Ezechiele 29:18

18 Figliuol d’uomo, Nebucadnesar, re di Babilonia, ha adoperato il suo esercito in grave servitù contro a Tiro; ogni testa n’è stata dipelata, ed ogni spalla scorticata; e nè egli, nè il suo esercito, non hanno avuto alcun premio per Tiro, della servitù, nella quale si sono adoperati contro ad essa.

Ezechiele 29:18 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 29:18

Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
The same with Nebuchadnezzar; he goes by both names in Scripture, nor is the difference very great: caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus;
in besieging it thirteen years F3 before he was able to take it; during which time his army suffered much hardship, was greatly fatigued and wearied, by the various military works they were engaged in, to carry on the siege so long a time: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled:
the heads of the soldiers became bald with wearing their helmets so long, or carrying baskets of earth and timber upon them, to make mounts with; and the skin of their shoulders was peeled off, either with their armour, or by carrying burdens on them for the above purpose; or, as Jerom says, from the Assyrian annals, to make a causeway to join the island to the continent, that so they might come at it with their battering rams, and demolish it: yet hath he no wages; nor his army, for Tyrus;
for besieging it; for, as the same Jerom observes when the Tyrians found that the city was like to be taken by him, their gold and silver, and whatsoever was valuable that was with them, they put on and sent it to other islands; or, as others say, that when Tyre on the continent, which was what Nebuchadnezzar besieged, was about to be taken, the inhabitants transplanted their riches to the island at some distance, where new Tyre was afterwards built; however, what with the consumption of their riches during this thirteen years' siege, and the removing their effects to other places before the taking of the city there was scarce anything left for the plunder of king of Babylon's army, so that he and that had nothing to requite them: for the service that he had served against it:
it must have cost him a great deal of money to support such a numerous army for so long a time, as well as the siege was very toilsome and laborious; and yet, when the city was taken, there was nothing found in it to answer this expense and labour.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 Hist. Physic. spud Joseph. adv. Aplon, l. 1. c. 21.

Ezechiele 29:18 In-Context

16 E l’Egitto non sarà più alla casa d’Israele per confidanza, per far che sia ricordata l’iniquità, commessa in ciò ch’esso ha riguardato dietro a loro; e conosceranno che io sono il Signore Iddio.
17 Or avvenne, nell’anno ventisettesimo, nel primo giorno del primo mese, che la parola del Signore mi fu indirizzata, dicendo:
18 Figliuol d’uomo, Nebucadnesar, re di Babilonia, ha adoperato il suo esercito in grave servitù contro a Tiro; ogni testa n’è stata dipelata, ed ogni spalla scorticata; e nè egli, nè il suo esercito, non hanno avuto alcun premio per Tiro, della servitù, nella quale si sono adoperati contro ad essa.
19 Perciò, così ha detto il Signore Iddio: Ecco, io dono a Nebucadnesar, re di Babilonia, il paese di Egitto; ed egli ne menerà via il popolo, e ne spoglierà le spoglie, e ne prederà la preda; e ciò sarà il premio del suo esercito.
20 Io gli ho dato il paese di Egitto, per premio dell’opera sua, nella quale si è adoperato contro ad essa; conciossiachè abbiano operato per me, dice il Signore Iddio.
The Giovanni Diodati Bible is in the public domain.