) to emphasize the magnitude and permanence of the destruction, sinking the city into oblivion.

Verse 20

To 'descend into the pit' (Sheol) is a metaphor for complete political and cultural death, reducing Tyre to the status of ancient, forgotten civilizations.

Verse 21

The final statement underscores the completeness of God’s judgment. Tyre’s glory will vanish; its location may be known, but its former influence and power will be utterly irrecoverable.

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Ezekiel26

Prophecy Against Tyre: The Reason for Judgment

Nebuchadnezzar's Siege and Destruction

The Lament of the Maritime Nations

Tyre's Permanent Desolation

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