Ezekiel 26:1-14

The Downfall of Tyre

1 In the eleventh year, on the first [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:

2 "Son of man, because Tyre said about Jerusalem: Good! The gateway to the peoples is shattered. She has been turned over to me. I will be filled [now that] she lies in ruins,

3 therefore this is what the Lord God says: See, I am against you, Tyre!^[a] I will raise up many nations against you, just as the sea raises its waves.

4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers.^[b] I will scrape the soil from her and turn her into a bare rock.

5 She will become a place in the sea to spread nets, for I have spoken." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God . "She will become plunder for the nations,

6 and her villages on the mainland will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

7 For this is what the Lord God says: "See, I am about to bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a vast company of troops.

8 He will slaughter your villages on the mainland with the sword. He will set up siege works against you, and will build a ramp^[c] and raise a wall of shields against you.

9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his iron tools.

10 His horses will be so numerous that their dust will cover you. When he enters your gates as [an army] entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots.

11 He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.

12 They will take your wealth as spoil and plunder your merchandise. They will also demolish your walls and tear down your beautiful homes. Then they will throw your stones, timber, and soil into the water.^[d]

13 I will put an end to the noise of your songs, and the sound of your lyres will no longer be heard.

14 I will turn you into a bare rock, and you will be a place to spread nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the Lord, have spoken." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God .

Ezekiel 26:1-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 26

This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of Tyre. The time of the prophecy, Eze 26:1, the cause of the destruction of it, rejoicing at the ruin of Jerusalem, Eze 26:2, the instruments of it, many nations, particularly the king of Babylon, Eze 26:3-7, the manner in which it shall be done, Eze 26:8-14, the lamentation of other isles, and the princes of them, on account of it, Eze 26:15-18, the utter destruction of it, so as never to be found any more, Eze 26:19-21.

Footnotes

• [a] Isa 23:1
• [b] Am 1:10
• [c] Lit ramp against you
• [d] Ezk 27:12; Zch 9:3-4