In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,’ 3 therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. And she shall become plunder for the nations, 6 and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
7 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers. 8 He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you. 9 He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons and chariots, when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters. 13 And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the Lord; I have spoken, declares the Lord God.
15 “Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: Will not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter is made in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment and be appalled at you. 17 And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you,
“‘How you have perished,
you who were inhabited from the seas,
O city renowned,
who was mighty on the sea;
she and her inhabitants imposed their terror
on all her inhabitants!
18 Now the coastlands tremble
on the day of your fall,
and the coastlands that are on the sea
are dismayed at your passing.’
19 “For thus says the Lord God: When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will make you go down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you to dwell in the world below, among ruins from of old, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set beauty in the land of the living. 21 I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more. Though you be sought for, you will never be found again, declares the Lord God.” Ezekiel 26 ESV
Ezekiel 26 Against Tyre
Tyre said - Tyre was a rich port, a trading port, a place of little inhibition, much like a Las Vegas on the sea, or those casino barges in some places. What happens in Tyre stays in Tyre, a loved city with an island part that made her difficult to take completely. If one laid siege to her on the mainland, then it was only half done, and the harder place lay a half of a mile off the shore. Another deterrent was that she was wealthy and had many friend, that would miss her influence and trade.
“Tyre was an ancient city of the Phoenicians, appearing for the first time in the Bible in Joshua 19:29….The city was actually composed of two parts, one on the mainland and the other on a rocky island about a half mile from the coast.” (Feinberg)
The gate of the people is broken - It's never personal, just business, whatever brings a profit. If it is the flesh that someone else stole from a remote village, well says the man of Tyre, "I don't care, but if it bothers you then think of it this way, I did not kidnap them, nor put them in chains, but they were brought to me this way, and if I don't turn a profit on their misfortune then someone else will." One man's misfortune is another man's gain, but how does God see it?
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. - Matthew Henry
And will bring up many nations against you - This is so very true, the jewel, the love of many nations, yet their are many others that want you not for trade, but to take you by force. This will be Babylon's turn coming, and Nebuchadnezzar will have much luck against Tyre, especially on the mainland, but she will retreat and rise up again from her island, after the 70 years of Babylonian rule. She will fortify herself so well that she thinks herself a bit too much for Greece, but Alexander is a bright and driven man, so he will return and build a land bridge a half a mile long.
God was faithful to bring many nations against Tyre in successive waves of conquest and destruction:
· Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre for 13 years and eventually conquered them (about 586-573 BC).
· The Persians conquered and brought Tyre to submission around 525 BC.
· Alexander the Great destroyed the city in just the manner described in 332 BC.
· Antiochus III conquered and subjugated Tyre.
· Rome conquered and subjugated Tyre.
· The Saracens in the 14th century ADfinally obliterated the city of Tyre. - E Word
A place for the spreading of nets - She was a formidable island fortress, the Alcatraz of Mediterranean cities, approachable only by ship or Alexander's bridge, which was no small task. After her many robust encounters, those enemies eventually left her a rock, scraped and flattened on the sea, literally a place where fishermen spread and mend their nets.
King of kings - Nebuchadnezzar is a Tidal king of the nations, and though he leaves men with the titles of rulers in their areas, yet he is still over them, and to him they pay tribute. It is like federal and local, just more taxes.
Your mighty pillars will fall to the ground -
“The pillars spoken of were actually obelisks, and were probably those mentioned by the historian Herodotus as erected in the temple of Heracles at Tyre. One was of gold and the other of emerald, which shone brilliantly at night, and were dedicated to Melkarth, god of Tyre (cf. 1 Kings 7:15). These impressive pillars would be demolished by the invader.” (Feinberg)
“Certainly Alexander the Great literally threw Tyre’s ‘stones, timber and rubble into the sea’ when he built a one-half mile causeway out to the island fortress to conquer the city.” (Alexander)
ii. “The American archaeologist Edward Robinson saw forty or fifty marble columns beneath the water along the shores of Tyre.” (Feinberg)
They will clothe themselves with trembling - They thought of her as strong, fortified, and also she was a source of wealth and entertainment for many who traded there. Regardless of how evil, devoid of God she was, the place that means "jagged rock" was the Vanity Fair, a beacon to all who sought excitement, pleasure and wealth. She gave birth to the smug and cold hearted likes of Jezebel though, a woman who looked down upon all else as common and despised the God of Israel. It would be like New York City being laid flat; 911 was not the whole of the great city but it stole everyone's breath that day. Europe would feel it, the stock market would tremble, Canada, Mexico, and Japan would all take notice, for this would mark the age, the era of consumerism, Lady Liberty is drowning and who will save her? As hardened and proud as the city was, yet it was more reachable than some who saw great signs and wonders, who saw the coming of the Son of Man.
…21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.… Matthew 11: 21-23
Are dismayed at your passing - Now how will we lead these glamorous lives? Who will buy our wares?
…10In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” 11And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— 12cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;… Revelation 18: 10-12
Who go down to the pit - There is a pattern in these chapters that I think begins with the death of Ezekiel's wife, as though a microcosm of all that has occurred from the fall, a result interrupted, a wage deferred for a time. Ezekiel did not choose his wife over God, but God insured that. I need to write this as a note, and I think from reading the next few chapters we will see it greatly expanded or hopefully expounded upon.
…5“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.… Genesis 3: 5-7
“The Hebrew word bor means ‘a well, a pit, a cistern,’ but it also refers to the pit of death (Psalms 28:1 and 88:4-6) and sometimes is an equivalent of sheol, the realm of departed spirits.” (Wiersbe)
Though you be sought for - She will come to a final act, and though this is her destiny, yet we know from the Apostles that some were saved out of her alive. People will hold on to the same things she held dear, those were why they held her dear, yet all that is passing away.
15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not from the Father but from the world. 17The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.… 1 John 2: 15-17
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