Ezekiel 29:18

18 Thou, son of man, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made his host to serve by great service against Tyre; each head was made bald, and each shoulder was made bare of hair, and meed was not yielded of Tyre to him, neither to his host (and no reward, or money, was given from Tyre to him, nor to his army), for the service by which he served to me against it.

Ezekiel 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.

Ezekiel 29:18 In-Context

16 and they shall no more be to the house of Israel in(to) trust (and they shall no more be trustworthy for the house of Israel), (and) teaching (them) wickedness, that they flee, and follow them; and they shall know, that I am the Lord God.
17 And it was done in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month (on the first day of the month), the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
18 Thou, son of man, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made his host to serve by great service against Tyre; each head was made bald, and each shoulder was made bare of hair, and meed was not yielded of Tyre to him, neither to his host (and no reward, or money, was given from Tyre to him, nor to his army), for the service by which he served to me against it.
19 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall give Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the land of Egypt, and he shall take the multitude thereof; and he shall take in prey the clothes thereof, and he shall ravish the spoils thereof, and meed shall be to his host, (And so the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he shall take its multitude; and he shall take its clothes as prey, and he shall rob its spoils, and it shall be a reward for his army,)
20 and to the work for which he served to me against it; and I gave the land of Egypt to him, for that that he travailed to me, saith the Lord God. (and for the work in which he served me against it; and so I gave the land of Egypt to him, because he laboured for me, saith the Lord God.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.