Ezekiel 26

The time of this prophecy, verse 1 of the destruction of the city of Tyrus by the Chaldeans, because she rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem, 2. A description of the terror, astonishment and lamentation that there shall be at the sudden and unexpected destruction of Tyrus, 15.

1. And it came to pass in the eleventh year, [After the captive carrying away of the kings Jechonia. See above chapter 24 on verse 1] on the first (day) of the moneth, [what moneth this is uncertain. From the following verse we may conceive it to have been the fifth moneth after the taking of Jerusalem which happened on the ninth day of the fourth moneth in the eleventh year of king Zedekia, Jeremiah 52:6] (that) the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2. Child of man because that Tyrus [That is, the inhabitants of the city of Tyrus Heb. Tsor. See Joshua 19. On verse 29 and 1 Kings on verse and further Isaiah 23:1 &c. Jeremiah 47:4. Joel 3:4, &c. Amos 1:9,10. Zachariah 9.2,3. Pslms 83.8 and 81.4. Matthew 11:21,22.] Hath said concerning Jerusalem, Aha. [As above chapter 25.3.] She is broken the grace of the nations; [Heb. doors, &c. by which the nations from all parts did enter into exercise their merchandise. Compare below chapter 27.3 and Isaiah 23:3] she is turned about to me, [That is, her trading will now come to me] i shall be filled, [with merchandise and riches] she is laid waste. [as if she had said; she is quiet undone: or; (now, because) she is laid waste]

3. Therefore, thus saith the Lord LORD; behold, I (will be) upon thee, [As above chapter 13.8] o Tyrus: and will cause many heathen to come up against thee, and if I caused the sea with his waves to come up [compare below verse 19. Others, as the sea lifteth himself up with his waves: this the Tyrians were wont to do, as laying in the sea.]

4. They [to wit, these heathen, or nations. See verse 7.] shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers; verse 1 will wipe away her dust from her , [as when a man wipeth away the dust from a rock, so that the bare rock may be seen, which was before covered all over with dust. Thus it pleased God to represent most lively in Rhetorical terms the destruction of the city of Tyrus] and will make her a smooth rock. [Heb. make her the smoothness of a rock. Compare chapter 24.7. this hath respect to the situation of the city, which was built upon the rock, and from thence the name Tsor, that is a rock. God doth hereby intimate, that he will cause the building to be destroyed and consumed like dust, so that nothing more of it shall be seen, then the smooth bare empty rock upon which that proud ands stately city was built, so verse 14.]

5. It shall be in the midst of the sea [for Tyrus lay round about in the sea, separate from the continent. See 1 Kings on verse 1 and below verse 17 and chapter 27.34 and 28.2.] (for) the spreading abroad of nets, [or, drag-sails. It shall be like bare island, where fisherman will spread nets abroad to dry them] for I have spoken it, saith the Lord LORD; and it shall become prey to the heathen.

6. And her daughters [That is, the cities and villages that belonged to her, that is the inhabitants thereof. See 2 Kings 10 on verse 21 so verse 8] which are in the field shall be slain with the sword and they shall know that I am the LORD.

7. For thus saith the Lord LORD, behold I will bring Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babel, the king of Kings, [That monarch, the greatest and mightiest of the kings of the earth. Compare Genesis 9 on verse 25 and cant. 1 on verse 1 and see Daniel 2:37] From the north against Tyrus, with horses and with chariots and with horsemen and (warlike) assembly and much people.

8. He shall stay thy daughters [As verse 6.] in the field with the sword; and he shall make forts against thee and cast up a mount against thee, [see 2 Samuel 20 on verse 15] and lift up bucklers against thee, [that is, fight against thee, or cause souldiers with bucklers or bucklermen to all on upon assault the: for bucklers or shields in fighting are lifted up, or heaved up, to cover ones self therewith against the enemy]

9. And he shall set well-breakers {such a warlike engine as destroyeth all that is before, or against it] against thy walls, and break down thy towers with his swords [or, axes of King Nebuchadnezzar.]

10. By reason of the abundance of his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] horses, their dustcover thee: thy walls shall shake because of the noise of the horsemen, and wheels and chariots, when he shall march in through thy gates as (though) the entries of a city broken through. [or as men are wont to march into the city broken through, or split, rent asunder; that is, whole gates shall be so spoiled and open by the violence of the besiegers, as that they shall be able to march wide enough and in troops, as it were, through great breachers; or as men in a storming manner fall in through the breaches that are made, so shall be march in unto thee and destroy all. See verse 15 the breaches shall be to him instead of gates]

11. He shall with the hooss [Heb. claws] of his horses tread down all thy streets: he shall stay thy people with the sword, and every one of the pillars of thy strength shall fall down to the ground, [Heb. the pillars of thy strength (whereby is seemth that strong towers or other strong holds are meant, which they had set up for defense) shall go down (in the singular number) to the ground; every one of them. some understand it of the stately statues, pageants &c. readred up for a show of their greatness]

12. And they shall rob thy wealth, and plunder thy merchandise and break thy walls and overthrow thy costly houses: [Heb. houses of thy desires; that is, thy costly, desirable, pleasant houses] and they shall cast [Heb. lay, set] thy and thy wood, and thy dust in the midst the waters.

13. Thus will I cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thine harps [Others, citherns] shall be more heard. [That is, all thy mirth shall be ended. See Isaiah 24:8. Jeremiah 7:34 and 16.9.]

14. Yea I will make thee a smooth rock; [see above on verse 4.5.] thou shalt be (for) the spreading abroad of nets, thou shalt be built no more: [that is, not as in times past: thou shalt return no more to thy former worldly prosperity state and glory and in time utterly perish. Compare Isaiah 15.23,17. And below verse 21 and chapter 27.36. likewise Ezra 3:7. Nehemiah 13. Matthew 15:21. Mark 7:24. Acts 12:20. and 21 3.7. its conceived, that this city rose as a little under the reign of King Cyrus, and in the time of Alexander the Great its remarkable that it was of some strength and power, when he besieged in seven months and at last took it but at this day many testify that there are hardly any reliques to be seen of the repaired city of Pale-Tyrus: nevertheless it hath had spiritual promises for the elect under the Messiah, Psalms 7:4. Isaiah 23:18. God (unto whom all things are known from eternity) joyneth here (as elsewhere often) the beginning and the end together] for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord LORD.

15. Thus saith the Lord LORD unto Tyrus, shall not the isles [That is, the inhabitants beyond see that have traded with thee and have been enriched by thee. Compare below chapter 27.35 and see Psalms 72 on verse 10] tremble at the sound of thy fall, [as if he should say, surely they will] whom the deadly wounded men shall grone [or howl, Sigh 30.24] when they shall cruelly murder [Heb. killing or (with) killing kill; that is, commit murder, murder all] in the midst of thee?

16. And all the prince of the sea, [That dwell by the sea-side have thee, and have relied upon thee. Compare below chapter 27.35] shall come down from their throne, [in token of astonishment and sorrow; likewise for their own estate by thine example] and removes from them their robes and trembling, they shall sit down upon the ground and tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.

17. And they shall take up the lamentation for thee, and say to thee, how art thou [A question proceeding from pity and amazement] perished out of the sea, thou well inhabited] wherein (to wit, in the seas) thou layest round about. Compare below chapter 27.35. others, thou that wast inhabited of the seas; that is, of sea-farring men, traders that came from beyond sea to dwell in thee; that is, to live and reside in thee a long while because of their traffique. Compare Acts 2:5. Jeremiah 4:13 and here in the end of this verse dwelt, that is, lived a long time, after the manner of the merchants’ factors, c] thou renowed city which wast strong at sea, she and her inhabitants, which gave their terror to all that dwelt in her. [That is, which by their extraordinary power, pomp and magnificence caused terror to be on all those that came from other places to live among them? Compare below chapter22.23, c and Isaiah 23:8.]

18. Now shalt the Isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled because of the going out. [That is, because thy people shall be contained to go forth into captivity. Or going out, that is, end, pitiful issue; as we also use the fame word in our own language]

19. For thus saith the Lord LORD, when I shall make thee a desolate, like the cities, that are not inhabited; when I shall cause an abysse [meaning the Babylonian army. See above verse 3] to come upon thee, and great [or many] waters shall cover thee;

20. Then will I cause thee to come down with them that descend into the pit, [that is, into the grave, as often: that thou shalt be those that are dead, buried and forgotten] to the old people, [Heb. people of eternity; that is, antiquity. Understand those that of old time in former ages, from the beginning of the world, are gone down thither, see of this word Olam, Jeremiah 2 on verse 20. So in the sequel] and will cause thee to lie down in the lowermost places of the earth, [Heb, the earth of lowness. So below chapter 52.10, c] in the desolate places (that) have been of old, [the same thing is said in other words] with them that descend into the pit, that thou be not inhabited: and I will restore ornaments in the land of the living. [That is, upon the earth, among men that are alive. See Psalms 27 on verse 13. That is, my land of Canaan, Jerusalem and of my people of Juda (at whose misery and destruction thou saidth, Aha verse 2) then will I deliver and restore to such an estate, that they shall be the beauty and glory of all the earth, as a type of that which I will do to my whole Church by the Messiah on earth and in the heavenly Canaan. See above chapter 20.6. Psalms 48:3. Ephesians 5:27. Revelations 21.2 and below chapter 37.11,c.]

21. (But) I will make thee a greater terror, [Heb. terrours, troubles, astonishments, That is, I will so deal with thee that every one shall be frightened when he hereth of it, thinketh of it] and thou shalt be no more: [see above on verse 14. [when thou art sought for thou shalt not be found for ever, compare Psalms 37:35,36, c.] saith the Lord LORD.