Ezekiel 26

The chapter records a prophetic indictment against the city of Tyre, condemning its malicious gloating over the fall of Jerusalem for commercial gain. God declares through Ezekiel that He will bring judgment upon Tyre, leading to its total desolation and permanent ruin.

• The indictment: Tyre mocks Jerusalem's destruction to seize her trade routes (v1-2).
• The divine response: God announces He is against Tyre and will use many nations to execute judgment (v3-6).
• The specific agent: Nebuchadrezzar is identified as the instrument of judgment to level the city (v7-14).
• The reaction and finality: The surrounding nations lament as Tyre's prominence is completely erased from history (v15-21).

• The 'eleventh year' (v1) aligns with the destruction of Jerusalem.
• Tyre's malicious cry: 'Aha' (H1889 - הֶאָח) (v2).
• Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon (v7).
• Imagery of a 'bare rock' (H6706, H5553 - צְחִיחַ סֶלַע) used for spreading fishing nets (v4, 14).

This passage highlights God's sovereignty over the nations and His hatred for those who capitalize on the suffering of His people. It serves as a reminder that temporal commercial success is fragile and subject to divine intervention.

God holds nations accountable not only for their own sins but for their heartless response to the suffering of others, proving that prideful profiteering will inevitably lead to ruin.

The chapter flows from a specific historical offense (Tyre's gloating) to a descriptive prophecy of destruction, culminating in the lament of onlookers as the city is made a desolate waste.

• God will bring many nations against Tyre (v3).
• God will make Tyre like the top of a rock (v14).
• Tyre will be sought for but never found again (v21).

• The isles shall tremble and princes shall lay away their robes in fear because of God's judgment on the arrogant (v15-16).

• Tyre was a major Phoenician city-state known for maritime trade. The siege by Nebuchadrezzar lasted 13 years, significantly crippling the city's power.
• Matthew Henry observes that the sin of being 'secretly pleased with the death or decay of others' when one might gain from it is a 'sin that easily besets us,' yet is often ignored despite its grievous nature.

• Tyre served as a gate (דֶּלֶת - H1817) for the peoples (עַם - H5971), acting as a central hub for commerce in the ancient Mediterranean.
• The image of 'spreading nets' is a direct indictment of the city's pride; a city of great wealth would be reduced to a place suitable only for poor fishermen.

• This chapter begins the 'Oracles against the Nations' section of Ezekiel, specifically focusing on the maritime power of Tyre.
• It provides a sharp contrast between the judgment of Israel's neighbors and the ultimate restoration of Israel.

• The prophecy recalls the pride of human kingdoms as seen in Genesis 11 (Babel).
• Later Scripture in Revelation 18 parallels the fall of this ancient city with the judgment on the 'great city' Babylon.

• The phrase 'I the Lord have spoken it' (v14) echoes the authoritative prophetic voice found throughout the Pentateuch and Major Prophets regarding divine judgment.

• שָׁנֶה (shaneh, H8141): year, literally a revolution of time, noting the precision of the prophetic date.
• הֶאָח (he'ach, H1889): An interjection of gloating or malicious irony, translated as 'Aha!'.
• חָרַב (charav, H2717): To parch or lay waste; signifies a destruction so total it leaves nothing for life.
• סֶלַע (sela, H5553): A craggy rock or fortress; ironically used here to describe a place devoid of the city's former wealth.

• Tyre's arrogance is described as the belief that they would be 'replenished' (מָלֵא - H4390) because Jerusalem was 'laid waste' (חָרַב - H2717).
• The use of 'I' is frequent—it is God who speaks, God who is against Tyre, and God who brings Nebuchadrezzar.

• Scholars debate the extent of the historical fulfillment of this prophecy. While Nebuchadrezzar besieged Tyre (v7-12), some historical records suggest he did not completely annihilate the city or its population. Interpretive positions include: 1) The prophecy uses hyperbole typical of ANE prophetic literature to emphasize total defeat; 2) The prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in later historical conquests (e.g., Alexander the Great); 3) It serves as an eschatological type of the final judgment of all nations that oppose God.