Ezekiel 27:26

¶ Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

Thy rowers {H7751} have brought {H935} thee into great {H7227} waters {H4325}: the east {H6921} wind {H7307} hath broken {H7665} thee in the midst {H3820} of the seas {H3220}.

Your oarsmen brought you through heavy seas. But the east wind will break you surrounded by the sea.

Your oarsmen have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind will shatter you in the heart of the sea.

Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas.

Commentary

Ezekiel 27:26 vividly portrays the catastrophic downfall of Tyre, a once-mighty maritime city, using the powerful metaphor of a shipwreck. This verse declares that Tyre's own agents ("thy rowers") have led it into perilous "great waters," ultimately resulting in its complete destruction by a powerful "east wind" in the open sea.

Historical and Cultural Context

Chapter 27 of Ezekiel is a detailed lament, or dirge, over the city of Tyre. Tyre was a prominent Phoenician city-state, renowned in the ancient world for its immense wealth, sophisticated trade networks, and formidable naval power. It saw itself as an impregnable fortress and the queen of the seas, boasting of its beauty, commercial prowess, and global reach. This prophecy, delivered by God through the prophet Ezekiel, serves as a stark declaration of divine judgment against Tyre's arrogance, self-sufficiency, and exploitation of other nations. The extended metaphor of Tyre as a magnificent ship, built with the finest materials and manned by skilled sailors from various lands, highlights the extent of its power and influence, making its ultimate destruction by a natural force all the more poignant and humbling.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment on Pride: The verse underscores that even the most powerful and seemingly invincible human endeavors and nations are ultimately subject to God's supreme authority and judgment. Tyre's downfall is presented as a direct consequence of its excessive pride, self-reliance, and commercial hubris, a consistent theme throughout biblical prophecy. As Proverbs 16:18 famously states, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
  • Sudden and Utter Destruction: The "east wind" symbolizes an immediate, powerful, and often divinely-sent destructive force. Its impact is depicted as swift and absolute, "breaking" the ship "in the midst of the seas," signifying complete and irreversible ruin far from any safe harbor. This imagery emphasizes the overwhelming nature of God's judgment, which no human power can withstand.
  • Self-Inflicted Peril: The phrase "Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters" suggests that Tyre's own leaders, policies, and alliances contributed significantly to its precarious position. Its relentless pursuit of wealth and power, even at the expense of justice, metaphorically steered it into dangerous territory before the final, devastating blow of God's judgment arrived.

Linguistic Insights

The term "east wind" (Hebrew: ruach qadim) carries significant symbolic weight in the Bible. It is frequently associated with drought, scorching heat, and particularly, with destructive divine judgment. For instance, it was the east wind that God used to part the Red Sea, but also to bring devastation upon the Egyptians. Here, it represents the irresistible force of God's wrath and judgment. The "great waters" metaphorically represent overwhelming trouble, peril, and the depths of despair, a common biblical motif for distress or judgment (e.g., Psalm 69:1).

Practical Application

Ezekiel 27:26 serves as a timeless reminder that worldly power, wealth, and human ingenuity, no matter how impressive, are ultimately transient and vulnerable. It warns against excessive pride, self-reliance, and the pursuit of ambition without moral grounding or acknowledgment of divine sovereignty. For individuals and nations alike, placing ultimate trust in material possessions or human strength can lead to self-inflicted peril, culminating in sudden and total collapse when divine judgment falls. This prophecy encourages humility, a recognition of God's ultimate control, and a focus on enduring values rather than fleeting earthly glories. It underscores the certainty of God's justice and the inevitable consequences of rejecting His ways, a truth relevant for all generations.

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Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Psalms 48:7

    Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

  • Ezekiel 26:19

    For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;

  • Jeremiah 18:17

    I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

  • Acts 27:14

    But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

  • Isaiah 33:23

    Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

  • Acts 27:41

    And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

  • Ezekiel 27:34

    In the time [when] thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.
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