Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
God vows to annihilate the island of Tyre.
II. Photo
God vows to raze the island: “I will scrape her soil off her and leave her a naked rock – she shall be in the heart of the sea a place for drying nets!” (vv. 4b-5a)
III. Important Verses
3b-5a: I am going to deal with you, O Tyre! I will hurl many nations against you, As the sea hurls its waves. They shall destroy the walls of Tyre And demolish her towers; And I will scrape her soil off her And leave her a naked rock. She shall be in the heart of the sea A place for drying nets; For I have spoken it — declares the Lord GOD.
7: For thus said the Lord GOD: I will bring from the north, against Tyre, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, a king of kings, with horses, chariots, and horsemen — a great mass of troops.
13-14: I will put an end to the murmur of your songs, And the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. I will make you a naked rock, You shall be a place for drying nets; You shall never be rebuilt. For I have spoken — declares the Lord GOD.
17-18: And they shall intone a dirge over you, and they shall say to you: ¶ How you have perished, you who were peopled from the seas, O renowned city! Mighty on the sea were she and her inhabitants, Who cast their terror on all its inhabitants. Now shall the coastlands tremble On the day of your downfall, And the coastlands by the sea Be terrified at your end.
IV. Outline
1. Introduction
2. Tyre is destroyed
3-6. Nations will attack Tyre and destroy it
7-12. Nebuchadrezzar will destroy Tyre
13-14. Tyre will never be rebuilt
15-17a. Rulers will tremble upon hearing Tyre’s fate
17b-18. The lament of the foreign rulers
19-21. Summary: Tyre will never be rebuilt
V. Comment
Chapter 26 begins a tirade against the city of Tyre. It is interesting to note that Tyre, which is now a peninsula, was once an Island (the causeway was built in the summer of 332 BCE). This fact is attested to in Ezek 27:32 which says, “Who was like Tyre when she was silenced In the midst of the sea?” and vv. 4b-5a of our chapter: “I will scrape her soil off her and leave her a naked rock – she shall be in the heart of the sea a place for drying nets!” Before Hiram’s time (ca. 960 BCE), Tyre was actually two islands, but he combined the two (this was one of his many building projects). (See Katzenstein, H. J. “Tyre (Place)” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. VI, pp. 686-692)
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Allen, Leslie C. “Ezekiel 1-19” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 28 (Waco, Texas: Wordbook, 1994).
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Hals, Ronald M. “Ezekiel” The forms of the Old Testament Literature vol. 19 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1989)
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