Ezekiel 26 commentary

EZEKIEL 26 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY Glenn Pease
A Prophecy Against Tyre
1 In the eleventh month of the twelfth[a] year, on
the first day of the month, the word of the Lord
came to me:
BARNES, "Prophecies against Tyre. The siege of Tyre lasted thirteen years beginning
585 b.c., about three years after the capture of Jerusalem. While besieging Jerusalem,
Nebuchadnezzar had driven Pharaoh Hophra back to the borders of Egypt. Tyre being
thus relieved from a dangerous enemy, was exulting in her own deliverance, and in her
neighbor’s ruin, when Ezekiel predicted the calamity about to befall her. The name Tyre
means rock, and was given to the city in consequence of its position. This island-rock
was the heart of Tyre, and the town upon the continent - called “Old Tyre,” possibly as
having been the temporary position of the first settlers - was the outgrowth of the island
city. The scanty records of ancient history give no, distinct evidence of the capture of
insular Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar; but the fact is very probable. Compare especially Eze_
26:7-12; Eze_29:18. The present state of Tyre is one of utter desolation, though the end
was long delayed (compare Isa. 23). Tyre was great and wealthy under Persian, Greek,
Roman, and even Muslim masters. The final ruin of Tyre was due to the sultan of Egypt
(1291 a.d.).
In the first day of the month - The number of the month being omitted, many
suppose “the month” to mean the month when Jerusalem was taken (the rebirth
month), called “the month,” as being so well known. The capture of the city is known to
have taken place on “the ninth day of the fourth month” and its destruction on “the
seventh day of the fifth month.” This prophecy therefore preceded by a few days the
capture of the city. The condition of Jerusalem in the latter months of its siege was such
that the Tyrians may well have exulted as though it had already fallen.
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CLARKE, "The eleventh year - This was the year in which Jerusalem was taken;
the eleventh of the captivity of Jeconiah, and the eleventh of the reign of Zedekiah. What
month we are not told, though the day is mentioned. There have been many conjectures
about this, which are not of sufficient consequence to be detailed.
GILL, "And it came to pass in the eleventh year,.... Of Jehoiachin's captivity and
Zedekiah's reign, the same year that Jerusalem was taken:
in the first day of the month; but what month is not mentioned; some have thought
the first month, and so it was the first day of the year; others the fourth, the same in
which the city of Jerusalem was taken; but more probably the fifth, the first of which was
twenty days after the taking it; in which time the news of it might be brought to Tyre, at
which she rejoiced; and for which her destruction is threatened, and here prophesied of:
that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying; as follows:
HENRY, "This prophecy is dated in the eleventh year, which was the year that
Jerusalem was taken, and in the first day of the month, but it is not said what month,
some think the month in which Jerusalem was taken, which was the fourth month,
others the month after; or perhaps it was the first month, and so it was the first day of
the year. Observe here,
JAMISON, "Eze_26:1-21. The judgment on Tyre through Nebuchadnezzar (twenty-
sixth through twenty-eighth chapters).
In the twenty-sixth chapter, Ezekiel sets forth: -
(1) Tyre’s sin;
(2) its doom;
(3) the instruments executing it;
(4) the effects produced on other nations by her downfall. In the twenty-seventh
chapter, a lamentation over the fall of such earthly splendor.
In the twenty-eighth chapter, an elegy addressed to the king, on the humiliation of his
sacrilegious pride. Ezekiel, in his prophecies as to the heathen, exhibits the dark side
only; because he views them simply in their hostility to the people of God, who shall
outlive them all. Isaiah (Isa_23:1-18), on the other hand, at the close of judgments, holds
out the prospect of blessing, when Tyre should turn to the Lord.
The specification of the date, which had been omitted in the case of the four preceding
objects of judgment, marks the greater weight attached to the fall of Tyre.
eleventh year — namely, after the carrying away of Jehoiachin, the year of the fall of
Jerusalem. The number of the month is, however, omitted, and the day only given. As
the month of the taking of Jerusalem was regarded as one of particular note, namely, the
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fourth month, also the fifth, on which it was actually destroyed (Jer_52:6, Jer_52:12,
Jer_52:13), Rabbi David reasonably supposes that Tyre uttered her taunt at the close of
the fourth month, as her nearness to Jerusalem enabled her to hear of its fall very soon,
and that Ezekiel met it with his threat against herself on “the first day” of the fifth
month.
K&D, "In four sections, commencing with the formula, “thus saith the Lord,” Tyre,
the mistress of the sea, is threatened with destruction. In the first strophe (Eze_26:2-6)
there is a general threat of its destruction by a host of nations. In the second (Eze_
26:7-14), the enemy is mentioned by name, and designated as a powerful one; and the
conquest and destruction emanating from his are circumstantially described. In the
third (Eze_26:15-18), the impression which this event would produce upon the
inhabitants of the islands and coast-lands is depicted. And in the fourth (Eze_26:19-21),
the threat is repeated in an energetic manner, and the prophecy is thereby rounded off.
This word of God bears in the introduction to the date of its delivery to the prophet
and enunciation by him. - Eze_26:1. It came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first of
the month, that the word of Jehovah came to me, saying. - The eleventh year of the exile
of Jehoiachin was the year of the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem (Jer_52:6, Jer_
52:12), the occurrence of which is presupposed in Eze_26:2 also. There is something
striking in the omission of the number of the month both here and in Eze_32:17, as the
day of the month is given. The attempt to discover in the words ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ ְ‫בּ‬ an indication of
the number of the month, by understanding ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫ֹד‬‫ח‬ַ‫ל‬ as signifying the first month of the
year: “on the first as regards the month,” equivalent to, “in the first month, on the first
day of it” (lxx, Luther, Kliefoth, and others), is as forced and untenable as the notion that
that particular month is intended which had peculiar significance for Ezekiel, namely,
the month in which Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed. The first explanation is
proved to be erroneous by Eze_26:2, where the destruction of Jerusalem, which
occurred in the fifth month of the year named, is assumed to have already happened.
The second view is open to the objection that the conquest of Jerusalem happened in the
fourth month, and the destruction in the fifth (Jer_52:6 and Jer_52:12); and it cannot
be affirmed that the conquest was of less importance to Ezekiel than the destruction. We
cannot escape the conclusion, therefore, that the number of the month has been dropped
through a corruption of the text, which has occurred in copying; but in that case we must
give up all hope of being able to determine what the month really was. The conjecture
offered by Ewald and Hitzig, that one of the last months of the year is intended, because
Ezekiel could not have known before then what impression the conquest of Jerusalem
had made upon Tyre, stands or falls with the naturalistic view entertained by these
writers with regard to prophecy.
COFFMAN, "Verse 1
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PROPHECY AGAINST TYRE
It is of interest that, "In the Hebrew Bible, there is a marginal note at the beginning
of this chapter, which reads, `half of the book.'"[1]
Regarding the date of this chapter, Keil identified it as "the year in which Jerusalem
fell."[2] Alexander gave that date as 587-586 B.C.[3]
Ezekiel gave more space to God's prophecies against Tyre than did any other sacred
writer. The prophecy which begins in this chapter is concluded in Ezekiel 28:19.
This may have been due to the importance of Tyre at that particular time.
As was true of all the other nations against whom God directed his prophecies, it
was their paganism which required the destruction in which God judged them.
Salvation for mankind could never have been accomplished without the general
knowledge of all mankind that God is, and that there is none else besides Him. The
necessity for the destructive punishment of Israel had given her pagan neighbors the
excuse to claim that the True God had been defeated; therefore, the pagan nations
themselves were destroyed.
Tyre, and its sister city Sidon were pagan to the center of their existence. It was
Jezebel, the daughter of Eth-Baal, king of the Sidonians, who brought the whole
pagan institution into Israel in the days of Ahab, precipitating the contest with
Elijah on Mount Carmel. Incidentally, that development demonstrated the godless
influence of Israel's apostate kings and their foreign wives. Jezebel was the wife of
Ahab.
Tyre was an exceedingly strong city, the citadel of which was located on a rock-
bound island 1,200 yards off the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. There were
numerous villages and cities on the mainland that were commercially and politically
related to Tyre. "Tyre was the incarnation of unrestrained commercialism."[4]
They were the vulture-like scavengers on the fringes of every battlefield, waiting to
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make a deal to buy the prisoners of war and sell them at a profit. On one occasion
they had even sold the Israelites to Edom (Amos 1:9). Back in the days of Solomon,
they had formed a covenant ('the brotherly covenant') with Israel, and therefore
they probably had some knowledge of Jehovah.
In addition to the supporting cities and villages on the mainland, Tyre had also
established a wide network of commercial establishments all over the
Mediterranean world, which some believe included Tarshish on the coast of Spain;
and, at one time, Carthage paid a yearly tribute to Tyre.[5] The chief
representatives of Tyre in all of such centers were important leaders, called `princes'
in this chapter, "the merchant princes" of antiquity.
Tyre was primarily a merchandiser, a tradesman; but another source of her wealth
was the manufacture of a rare purple dye, made from the murex shell, which came
from a tiny shellfish abundant in that area.[6] No doubt Lydia (Acts 16), a "seller of
purple" had her connections with Tyre.
The chapter naturally falls into four divisions: (1) the announcement of Tyre's ruin
(Ezekiel 26:1-6), (2) Nebuchadnezzar named as the destroyer (Ezekiel 26:7-14), (3)
the world-wide shock at Tyre's fall, and (4) the permanence of the city's ruin
(Ezekiel 26:19-21).
Ezekiel 26:1-6
"And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the
word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, because that Tyre hath said
against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gate of the people; she is turned
unto me; I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste: therefore thus saith the
Lord Jehovah, Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to
come up against thee, as the sea causeth its waves to come up. And they shall destroy
the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her,
and make her a bare rock. She shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst
of the sea; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah; and she shall become a spoil
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to the nations. And her daughters that are in the field shall be slain with the sword:
and they shall know that I am Jehovah."
"She ... that was the gate of the people ..." (Ezekiel 26:2). There were several ways in
which Jerusalem was indeed the "gate of the people." Due to Jerusalem's location as
a kind of center-piece for three continents, she sat astride the principle trade-routes
of the world, able to impose taxes upon all who passed through her borders. The
cruel selfishness of those old slave-traders in Tyre led them to look with greedy
delight upon any disaster that befell Jerusalem.
The word "gate" (Ezekiel 26:2) is often translated "gates"; and Keil believed that,
"The plural was used to indicate the folding doors which formed `the gate.'"[7]
However, to us, it appears that the several toll-stations on all the roads passing
through Palestine is a more logical understanding of the plural. All such seats of
custom were under the control of Jerusalem until its fall.
The rejoicing of Tyre over the fall of Jerusalem indicated that, "Tyre considered
herself the heiress of Jerusalem. The fall of the world's only spiritual center,
enhanced the importance of the secular center."[8] Although not stated here, the full
meaning of Tyre's remarks should probably be understood as carrying the thought
that, "Now she is turned to me and to my gods!"
They shall destroy the walls of Tyre (Ezekiel 26:4); I will scrape her dust from her,
and make her a bare rock (Ezekiel 26:4); she shall become a spoil to the nations
(Ezekiel 26:5); many nations shall come up against thee, as the waves of the sea
(Ezekiel 26:3). All of these prophecies were most circumstantially fulfilled.
Cooke alleged that the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar was "probably
inconclusive."[9] However, it went on for a period of thirteen years (586 B. C. to 573
B.C.)[10] and any worse "defeat" than such a siege can hardly be imagined.
Furthermore, "It is evident that Nebuchadnezzar did indeed establish authority
over Tyre, because an ancient inscription dated in 564/563 B.C. mentions a
Babylonian high commissioner, alongside Tyre's native king (evidently a vassal of
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Nebuchadnezzar)."[11]
It should be noted that a final end of Tyre was not to come in a single overthrow; it
would be the result of "many nations," coming against the proud city "as the waves
of the sea." First, there was Nebuchadnezzar (586-573 B.C); the Persians next
subjugated Tyre in 525 B.C.;[12] then, there was Alexander the Great (332 B.C.);
and Tyre's remaining history continued to show the `continuing waves' of
destruction. These included their submission to the Antiochus III, to Rome in the
days of that empire, and to the Saracens in the fourteenth century A.D.[13] Is not
this indeed "as the sea causeth her waves to come up?"
That Tyre would become as a bare rock is demonstrated by the condition of the
place now, and for centuries previously.
That God would scrape her dust from her took place when Alexander the Great
built a great mole out to the island fortress, took it, and then scraped the whole city
into the ocean!
A few commentators, quoting Ezekiel 29:18, insist that "this prophecy was not
fulfilled." However, in that passage Ezekiel was referring only to a "single wave" of
the many that came against Tyre. Besides that, there are indeed Biblical examples of
prophecies that were not fulfilled. God's promise through Jonah to overthrow
Nineveh in forty days was not fulfilled. Why? Nineveh repented! Furthermore, we
cannot rule out the possibility of an unrecorded repentance by Tyre. "It is possible
that Tyre was spared because of an unrecorded repentance."[14] It would be helpful
if some of our radical "scholars" would read Jeremiah 18:7-10. We have no
evidence whatever that Tyre ever repented; but they certainly had some knowledge
of the Lord; and it is no more unreasonable that, at one time or another, they indeed
might have repented, than that Nineveh herself did so! Our view here is that every
Word of God's prophecy against Tyre came to pass exactly as he promised.
ELLICOTT, "Introduction
Tyre was a great and powerful commercial city, made up of two parts: Old Tyre,
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situated on a plain on the mainland, and New Tyre, built on a rocky island, or
rather two islands joined together, lying about half a mile from the shore. Its
territory was insignificant, but it was so strong in its wealth, its ships, and its
colonies, that it was able to employ mercenaries (Ezekiel 27:10-11) in numbers, and
being strongly fortified, resisted for five years, and with final success, the siege by
the whole power of Assyria under Shalmaneser. According to the Assyrian records,
however, it was afterwards captured by Assurbanipal. A few years after the fall of
Jerusalem it was again besieged by Nebuchadnezzar for thirteen years. There is no
express mention in the histories of the time of the result of this siege, although it is
implied in the statement of the ancient historians (Jos. 100 Apion, i. 20;. Antt. x., 11,
§1) that Nebuchadnezzar made himself master of all Phœnicia. It is also asserted by
St. Jerome that he captured Tyre, and he describes the method by which it was
accomplished; it is also very unlikely that such a monarch as Nebuchadnezzar
would have allowed himself to be baffled after such effort. (On the difficulty
suggested by Ezekiel 29:18, see the Note there.) In the days of David and Solomon,
the king of Tyre was the close friend of Israel; afterwards the two nations became
alienated, and the Tyrians sold Hebrew captives to the Greeks and the Edomites
(Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9-10). Tyre was probably greatly offended when Josiah, in the
course of his reformation, defiled the images of their god Baal, and destroyed his
sacred vessels, both at Jerusalem and in Samaria. It was subject to the Persian
Empire, was captured by Alexander, remained a large city under the Romans, was
still flourishing in the time of St. Jerome, was great at the era of the Crusades, but
soon afterwards was totally destroyed by the Saracens, and has since remained so
utterly desolate that its site might not even be observed by the passing traveller.
Besides the prophecies against Tyre just mentioned, that of Isaiah 23 has already
been spoken of in the introductory Note to chapter 25.
Ezekiel’s denunciation of Tyre occupies nearly three chapters, and each of these
forms a distinct prophecy, the last verses of Ezekiel 28 constituting a separate
prophecy against the associated Phoenician city of Sidon. The first of these (Ezekiel
26) is occupied with the threat of the destruction of Tyre; the second (Ezekiel 27) is a
lamentation over this destruction; while the third (Ezekiel 28:1-19) is divided into
two parts (which may indeed be separate prophecies), of which the former (Ezekiel
26:1-10) is a threat specifically against the king of Tyre, and the latter (Ezekiel
26:11-19) is a lamentation over his fall.
Chapter 26 consists of four sections, each introduced with “Thus saith the Lord,”
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the whole preceded by the mention of the sin of Tyre in exulting over the fall of
Jerusalem (Ezekiel 26:2). The first of these (Ezekiel 26:3-6) describes the ultimate
desolation of Tyre by “many nations;” the second (Ezekiel 26:7-14) describes
circumstantially its more immediate conquest by Nebuchadnezzar; the third
(Ezekiel 26:15-18) the effect upon the islands and coasts, doubtless with especial
reference to her colonies and those with whom she was commercially connected;
while the fourth (Ezekiel 26:19-21) is an energetic repetition and summary of her
doom.
Verse 1
(1) In the first day of the month.—The year was that in which Jerusalem fell (2
Kings 25:2-4; 2 Kings 25:8-9), but the month is not given here, and cannot now be
ascertained. It is plain from Ezekiel 26:2 that Tyre already felt sure of the issue of
the siege; but there is a marked difference between this and the language in Ezekiel
25:3, which could only have been used after the capture of the city. This prophecy
may therefore well have been given at any time during the eleventh year. Possibly
the Alexandrine Septuagint is right in supplying “the first” month; but as this is
omitted in the Roman copy, it is more likely to have been a mere conjecture. There
is a similar omission in Ezekiel 32:17, but the number is easily supplied there from
Ezekiel 26:1. Probably, in both cases the omission is a mere error of the scribes.
TRAPP, " 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,
Ver. 1. In the eleventh year.] Of Jehoiakim’s captivity and Zedekiah’s reign.
In the first day of the month,] i.e., Of the fifth month, when the news came to Tyre
of the destruction of Jerusalem twenty days before, which occured on the ninth day
of the fourth month. [2 Kings 25:1]
POOLE, "Tyrus, for insulting over the distress of Jerusalem, is threatened with
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destruction, Ezekiel 26:1-6: of which Nebuchadrezzar shall be made the instrument,
Ezekiel 26:7-14. The consternation and mourning of the isles and princes of the sea
for her fall, Ezekiel 26:15-21.
The eleventh year of Jeconiah’s captivity, the year wherein Jerusalem was taken.
The first day of the month; that month which followed the taking of Jerusalem, i.e.
the fifth month; for Jerusalem was taken on the fourth month, ninth day, and in
twenty days after the news was brought to Tyrus, which behaved herself as the
prophet will declare.
PETT, "Introduction
Chapters 26-28 The Oracles Against Tyre and Zidon.
Oracles against Tyre continue throughout the next three chapters in some detail.
Tyre seems to have exalted itself to godlike status, its kings making huge claims, and
it exulted in the destruction of Jerusalem because Jerusalem was a trade rival. It
was indeed so strong that it took Nebuchadnezzar the next thirteen years to subdue
it. But it had to recognise that it had no hope. It was under the sentence of Yahweh.
Tyre was a famous seaport divided into island and mainland harbours, and
protected by mountains. Its merchant seamen roved widely throughout the ancient
world, and it was renowned for its glassware and dyed materials. The island and
mainland were connected by a causeway built by Hiram I in the tenth century BC,
and the island provided a perfect and strong refuge in times of invasion. It was
mentioned in the Amarna letters, at times maintained close relations with Israel and
Judah, and was very prosperous. It was, however, regularly subjugated by the
Assyrians, who captured the mainland city, and as a wealthy seaport it had had to
pay high tribute. It was about a hundred miles from Jerusalem, a journey of a few
days by camel. No worthwhile empire was going to leave it alone for long. It was a
source of great riches, famed for its imports and exports in a world where sea-going
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was seen as exceptional.
The oracles can be divided into five, the oracle of her destruction (Ezekiel 26:1-21),
an oracle likening her to a foundering sea-vessel (Ezekiel 27:1-36), an oracle about
the self-exaltation and downfall of her king as ‘nagid’ (prince) (Ezekiel 28:1-10), a
lament over the fate of the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:11-19), and an oracle against
Zidon (Ezekiel 28:20-26). The number of the oracles and their content reveal the
important position that Tyre held in the ancient Near Eastern world, and the status
that she accorded herself.
Verse 1-2
‘And so it was that in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word
of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, because Tyre has said against
Jerusalem, ‘Aha, she is broken who was the gate of the peoples, she has been turned
to me. I will be replenished now that she is laid waste’.”
The dating of the oracle is slightly uncertain as no month is mentioned. This may
have been because it was the eleventh month so that it accidentally dropped out due
to the scribe picking up at the wrong point. Or it may simply be that there was no
record of the month and that what was considered to matter was that it was on the
first day of a moon period. It was possibly around February 586/5 BC, just after the
fall of Jerusalem. Tyrian traders may well have reached Babylonia with the news of
the downfall, and jesting remarks about the benefit it would now bring to them.
But more important is the reason for the coming judgment. Tyre exulted in the
downfall of Jerusalem because it would enhance her own profits. It is clear that she
had been jealous of Jerusalem’s position as ‘the gate of the peoples’, a major
intersection on the trade routes. Now that Jerusalem was no more, much of the
trade benefit would come to Tyre. The destruction of Jerusalem brought her
nothing but happiness.
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It is a woeful thing to rejoice at gaining through the suffering and misery of others.
PULPIT, "The prophetic messages against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and the
Philistines were comparatively short. That against Tyre spreads over three chapters
(Eze 26:1-29:18). The special prominence thus given to the latter city was probably
due to its political importance in Ezekiel's time, possibly also to the personal
knowledge which may be inferred from his minute description of its magnificence
and its commerce. It is ushered in with special solemnity as "a word of Jehovah."
Ezekiel 26:1
In the eleventh year, etc. The last date given (Ezekiel 24:1) was the tenth day of the
tenth month of the ninth year. We have now come to the eleventh year, on which, on
the ninth day of the fourth month, Jerusalem was taken, while its destruction
followed in the seventh day of the fifth month (Jeremiah 52:6, Jeremiah 52:12). Here
the number of the month is not given in the Hebrew or the Vulgate, while the LXX.
inserts the "first month." In Ezekiel 32:17 we have a like omission, and in both cases
it is natural to assume an error of transcription. The tidings of the capture may have
reached both Tyre and Tel-Abib, and Ezekiel may have heard of the temper in
which the former had received them, just as he had heard how the nations named in
the previous chapter had exulted in the fall, imminent and, as they thought,
inevitable, of the holy city.
2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said of
Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is
broken, and its doors have swung open to me;
now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’
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BARNES, "Gates - i. e., one gate of two leaves.
The people - Or, the peoples (and in Eze_27:3), the plural expressing the fact that
many peoples passed through Jerusalem, as the central place on the highway of
commerce, e. g., in the reign of Solomon. This was viewed with jealousy by Tyre, who
owed her greatness to the same cause, and in the true spirit of mercantile competition
exulted in the thought that the trade of Jerusalem would be diverted into her markets.
Render it: Aha! She is broken - the gate of the peoples! She is turned unto me. I shall be
filled. She is laid waste.
CLARKE, "Tyrus hath said - From this it would appear that Jerusalem had been
taken, which was on the fourth month of this year; but it is possible that the prophet
speaks of the event beforehand.
She is broken that was the gates of the people - Jerusalem, a general
emporium.
I shall be replenished - The merchandise that went to Jerusalem will come to me,
(to Tyre.).
GILL, "Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, aha,....
As rejoicing at her destruction, and insulting over her in it; which was barbarous and
inhuman, and resented by the Lord:
she is broken that was the gates of the people; through whose gates the people
went in and out in great numbers; a city to which there was very popular, not only for
religion, from all parts, at their solemn feasts, but for merchandise from several parts of
the world; and was now full of people before its destruction, the inhabitants of Judea
having fled thither for safety, upon the invasion made by the king of Babylon; but now
the city was broken up, as it is said it was, by the Chaldean army, Jer_52:7, its gates and
walls were broken down, and lay in a ruinous condition. The Targum is,
"she is broken down that afforded merchandise to all people.''
She is turned unto me; either the inhabitants of Jerusalem, which escaped and fled to
Tyre for refuge; or the spoil taken out of it, which was carried there to be sold; and even
the captives themselves to be sold for slaves, which was one part of the merchandise of
Tyre; see Eze_27:3, or the business, trade, and merchandise carried on in Jerusalem,
were brought to Tyre upon its destruction; so Jarchi and Kimchi. The Targum is,
"she is turned to come unto me;''
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which favours the first sense; all may be intended.
I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste; or, "I shall be filled" (b); with
inhabitants, riches, and wealth, with merchants and merchandise, Jerusalem her rival
being destroyed; this was what gave her joy; and is a common thing for persons to
rejoice at the fall or death of those of the same trade with them; hoping for an increase of
theirs by means of it, which yet is sinful.
HENRY, "The pleasure with which the Tyrians looked upon the ruins of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel was a great way off, in Babylon, but God told him what Tyrus said against
Jerusalem (Eze_26:2): “Aha! she is broken, broken to pieces, that was the gates of the
people, to whom there was a great resort and where there was a general rendezvous of all
nations, some upon one account and some upon another, and I shall get by it; all the
wealth, power, and interest, which Jerusalem had, it is hoped, shall be turned to Tyre,
and so now that she is laid waste I shall be replenished.” We do not find that the Tyrians
had such a hatred and enmity to Jerusalem and the sanctuary as the Ammonites and
Edomites had, or were so spiteful and mischievous to the Jews. They were men of
business, and of large acquaintance and free conversation, and therefore were not so
bigoted, and of such a persecuting spirit, as the narrow souls that lived retired and knew
not the world. All their care was to get estates, and enlarge their trade, and they looked
upon Jerusalem not as an enemy, but as a rival. Hiram, king of Tyre, was a good friend
to David and Solomon, and we do not read of any quarrels the Jews had with the
Tyrians; but Tyre promised herself that the fall of Jerusalem would be an advantage to
her in respect of trade a commerce, that now she shall have Jerusalem's customers, and
the great men from all parts that used to come to Jerusalem for the accomplishing of
themselves, and to spend their estates there, will now come to Tyre and spend them
there; and whereas many, since the Chaldean army became so formidable in those parts,
had retired into Jerusalem, and brought their estates thither for safety, as the Rechabites
did, now they will come to Tyre, which, being in a manner surrounded with the sea, will
be thought a place of greater strength than Jerusalem, and thus the prosperity of Tyre
will rise out of the ruins of Jerusalem. Note, To be secretly pleased with the death or
decay of others, when we are likely to get by it, with their fall when we may thrive upon
it, is a sin that does most easily beset us, but is not thought to be such a bad thing, and so
provoking to God, as really it is. We are apt to say, when those who stand in our light, in
our way, are removed, when they break of fall into disgrace, “We shall be replenished
now that they are laid waste.” But this comes from a selfish covetous principle, and a
desire to be placed alone in the midst of the earth, as if we grudged that any should live
by us. This comes from a want of that love to our neighbour as to ourselves which the
law of God so expressly requires, and from that inordinate love of the world as our
happiness which the love of God so expressly forbids. And it is just with God to blast the
designs and projects of those who thus contrive to raise themselves upon the ruins of
others; and we see they are often disappointed.
JAMISON, "Tyre — (Jos_19:29; 2Sa_24:7), literally, meaning “the rock-city,” Zor; a
name applying to the island Tyre, called New Tyre, rather than Old Tyre on the
14

mainland. They were half a mile apart. “New Tyre,” a century and a half before the fall of
Jerusalem, had successfully resisted Shalmaneser of Assyria, for five years besieging it
(Menander, from the Tyrian archives, quoted by Josephus, Antiquities, 9.14. 2). It was
the stronger and more important of the two cities, and is the one chiefly, though not
exclusively, here meant. Tyre was originally a colony of Zidon. Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of
it lasted thirteen years (Eze_29:18; Isa_23:1-18). Though no profane author mentions
his having succeeded in the siege, Jerome states he read the fact in Assyrian histories.
Aha! — exultation over a fallen rival (Psa_35:21, Psa_35:25).
she ... that was the gates — that is, the single gate composed of two folding doors.
Hence the verb is singular. “Gates” were the place of resort for traffic and public
business: so here it expresses a mart of commerce frequented by merchants. Tyre
regards Jerusalem not as an open enemy, for her territory being the narrow, long strip of
land north of Philistia, between Mount Lebanon and the sea, her interest was to cultivate
friendly relations with the Jews, on whom she was dependent for corn (Eze_27:17; 1Ki_
5:9; Act_12:20). But Jerusalem had intercepted some of the inland traffic which she
wished to monopolize to herself; so, in her intensely selfish worldly-mindedness, she
exulted heartlessly over the fall of Jerusalem as her own gain. Hence she incurred the
wrath of God as pre-eminently the world’s representative in its ambition, selfishness,
and pride, in defiance of the will of God (Isa_23:9).
she is turned unto me — that is, the mart of corn, wine, oil, balsam, etc., which she
once was, is transferred to me. The caravans from Palmyra, Petra, and the East will no
longer be intercepted by the market (“the gates”) of Jerusalem, but will come to me.
K&D 2-14, "Tyre shall be broken and utterly destroyed
Eze_26:2. Son of man, because Tyre saith concerning Jerusalem, “Aha, the door of
the nations is broken; it turneth to me; I shall become full; she is laid waste;” Eze_26:3.
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will come upon thee, O Tyre, and will
bring up against thee many nations, as the sea bringing up its waves. Eze_26:4. They
will destroy the walls of Tyre, and throw down her towers; and I will sweep away her
dust from her, and make her a bare rock. Eze_26:5. She shall become a place for the
spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken it, is the saying of the Lord
Jehovah; and she shall become booty for the nations. Eze_26:6. And her daughters
which are in the land shall be slain with the sword; and they shall learn that I am
Jehovah. - Tyre, as in the prophecy of Isaiah (Ezekiel 23), is not the city of that name
upon the mainland, ἡ πάλαι Τύρος or Παλαίτυρος, Old Tyre, which was taken by
Shalmaneser and destroyed by Alexander (as Perizon., Marsh, Vitringa, J. D. Michaelis,
and Eichhorn supposed), but Insular Tyre, which was three-quarters of a mile farther
north, and only 1200 paces from the land, being built upon a small island, and separated
from the mainland by a strait of no great depth (vid., Movers, Phoenizier, II p. 288ff.).
This Insular Tyre had successfully resisted the Assyrians (Josephus, Antt. ix. 14. 2), and
was at that time the market of the nations; and in Ezekiel's day it had reached the
summit of its greatness as mistress of the sea and the centre of the commerce of the
world. That it is against this Tyre that our prophecy is chiefly directed, is evident from
Eze_26:5 and Eze_26:14, according to which Tyre is to become a bare rock in the midst
of the sea, and from the allusion to the daughter cities, ‫ה‬ ֶ‫ד‬ָ‫שּׂ‬ ַ‫,בּ‬ in the field, i.e., on the
mainland (in Eze_26:6), as contrasted with the position occupied by Tyre upon a rocky
15

island in the sea; and, lastly, from the description given in Ezekiel 27 of the maritime
trade of Tyre with all nations, to which Old Tyre never attained, inasmuch as it
possessed no harbour (vid., Movers, l.c. p. 176). This may easily be reconciled with such
passages as Eze_26:6, Eze_26:8, and Ezekiel 27, 28, in which reference is also made to
the continental Tyre, and the conquest of Tyre is depicted as the conquest of a land-city
(see the exposition of these verses). - The threat against Tyre commences, as in the case
of the nations threatened in Ezekiel 25, with a brief description of its sin. Tyre gave
expression to its joy at the fall of Jerusalem, because it hoped to derive profit therefrom
through the extension of its commerce and increase of its wealth. Different explanations
have been given of the meaning of the words put into the mouth of Tyre. “The door of
the nations is broken in pieces.” The plural ‫ת‬ ‫ת‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫דּ‬ indicates the folding doors which
formed the gate, and are mentioned in its stead. Jerusalem is the door of the nations,
and is so called according to the current opinion of expositors, because it was the centre
of the commerce of the nations, i.e., as a place of trade. But nothing is known to warrant
the idea that Jerusalem was ever able to enter into rivalry with Tyre as a commercial city.
The importance of Jerusalem with regard to other nations was to be found, not in its
commerce, nor in the favourable situation which it occupied for trade, in support of
which Hävernick refers to Herodotus, iii. 5, and Hitzig to Eze_23:40-41, but in its
sanctuary, or the sacred calling which it had received for the whole world of nations.
Kliefoth has therefore decided in favour of the following view: That Jerusalem is called a
gate of the nations, not because it had hitherto been open to the nations for free and
manifold intercourse, but for the very opposite reason, namely, because the gate of
Jerusalem had hitherto been closed and barred against the nations, but was now broken
in pieces through the destruction of the city, and thereby opened to the nations.
Consequently the nations, and notably Tyre, would be able to enter now; and from this
fact the Tyrians hoped to derive advantage, so far as their commercial interests were
concerned. But this view is not in harmony with the text. Although a gate is opened by
being broken in pieces, and one may force an entrance into a house by breaking the door
(Gen_19:9), yet the expression “door of the nations” cannot signify a door which bars all
entrance on the part of the nations, inasmuch as doors and gates are not made to secure
houses and cities against the forcible entrance of men and nations, but to render it
possible for them to go out and in. Moreover, the supposition that “door of the nations”
is equivalent to shutting against the nations, is not in harmony with the words ‫א‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ֵ‫ָס‬‫נ‬ ‫י‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬
which follow. The expression “it has turned to me,” or it is turned to me, has no meaning
unless it signifies that through the breaking of the door the stream of the nations would
turn away from Jerusalem to Tyre, and therefore that hitherto the nations had turned to
Jerusalem. ‫ה‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ֵ‫ָס‬‫נ‬ is the 3rd pers. perf. Niphal of ‫ב‬ ַ‫ב‬ ָ‫,ס‬ for ‫ה‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ַ‫ָס‬‫נ‬ , formed after the
analogy of ‫ס‬ ֵ‫ָמ‬‫נ‬, etc. The missing subject to ‫ה‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ֵ‫ָס‬‫נ‬ is to be found ad sensum in ‫ת‬ ‫ת‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫דּ‬
‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ע‬ ָ‫.ה‬ It is not the door itself, but the entrance and streaming in of the nations, which
had previously been directed towards Jerusalem, and would now turn to Tyre. There is
no necessity, therefore, for Hitzig's conjecture, that ‫ה‬ ָ‫א‬ ְ‫ל‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ִ‫א‬ should be altered into
‫הּ‬ ָ‫א‬ ְ‫,מ‬ and the latter taken as the subject.
Consequently we must understand the words of the Tyrians as signifying that they had
regarded the drawing of the nations to Jerusalem, i.e., the force of attraction which
Jerusalem had hitherto exerted upon the nations, as the seat of the divine revelation of
mercy, or of the law and judgment of the Lord, as interfering with their endeavour to
draw all nations to themselves and gain them over to their purposes, and that they
16

rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem, because they hoped that henceforth they would
be able to attract the nations to themselves and enrich themselves with their
possessions. This does not require that we should accredit the Tyrians with any such
insight into the spiritual calling of Jerusalem as would lie beyond their heathen point of
view. The simple circumstance, that the position occupied by Jerusalem in relation to
the world apparently interfered with the mercantile interests of the Tyrians, would be
quite sufficient to excite a malignant pleasure at the fall of the city of God, as the worship
of God and the worship of Mammon are irreconcilably opposed. The source from which
the envy and the enmity manifesting itself in this malicious pleasure took their rise, is
indicated in the last words: “I shall fill myself, she (Jerusalem) is laid waste,” which
Jerome has correctly linked together thus: quia illa deserta est, idcirco ego implebor.
‫א‬ֵ‫ל‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ִ‫,ה‬ to be filled with merchandise and wealth, as in Eze_27:25. On account of this
disposition toward the kingdom of God, which led Tyre to expect an increase of power
and wealth from its destruction, the Lord God would smite it with ruin and annihilation.
‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ְ‫נ‬ ִ‫ה‬ ִ‫י‬ַ‫ל‬ָ‫,ע‬ behold, I will come upon thee, as in Eze_13:8; Jer_50:31; Nah_3:5. God will
lead a powerful army against Tyre, which shall destroy its walls and towers. Instead of
the army, “many nations” are mentioned, because Tyre is hoping to attract more nations
to itself in consequence of the destruction of Jerusalem. This hope is to be fulfilled,
though in a different sense from that which Tyre intended. The comparison of the
advancing army to the advancing waves of the sea is very significant when the situation
of Tyre is considered. ‫ָם‬‫יּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is the subject to ‫ת‬ ‫ֲל‬‫ע‬ ַ‫ה‬ ְ‫,כּ‬ and the Hiphil is construed with ְ‫ל‬
instead of the accusative (compare Ewald, §292c with §277e). According to Arrian, ii. 18.
3, and Curtius, iv. 2. 9, 12, and 3. 13, Insular Tyre was fortified all round with lofty walls
and towers, which were certainly in existence as early as Nebuchadnezzar's time. Even
the dust of the demolished buildings (‫הּ‬ ָ‫ר‬ָ‫ֲפ‬‫ע‬) God would sweep away (‫י‬ ִ‫ית‬ ֵ‫ח‬ ִ‫,ס‬ ἁπ. λεγ.,
with a play upon ‫תוּ‬ֲ‫ח‬ ִ‫,)שׁ‬ so that the city, i.e., the site on which it had stood, would
become a bare and barren rock ( ַ‫יח‬ ִ‫ח‬ ְ‫צ‬ ‫ע‬ַ‫ל‬ ֶ‫,ס‬ as in Eze_24:7), a place where fishermen
would spread out their nets to dry. “Her daughters” also, that is to say, the towns
dependent upon Tyre, “on the field,” i.e., the open country - in other words, their
inhabitants - would be slain with the sword.
In Eze_26:7-14 the threat is carried still further. - Eze_26:7. For thus saith the Lord
Jehovah, Behold, I will bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, from
the north, the king of kings, with horses, and chariots, and horsemen, and a multitude
of much people. Eze_26:8. Thy daughters in the field he will slay with the sword, and
he will erect siege-towers against thee, and throw up a rampart against thee, and set
up shields against thee, Eze_26:9. And direct his battering-rams against thy walls, and
throw down thy towers with his swords. Eze_26:10. From the multitude of his horses
their dust will cover thee; from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots, thy
walls will shake when he shall enter into thy gates, as they enter a city broken open.
Eze_26:11. With the hoofs of his horses he will tread down all thy streets; thy people he
will slay with the sword, and thy glorious pillars will fall to the ground. Eze_26:12.
They will make booty of thy possessions, and plunder thy merchandise, destroy thy
walls, and throw down thy splendid mansions, and sink thy stones, thy wood, and thy
dust in the water. Eze_26:13. I will put an end to the sound of thy songs, and the music
of thy harps shall be heard no more. Eze_26:14. I will make thee a bare rock; thou shalt
be a place for the spreading of nets, and be built no more; for I Jehovah have spoken it,
is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. - Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, - this is
17

the meaning of the rhetorical description in these verses, - will come with a powerful
army (Eze_26:7), smite with the sword the inland cities dependent upon Tyre. (Eze_
26:8, compare Eze_26:6), then commence the siege of Tyre, destroy its walls and towers
(Eze_26:8 and Eze_26:9), enter with his army the city in which breaches have been
made, put the inhabitants to death (Eze_26:10 and Eze_26:11), plunder the treasures,
destroy walls and buildings, and cast the ruins into the sea (Eze_26:12).
Nebuchadrezzar, or Nebuchadnezzar (for the name see the comm. on 2Ki_24:10, is
called king of kings, as the supreme ruler of the Babylonian empire, because the kings of
conquered provinces and lands were subject to him as vassals (see the comm. on Isa_
10:8).
His army consists of war-chariots, and cavalry, and a great multitude of infantry. ‫ל‬ ָ‫ה‬ ָ‫ק‬
are co-ordinate, so far as the rhetorical style is concerned; but in reality ָ‫ם־רב‬ַ‫ע‬ is
subordinate to ‫ל‬ ָ‫ה‬ ָ‫ק‬ , as in Eze_23:24, inasmuch as the ‫ל‬ ָ‫ה‬ ָ‫ק‬ consisted of ָ‫ם־רב‬ַ‫.ע‬ On the
siege-works mentioned in Eze_26:8, see the comm. on Eze_4:2. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ק‬ ֵ‫ה‬ ‫ָה‬‫נּ‬ ִ‫צ‬ signifies the
construction of a roof with shields, by which the besiegers were accustomed to defend
themselves from the missiles of the defenders of the city wall while pursing their
labours. Herodotus repeatedly mentions such shield-roofs as used by the Persians (ix.
61. 99, 102), though, according to Layard, they are not to be found upon the Assyrian
monuments (see the comm. on Nah_2:6). There is no doubt that ‫י‬ ִ‫ח‬ ְ‫מ‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫ק‬ signifies the
battering-ram, called ‫ר‬ַ‫כּ‬ in Eze_21:27, though the meaning of the words is disputed.
‫י‬ ִ‫ח‬ ְ‫מ‬ , literally, thrusting or smiting. ‫,קבלו‬ from ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ב‬ֹ‫ק‬, to be pointed either ‫לּ‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫ק‬ or ‫לּ‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫ק‬
(the form ‫לּ‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫ק‬ adopted by v. d. Hooght and J. H. Michaelis is opposed to the
grammatical rules), has been explained by Gesenius and others as signifying res
opposita, that which is opposite; hence ‫מחי‬ ‫,קבלו‬ the thrusting or demolishing of that
which stands opposite. In the opinion of others, ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ב‬ֹ‫ק‬ is an instrument employed in
besieging; but there is nothing in the usage of the language to sustain either this
explanation or that adopted by Hävernick, “destruction of his defence.” ‫יו‬ ָ‫ת‬ ‫ב‬ ְ‫ר‬ ַ‫,ה‬ his
swords, used figuratively for his weapons or instruments of war, “his irons,” as Ewald
has very aptly rendered it. The description in Eze_26:10 is hyperbolical. The number of
horses is so great, that on their entering the city they cover it with dust, and the walls
shake with the noise of the horsemen and chariots. '‫י‬ ֵ‫א‬ ‫ב‬ ְ‫מ‬ ִ‫כּ‬ ‫יר‬ ִ‫ע‬ ‫,מב‬ literally, as the
marchings into a broken city, i.e., a city taken by storm, generally are. The simile may be
explained from the peculiar situation of Insular Tyre. It means that the enemy will enter
it as they march into a land-fortress into which a breach has been made by force. The
words presuppose that the besieger has made a road to the city by throwing up an
embankment or dam. ‫ת‬ ‫ב‬ ְ‫צּ‬ ַ‫מ‬ ֵ‫זּ‬ֻ‫,ע‬ the memorial pillars of thy might, and the pillars
dedicated to Baal, two of which are mentioned by Herodotus (ii. 44) as standing in the
temple of Hercules at Tyre, one of gold, the other of emerald; not images of gods, but
pillars, as symbols of Baal. These sink or fall to the ground before the overwhelming
might of the foe (compare Isa_46:1; Isa_21:9, and 1Sa_5:3). After the slaughter of the
inhabitants and the fall of the gods, the plundering of the treasures begins, and then
follows the destruction of the city. ‫י‬ ֵ‫תּ‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ‫דּ‬ ְ‫מ‬ ֶ‫ה‬ are not pleasure-houses (“pleasure-towers,
or garden-houses of the wealthy merchants,” as Ewald supposes), for there was not
space enough upon the island for gardens (Strabo, xvi. 2. 23), but the lofty, magnificent
houses of the city, the palaces mentioned in Isa_23:13. Yea, the whole city shall be
18

destroyed, and that so completely that they will sweep stones, wood, and rubbish into
the sea. - Thus will the Lord put an end to the exultation and rejoicing in Tyre (Eze_
26:13; compare Isa_14:11 and Amo_5:23). - The picture of the destruction of this
powerful city closes with the repetition of the thought from Eze_26:5, that Tyre shall be
turned into a bare rock, and shall never be built again.
COKE, "Ezekiel 26:2. She is broken, &c.— She is broken: the commerce of the
people is turned unto me. She who was full of citizens is laid waste. Houbigant. See
ch. Ezekiel 27:3. Tyre was noted for her commerce; so that when Jerusalem was
taken, the spoil of the city was carried thither for sale, and several of the inhabitants
who were made captives were sold there as slaves. Those who follow our Translation
suppose, that Jerusalem is called the gates of the people, because of the great
confluence both of Jews and proselytes to that city from all parts at the solemn
festivals. See Isaiah 23. Jeremiah 25:22; Jeremiah 47:4. Amos 1:9. Zechariah 9:2.
ELLICOTT, " (2) She is broken that was the gates of the people.—“Gates” is in the
plural simply because the word originally means a leaf of a door or gate, and hence
the two leaves mean the gate; accordingly the sense would be better conveyed by
using the singular in English. On the other hand, “people, both here and in Ezekiel
27:3, is intentionally in the plural =the nations. By omitting all the words in italics in
this verse a better idea is obtained of the exultation of Tyre over the fall of
Jerusalem.
This exultation is described as of a purely selfish and commercial character, and
shows nothing of the spitefulness and religious animosity of the nations mentioned
in the previous chapter. Jerusalem had been made in the days of Solomon the great
commercial emporium of the inland trade from Arabia, and even from India, as well
as the negotiator of products between Egypt and the Hittites and other northern
nations. Doubtless something of this commercial importance still remained to
Jerusalem in her decay, of which we have already seen evidence in Ezekiel 16; but
however this may have been, a considerable city, situated as Jerusalem was, must of
necessity have been the centre of many of those transactions between the
surrounding nations which Tyre would gladly have monopolised for herself. Hence
her exultation: “Jerusalem being destroyed, all that gave her importance among the
nations must come to increase my prosperity.”
19

TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:2 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:
Ver. 2. Because that Tyrus hath said.] Wicked men shall give account for their
"hard speeches also," [ 1:15] if not sooner, yet certainly at the last day, with the
whole world all on a light fire about their ears. Tyre was the chief city of Phoenicia,
built before Solomon’s temple, saith Josephus; (a) and anciently called Sarra, (b)
saith Servius, of the Hebrew tsor, which signifieth a rock, because it was built upon
a rock. It became the most famous and wealthy market town of the whole East; and
having so great a resort to it from all parts, it was a very sinful place; and framing
comedies out of the Church’s tragedies, hath this prophecy to champ upon, for a
rebater of its pride and petulance.
Aha.] See Ezekiel 25:3.
That was the gates of the people.] Whereinto they entered by troops and caravans,
for religion and traffic.
She is turned unto me.] Vide hic ingenia mercatorum. Her ruin shall be my rise. Lo,
this is the world; envy and avarice rejoice at, and are fed with other men’s tears and
losses; sed gaudent pyraustae gaudium. Contrariwise, God is rich to all that call
upon him; [Romans 10:12] and in spiritual things there is no envy, because they
may be divided in solidum, in the whole, one may have as much as another, and all
alike.
I shall be replenished.] Mercibus et opibus; with wars and wealth. But how long will
it hold?
POOLE, " Tyrus; the city for the people; it is probable it was a universal joy,
20

therefore ascribed to the whole city, built on a rock and island of the same name, not
far distant from the continent, a very great traded port and city.
Hath said; either God revealed this to the prophet so soon as these insulting Tyrians
spoke it, or else Ezekiel speaks of it prophetically, and as if it were done.
Said against Jerusalem, Aha; showed great joy at the fall of Jerusalem, and
triumphed over her.
She is broken by Nebuchadnezzar’s army.
The gates of the people; near to the gates of the cities were usually, the great
merchants, and so here Jerusalem is called the great mart of nations and people
from all parts resorting to her for trade or religion.
She is turned unto me; trading interest will turn to me, they that did carry
merchandise to Jerusalem will now bring it to me.
I shall be replenished; have full trade, my haven full of ships, streets full of buyers
and sellers, ships full of wares, houses full of lodgers, and purses full of money.
She is laid waste; she reflected on wasted Jerusalem with joy, which was impious,
injurious, and inhuman, to rejoice in the ruin of her neighbour.
WHEDON, " 2. Tyrus — Tyre was the chief city of Phoenicia, which was the
leading naval power — the Great Britain — of the ancient world. It was but a small
country, smaller even than Palestine, but its fame filled the whole earth. Phoenician
credit and currency extended “from the coasts of Britain to those of Northwest
India and probably to Madagascar… This trade tapped river basins as far apart as
21

those of the Indus, the Euphrates, probably the Zambesi, the Nile, the Rhone, the
Guadalquivir” (Smith, Isaiah, i, p. 390). In the eleventh century B.C. an Egyptian
official was sent to Phoenicia for cedar wood (Pap. Golenischeff), as were Solomon’s
agents one hundred years later. Tradition ascribes the invention of navigation to the
Tyrians. Sennacherib (700 B.C.) boasts that he had builded at Nineveh, by
Phoenician carpenters, “artful, great ships, according to their home manner,” and
ordered as their sailors, prisoners of war, Tyrians, Sidonians, etc. It was during
Ezekiel’s lifetime (600 B.C.) that a Phoenician sea captain circumnavigated Africa
(Herodotus, 4:42). For fifteen hundred years Phoenicia was the merchant of all
nations. Her vast wealth made the mightiest kings of Egypt and Babylon look
toward her as a possible prize, but because of her strategic position, unequaled
navy, and shrewd diplomacy, she was enabled to maintain for many centuries her
practical independence. In the fourteenth century B.C. Abimelki prostrates himself
before the Pharaoh and calls Tyre the “handmaid of Egypt;” but the allegiance of
Tyre to Egypt was entirely selfish and Egyptian power in Phoenicia was not great.
Again and again in the ninth and eighth centuries B.C. the Assyrian king boasts: “I
marched up to the great sea of the West. I cleansed my weapons in the great sea. I
put tribute upon Damascus, Tyre, Sidon,” etc. But the frequency of these campaigns
indicates how superficial were the conquests. On a tablet from Sinjerli, Baal, king of
Tyre, is represented as kneeling before Esarhaddon with a ring through his lips
attached to a cord in the hands of the great king; but the inscriptions do not even
name Tyre as a vassal state, and certainly the picture does not represent the
ordinary relations of the king of Tyre with the king of Assyria (McCurdy, ii, p. 345).
Phoenicia did not depend for victory upon her soldiers, but upon her gold, and
rather than have her commerce interrupted she could well afford to give tribute.
She made, of course, political alliances with the states lying between her and her
enemies. During the prosperous reigns of David and Solomon, Phoenicia was a
warm friend to Israel; but after the division of the kingdom she lost interest in her
weak neighbor and “sold” her to the Greeks or the Edomites as her own advantages
dictated (Amos 1:9; Joel 3:6). Previous to Assurbanipal (668-626 B.C.) the Assyrians
seem to have been content with gifts from the chief cities of Phoenicia, but his
successors urged campaign after campaign in the vain attempt to completely
subjugate their small but doughty adversary. Nebuchadnezzar was determined to
do this, but failed to get from Tyre the treasure that he had anticipated (see Ezekiel
29:18).
She is broken that was the gates of the people — Literally, gate of the peoples.
Jerusalem was the gateway opening from Egypt to Babylon and Phoenicia, and she
22

had evidently been getting some of the trade of which Tyro wished the monopoly.
She is turned — Rather, it. The gate of traffic now opens more freely toward
Phoenicia since her rival is disposed of.
PULPIT, "Ezekiel 26:2
Because that Tyrus, etc. As the nearest great commercial city, the Venice of the
ancient world, Tyre, from the days of David (2 Samuel 5:11) and Solomon (1 Kings
5:1) onward, had been prominent in the eyes of the statesmen and prophets of
Judah; and Ezekiel follows in the footsteps of Joel 3:4; Amos 1:9, Amos 1:10; Isaiah
23:1-18; in dealing with it. The description in Isaiah 23:5 and Isaiah 23:14 points,
not to the city on the mainland, the old Tyre of Joshua 19:29, which had been taken
by Shalmaneser and was afterwards destroyed by Alexander the Great, but to the
island-city, the new Tyre, which was, at this time, the emporium of the ancient
world. The extent of her commerce will meet us in Ezekiel 27:1-36. Here, too, as in
the case of the nations in Ezekiel 25:1-17; Ezekiel's indignation is roused by the
exulting selfishness with which Tyre had looked on the downfall (actual or
imminent, as before) of Jerusalem. "Now," her rulers seem to have said, "we shall
be the only power in the land of Canaan." Jerusalem, that had been the gate of the
peoples, was now broken. The name thus given may imply either
3 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I
am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many
nations against you, like the sea casting up its
waves.
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CLARKE, "Will cause many nations to come up against thee - We have
already seen that the empire of the Chaldeans was composed of many different
provinces, and that Nebuchadnezzar’s army was composed of soldiers from different
nations: these may be the people meant; but I doubt whether this may not refer to the
different nations which in successive ages fought against Tyre. It was at last finally
destroyed in the sixteenth century of the Christian era.
GILL, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God,.... Who knew the thoughts of the
inhabitants of Tyre, and what joy possessed their hearts, and which their lips expressed;
and who informs the prophet of it, though at a great distance, and declares his
resentment at it:
behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus; and nothing can be more dreadful and
formidable than to have God against a nation, city, or a particular person: Tyre was a
type of antichrist, who will express a like joy at the death of the witnesses; thinking that
the merchandise of Rome will be increased greatly, and there will be nothing to interrupt
it, Rev_11:10, but God will show his displeasure, and bring sudden destruction on it:
and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his
waves to come up; the Chaldean army, consisting of soldiers of many nations; who for
their number, noise, and fury, are compared to the raging waves of the sea. So the
Targum,
"I will bring up against thee an army of many people, as the sea ascendeth in the raging
of its waves;''
the ten kings shall hate the whore, and destroy her, even those very people she reigns
over, compared to many waters, Rev_17:15.
HENRY, " The displeasure of God against them for it. The providence of God had
done well for Tyrus. Tyrus was a pleasant and wealthy city, and might have continued so
if she had, as she ought to have done, sympathized with Jerusalem in her calamities and
sent her an address of condolence; but when, instead of that, she showed herself pleased
with her neighbour's fall, and perhaps sent an address of congratulation to the
conquerors, then God says, Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus! Eze_26:3. And let her
not expect to prosper long if God be against her.
1. God will bring formidable enemies upon her: Many nations shall come against
thee, an army made up of many nations, or one nation that shall be as strong as many.
Those that have God against them may expect all the creatures against them; for what
peace can those have with whom God is at war? They shall come pouring in as the waves
of the sea, one upon the neck of another, with an irresistible force. The person is named
that shall bring this army upon them - Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of
kings, that had many kings tributaries to him and dependents on him, besides those that
were his captives, Song 2:37, 38. He is that head of gold. He shall come with a vast army,
horses and chariots, etc., all land-forces. We do not find that he had any naval force, or
24

any thing wherewith he might attack it by sea, which made the attempt the more
difficult, as we find Eze_29:18, where it is called a great service which he served against
Tyrus. He shall besiege it in form (Eze_26:8), make a fort, and cast a mount, and (Eze_
26:9) shall set engines of war against the walls. His troops shall be so numerous as to
raise a dust that shall cover the city, Eze_26:10. They shall make a noise that shall even
shake the walls; and they shall shout at every attack, as soldiers do when they enter a
city that is broken up; the horses shall prance with so much fury and violence that they
shall even tread down the streets though so ever well paved.
JAMISON, "nations ... as the sea ... waves — In striking contrast to the boasting
of Tyre, God threatens to bring against her Babylon’s army levied from “many nations,”
even as the Mediterranean waves that dashed against her rock-founded city on all sides.
scrape her dust ... make her ... top of ... rock — or, “a bare rock” [Grotius]. The
soil which the Tyrians had brought together upon the rock on which they built their city,
I will scrape so clean away as to leave no dust, but only the bare rock as it was. An awful
contrast to her expectation of filling herself with all the wealth of the East now that
Jerusalem has fallen.
ELLICOTT, "(3) Many nations.—The prophet here, at the outset, glances down
through the ages of Tyre’s future history. He has in mind not merely the conquest
by Nebuchadnezzar, of which he will speak more particularly presently (Ezekiel
26:7-11), but all the successive conquests until the proud city should be reduced to
utter desolation. Most appropriate to the situation and habits of Tyre is the
illustration, “as the sea causeth his waves to come up”: God will bring nation after
nation to the destruction of Tyre as the sea throws wave after wave against her rock.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:3 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.
Ver. 3. Therefore thus saith the Lord God.] And thy merchants will soon do thee
word of it; for they are great newsmongers, and ill news is swift of foot. (a)
Behold, I am against them.] Neither can thine Apollo help or deliver thee out of my
hands; no, though thou chain that idol and nail him to a post, that thou mayest be
sure of him; for so these Tyrians did when Alexander besieged their city and took it.
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POOLE, " I am against thee; and if God be against them, they will soon have
enemies enough too against them: God purposeth, threateneth, and assureth them
he is and will be against them.
Many nations, for number, and mighty for strength, riches, authority, and feats of
war already done.
As the sea causeth his waves to come up, with such violence, constancy, swelling in
height, and making thee fear the issue, so shall the Babylonians come.
PETT, "Verses 3-5
‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold I am against you, O Tyre, and will
cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes his waves to come up.
And 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, she will be a place for the
spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken it,” says the Lord
Yahweh.’
But she had overlooked the fact that Jerusalem was Yahweh’s own special
possession. These ideas are important in that they reveal that Yahweh was still
caring for His own even while He was chastising them severely, and that as the Lord
of the whole earth He could summon nations to do His bidding.
The picture of the sea crashing against the shore is a vivid one. The sea was ever
seen by Israel as an alien element, a destructive and powerful force. And it would
overwhelm Tyre in the form of powerful armies, leaving it deserted and barren. The
prophecy was literally fulfilled through the activities of Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander
the Great and others.
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‘I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock, she will be a place
for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea’ This powerful fortress would be
levelled to the ground and disappear under the sea. This eventually became literally
true.
‘For I have spoken it,” says the Lord Yahweh.’ And it was all to be the result of
Yahweh’s word. What He says, happens.
4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull
down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble
and make her a bare rock.
CLARKE, "I will also scrape her dust from her - I will totally destroy her
fortifications, and leave her nothing but a barren rock, as she was before. This cannot
refer to the capture of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. It flourished long after his time.
GILL, "And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus.... Undermining them, or
breaking them down with their battering rams:
and break down her towers; with axes, Eze_26:9 built upon the walls; erected for
the defence of the city, and for watchmen to stand in, to look out from them for the
enemy, and observe his motions, as well as for soldiers to fight from:
and I will scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock; a
bare smooth rock, which has not any surface of earth upon it. So the Targum,
"I will give her for the smoothness of an open rock.''
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Tyre was built upon a rock; and whereas the inhabitants had brought earth thither, and
laid it upon it, in order to make gardens and orchards, and plant flowers and trees; this
should be all removed, and it should become a bare rock, as it was at first. It denotes the
utter destruction of it. It has its name from a word which signifies a rock; See Gill on
Isa_23:1.
HENRY 4-14, "They shall do terrible execution. (1.) The enemy shall make
themselves masters of all their fortifications, shall destroy the walls and break down the
towers, Eze_26:4. For what walls are so strongly built as to be a fence against the
judgments of God? Her strong garrisons shall go down to the ground, Eze_26:11. And
the walls shall be broken down, Eze_26:12. The city held out a long siege, but it was
taken at last. (2.) A great deal of blood shall be shed: Her daughters who are in the field,
the cities upon the continent, which were subject to Tyre as the mother-city, the
inhabitants of them shall be slain by the sword, Eze_26:6. The invaders begin with
those that come first in their way. And (Eze_26:11) he shall slay thy people with the
sword; not only the soldiers that are found in arms, but the burghers, shall be put to the
sword, the king of Babylon being highly incensed against them for holding out so long.
(3.) The wealth of the city shall all become a spoil to the conqueror (Eze_26:12): They
shall make a prey of the merchandise. It was in hope of the plunder that the city was set
upon with so much vigour. See the vanity of riches, that they are kept for the owners to
their hurt; they entice and recompense thieves, and not only cease to benefit those who
took pains for them and were duly entitled to them, but are made to serve their enemies,
who are thereby put into a capacity of doing them so much the more mischief. (4.) The
city itself shall be laid in ruins. All the pleasant houses shall be destroyed (Eze_26:12),
such as were pleasantly situated, beautified, and furnished, shall become a heap of
rubbish. Let none please themselves too much in their pleasant houses, for they know
not how soon they may see the desolation of them. Tyre shall be utterly ruined; the
enemy shall not only pull down the houses, but shall carry away the stones and the
timber, and shall lay them in the midst of the water, not to be recovered, or ever made
use of again. Nay (Eze_26:4), I will scrape her dust from her; not only shall the loose
dust be blown away, but the very ground it stands upon shall be torn up by the enraged
enemy, carried off, and laid in the midst of the water, Eze_26:12. The foundation is in
the dust; that dust shall be all taken away, and then the city must fall of course. When
Jerusalem was destroyed it was ploughed like a field, Mic_3:12. But the destruction of
Tyre is carried further than that; the very soil of it shall be scraped away, and it shall be
made like the top of a rock (Eze_26:4, Eze_26:14), pure rock that has no earth to cover
it; it shall only be a place for the spreading of nets (Eze_26:5, Eze_26:14); it shall serve
fishermen to dry their nets upon and mend them. (5.) There shall be a full period to all
its mirth and joy (Eze_26:13): I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease. Tyre had been
a joyous city (Isa_23:7).; with her songs she had courted customers to deal with her in a
way of trade. But now farewell all her profitable commerce and pleasant conversation;
Tyre is no more a place either of business or of sport. Lastly, It shall be built no more
(Eze_26:14), not built any more as it had been, with such state and magnificence, nor
built any more in the same place, within the sea, nor built any where for a long time; the
present inhabitants shall be destroyed or dispersed, so that this Tyre shall be no more.
For God has spoken it (Eze_26:5, Eze_26:14); and when what he has said is
accomplished they shall know thereby that he is the Lord, and not a man that he should
lie nor the son of man that he should repent.
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COKE, "Verse 4
Ezekiel 26:4. I will also scrape her dust from her— I will brush away the dust out of
her, and reduce her to a dry rock: Houbigant: an allusion to the custom in Palestine
of fertilizing particular spots by carrying mould to them from other places less
eligible for the purpose of sowing or planting. Chandler renders the last clause, I
will make thee as a shining or barren rock; that is to say, as appears by the context,
"Strip thee of thy riches, pride, power, inhabitants, palaces; so that thou shalt be as
bare as a rock which hath nothing on it, and is of no other use than "for the
spreading and drying of nets." See Ezekiel 26:14 and Psalms 68:6.
ELLICOTT, "(4) Her dust.—Comp. Ezekiel 26:12. The dust is that of her ruined
walls and palaces and temples. “Scraping” expresses their utter destruction. As an
historic fact, the ruins of the ancient city have all been thrown into the sea, and what
now remains is of mediaeval construction, although the greater part of even the
mediaeval ruins have been carried away.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:4 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.
Ver. 4. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus.] Which thou holdest to be
inexpugnable. Hence this and the two following chapters, purposely to undeceive
thee, if it may be.
I will also scrape her dust from her.] Brought from other places, to make her
gardens; for she was built upon a rock, et in petram glabram: to a naked rock will
God now reduce her.
POOLE, " Destroy; batter and demolish with their mighty engines, which shall
shake, disjoint, and beat down the strongest parts of their walls.
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Break down; undermine, that they may tumble at once, or employ hands to take
them down, as men pull down buildings.
Towers; watch-towers, and those that were for defence and safety of their city,
which from their greatness have their name, Migdol.
I will also scrape her dust from her; I will leave thee nothing, thou shalt be scraped,
and brushed, and swept, that not so much as dust shall remain to thee.
And make her like the top of a rock; as bare as was the rock on which thy city is
built before wealth, beauty, buildings, and strength was brought to it by man’s
industry.
5 Out in the sea she will become a place to spread
fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign
Lord. She will become plunder for the nations,
CLARKE, "A place for the spreading of nets - A place for the habitation of some
poor fishermen, who spent the fishing season there, and were accustomed to dry their
nets upon the rocks. See on Eze_26:11 (note).
GILL, "It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea,....
Where only fishermen would be seen washing their nets, and then spreading them upon
this rock, where Tyre stood, to dry them and this has been confirmed by travellers, who
have seen fishermen spreading and drying their nets, and having no other habitations on
it but the huts of these men. Huetius (c) relates, that he remembered one Hadrian
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Parvillarius, a Jesuit, a candid and learned man, particularly in the Arabic language, who
lived ten years in Syria; and to have heard him say, that when he saw the ruins of Tyre,
its rocks to the sea, and scattered stones on the shore, and made clean smooth by the
sun, waves, and wind, and only used for drying fishermen's nets, it brought to his mind
this passage of the prophet; as it did to Mr. Maundrell (d) when on the spot, a few years
ago; who says,
"you see nothing here but a mere Babel of broken walls, pillars, vaults, &c. there being
not so much as one entire house left; its present inhabitants are only a few poor
wretches, harbouring themselves in the vaults, and subsisting chiefly upon fishing; who
seem to be preserved in this place by divine Providence, as a visible argument how God
has fulfilled his word concerning Tyre, viz. "that it should be as the top of a rock", &c.'':
so Dr. Shaw (e) says, this port, small as it at present, is choked up to that degree with
sand and rubbish, that the boats of these poor fishermen, who now and then visit this
once renowned emporium and "dry their nets upon its rocks and ruins", can with great
difficulty only be admitted:
for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God; and therefore it should certainly come to
pass, as it has:
and it shall become a spoil to the nations; the army of many nations, that besieged
it for thirteen years under Nebuchadnezzar.
JAMISON, "in the midst of the sea — plainly referring to New Tyre (Eze_27:32).
ELLICOTT, "(5) The spreading of nets.—Such has been the chief use of insular
Tyre for ages, and although a miserable village of 3,000 people has sprung up,
chiefly within the present century, upon a part of its site, other parts have still no
more important use. The Tyre upon the mainland has so utterly disappeared that
even its site cannot be exactly identified.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:5 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.
Ver. 5. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets.] Of fishers’ nets, hung up in the
sun to be dried. The prophets usually fetch their comparisons from things the
people were most acquainted with and accustomed to as here. Let ministers now do
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the like.
POOLE, " As barren sandy islets in the midst of the sea, good for nothing but to dry
fishermen’s nets, shalt thou be. A spoil; a prey: though the contexture of the words
place this after its being made so bare and poor, yet we are to observe, that these last
words give us account how this poverty and barrenness shall come upon thy rich
city; the nations shall spoil her with thirteen years’ long siege, interruption of trade,
living on the quick stock, and finally taken on surrender. To the nations;
Babylonians, and their confederates, who made the Tyrians pay the reckoning.
WHEDON, "5. A place for the spreading of nets (also Ezekiel 26:14) — The
prophecy is that the merchant city of the world, the London of ancient times, shall
lose its position and population and sink to the insignificance of a fishing village.
When spoken, these words seemed as absurd as Macaulay’s suggestion concerning
the forgotten ruins of London bridge; but they have been literally fulfilled.
PETT, "Verse 5
-6 “And she will become a spoil to the nations, and her daughters who are in the
surrounding country will be slain with the sword, and they will know that I am
Yahweh.”
‘A spoil to the nations.’ Compare Ezekiel 25:7; also see Ezekiel 7:21. She had
rejoiced to see Jerusalem spoiled, now she would be spoiled herself, sharing a
similar fate. Thus she too will be made aware of Who Yahweh is. Her ‘daughters’
were the local towns connected with her, who looked to her and depended on her.
They would suffer for their allegiance.
PULPIT, "It shall be a place for the spreading of nets, etc. The prediction is
repeated in Ezekiel 26:14, and after many chances and changes, apparent revival
followed by another period of decay, the present condition of Tyre strikingly
corresponds with it. The travelers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries report
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that "its inhabitants are only a few poor wretches that harbor in vaults and subsist
upon fishing"; that the number of those inhabitants was "only ten, Turks and
Christians"; that there were, a little later on, "fifty or sixty poor faro nee. During
the present century there has been a partial revival, and Porter, in 1858, estimates
its population at from three to four thousand. The present state of its harbor, as
compared with that of Beyrout, is against any future expansion of its commerce
('Dict. Bible,' s.v. "Tyre").
6 and her settlements on the mainland will be
ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I
am the Lord.
BARNES, "Her daughters ... - The subject states upon the mainland, on which she
at this time relied for supplies.
CLARKE, "And her daughters - The places dependent on Tyre. As there were two
places called Tyre, one on the main land, and the other on a rock in the sea, opposite to
that on the main land, sometimes the one seems to be spoken of, and sometimes the
other. That on the land, Palaetyre, was soon taken; but that in the sea cost
Nebuchadnezzar thirteen years of siege and blockade. The two formed only one city, and
one state.
GILL, "And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the
sword,.... That is, the inhabitants of the cities, towns, and villages, on the shore near it,
and which were subject to it; as such cities are frequently in Scripture called the
daughters of the place to which they belong: or their daughters literally, that should get
out of the city, and endeavour to make their escape; yet should fall into the enemies'
hands, who would not spare them on account of their sex or age. The Targum favours
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the former sense, as most of the Jewish writers do, which is,
"and the inhabitants of the villages which are in the field shall be killed by the sword:''
and they shall know that I am the Lord: the true God, and not Hercules or Apollo,
or any other idols they worshipped; when they shall see all these things exactly
accomplished, now prophesied of; which none but the omniscient God could foretell.
JAMISON, "her daughters ... in the field — The surrounding villages, dependent
on her in the open country, shall share the fate of the mother city.
COKE, "Ezekiel 26:6. And her daughters which are in the field— By the daughters
of Tyre are meant the lesser towns, which were under her jurisdiction; for Tyre was
very powerful, and ruled over the greater part of Phoenicia.
ELLICOTT, " (6) Daughters which are in the field.—Comp. Ezekiel 26:8. A poetic
way of describing the dependencies of Tyre upon the mainland.
In Ezekiel 26:7-11 the particular and now impending conquest by Nebuchadnezzar
is graphically described, and then, with the change to the plural in Ezekiel 26:12,
there seems to be again a looking forward to the long vista of successive
devastations.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:6 And her daughters which [are] in the field shall be slain by
the sword; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Ver. 6. And her daughters which are in the field,] i.e., Other cities and colonies sent
out by her, and subject to her; as she was olim partu clara urbibus genitis, as Pliny
saith of her, the mother of many fair cities, Leptis, Utica, Carthage. Some take it
literally for people of both sexes.
POOLE, " Her daughters; either the lesser cities, which were as daughters to Tyre,
a phrase most familiar to the Scriptures; or else their virgins, and daughters of the
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family.
In the field; on the firm land, if you mean cities; or surprised in the fields, whether
taking the air, or seeking to escape, if you mean daughters in the latter sense.
Shall be slain by the sword; barbarous soldiers shall spare none.
They shall know that I am the Lord: see Ezekiel 25:17.
7 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From
the north I am going to bring against Tyre
Nebuchadnezzar[b] king of Babylon, king of
kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen
and a great army.
BARNES, "The description of the siege is that of a town invested by land.
Eze_26:7
Nebuchadrezzar - Jer_21:2 note.
CLARKE, "Nebuchadrezzar - king of kings - An ancient title among those proud
Asiatic despots shahinshah and padshah, titles still in use.
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GILL, "For thus saith the Lord God,.... What follows; and declares by name the
person that should be the instrument of this ruin, and the manner in which it should be
brought about:
I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon; a prince whose name
was terrible, having conquered many nations: the Lord is said to bring him against Tyre,
because, he inclined his heart to steer his course this way; encouraged him to this work;
led and protected his army; and, at last, gave him success: it held out thirteen years
against him, and then was taken. The siege began, according to Mr. Whiston (f), A.M.
3650 or before Christ 586; and was taken A.M. 3663 or before Christ 573; according to
Bishop Usher, (g), it began A.M. 3419 or before Christ 585; and was taken A.M. 3432 or
before Christ 572. The Phoenician historians make mention of the siege of Tyre by
Nebuchadnezzar; and Berosus speaks of his subduing the whole country of Phoenicia, in
which Tyre was; with whom agree Philostratus and Megasthenes (h):
a king of kings from the north; who had many kings tributaries to him; the
metropolis of whose kingdom lay somewhat, though not fully, north to Tyre:
with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and
much people: with a very numerous army, consisting of a large cavalry; horses being
very numerous in the countries subject to him; and which he mounted his men on, both
for their more easy travelling, and for their better fighting, and for the terror of their
enemies.
JAMISON, "from the north — the original locality of the Chaldeans; also, the
direction by which they entered Palestine, taking the route of Riblah and Hamath on the
Orontes, in preference to that across the desert between Babylon and Judea.
king of kings — so called because of the many kings who owned allegiance to him
(2Ki_18:28). God had delegated to him the universal earth-empire which is His (Dan_
2:47). The Son of God alone has the right and title inherently, and shall assume it when
the world kings shall have been fully proved as abusers of the trust (1Ti_6:15; Rev_
17:12-14; Rev_19:15, Rev_19:16). Ezekiel’s prophecy was not based on conjecture from
the past, for Shalmaneser, with all the might of the Assyrian empire, had failed in his
siege of Tyre. Yet Nebuchadnezzar was to succeed. Josephus tells us that
Nebuchadnezzar began the siege in the seventh year of Ithobal’s reign, king of Tyre.
COFFMAN, "Verse 7
"For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: For behold I will bring upon Tyre
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings from the north, with horses, and
with chariots, and with horsemen, and a company, and much people. He shall slay
with the sword thy daughters in the field; and he shall make forts against thee, and
cast up a mound against thee, and raise up the buckler against thee. And he shall set
36

his battering engines 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 wagons, 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 with the sword; and the pillars of thy strength 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 waters.
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 a bare rock: thou shalt be a place for the
spreading of nets; thou shalt be built no more: for I Jehovah have spoken it, saith
the Lord Jehovah."
NEBUCHADNEZZAR NAMED AS THE DESTROYER
"He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field." (Ezekiel 26:8). "These
daughters were the suburbs and dependences on the mainland."[15] In these
supporting villages were located many of those "pleasant houses," riches, and
merchandise, which fell to the operations of Nebuchadnezzar. As for the promise
that these should never more be rebuilt, this was certainly true of all that was
scraped into the sea for the purpose of building the mole out to the walls of the
citadel on the island.
"A roof of shields ..." (Ezekiel 26:8). This is called "the buckler" in our version. "It
refers to what the Romans called a `testudo'."[16] It was a portable light roof
covered with military shields, under the protection of which soldiers could deploy
their battering rams against an enemy wall.
"Thy pillars shall be brought down to the ground ..." (Ezekiel 26:11). "This is
probably reference to the pillars associated with the temple of Melkart, the pagan
god worshipped in Tyre. Not even he could save the city."[17] These pillars were
described by Herodotus. "One was of opal, the other of emerald; they had been
erected in honor of the god Melkarth (a variable spelling)."[18]
37

"Thou shalt be built no more ..." (Ezekiel 26:14) This was literally fulfilled as
regards the continental city of Tyre.[19] "That part of the city that lay on the rocky
island, recovered after a lapse of seventy years, as predicted by the prophet Isaiah
(Isaiah 23:17-18)."[20]
ELLICOTT, " (7) Nebuchadrezzar.—So the name is very often written by Jeremiah
and a few times by Ezekiel. It is, perhaps, a closer representation of the Nabu-
kudurriuzur of the Babylonian cylinders than the form finally adopted by the
Hebrews of Nebuchadnezzar.
A king of kings, from the north.—He is called a “king of kings” because of the many
countries subject to his sway, whose kings were his vassals; and he is described as
“from the north,” because, as often before said, it was from this direction that his
armies must approach Tyre, although Babylon itself was in actual latitude to the
south of Tyre.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:7 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.
Ver. 7. Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar.] A name as dreadful then
as was at any time the name of the great Turk: a man as famous for his valour and
victories as ever was Hercules, saith Megasthenes in Josephus, (a) and such as whom
we may well call, as Orosius doth Alexander, magnum miseriarum gurgitem, et
totius Orientis atrocissimum turbinem, The great troubleworld.
POOLE, " I will bring: see Ezekiel 23:46.
A king of kings; so he styled himself, according to the vaunting manner of those
countries, and indeed, by the right of conquest, he was king of kings, having many
38

tributary kings under him, and many captive kings with him in Babylon, 2 Kings
18:28 Jeremiah 52:32. From the north; so was Babylon accounted to lie, as
observed, Ezekiel 1:4, though it did not lie full north, but had some points of the
north from Tyre. With horses; those Eastern kings had store of horses, and used
many in their wars: see Ezekiel 26:11.
With chariots: see Ezekiel 23:24.
With horsemen: see Ezekiel 23:12. And companies; an assembly of all sorts, from all
parts of the large kingdom of Babylon.
And much people; a mighty army for fighting, and mighty train of hangers-on, who
were ready enough to do mischief to the country, though not very fit to assist the
army; if need required, these would sweep all before them wherever they came.
PETT, "Verse 7
‘For thus says the Lord Yahweh, “I will bring on Tyre Nebuchadrezzar, king of
Babylon, king of kings (supreme king), from the north, with horses and with
chariots, and with horsemen, and a company and much people.”.’
Nebuchadrezzar may have been the ‘king of kings’, but the idea is that the supreme
king does Yahweh’s bidding. This variation in name from Nebuchadnezzar is in fact
closer to the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur, while Nebuchadnezzar is closer
to the Greek form Nabochodonosor and is a variant form. His early career is
described in the Babylonian records known as ‘the Babylonian Chronicle’ which
give us valuable information for dating various events.
So Yahweh would bring the supreme king against Tyre with a huge well-armed
army.
39

PULPIT, "I will bring against thee, etc. There is a special emphasis of abruptness in
the way in which Ezekiel brings in the name of the great Chaldean conqueror (we
note, by the way, that he adopts the less common spelling of the name), of whom he
speaks as "king of kings." The title is used by Daniel (Daniel 2:37) of
Nebuchadnezzar, and by Artaxerxes of himself (Ezra 7:12), by Darius in the Nakshi
Rustam inscription ('Records of the Past,' 5.151), by Tiglatb-Pileser, with the
addition of "lord of lords" (ibid; 5.8).
BI 7-14, "Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon.
The prophecy against Tyre
I. What were the grounds of her judgment. She was judged for her sins.
1. She abused the privilege of civilisation. Tyre was the most cultivated state of
antiquity, invented letters, weights and measures, money, arithmetic, the art of
keeping accounts. She made her painting and sculpture and architecture and music
and letters, all her skill and learning and refinement, instruments of corruption.
2. Tyre abused also the privilege of commerce. The Tyrians were a nation of
merchants. But there are two classes of merchants. There are those who aim to
develop new countries, to introduce new crops and arts and industries, to elevate
races, to make commerce the servant of God. There are others who make everything
bend to gain. A prince or an entire people may thus abuse the privilege of commerce.
So Tyre abused her privilege.
3. She abused the privilege of her intimate connection with the Jewish people. In the
enjoyment of this distinction she stood alone. Tyre was a bulwark of Israel, covering
Zion as the wing of the cherub covered the altar. In the unscrupulousness of her lust
of empire and gain she broke the “brotherly covenant,” and when Jerusalem fell she
rejoiced in her overthrow. To her unscrupulousness nothing was too sacred to be
turned to profit.
II. The delay of the judgment. The method of God, sometimes, is swift retribution, as
with Sodom and Gomorrah, sometimes slow, as with Tyre. She was long in filling her
measure of guilt. Over two hundred years before the siege of Nebuchadnezzar, Joel
prophesied against her. A few years later Amos took up the prophecy, then Isaiah in 712
B.C., Ezekiel in 590, Zechariah in 487. Yet the judgment delayed. She suffered
calamities, but always rose above them. The prophecies were not literally fulfilled. The
Christian era came in. Tyre still stood; Shalmaneser had besieged it; Nebuchadnezzar
had invested it by sea and land for thirteen years, and conquered it; Alexander the Great,
in 332 B.C., after a frightful siege of six months, had stormed, captured, and destroyed it,
massacring thousands of its inhabitants, and selling thirty thousand into slavery. But
after each disaster it had arisen anew, In the days of Jerome, in the fifth century, it was
still standing, e city powerful and opulent. It was still flourishing eight hundred years
later, in the times of the Crusades. It was the seat of a Christian bishopric. It had stood
over twenty-five hundred years. The prophecies against it were nearly two thousand
40

years old. Was the Bible, then, which had proved true in prophecies against Egypt and
Nineveh, and Edom and Judah, to be found at fault here?
III. The literal fulfilment of judgment. In the year 1291 the Sultan of Egypt laid siege to
the strong city of Ptolemais or Acre. Terror spread through the crusaders’ kingdom. Tyre
shared it. Capture meant massacre and slavery. Ptolemais fell on the very day on which
the evil news reached Tyre. At vespers the people in mass forsook their city. In panic and
haste they embarked upon their galleys, and went out never to return. The Mahometan
came. He overthrew the city. He choked one of the matchless harbours with the ruins.
He cast into the sea, statues and columns and the huge stones of warehouses and
palaces. He set the last fire to her splendour. He scraped the rock. Standing amid the
ruins we may see the dust and ashes of her conflagration, the broken marble columns
beneath the sea and scattered upon the shore, the fishers’ nets spread upon the rock, and
feel, with every traveller who thus stands, that the last prophecy concerning her must
also prove true, “That shalt be built no more.”
1. The fate of Tyre is a warning to those engaged in traffic. Beware of the iniquity of
traffic, of the pride, the luxury, the unscrupulousness, the atheism.
2. The fate of Tyre exalts the Word of God. If we look upon its ruins simply as a
record of fulfilled prophecy, they force the conviction, This is the accomplishment of
the Word of God, the one thing on earth amid the vast mutations of time, as passes
unceasingly the glory of the world, which is unchangeable. (Sermons by Monday
Club.)
8 He will ravage your settlements on the
mainland with the sword; he will set up siege
works against you, build a ramp up to your walls
and raise his shields against you.
BARNES, "Eze_26:8
Lift up the buckler - i. e., set a wall of shields, under cover of which the walls could
be approached.
41

CLARKE, "Thy daughters in the field - This seems to be spoken of Palaetyre, or
Tyre on the main land; for forts, mounts, engines of war, horses, and chariots could not
be brought to act against the other.
GILL, "He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field,.... The first
thing he would do would be to destroy the cities, towns and villages on the continent,
near to Tyre, and dependent on it, as in Eze_26:6, and so the Targum is here, as there:
and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee; a fort
built of wood, and a mount made of earth, from which stones might be cast out of their
engines, and arrows shot from their bows into the city, to the damaging of the houses,
and the hurt of the inhabitants:
and lift up the buckler against thee; or "shield"; that is, as the Targum paraphrases
it,
"set against thee such who are armed with shields;''
to repel the arrows shot out from the city, and so defeat the design of them.
ELLICOTT, " (8) A fort . . . a mount.—These and the following particulars of the
siege indicate the use of the ordinary methods as in the attack of a city on the
mainland. The explanation of this is doubtless partly in the fact that Palæotyrus,
Old Tyre, upon the mainland, was approached in the ordinary way, and partly that
Nebuchadnezzar must have contrived a bridge of boats, or some other method of
approaching the island across the shoal and narrow channel (1,200 yards), which at
that time separated it from the mainland. That if he built a mole it was afterwards
removed, is plain from the fact that when Alexander built one, 250 years later, sand
accumulated upon it, until the island has now become a peninsula, connected with
the shore by a beach of considerable width.
The buckler is that sort of roof made with shields used in ancient warfare by
besiegers to defend themselves from the missiles of the besieged. Herodotus (ix. 61,
99, 102) mentions its use among the Persians.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 26:8 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
42

buckler against thee.
Ver. 8. He shall slay with the sword.] See on Ezekiel 26:6.
He shall lift up the buckler.] Or, A continued series of bucklers,
“ - ut omnes
Ferre queant subter densa testudine casus. ”
POOLE, " See Ezekiel 26:6.
Make a fort against thee: see Ezekiel 4:2 17:17.
Cast a mount against thee: he shall draw a line round about thee, and build
bastions, raise sconces to defend the lines, to keep in the besieged, and secure the
besiegers; or he shall pour out the shot, mighty stones or the like, out of the engines
framed and placed on the forts before mentioned; for so did they of old build mighty
wooden towers, and there placed engines, out of which they could fling mighty
stones or darts against the besieged, who were much annoyed from these high
towers, overlooking their walls and streets that none could stir out.
Lift up the buckler: see Ezekiel 23:24.HEDON, "Verses 8-14
8-14. The description is startingly vivid, the outlying villages (“daughters”)
suffer first, then the well-known “fort” and “mount” are erected, and under cover
43

Ezekiel 26 commentary

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Ezekiel 26 commentary