26:1–6 Unlike the other oracles against the nations, the prophecy against Tyre is assigned a specific date: the first day of an unnamed month,195 in the eleventh year of Ezekiel’s exile. This puts it either right before or right after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, which occurred in that year (40:1). Tyre is charged with celebrating that fall, saying “Aha” (26:2; cf. 25:3). Whereas Judah’s other neighbors sought to gain by annexing parts of her territory, Tyre’s motivation for celebration was the perception that Jerusalem’s downfall would benefit Tyre economically. Jerusalem was the “gate of the peoples” (26:2) insofar as she controlled several major land routes for trade, especially with the Transjordanian regions. With that gate being broken, there was a perceived opportunity for Tyre to step into the gap and benefit from Jerusalem’s calamity.

But Tyre had not reckoned with Israel’s God, who was against Tyre. He would bring many nations against her—not just the Babylonians, but others after them, like successive waves of the sea surrounding Tyre’s island home (vv. 3–4). Tyre was originally built on a coastal island about 1 mile (1.6 km) long and one-half mile (0.8 km) wide; the city’s strength came precisely from its position surrounded by water. Instead of Tyre’s becoming the doorway to the trade of the nations, the nations would come against her for war. Part of the city’s territory was also located on the mainland, where the towns are called “her daughters” (v. 6). The nations will destroy Tyre’s seemingly impregnable walls and towers, leaving her a bare and uninhabitable rock, suitable only as place for fishermen to spread their nets for drying (v. 5). In this judgment the Lord’s name will be recognized.

26:7–14 These verses add specificity to the earlier prophecy. The first in the line of the nations that will come against Tyre is Babylon, led by their king, Nebuchadnezzar, fresh from his victory over Jerusalem (v. 7). Nebuchadnezzar thus does not come “from the north” immediately to Tyre; however, he will be to them the classic “enemy from the north” seen in Israelite prophecy (Jer. 1:13–15; Ezek. 1:4). He is not only Babylon’s king but the “king of kings” and comes with his vast army, including chariotry and horsemen (26:7). These were elite troops in ancient warfare, emblematic of the quality and quantity of Nebuchadnezzar’s military resources, even if not of much practical value in the siege of an island like Tyre. Of more immediate threat are his siege mounds, battering rams, and axes with which to breach the city walls (v. 9). Once those walls are disposed of, the fall of the city will be rapid as the raiders overwhelm the defenses, tear down the pillars, and loot the rich merchandise of the city. The very stones of the city will be cast into the sea to prevent any possible rebuilding (v. 12). The musical sounds of celebration will be brought to an end, a graphic description of the end of normal life (cf. Amos 5:23). The city will be destroyed, never to be rebuilt.

The prophet here has fused immediate fulfillment in the days of Nebuchadnezzar with ultimate fulfillment at the hands of “many nations” (Ezek. 26:3). The final complete destruction of Tyre will not come until the time of Alexander the Great, 250 years later, who will construct a causeway from the mainland to the island. Yet the thirteen-year siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar is successful in breaking Tyre’s power and profitability, and her former glory is never regained.

26:15–18 The ripples from Tyre’s fall will spread outward to affect her numerous maritime trading partners, the “coastlands” (v. 15; or “islands,” or perhaps both, since Tyre’s partners include both coastal and island cities around the Mediterranean). The rulers of these regions will respond in both mourning and fear over Tyre’s great fall, ceasing from their royal activities and stripping off their royal robes (v. 16). They will sing a lament over the city, dismayed at her passing and the implications for their own profitable trading. If Tyre can fall from greatness in this way, who can be confident of standing firm?

26:19–21 The key pronoun in these verses is the Lord’s “I.” The Lord himself will bring Tyre to an end, submerging her forever under the seas over which she has ruled and bringing her and her inhabitants down to the pit (v. 20). This is the shadowy underworld to which the wicked are consigned, the nightmare end of all those abandoned by God and judged by him (cf. Pss. 28:1; 30:3; 88:4; 143:7). Though people might seek Tyre, they will not find her, because she will have utterly vanished, sunken under the ocean waves, never again to reappear (Ezek. 26:21). The foreboding “I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more” ends this panel, as it does the next two (cf. 27:36; 28:19).

27:1–11 The second panel repeats the message of the first one, this time under the image of a ship in full sail. Ezekiel is instructed to raise a lament for Tyre as if she were already dead (v. 2). Her impending fall is so certain that the funeral hymn may be sung ahead of time. Tyre is proud of her island position “at the entrances to the sea” (v. 3), claiming perfection in beauty for herself. There is some justification to this claim, as Tyre is compared to a ship made of the finest of materials. Her decking planks (v. 5) come from Senir, the area around Mount Hermon in the north of Israel, famed for its forests. The mast is a long, straight cedar from Lebanon, the archetypal home of that tree. The oaks of Bashan in the northern Transjordan are similarly renowned for their strength, making them suitable for oars. The “deck” (or “hull”; v. 6)196 is constructed from pine imported from Cyprus and inlaid with ivory to add beauty. Meanwhile, the other materials used in her construction are equally opulent. Egyptian linen is used for the sail, which doubles as a banner (v. 7), identifying the ship and its owners. The awning is imported from Elishah on Cyprus, crafted out of blue and purple dyed material, particularly expensive because of the exotic source of the dyes. Only the very best (and most expensive) materials are good enough to fit out this stately ship.

Her crew is equally international, drawing on the best of all the surrounding nations. The sailors are Phoenicians, drawn from Tyre itself and nearby Sidon, as well as Arvad, 95 miles (153 km) up the coast, and Gebal (Byblos), about 50 miles (80 km) to the north. Her soldiers are mercenaries from near and far, including Persia to the east;197 Lud (either Lydians from Asia Minor or a part of Libya) and Put (also in North Africa) to the west; and Arvad, Helek, and Gammad to her north. Such an array adds to Tyre’s splendor as the soldiers hang their shields on her walls. The result is a picture of perfect beauty (v. 11; cf. v. 4).

27:12–25 In addition to her fine craftsmanship and expert crew, the ship Tyre is filled with all kinds of costly goods. The lengthy list of her trading partners is matched only by the wide array of her wares: precious stones, slaves and animals, ebony and ivory, embroidered cloth and fine linen, food and wine, iron and spices—nothing of value is omitted. The cargo list seems to be organized by geographic areas, starting with Mediterranean locations and those in Asia Minor (vv. 12–15), moving on through Palestinian regions from south to north (v. 16–17), to Syria (vv. 18–19), Arabia (vv. 20–22), and finally Mesopotamia (vv. 23–24).198 Tyre’s goods come from all four points of the compass and include virtually every commodity of any value, as befits its role as the commercial crossroads of the world.

27:26–27 The image of Tyre as a beautiful merchant ship in full sail, stuffed with every form of cargo, easily lends itself to the next image: the ship going down in a storm, lost with all hands. Her precious cargo is highlighted by the three terms: riches, wares, and merchandise (v. 27; the latter terms occur repeatedly throughout vv. 12–25). Sailing was an intensely dangerous form of travel in those days, especially when unexpected storms could appear seemingly from nowhere across the Mediterranean. In this case an east wind springs up, which is often symbolic of God’s judgment (e.g., Ps. 48:7; Ezek. 17:10; Hos. 13:15). In contrast to the elaborately detailed description of her cargo, the description of Tyre’s demise is short and matter-of-fact: the east wind blows and the ship sinks, with the loss of everything and everyone on board (Ezek. 27:26–27). Her fancy design and expert crew avail her nothing in the day of disaster. The city who prides herself on her location in the heart of the seas (v. 4) is sunk in the heart of those same seas (v. 27).

27:28–36 Much more attention is focused on the response of those bystanders who observe Tyre’s sinking. As in chapter 26, they tremble and lament for the stricken city. In this case the nautical community does so: the oarsmen, mariners, and pilots cry out bitterly and put on sackcloth and ashes, shaving their heads and throwing dust on their heads in the standard mourning protocols. This grand lamentation for the end of Tyre contrasts sharply with the lack of such gestures at Jerusalem’s fall anticipated in chapter 24. “Who is like Tyre” (27:32)? Just as she had no match when she was in full sail, so too there is no match for her in her destruction. Of course, the observers’ sadness is more than slightly tinged with self-pity at the impact her fall will have on their own economies: when in full flow, Tyre’s trade satisfied many peoples and “enriched the kings of the earth” (v. 33). With her demise, there is no one ready to step into the void. Her former trading partners are horrified at her demise, and they state the obvious, repeating the refrain from 26:21: “You have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever” (27:36).