Ezekiel Chapter 26

Updated: September 14, 2025

A Prophecy against Tyre

1And 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, 2Son 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: 3Therefore 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. 4And 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. 5It 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. 6And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

7For 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. 8He 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. 9And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. 10By 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. 11With 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. 12And 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. 13And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. 14And 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.

15Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? 16Then 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.

17And 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 wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!

18Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.

19For 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; 20When 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; 21I 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.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

A Prophecy against Tyre
(Isaiah 23:1–18)

1 It happened in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken: the gate of the peoples; she is turned to me; I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste: 3 therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. 4 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. 5 She shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, says the Lord Yahweh; and she shall become a spoil to the nations. 6 Her daughters who are in the field shall be slain with the sword: and they shall know that I am Yahweh.

7 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will bring on Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and a company, and many people. 8 He shall kill your daughters in the field with the sword; and he shall make forts against you, and cast up a mound against you, and raise up the buckler against you. 9 He shall set his battering engines against your walls, and with his axes he shall break down your towers. 10 By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover you: your walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wagons, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into your gates, as men enter into a city in which is made a breach. 11 With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all your streets; he shall kill your people with the sword; and the pillars of your strength shall go down to the ground. 12 They shall make a spoil of your riches, and make a prey of your merchandise; and they shall break down your walls, and destroy your pleasant houses; and they shall lay your stones and your timber and your dust in the midst of the waters. 13 I will cause the noise of your songs to cease; and the sound of your harps shall be no more heard. 14 I will make you a bare rock; you shall be a place for the spreading of nets; you shall be built no more: for I Yahweh have spoken it, says the Lord Yahweh.

15 Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Tyre: shall not the islands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in the midst of you? 16 Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit on the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at you.

17 They shall take up a lamentation over you, and tell you, How you are destroyed, who were inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, who was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who caused their terror to be on all who lived there!

18 Now shall the islands tremble in the day of your fall; yes, the islands that are in the sea shall be dismayed at your departure.

19 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: When I shall make you a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep on you, and the great waters shall cover you; 20 then will I bring you down with those who descend into the pit, to the people of old time, and will make you to dwell in the lower parts of the earth, in the places that are desolate of old, with those who go down to the pit, that you be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of the living: 21 I will make you a terror, and you shall no more have any being; though you are sought for, yet you will never be found again, says the Lord Yahweh.

A Prophecy against Tyre
(Isaiah 23:1–18)

1 In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, a on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken; it has swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be filled,’ 3 therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She will become a place to spread nets in the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become plunder for the nations, 6 and the villages on her mainland will be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’

7 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar b king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops. 8 He will slaughter the villages of your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against you. 9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his axes. 10 His multitude of horses will cover you in their dust.

When he enters your gates as an army entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots. 11 The hooves of his horses will trample all your streets. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your wealth and pillage your merchandise. They will demolish your walls, tear down your beautiful homes, and throw your stones and timber and soil into the water.

13 So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard. 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.’

15 This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?

16 All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you. 17 Then they will lament for you, saying,

“How you have perished, O city of renown

inhabited by seafaring men—

she who was powerful on the sea, along with her people,

who imposed terror on all peoples! c

18 Now the coastlands tremble

on the day of your downfall;

the islands in the sea

are dismayed by your demise.” ’

19 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities, and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor d in the land of the living. 21 I will make you an object of horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will never be found,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

Footnotes:

1 a Likely reading of the original Hebrew text; MT In the eleventh year
7 b Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar , a variant of Nebuchadnezzar  (king of Babylon). The latter spelling is used throughout Ezekiel for consistency.
17 c Or on all her inhabitants
20 d LXX or take your place

A Prophecy against Tyre

1And it cometh to pass, in the eleventh year, in the first of the month, there hath been a word of Jehovah unto me, saying: 'Son of man, 2Because that Tyre hath said of Jerusalem: Aha, she hath been broken, the doors of the peoples, She hath turned round unto me, I am filled -- she hath been laid waste, 3Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am against thee, O Tyre, And have caused to come up against thee many nations, As the sea causeth its billows to come up. 4And they have destroyed the walls of Tyre, And they have broken down her towers, And I have scraped her dust from her, And made her for a clear place of a rock. 5A spreading place of nets she is in the midst of the sea, For I -- I have spoken -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And she hath been for a spoil to nations. 6And her daughters who are in the field, by sword they are slain, And they have known that I am Jehovah,

7For, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am bringing in unto Tyre Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, From the north -- a king of kings, With horse, and with chariot, and with horsemen, Even an assembly, and a numerous people. 8Thy daughters in the field by sword he slayeth, And he hath made against thee a fort, And hath poured out against thee a mount, And hath raised against thee a buckler. 9And a battering-ram before him he placeth against thy walls, And thy towers he breaketh by his weapons. 10From the abundance of his horses cover thee doth their dust, From the noise of horseman, and wheel, and rider, Shake do thy walls, in his coming in to thy gates, As the coming into a city broken-up. 11With hoofs of his horses he treadeth all thine out-places, Thy people by sword he doth slay, And the pillars of thy strength to the earth come down. 12And they have spoiled thy wealth, And they have plundered thy merchandise, And they have thrown down thy walls, And thy desirable houses they break down, And thy stones, and thy wood, and thy dust, In the midst of the waters they place. 13And I have caused the noise of thy songs to cease, And the voice of thy harps is heard no more. 14And I have given thee up for a clear place of a rock, A spreading-place of nets thou art, Thou art not built up any more, For I, Jehovah, I have spoken, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

15Thus said the Lord Jehovah to Tyre: Do not -- from the noise of thy fall, In the groaning of the wounded, In the slaying of the slaughter in thy midst, The isles shake? 16And come down from off their thrones have all princes of the sea, And they have turned aside their robes, And their embroidered garments strip off, Trembling they put on, on the earth they sit, And they have trembled every moment, And they have been astonished at thee,

17And have lifted up for thee a lamentation, And said to thee: How hast thou perished, That art inhabited from the seas, The praised city, that was strong in the sea, She and her inhabitants, Who put their terror on all her inhabitants!

18Now they tremble, is it not the day of thy fall? Troubled have been the isles that are in the sea, at thine outgoing.

19For thus said the Lord Jehovah: In my making thee a city wasted, Like cities that have not been inhabited, In bringing up against thee the deep, Then covered thee have the great waters. 20And I have caused thee to go down, With those going down to the pit, Unto the people of old, And I have caused thee to dwell in the land, The lower parts -- in wastes of old, With those going down to the pit, So that thou art not inhabited, And I have given beauty in the land of the living. 21Wastes I do make thee, and thou art not, And thou art sought, and art not found any more -- to the age, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

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The F.O.G Commentary

When God Declares War on Pride: The Fall of Tyre

What’s Ezekiel 26 about?

This is the chapter where God announces the complete destruction of Tyre, the ancient world’s trading superpower, because they celebrated Jerusalem’s fall and thought their wealth made them untouchable. It’s a sobering reminder that no empire – no matter how prosperous – can mock God’s people and expect to stand.

The Full Context

Ezekiel 26 was written around 587-586 BC, right after Jerusalem fell to Babylon. Ezekiel, a priest-turned-prophet in exile, received this oracle against Tyre during one of the darkest moments in Jewish history. The Babylonians had just destroyed Solomon’s temple, killed or deported most of the population, and left the holy city in ruins. But instead of mourning with their neighbors, the Tyrians were celebrating – they saw Jerusalem’s destruction as a business opportunity.

Tyre was the New York City of the ancient world – a maritime trading empire built on an island fortress off the coast of modern-day Lebanon. They controlled Mediterranean commerce, had colonies across the known world, and considered themselves practically invincible behind their naval defenses. This prophecy fits within a larger section of Ezekiel (chapters 25-32) where God pronounces judgment on the nations surrounding Israel, demonstrating that He is sovereign over all peoples, not just His chosen nation.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew word qinah (dirge or lament) appears throughout this chapter, but here’s what’s fascinating – God isn’t just predicting Tyre’s fall, He’s already singing their funeral song. When Ezekiel uses this word in verse 17, he’s employing the same literary form used to mourn the dead. It’s as if their doom is so certain that the eulogy has already been written.

Grammar Geeks

The phrase “I am against you” (hineni aleykha) in verse 3 is God’s formal declaration of war. This isn’t casual disapproval – it’s the Almighty announcing that He’s personally taking up arms against a nation.

The metaphor of waves breaking against rocks runs throughout the chapter, and it’s brilliantly chosen. Tyre’s wealth came from the sea, but God promises that the very element that made them rich will become the instrument of their destruction. The Hebrew gal (wave) appears repeatedly, creating this rhythmic sense of relentless, inevitable judgment.

What’s particularly striking is how God describes making Tyre “like the top of a rock” in verse 4 – ketsach sela. This wasn’t just about destroying buildings; it was about stripping away everything that made the city distinctive, leaving only bare stone where a thriving metropolis once stood.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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Picture the Jewish exiles in Babylon hearing this prophecy. They’re mourning their destroyed homeland while watching their wealthy neighbor profit from their misery. Tyre had likely said something like, “Aha! The gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished now that she is laid waste” (verse 2).

The Tyrians saw Jerusalem’s fall as their gain – with the major trade route through Jerusalem disrupted, more commerce would flow through their ports. It was cold, calculated opportunism at Israel’s expense.

Did You Know?

Tyre was so confident in their island fortress that they withstood a 13-year siege by Nebuchadnezzar (585-572 BC). They probably laughed at land-based armies trying to conquer a city surrounded by water. But God had longer-term plans involving someone they’d never heard of – Alexander the Great.

For the exiled Jews, this prophecy was both comfort and warning. God hadn’t forgotten their suffering, and He wouldn’t let those who mocked His people go unpunished. But it also reminded them that wealth and military might mean nothing when you’re opposing the Creator of the universe.

The original audience would have immediately understood the economic implications. Tyre wasn’t just another city – they were the Amazon of the ancient world, with trading posts from Spain to the Black Sea. Predicting their fall was like someone in 1950 predicting the collapse of the British Empire. It seemed impossible.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s where things get complicated: this prophecy describes multiple conquests of Tyre, and historically, that’s exactly what happened. Nebuchadnezzar did besiege and partially destroy mainland Tyre, but the island city survived. Then Alexander the Great came along in 332 BC and literally built a causeway to the island – fulfilling the prophecy about making it “like the top of a rock” where fishermen spread nets.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Verse 7 specifically names Nebuchadnezzar as the one who will destroy Tyre, but verses 3-6 use plural pronouns – “they will destroy,” “many nations.” It’s as if God is describing both the immediate Babylonian attack and the ultimate complete destruction that would come later.

Some scholars struggle with this “double fulfillment,” but it actually demonstrates something profound about biblical prophecy. God’s judgments often unfold across history in waves, with each fulfillment revealing more of His character and sovereignty. The Babylonians started the process; Alexander finished it; but God orchestrated it all.

There’s also the haunting language about Tyre going down to “the pit” (bor) in verse 20. This isn’t just about physical destruction – it’s about spiritual death, about joining the realm of nations that have passed from historical significance into the dustbin of forgotten empires.

How This Changes Everything

This chapter forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: God cares deeply about how we respond to other people’s suffering. Tyre’s sin wasn’t just pride or wealth – it was celebrating Jerusalem’s pain and profiting from their neighbors’ misery. That’s what brought divine judgment.

“God’s justice isn’t delayed – it’s perfectly timed to reveal His character most clearly.”

The prophecy against Tyre shows us that God’s justice operates on a scale larger than individual lives. Empires rise and fall according to His purposes, and no amount of military might or economic power can protect a nation that opposes His will or exploits His people.

But here’s the hope hidden in the judgment: while Tyre would be destroyed, God promised to restore Israel (Ezekiel 36-37). The same God who brings down the proud lifts up the humble. The same sovereignty that ensures justice for Tyre guarantees restoration for His people.

For modern readers, this chapter serves as both warning and comfort. It warns against the pride that says our wealth, technology, or military power makes us invincible. It comforts those who suffer while watching the wicked prosper – God sees, God remembers, and God acts.

Key Takeaway

God’s justice may be patient, but it is absolutely certain. No empire built on the exploitation of others – no matter how powerful or prosperous – can ultimately stand against the One who rules over all nations.

Ezekiel Chapter 26

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