Ezekiel 27:33

KJV

When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

KJV (with Strong's)

When thy wares {H5801} went forth {H3318} out of the seas {H3220}, thou filledst {H7646} many {H7227} people {H5971}; thou didst enrich {H6238} the kings {H4428} of the earth {H776} with the multitude {H7230} of thy riches {H1952} and of thy merchandise {H4627}.

Complete Jewish Bible

When your wares came forth from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with your vast wealth and variety of goods you enriched the kings of the earth.

Berean Standard Bible

When your wares went out to sea, you satisfied many nations. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and merchandise.

American Standard Version

When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many peoples; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Ezekiel 27:33 powerfully encapsulates the zenith of Tyre's commercial prowess and global economic dominion. It depicts how this formidable Phoenician city, through its unparalleled maritime trade, served as the ancient world's central marketplace, abundantly supplying numerous nations and significantly enriching the kings of the earth with its vast and diverse accumulation of wealth and merchandise. This verse, embedded within a prophetic lament, highlights Tyre's extraordinary prosperity as the dramatic prelude to its prophesied downfall, serving as a stark reminder of the transient nature of earthly power and the dangers of pride rooted in material abundance.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Ezekiel 27 forms a detailed and evocative funeral dirge, a lament sung by the prophet Ezekiel over the city of Tyre. This chapter is strategically placed within a broader series of prophecies against surrounding nations (Ezekiel 25-32), with Tyre receiving extensive attention due to its immense prominence and notorious pride. The entire chapter employs a sustained metaphor, personifying Tyre as a magnificent, meticulously constructed ship, built from the finest materials and manned by skilled mariners from various nations, symbolizing its intricate global trade networks and far-reaching influence. Verse 33 serves as the climactic description of Tyre's commercial glory, representing the absolute peak of its economic success and international impact. This pinnacle of prosperity is deliberately presented just before the narrative shifts abruptly to the city's catastrophic destruction in the subsequent verses [Ezekiel 27:34-36](/ezekiel/27-34-36 "Ezekiel 27:34-36 - Tyre's Destruction") and the broader divine judgment detailed in [Ezekiel 28](/ezekiel/28 "Ezekiel 28 - The King of Tyre and God's Judgment"). The lament's structure thus masterfully emphasizes the stark and tragic contrast between Tyre's past splendor and its impending, divinely ordained ruin.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Tyre was a dominant Phoenician city-state situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast, renowned throughout the ancient world for its unparalleled maritime expertise, skilled artisans, and extensive trade routes. During the 6th century BCE, the period of Ezekiel's prophetic ministry, Tyre stood as an economic superpower, controlling vast commercial networks that stretched from the Western Mediterranean to the Near East. Its strategic location on an island offered natural defenses, while its lucrative industries, particularly the production of highly prized purple dye (derived from murex snails) and the trade of cedar timber, fueled its immense wealth. The city's prosperity was fundamentally built upon its ability to connect diverse regions, facilitating the exchange of an astonishing array of goods, including silver, iron, tin, lead, slaves, bronze, horses, mules, ivory, ebony, emeralds, purple fabrics, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, rubies, wheat, honey, oil, balm, wine, wool, and spices, as meticulously itemized in [Ezekiel 27:12-25](/ezekiel/27-12-25 "Ezekiel 27:12-25 - Tyre's Trading Partners"). This verse, [Ezekiel 27:33](/ezekiel/27-33 "Ezekiel 27:33 - Tyre's Commercial Zenith"), perfectly captures the essence of Tyre's role as the ancient world's premier commercial hub, a nexus of global commerce, and a source of immense wealth for itself and its numerous trading partners.
* **Key Themes:** The primary themes that emerge from [Ezekiel 27:33](/ezekiel/27-33 "Ezekiel 27:33 - Tyre's Commercial Zenith") and its surrounding prophetic context are multifaceted and profound. Firstly, it vividly portrays **Unparalleled Commercial Prosperity**, showcasing Tyre's peak economic influence and its vast global reach, which was unmatched in its time. This extraordinary prosperity, however, is consistently presented as a precursor to **Divine Judgment**, underscoring the inherent dangers of pride, self-sufficiency, and the idolatry of wealth that often accompany immense material success, a timeless biblical warning echoed in [Proverbs 16:18](/proverbs/16-18 "Proverbs 16:18 - Pride Goes Before Destruction"). The narrative also powerfully highlights the **Transience of Earthly Empires**, demonstrating that even the most powerful, wealthy, and seemingly impregnable nations are ultimately subject to God's supreme sovereignty and can be brought low, a truth reiterated in [Daniel 4:17](/daniel/4-17 "Daniel 4:17 - God's Sovereignty Over Kingdoms"). Furthermore, the detailed description of Tyre's intricate trade networks emphasizes the profound **Interconnectedness of Nations** in the ancient world, even as it serves as a cautionary tale against placing ultimate trust in material possessions and economic might rather than in the Lord, a crucial theological principle found throughout Scripture, including [Matthew 6:19-21](/matthew/6-19-21 "Matthew 6:19-21 - Lay Up Treasures in Heaven").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **wares (Hebrew, _ʻizzâbôwn'_):** Derived from a root meaning "to let go (for a price, i.e., selling)," this term encompasses the entirety of Tyre's commercial activity. It refers specifically to trade, the place where trade occurs (a mart or market), or the revenue and payment generated from such transactions. In this context, it signifies the comprehensive nature of Tyre's mercantile operations, highlighting its identity as a central hub where goods were bought, sold, and exchanged, thereby generating immense wealth and defining its economic character.
* **seas (Hebrew, _yâm'_):** This word denotes a large body of water, specifically referring to the Mediterranean Sea in the context of Tyre. Its inclusion underscores Tyre's fundamental reliance on maritime trade as its primary mode of commerce. The phrase "went forth out of the seas" vividly illustrates the city's global reach and its mastery of naval power and shipping, which enabled its vast mercantile operations and established its dominance as the preeminent sea-faring nation of its era.
* **enrich (Hebrew, _ʻâshar'_):** A primitive root meaning "to accumulate" or, causatively, "to make rich" or "to grow rich." This word directly articulates the profound economic impact of Tyre's trade beyond its own borders. It signifies that Tyre's commercial activities actively contributed to the wealth of other nations and their rulers. This goes beyond mere accumulation for Tyre itself, demonstrating its pivotal and pervasive role in shaping the economic fortunes of kingdoms across the ancient world.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"When thy wares went forth out of the seas,"**: This opening clause establishes the foundational element of Tyre's prosperity: its extensive and outward-reaching maritime trade. "Wares" refers to both the goods themselves and the commercial activity of trading them, while "out of the seas" emphasizes the city's naval dominance and its global reach across the Mediterranean and beyond. It paints a dynamic picture of Tyre's ships constantly departing and arriving, laden with valuable merchandise, signifying its identity as a global trading power.
* **"thou filledst many people;"**: This phrase highlights the immense volume and widespread impact of Tyre's commercial output. "Filledst" (from the Hebrew `sâbaʻ`, meaning "to sate" or "fill to satisfaction") implies that Tyre's goods were so abundant and its trade so extensive that it fully supplied, satisfied, and even glutted the markets and populations of numerous nations. This suggests a highly efficient and widespread distribution network, coupled with a high demand for its diverse products, showcasing Tyre's pervasive influence.
* **"thou didst enrich the kings of the earth"**: This clause elevates Tyre's influence from mere commerce to a significant geopolitical and economic power. Tyre's trade did not merely provide goods; it generated substantial wealth that flowed directly into the treasuries of rulers across the known world, making them prosperous. This indicates Tyre's central and indispensable role in the ancient global economy, demonstrating its unique ability to shape the economic fortunes and political stability of other kingdoms.
* **"with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise."**: This concluding phrase comprehensively summarizes the source and scale of Tyre's pervasive influence. "Multitude" emphasizes the sheer quantity, variety, and overwhelming abundance of its wealth, encompassing both accumulated capital and assets ("riches") and the vast array of goods themselves ("merchandise"). It underscores the unparalleled scale that characterized Tyre's commercial empire and its far-reaching, transformative economic impact on the ancient world.

#### Literary Devices
Ezekiel 27:33 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey the immense prosperity of Tyre and to set the stage for its ultimate prophetic significance. **Personification** is a pervasive device throughout Ezekiel 27, and it is evident here as Tyre is depicted as an active agent that "filledst many people" and "didst enrich the kings of the earth." This imbues the city with dynamic, almost human capabilities, making its subsequent downfall all the more poignant and tragic. **Hyperbole** is clearly present in phrases such as "filledst many people" and "enrich the kings of the earth." While Tyre's commercial reach and wealth were undeniably vast, these expressions exaggerate its influence to emphasize its unparalleled dominance and the sheer, overwhelming scale of its economic power, creating a vivid and indelible image of a truly global commercial empire. Furthermore, a profound sense of **Irony** underpins this entire description. This grand and detailed portrayal of Tyre's peak prosperity serves as the dramatic and essential setup for its imminent and catastrophic destruction, which is meticulously detailed immediately afterward in the prophecy. The very source of Tyre's pride, power, and self-sufficiency ultimately becomes the direct reason for its divine judgment, highlighting the fleeting and precarious nature of earthly glory when it is not humbly submitted to God's sovereignty.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 27:33, while a vivid portrayal of Tyre's material abundance, serves as a profound theological statement concerning the nature of wealth, the perils of pride, and the unwavering reality of divine sovereignty. Tyre's vast riches and global influence, rather than fostering gratitude or humility, became a wellspring of self-sufficiency and arrogant belief in its own invincibility, apart from any divine reliance. This verse, therefore, implicitly but powerfully warns against the insidious dangers of the idolatry of wealth, where material prosperity becomes the ultimate object of trust and the perceived source of security, rather than the Creator Himself. It emphatically underscores the foundational biblical principle that all earthly power, wealth, and empires are ultimately temporary, transient, and unequivocally subject to God's ultimate control, who sovereignly raises up and brings down nations according to His immutable will and righteous purposes.

* [Proverbs 11:28](/proverbs/11-28 "Proverbs 11:28 - Trusting in Riches")
* [Psalm 49:6-7](/psalm/49-6-7 "Psalm 49:6-7 - Trusting in Wealth")
* [1 Timothy 6:17](/1_timothy/6-17 "1 Timothy 6:17 - The Danger of Riches")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 27:33 offers a timeless and profound mirror for both individuals and nations, prompting deep and critical reflection on the nature of prosperity and our relationship with it. Tyre's story stands as a powerful and enduring reminder that while wealth, influence, and success can indeed be blessings from God, they also carry inherent and potent dangers. Chief among these is the temptation to pride, self-reliance, and the insidious idolatry of material possessions. When we, or our societies, accumulate great riches or power, there is a subtle yet potent spiritual shift that can occur: from a posture of gratitude to one of arrogance, from responsible stewardship to self-sufficient autonomy. This verse challenges us to critically examine where our ultimate security and trust truly lie: Is it in our financial portfolios, our national strength, our professional achievements, or in the unfailing and sovereign provision of God? It calls us to cultivate a posture of profound humility, recognizing that all blessings, all abilities, and all opportunities flow from His gracious hand. True, lasting, and eternal prosperity is found not in what we accumulate on earth, which is fleeting, but in our vibrant and intimate relationship with the Eternal God. It encourages us to use any abundance we possess for God's glory, for the advancement of His Kingdom, and for the genuine good of others, rather than allowing it to become a source of spiritual decay, a stumbling block, or a false god that ultimately leads to ruin.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How might the pursuit of wealth and success, even legitimate and ethical success, subtly lead to spiritual pride and self-sufficiency in my own life or in my community?**
* **In what specific ways do I, or does my society, tend to place ultimate trust in earthly riches, economic stability, or material merchandise rather than in God's unfailing provision and sovereign control?**
* **Considering the transient and ultimately doomed nature of Tyre's once-mighty empire, what eternal values and spiritual investments should I prioritize and diligently pursue today?**

### FAQ
**What was the significance of Tyre's maritime trade?**

Answer: Tyre's maritime trade was the absolute lifeblood of its economy and the foundational pillar of its immense power and wealth. As a leading Phoenician city, Tyre mastered shipbuilding, navigation, and seafaring, establishing extensive and intricate trade routes that spanned the entire Mediterranean Sea and reached far beyond. This allowed Tyre to function as the central hub of ancient commerce, connecting diverse regions and facilitating the exchange of an astonishing array of goods, ranging from essential raw materials like timber and metals to highly coveted luxury items such as purple dye and exotic spices. Its strategic control over these vast trade networks not only brought unparalleled wealth to Tyre itself but also, as [Ezekiel 27](/ezekiel/27 "Ezekiel 27 - The Lament Over Tyre") vividly describes, "filledst many people" and "didst enrich the kings of the earth," solidifying its position as the pivotal economic superpower of the ancient world.

**How does this verse relate to the broader prophecy against Tyre?**

Answer: Ezekiel 27:33 stands as the dramatic climax of the description of Tyre's unparalleled glory and prosperity, serving as a powerful and poignant setup for its prophesied and inevitable downfall. The entire chapter is meticulously crafted as a funeral lament, detailing Tyre's magnificent construction, its extensive trade networks, and its global influence before abruptly pivoting to the catastrophic destruction that awaits it. This verse specifically highlights the very source of Tyre's pride—its immense wealth and global influence—which ultimately became a significant contributing factor to its divine judgment. The broader prophecy against Tyre, spanning [Ezekiel 26-28](/ezekiel/26-28 "Ezekiel 26-28 - Prophecy Against Tyre"), serves as a profound warning against the dangers of arrogance, self-reliance, and the idolatry of material success, demonstrating unequivocally that even the most powerful and seemingly invincible earthly kingdoms are ultimately subject to God's sovereign will and righteous judgment.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Ezekiel 27:33 vividly describes the temporal, earthly riches and fleeting influence of the city of Tyre, it implicitly points to a far greater, eternal reality found exclusively in Jesus Christ. Tyre's vast commercial network "filledst many people" and "didst enrich the kings of the earth" with material goods and transient prosperity, yet this wealth was ultimately fleeting and led directly to its ruin. In profound contrast, Jesus Christ is the ultimate and inexhaustible source of true, lasting, and eternal riches. He is the "pearl of great price" (cf. [Matthew 13:45-46](/matthew/13-45-46 "Matthew 13:45-46 - The Parable of the Pearl")), representing the supreme value and treasure that surpasses all earthly gain. He is the one who offers "living water" (cf. [John 4:10](/john/4-10 "John 4:10 - Jesus and the Samaritan Woman")), satisfying the deepest spiritual needs and thirsts of the human soul that no amount of earthly merchandise or commerce could ever fulfill. The "wares" that went forth from Tyre were perishable, subject to decay and destruction, but the spiritual blessings that flow from Christ's perfect sacrifice and resurrection are eternal, incorruptible, and unfading (cf. [1 Peter 1:3-4](/1_peter/1-3-4 "1 Peter 1:3-4 - A Living Hope")). He enriches not merely the kings of the earth with transient wealth, but He profoundly enriches all who believe in Him with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (cf. [Ephesians 1:3](/ephesians/1-3 "Ephesians 1:3 - Spiritual Blessings in Christ")) and the "unsearchable riches of Christ" (cf. [Ephesians 3:8](/ephesians/3-8 "Ephesians 3:8 - Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles")). Unlike Tyre, whose pride and self-sufficiency led to its catastrophic downfall, Christ, though infinitely rich in His divine nature, "for your sakes became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (cf. [2 Corinthians 8:9](/2_corinthians/8-9 "2 Corinthians 8:9 - Christ's Example of Giving")), offering an eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed or brought to ruin (cf. [Daniel 2:44](/daniel/2-44 "Daniel 2:44 - The Kingdom of God")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Revelation 18:19

And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

Isaiah 23:3

And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, [is] her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

Isaiah 23:8

Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants [are] princes, whose traffickers [are] the honourable of the earth?

Ezekiel 27:12

Tarshish [was] thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all [kind of] riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.

Ezekiel 27:36

The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt be] any more.

Ezekiel 28:16

By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Ezekiel 28:4

With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: