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

1
In the eleventh year, in the first of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying, ​
2
Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken: the gate of the peoples; she is turned to me; I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste: ​
3
therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. ​
4
They shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock. ​
5
She shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, says the Lord GOD; and she shall become a plunder to the nations. ​
6
Her daughters who are in the field shall be slain with the sword: and they shall know that I am the LORD. ​

Nebuchadnezzar's Siege and Destruction

7
For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring on Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and a company, and many people. ​
8
He shall kill your daughters in the field with the sword; and he shall make forts against you, and cast up a mound against you, and raise up the buckler against you. ​
9
He shall set his battering engines against your walls, and with his axes he shall break down your towers. ​
10
By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover you: your walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wagons, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into your gates, as men enter into a city in which is made a breach.
11
With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all your streets; he shall kill your people with the sword; and the pillars of your strength shall go down to the ground.
12
They shall make a plunder of your riches, and make a prey of your merchandise; and they shall break down your walls, and destroy your pleasant houses; and they shall lay your stones and your timber and your dust in the midst of the waters. ​
13
I will cause the noise of your songs to cease; and the sound of your harps shall be no more heard. ​
14
I will make you a bare rock; you shall be a place for the spreading of nets; you shall be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, says the Lord GOD. ​

The Lament of the Maritime Nations

15
Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: shall not the islands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in your midst? ​
16
Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit on the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at you. ​
17
They shall take up a lamentation over you, and tell you, How you are destroyed, who were inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, who was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who caused their terror to be on all who lived there! ​
18
Now shall the islands tremble in the day of your fall; yes, the islands that are in the sea shall be dismayed at your departure.

Tyre's Permanent Desolation

19
For thus says the Lord GOD: When I shall make you a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep on you, and the great waters shall cover you; ​
20
then I will bring you down with those who descend into the pit, to the people of old time, and will make you to dwell in the lower parts of the earth, in the places that are desolate of old, with those who go down to the pit, that you be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of the living: ​
21
I will make you a terror, and you shall no more have any being; though you are sought for, yet you will never be found again, says the Lord GOD. ​

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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