Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 26:1

Clarke's Commentary

CHAPTER XXVI

This prophecy, beginning here and ending in the twentieth verse

of the twenty-eighth chapter, is a declaration of the judgments

of God against Tyre, a very famous commercial city of

antiquity, which was taken by Nebuchadnezzar after an arduous

siege of thirteen years. The prophet begins with introducing

Tyre insulting Jerusalem, and congratulating herself on the

prospect of accession to her commerce now that this city was no

more, 1, 2.

Upon which God denounces utter destruction to Tyre, and the

cities depending on her, 3-6.

We have then a particular account of the person raised up in

the course of the Divine providence to accomplish this work.

We see, as it were, his mighty hosts, (which are likened to the

waves of the sea for their multitude,) raising the mounds,

setting the engines, and shaking the walls; we hear the noise

of the horsemen, and the sound of their cars; we see the clouds

of smoke and dust; we see the sword bathed in blood, and hear

the groans of the dying. Tyre, (whose buildings were very

splendid and magnificent, and whose walls were one hundred and

fifty feet in height, with a proportionable breadth,)

immediately disappears; her strong (and as she thought

impregnable) towers are thrown down; and her very dust is

buried in the sea. Nothing remains but the bare rock, 7-14.

The scene is then varied. The isles and adjacent regions, by a

very strong and beautiful figure, are represented to be shaken,

as with a mighty earthquake by violent concussion occasioned by

the fall of Tyre. The groans of the dying reach the ears of the

people inhabiting these regions. Their princes, alarmed for

themselves and grieved for Tyre, descend from their thrones,

lay aside their robes, and clothe themselves with-sackcloth?-no,

but with trembling! Arrayed in this astonishing attire, the

prophet introduces them as a chorus of mourners, lamenting Tyre

in a funeral song or dirge, as customary on the death of

renowned personages. And pursuing the same image still farther,

in the person of God, he performs the last sad office for her.

She is brought forth from her place in solemn pomp; the pit is

dug for her; and she is buried, to rise no more, 15-21.

Such is the prophecy concerning Tyre, comprehending both the

city on the continent and that on the island, and most

punctually fulfilled in regard to both. That on the continent

was razed to the ground by Nebuchadnezzar, B.C. 572, and that

on the island by Alexander the Great, B.C. 332. And at present,

and for ages past, this ancient and renowned city, once the

emporium of the world, and by her great naval superiority the

centre of a powerful monarchy, is literally what the prophet

has repeatedly foretold it should be, and what in his time was,

humanly speaking, so highly improbable-a BARE rock, a place to

spread nets on!

NOTES ON CHAP. XXVI

Verse Ezekiel 26:1. 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.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Overthrow of Tyre (26:1-21)

Tyre, on the Mediterranean coast of Phoenicia, just north of Palestine, was a leading commercial centre in the ancient world. The city was in two parts, one built on the mainland coast, the other on an island a short distance offshore. Tyre rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem, for the way was now open for it to take over the important trade routes that passed through Jerusalem (26:1-2). The prophet announces that in the years ahead, armies from various nations will overrun both Tyre’s island and mainland portions, leaving it devastated and bare (3-6).
Babylon will be the first nation that God sends against Tyre. The mainland city will be besieged and will suffer extensive damage at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar’s well equipped attackers (7-11). When the city is later destroyed, the enemy will empty the rubble into the sea, forming a road across to the island city, which, in turn, will be overthrown (12-14).
Coastal cities around the Mediterranean will mourn the loss of this trading giant, on whom they have depended for trade and economic prosperity (15-18). In pictorial language the prophet describes Tyre as sinking beneath the sea, never to be seen again (19-21).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"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 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" 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.'"Carl Friedrich Keil, Keil-Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 373. 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."George Barlow, The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1891), p. 305. 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."International Critical Commentary, 287. However, it went on for a period of thirteen years (586 B. C. to 573 B.C.)RHA, p. 870. 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 Nebuchadnezzar)."F. F. Bruce in the New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 884.

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.;RHA, p. 870. 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.Ibid. 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."Anton T. Pearson in Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 743. 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.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

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 Ezekiel 26:7-12; Ezekiel 29:18. The present state of Tyre is one of utter desolation, though the end was long delayed (compare Isaiah 23:0). 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.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Tonight turn in our Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 26.

According to verse Ezekiel 26:1 , this prophecy came to Ezekiel in the eleventh year of the king Zedekiah's reign, which would make it the year 586 B.C., the year in which Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.

So it came to pass in the eleventh year, the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, because Tyrus has 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: 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 ( Ezekiel 26:1-3 ).

It is interesting to me that God does not like the wicked rejoicing in the judgments of His people. There is a quality of love in First Corinthians 13 that rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. And here God brings His judgment against Tyre because Tyre was rejoicing in the judgment of God that He brought against His people, against the city of Jerusalem. Thinking that somehow they were going to prosper from the devastation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.

So God declares that, first of all, there will be many nations that will be used in the judgment of Tyre, not Nebuchadnezzar only. So that the prophecy would not be completed with just Nebuchadnezzar's conquering of Tyre, but God would bring other nations against it for its destruction. And speaking of the total destruction first, and then dropping back to give us details. First of all, the overall destruction:

They shall destroy [that is, the many nations] the walls of Tyrus, break down the towers: will scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 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. And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. 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 buckler against thee. And he ( Ezekiel 26:4-9 )

Notice the personal pronouns, he, Nebuchadnezzar,

shall set engines of war 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 wheels, 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 by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground ( Ezekiel 26:9-11 ).

And thus is described that destruction of Tyre that would come about by Nebuchadnezzar.

Now, one year after the prophecy was written, or in the year 585 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar began his siege of Tyre. The common practice of the Babylonian army was to, and of course, in warfare in those days, was to lay siege upon a city by surrounding the city and cutting off all outside supplies. And by cutting off all the outside supplies, they could soon deplete the city of its food resources. Once the food resources were depleted, the people began to starve to death. With a shortage of water, shortage of food, with a famine usually would come pestilence, disease. And then when the people were weakened by the pestilence and by the famine, then they would move in. And it would be much easier to take the city, because the people had been so weakened as the result of the siege.

But because Tyrus was on the seacoast and it was a beautiful port city, in fact, it was one of the major ports of the ancient world. A very rich city of merchandise, and from Tyrus, of course, were the Phoenicians and the Phoenician navy of historic lore. He was not able to totally cut off the supplies; the city of Tyrus was continually supplied by her navies from the sea, so that the people were able to live under the siege of Nebuchadnezzar. And so the siege went on for thirteen years. During which time the majority of the city moved from the mainland to the island that was about a half mile offshore. And that became then the major city of Tyre, this island offshore. So that by the time Nebuchadnezzar finally made the onslaught against the city, there was only a small garrison and a small part of the population left within the city there on the mainland. The majority of the people had moved to the island along with the wealth of the city. So that there was no spoils to be taken by Nebuchadnezzar in the conquering of the city of Tyre.

So it was a very empty and hollow victory by Nebuchadnezzar inasmuch as there was no spoil for Nebuchadnezzar from the destruction. But as is described here, the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar did come to pass, beginning one year after the prophecy and continuing for the next thirteen years in his siege of the city of Tyre.

But now as we get into verse Ezekiel 26:12 , there is a change of pronoun significantly. Because the prophecy was that many nations would come against Tyre. Its destruction was not to be fully accomplished by Nebuchadnezzar. So the city of Tyre went on prospering for 240 years; now an island city. And it became extremely strong and powerful. Especially now that it was an island city just a half-mile offshore, it was almost impregnable as far as any enemy was concerned. Unless you would try to attack by sea, but the Phoenician navy ruled the seas in those days. And so Tyrus became a very powerful, well-defensed city because it was on this island a half-mile offshore.

So they shall make a spoil ( Ezekiel 26:12 )

Change of pronoun from he, Nebuchadnezzar, to 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 water ( Ezekiel 26:12 ).

An extremely interesting and yet a bizarre prophecy. Because unparalleled in history, to my knowledge, is any city when destroyed the stones the timbers and the dust were put in the midst of the water.

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 like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it ( Ezekiel 26:13-14 ),

Now that's a pretty powerful statement, "I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God." I have spoken it; this is what's going to be.

Now, did God really speak that? Is this really the Word of God to the prophet Ezekiel, or is Ezekiel making calculated guesses? Well, did it really come to pass? In 322 B.C. when Alexander the Great began his move towards Persia, he was fearful that if he moved all of his troops in a war against Persia that the Phoenicians would take advantage of it and that the Phoenician navy would then attack Greece. So he felt essential to his moving further against Persia was the conquering of Tyrus. And so he moved down the coast to Tyrus and gave an ultimatum to the city of Tyrus to surrender to him or he would destroy them. The people of Tyrus scoffed at Alexander's ultimatum, because they knew that it would be difficult for any army to besiege their city. Alexander went up to Sidon and to some of the other port cities in the area and confiscated many ships. And he attempted a naval assault against Tyrus, which was defeated. He next decided that he would take the rubble of the ancient city of Tyre which had not been rebuilt on the mainland and with the rocks and the timbers, the ruins of the ancient city, he would make this wide causeway out to the island. Taking first and throwing the rocks and the timbers into the Mediterranean beginning to form this causeway, and then putting and scraping the dirt and putting it over the top of the rocks. So he made this wide causeway out to the island.

As he began to get near the island, the people of Tyre began to heat sand until it was almost molten and then shoot this molten sand on his troops. And so they built kind of defenses against that, special types of towers and all to defend the workers against this hot sand and oil that they began to shoot over at them from the city. And he began to move up these towers and these weapons of war, and finally with a combined naval assault and the assaulting of the walls themselves, Alexander the Great was able to conquer the city of Tyre in 322 after about an eight-month siege of Tyre.

Because Tyre had resisted him, he sought to make an example of the city of Tyre to strike fear in the hearts of the neighboring areas. And so he really devastated and destroyed the city of Tyre. A tremendous slaughter and destruction. As the result, the other nations, the other cities and kingdoms around were terrified. They opened their doors to Alexander the Great. They began to capitulate one after another including Jerusalem. And Alexander the Great was of course a very religious person. Not godly--religious. And there's a difference. There are a lot of people that are religious, but not really very godly, but very religious. And he was an extremely religious person. And he did come to Jerusalem and was received by the Jews and the city was open to him. And he gave sacrifices unto the priests in Jerusalem to offer for him unto their gods. And he was actually... many cities opened to him after the conquest of Tyre.

Now, in his taking the stones, the timbers, and the dust and scraping it, he caused the prophecy of Ezekiel to be literally fulfilled some 240 years after the prophecy was made. So the prophecy was made by Ezekiel; 240 years later it was literally fulfilled. God is not in a hurry. Ezekiel prophesied it; he never lived to see the fulfillment of it. But yet, we, now in looking back, have that advantage of seeing how that history finally confirmed the fact that it evidently was God speaking to Ezekiel. It would have been impossible for him to have made these predictions just out of his own mind or head. The things that he declared were too impractical.

Now, "it will make it like the top of a rock." It is impossible to accurately determine the actual site of the original city of Tyre on the mainland because it was so totally devastated and destroyed by the dirt even being scraped and cast into the sea. We can only guess that this area which is barren rock today was no doubt somewhere in these perimeters, and in this area was the ancient city of Tyre. But there are no ruins, no walls, nothing to indicate where the city itself might have been. And so the place of it has never been found or discovered, nor can we ascertain it with any certainty at all. Which, of course, is another fulfillment here.

But because the dirt was scraped, the rocks are an excellent place for the fishermen to dry their nets. And if you go to that area today, you will find even today fishermen drying their nets on these rocks which were once the great city of Tyre, the nemesis of the ancient world because of the power of their navy. A city that was great in glory and power. But God pronounced His judgment because they rejoiced in the judgment of God upon Jerusalem.

Thus saith the Lord GOD [verse Ezekiel 26:15 ] to Tyrus; Shall not the isles [or the coasts] shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, and when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee ( Ezekiel 26:15-16 ).

And so the great fear that did come into the other neighboring cities and areas.

And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD ( Ezekiel 26:17-21 ).

Such is the case. We can't tell exactly where the city was because it was so totally devastated and all you have is barren rock in that area where Tyre once existed.

Now, there is a modern city of Tyre which is a Palestinian stronghold in southern Lebanon. However, it is a few miles from the site of the ancient city. So though it bears the name of Tyre, it has not been built again in the area where the original Tyre once existed. There is however a spring there in Tyre known as Ras El Ain, which the engineers have measured a water flow of ten million gallons a day. So it would be a very likely spot for a city to be built because of this abundant supply of fresh water. And yet in spite of that, the city has never been built on that site again.

So God's Word holding to the present day. And you can go over there today and walk on that peninsula and see the causeway that was built by Alexander the Great looking down into the water seeing the stones that were thrown and the timbers. Well, the timbers, of course, have since have gone. But you can still see the stones, and you can see the fishermen drying their nets, and you can see the barren rocky area that was once the city of Tyre. But God's Word still holding true to the present time.

Tyre, of course, was a city of tremendous merchandise. It was almost the commercial center of the world, because the navy, the powerful navy, carried the goods from Tyre all over the Mediterranean. And they supplied all of the nations around the Mediterranean as far as England with all of the merchandise and the goods and so forth. And thus because of the commercial aspects was an extremely wealthy city. But it is interesting that God had a dislike for commercialism as such. People taking advantage of people. And in the book of Revelation, chapter 18, we find the judgment of God that is yet to come against the commercial system that has enslaved men's souls. How many people have become slaves to the whole commercial system. That is, most of your paycheck is going out on the various credit accounts and all, and you're really a slave in a sense. You're laboring to pay the commercial accounts. And so God speaks against commercialism in Revelation 18 , but also in the lamentation now against Tyre that is taken up by the prophet. And it is interesting and important for you that when you get a chance this week, you read Revelation 18:0 in the light of Ezekiel 27 . And you will find the very same things that God is saying against the commercial system of the last days that is being destroyed was said at the destruction of Tyre. In fact, there are similar parallel passages that are here in twenty-seven that are also found in Revelation, chapter 18. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

An oracle concerning Tyre came to Ezekiel on the first of an unspecified month in the eleventh year of the captivity, namely, 587-586 B.C. According to Cooper, this year began on April 23, 587 B.C. [Note: Cooper, p. 252.] Some scholars speculate that the month was the eleventh month of this eleventh year and that in the process of textual transmission scribes accidentally omitted the number of the month because it was the same number as the year. Block reconstructed the date as February 3, 585 B.C., the date of the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s 13-year siege of Tyre, which was also within a month after the news of the fall of Jerusalem reached Ezekiel. [Note: Block, The Book . . . 48, p. 35.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

A general prophecy of Tyre’s destruction 26:1-6

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 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,   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:   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.   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.   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.   6 And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.   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.   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 buckler against thee.   9 And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.   10 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 wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.   11 With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.   12 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 water.   13 And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.   14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

      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,

      I. 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 (Ezekiel 26:2; Ezekiel 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.

      II. 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!Ezekiel 26:3; Ezekiel 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, Daniel 2:37; Daniel 2:38. He is that head of gold. He shall come with a vast army, horses and chariots, c., all land-forces. We do not find that he had any naval force, or any thing wherewith he might attack it by sea, which made the attempt the more difficult, as we find Ezekiel 29:18; Ezekiel 29:18, where it is called a great service which he served against Tyrus. He shall besiege it in form (Ezekiel 26:8; Ezekiel 26:8), make a fort, and cast a mount, and (Ezekiel 26:9; Ezekiel 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, Ezekiel 26:10; Ezekiel 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.

      2. 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,Ezekiel 26:4; Ezekiel 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,Ezekiel 26:11; Ezekiel 26:11. And the walls shall be broken down, Ezekiel 26:12; Ezekiel 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,Ezekiel 26:6; Ezekiel 26:6. The invaders begin with those that come first in their way. And (Ezekiel 26:11; Ezekiel 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 (Ezekiel 26:12; Ezekiel 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 (Ezekiel 26:12; Ezekiel 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 (Ezekiel 26:4; Ezekiel 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,Ezekiel 26:12; Ezekiel 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,Micah 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 (Ezekiel 26:4; Ezekiel 26:14), pure rock that has no earth to cover it; it shall only be a place for the spreading of nets (Ezekiel 26:5; Ezekiel 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 (Ezekiel 26:13; Ezekiel 26:13): I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease. Tyre had been a joyous city (Isaiah 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 (Ezekiel 26:14; Ezekiel 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 (Ezekiel 26:5; Ezekiel 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.