Ezekiel Chapter 26 — The Prophecy Against Tyre
This chapter contains a prophecy of total destruction against the maritime city of Tyre because it celebrated the downfall of Jerusalem.
1In 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! She who was the gateway of the peoples has been returned to me. I will be replenished, now that she is laid waste;’
3therefore the Lord GOD says, ‘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.
4They will destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers. I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock.
5She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the middle of the sea; for I have spoken it,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘She will become plunder for the nations.
6Her daughters who are in the field will be slain with the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’
7“For the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring on Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, from the north, with horses, with chariots, with horsemen, and an army with many people.
8He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will make forts against you, cast up a mound against you, and raise up the buckler against you.
9He will set his battering engines against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers.
10By reason of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, of the wagons, and of the chariots, when he enters into your gates, as men enter into a city which is broken open.
11He will tread down all your streets with the hoofs of his horses. He will kill your people with the sword. The pillars of your strength will go down to the ground.
12They will make a plunder of your riches and make a prey of your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. They will lay your stones, your timber, and your dust in the middle of the waters.
13I will cause the noise of your songs to cease. The sound of your harps won’t be heard any more.
14I will make you a bare rock. You will be a place for the spreading of nets. You will be built no more; for I the LORD have spoken it,’ says the Lord GOD.
15“The Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Won’t the islands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made within you?
16Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground, and will tremble every moment, and be astonished at you.
17They will take up a lamentation over you, and tell you,
18Now the islands will tremble in the day of your fall.
19“For the Lord GOD says: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep on you, and the great waters cover you,
20then I will bring you down with those who descend into the pit, to the people of old time, and will make you 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.
21I will make you a terror, and you will no more have any being. Though you are sought for, yet you will never be found again,’ says the Lord GOD.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Ezekiel 26:4
“They will destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers. I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock.”
This verse highlights the severity and totality of the predicted physical destruction of the city.
Ezekiel 26:14
“I will make you a bare rock. You will be a place for the spreading of nets. You will be built no more; for I the LORD have spoken it,’ says the Lord GOD.”
It emphasizes the permanent nature of the city's ruin and the authority of the divine decree.
Chapter Summary
Ezekiel 26 records a divine message directed at Tyre, a powerful coastal city-state. The prophecy begins by citing Tyre's gloating over the destruction of Jerusalem, viewing it as a commercial opportunity. In response, God declares that many nations will rise against Tyre like the waves of the sea. The text specifically names Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, as the primary instrument of this judgment. He is described as besieging the city with horses, chariots, and battering engines. The prophecy details the complete ruin of the city: its walls will be broken, its wealth plundered, and its location scraped down to the bare rock, eventually becoming a place for fishermen to spread their nets. The chapter concludes by describing the shock and mourning of neighboring coastal rulers and islands who witness Tyre's sudden and terrifying collapse into desolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tyre was judged because it gloated over the fall of Jerusalem, hoping to profit from the city's ruin. The text indicates that Tyre's attitude of 'Aha!' regarding Jerusalem's misfortune provoked divine anger.
The prophecy specifically names Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, as the leader who would bring an army with horses, chariots, and siege engines against the city. It also mentions that many other nations would participate in its downfall.
It refers to the absolute desolation of the city. Instead of being a bustling center of trade and commerce, the site would become so bare and quiet that it would only be suitable for fishermen to lay out their nets to dry.
Study Note
The mention of the 'eleventh year' in the first verse correlates with the historical timeframe of the fall of Jerusalem under Babylonian siege.
Related Chapters
Isaiah Chapter 23
Isaiah also contains a significant prophecy regarding the burden and judgment of Tyre.
Ezekiel Chapter 27
The next chapter continues the lamentation for Tyre, focusing on its commercial glory and eventual fall.
Jeremiah Chapter 27
Jeremiah mentions the submission of Tyre and other nations to the power of Babylon.
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