Ezekiel 26: A Prophecy Against Tyre
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!
Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.
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;
When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 26 focuses on God's judgment against Tyre, a powerful and wealthy coastal city in the ancient world. This chapter, along with chapters 27 and 28, details the prophesied demise of this significant maritime force. The prophecy in Ezekiel 26 is particularly timely, arriving just before the fall of Jerusalem. Tyre's strategic location on the Mediterranean coast allowed it to flourish through its navy and extensive seafaring trade. Because God’s prophetic word was certain of fulfillment, he could speak of future events as if they had already happened.
Tyre's Arrogance and Impending Doom (Ezekiel 26:1-6)
The oracle against Tyre begins with Ezekiel's characteristic introduction, signaling a direct message from the Lord. Tyre's sin was rooted in its gloating over Jerusalem's fall. Like Ammon, Tyre mocked Jerusalem's misfortune (Ezekiel 26:2; see Ezekiel 25:3). However, Tyre's joy stemmed from greed. With Judah out of the picture, Tyre saw an opportunity to seize control of the lucrative overland trade routes connecting Mesopotamia and Egypt, adding to its dominance of the sea trade (Ezekiel 26:2).
God, however, had a different plan. Because Tyre celebrated the downfall of His people, God declared that He would bring many nations against Tyre, like waves crashing against the shore. These nations would destroy Tyre's walls and demolish its towers (Ezekiel 26:3-4). The once-imposing city would be reduced to a bare rock, a place where fishermen would spread their nets (Ezekiel 26:5). The villages surrounding Tyre on the mainland would be slaughtered (Ezekiel 26:6).
Nebuchadnezzar's Siege and Alexander the Great's Triumph (Ezekiel 26:7-14)
The initial phase of this judgment came through King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who turned his attention to Tyre after conquering Jerusalem (Ezekiel 26:7-11). Historical records confirm that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for thirteen long years. While the island fortress of Tyre managed to withstand Nebuchadnezzar's assault, the mainland portions of the city were utterly destroyed, just as Ezekiel prophesied.
Ezekiel 26:12-14 may allude to later forces that would come against Tyre. Alexander the Great, in 332 BC, famously conquered Tyre by using the rubble from the destroyed mainland city to build a causeway to the island fortress, ultimately destroying it. Significantly, the ancient site of Tyre has never been rebuilt, a testament to the fulfillment of God's word (Ezekiel 26:14).
Mourning for Tyre's Fall (Ezekiel 26:15-21)
Tyre's trading partners, who relied on the city for their own prosperity in the seafaring world, would be devastated by its complete downfall. They would shudder at the news, sit on the ground in mourning, and lament the city's demise (Ezekiel 26:15-18). God emphatically confirmed the finality of Tyre's judgment, stating that its people had descended to the Pit (Ezekiel 26:20), the ancient world's dreaded place of death and no return. This, indeed, was Tyre's fate; it would cease to exist as a major sea power, according to the declaration of the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 26:21). While a city named Tyre existed in the time of Jesus, it was a shadow of its former self, a greatly weakened place.
Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty over nations and the consequences of pride and greed. It underscores the certainty of God's judgment and the ultimate futility of relying on worldly power and wealth. The fall of Tyre should also serve as a warning to those who rejoice in the misfortunes of others.
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!
Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.
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;
When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 26 focuses on God's judgment against Tyre, a powerful and wealthy coastal city in the ancient world. This chapter, along with chapters 27 and 28, details the prophesied demise of this significant maritime force. The prophecy in Ezekiel 26 is particularly timely, arriving just before the fall of Jerusalem. Tyre's strategic location on the Mediterranean coast allowed it to flourish through its navy and extensive seafaring trade. Because God’s prophetic word was certain of fulfillment, he could speak of future events as if they had already happened.
Tyre's Arrogance and Impending Doom (Ezekiel 26:1-6)
The oracle against Tyre begins with Ezekiel's characteristic introduction, signaling a direct message from the Lord. Tyre's sin was rooted in its gloating over Jerusalem's fall. Like Ammon, Tyre mocked Jerusalem's misfortune (Ezekiel 26:2; see Ezekiel 25:3). However, Tyre's joy stemmed from greed. With Judah out of the picture, Tyre saw an opportunity to seize control of the lucrative overland trade routes connecting Mesopotamia and Egypt, adding to its dominance of the sea trade (Ezekiel 26:2).
God, however, had a different plan. Because Tyre celebrated the downfall of His people, God declared that He would bring many nations against Tyre, like waves crashing against the shore. These nations would destroy Tyre's walls and demolish its towers (Ezekiel 26:3-4). The once-imposing city would be reduced to a bare rock, a place where fishermen would spread their nets (Ezekiel 26:5). The villages surrounding Tyre on the mainland would be slaughtered (Ezekiel 26:6).
Nebuchadnezzar's Siege and Alexander the Great's Triumph (Ezekiel 26:7-14)
The initial phase of this judgment came through King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who turned his attention to Tyre after conquering Jerusalem (Ezekiel 26:7-11). Historical records confirm that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for thirteen long years. While the island fortress of Tyre managed to withstand Nebuchadnezzar's assault, the mainland portions of the city were utterly destroyed, just as Ezekiel prophesied.
Ezekiel 26:12-14 may allude to later forces that would come against Tyre. Alexander the Great, in 332 BC, famously conquered Tyre by using the rubble from the destroyed mainland city to build a causeway to the island fortress, ultimately destroying it. Significantly, the ancient site of Tyre has never been rebuilt, a testament to the fulfillment of God's word (Ezekiel 26:14).
Mourning for Tyre's Fall (Ezekiel 26:15-21)
Tyre's trading partners, who relied on the city for their own prosperity in the seafaring world, would be devastated by its complete downfall. They would shudder at the news, sit on the ground in mourning, and lament the city's demise (Ezekiel 26:15-18). God emphatically confirmed the finality of Tyre's judgment, stating that its people had descended to the Pit (Ezekiel 26:20), the ancient world's dreaded place of death and no return. This, indeed, was Tyre's fate; it would cease to exist as a major sea power, according to the declaration of the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 26:21). While a city named Tyre existed in the time of Jesus, it was a shadow of its former self, a greatly weakened place.
Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty over nations and the consequences of pride and greed. It underscores the certainty of God's judgment and the ultimate futility of relying on worldly power and wealth. The fall of Tyre should also serve as a warning to those who rejoice in the misfortunes of others.