Ezequiel 26
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Ezequiel 26:1-6
26:1 Ezekiel dates his prophecies (cf. Ezek. 1:1; 8:1; 20:1; 26:1; 29:1,17; 30:20; 31:1; 32:1,17; 33:21). Surprisingly, the month is not named here. His book is not in chronological sequence, which implies an editor. It must be admitted that moderns do not know how, who, or when the OT was complied and edited in its current form. Ezekiel 26:1 through 28:19 forms a literary unit denoting Phoenicia's judgment and total destruction. See note at Ezek. 26:11! The subdivisions are identified by the literary marker "the word of the Lord came to me saying" (cf. Ezek. 26:1; 27:1; 28:1,11). 26:2 "the gateway of the peoples is broken" There are two ways of understanding this phrase. It has to do with Phoenicia's territorial expansion because of Judah's destruction of Neo-Babylon (notice the last phrase of v. 2). Jerusalem is located on a major international highway between the powerful nation of Egypt and the powerful nations of Syria, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. Because of her strategic location, Judah charged a tax on all of the caravans who passed this way. Tyre, also a commercial center, was glad that one more middleman was eliminated. It relates to the use of the phrase in Isa. 62:10, which denotes Jerusalem, and particularly the temple, as a universal access (i.e. highway) to the worship of YHWH. ▣ "I shall be filled" This VERB (BDB 569, KB 583, Niphal COHORTATIVE) expresses the joy of the Phoenicians at the demise of Judah ("she is laid waste," BDB 351, KB 349, Hophal PERFECT). The VERB stem implies it was permanent. ▣ "because Tyre has said" Chapters 26-28 form a literary unit of judgment (a funeral dirge, cf. Ezek. 19:1-14; 26:17-18; 27:2-9,25-36; 28:12-19; 32:2-8) against the Phoenician maritime cities of Tyre and Sidon (cf. Isa. 24; Jer. 47:4). 26:3 These nations who gloated over Judah's fall were judged by YHWH (e.g. Micah 4:11). ▣ "as the sea brings up its waves" This is a play on the fact that Tyre was an island fortress. Most of the city was located on the mainland, but the citadel was located on a rocky island about one-quarter mile off shore. During ancient times it proved to be one of the most impregnable fortresses in the Near East. 26:4 This is another reference to the island fortress (cf. Ezek. 26:17). The city was finally captured by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. 26:5 This curse is repeated in Ezek. 26:14. There were two types of fishing nets used. casting nets, 12:13; 32:3 dragnets, 26:5,14; 47:10 26:6 "her daughters who are on the mainland" This refers to the part of the city which surrounded the harbor. Only the walled citadel was on the island. It was the walls of the houses and buildings that Alexander used to build a causeway to the islands (cf. Ezek. 26:12).
Ezequiel 26:7-14
26:7 "I will bring upon Tyre" Notice the actions of Neo-Babylon's army are controlled by YHWH. Nebuchadnezzar II is His instrument. Flavius Josephus mentions that Nebuchadnezzar II seized the island fortress for 13 years (586-573 B.C.) without taking it, but that a treaty was made in which the royal family was exiled but not the king himself (see IVP Bible Background Commentary [OT], p. 712). ▣ "from the north" This compass direction became a proverb (e.g. Jer. 4:6; 6:1,22; 10:22; 13:20; 15:12; 46:20, 24) for evil because this was the only land route for invasion from the Fertile Crescent empires (i.e. Assyria in Isa. 14:31; Neo-Babylon in Jer. 1:13-15). ▣ "Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon" This Neo-Babylon king's name is spelled in two ways. Nebuchadnezzar ‒ 2 Kgs. 24:1,10,11; 25:1,8,22; 1 Chr. 6:15; 2 Chr. 36:6,7,10,13; Ezra 1:7; 2:1; 5:12,14; 6:5; Neh. 7:6; twenty-seven times in Daniel Nebuchadrezzar ‒ thirty-seven times in Jeremiah, four in Ezekiel ▣ "kings of kings" This title reflects the conquests of the Neo-Babylon Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II (cf. Jer. 27:6-7; Dan. 2:37). It was also later used of Artaxerxes, the Persian king in Ezra 7:12. It came to be a title for the Messiah (cf. 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16). A similar title was used of YHWH in Deut. 10:17 and I Enoch 9:4. It is a phrase that emphasizes sovereignty! Special Topic: OT Titles of the Special Coming One ▣ "a great army" The Neo-Babylonian army grew by including the defeated armies into their ranks as mercenaries. 26:8 "siege walls against you, cast up a mound" This may refer to two separate siege tactics or just to one (cf. 2 Sam. 20:15; 2 Kgs. 19:32; Isa. 37:33; Jer. 6:6; Ezek. 4:2; 17:17; 21:22; 26:8). These ramps allowed soldiers and siege machines (i.e. battering ram, BDB 867) to approach the stone walls of a city in order to loosen the lower foundation stones and cause the wall to fall. ▣ "raise up a large shield against you" This is a technical term (BDB 857, cf. 1 Kgs. 10:16) for what was known as "the roof" of the siege machines, which was raised as a shield to protect the attacking soldiers from those defenders on the walls of citadels. We know that Nebuchadnezzar II began this siege in 587 B.C., and it lasted until 574 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar never defeated the main citadel (cf. Ezek. 29:18), but it apparently surrendered. There is no record of the city's capture in the Babylonian chronicles. 26:9 Nebuchadnezzar's siege machines never reached the island citadel of Tyre, but Alexander's did in 332 B.C. ▣ "blow of his battering rams" This is a rare term (BDB 562 II). In Num. 34:11 it is translated "border" (KB 568 or "to run along beside"), but that meaning does not fit this text in Ezekiel. 26:10 Neo-Babylon learned the use of cavalry and chariot warfare from the Assyrians (i.e. Jer. 6:23). Special Topic: Chariots 26:11-12 There is a switch from the PRONOUN "he" (Ezek. 26:11) to "they" (Ezek. 26:12) in these verses. Some have assumed a theological significance that this refers to subsequent besiegers of Tyre, like Alexander the Great, to whom the city fell in 332 B.C. See Gleason L. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 276-278. 26:11 Some would read these words and assert that the Bible is in error at this point. We must remember that prophecy is hyperbolic literary genre. The books that have really helped me in my understanding of both prophecy and apocalyptic literature are D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic G. B. Caird, The Language and Imagery of the Bible ▣ "your strong pillars" From the Greek historian, Heroditus (II. 44), we understand there were two famous obelisks in the city of Tyre. One was gold and the other was emerald and they were dedicated to the god Melqart ("King of the City"), probably another name for Ba'al, the fertility god of Canaan. The worship of this god was brought into Israel by Jezebel (cf. 1 Kgs. 16:21-32). 26:13 This is an idiomatic way of asserting their society will cease (i.e. Isa. 23:16; 24:8,9). Tyre may have been renowned for her musicians (cf. Isa. 23:16). 26:14 "a place for the spreading of nets" The citadel will be so completely destroyed that it will only be good for is drying fishermen's nets (cf. Ezek. 26:5). This was historically fulfilled in Alexander's conquest.
Ezequiel 26:15-18
26:15 "groan" This VERB (BDB 60, KB 72) occurs three times in Ezekiel. 9:4, those who sigh and groan over Judah's sins 24:17, Ezekiel groans quietly over the death of his wife 26:15, the dying of Tyre groan loudly at their approaching death (cf. Job 24:12; Jer. 51:52; Ezek. 30:24). It occurs only one other time in the OT, Jer. 51:52. The NOUN (BDB 60) occurs in Ps. 12:5; 79:11; 102:20; Mal. 2:13. 26:16 "they will sit on the ground" This is a sign of mourning (e.g. Lam. 2:10, esp. for a king, cf. Isa. 47:1). Special Topic: Grieving Rites ▣ "trembling. . .tremble" This term (BDB 353, KB 350) denotes great fear. It is used twice (VERB and NOUN) in this verse. The ones trembling are the colonies which the Phoenicians had started all around the Mediterranean. These outposts of Phoenician culture were dependant on Tyre. ▣ "be appalled at you" This VERB (BDB 1030, KB 1563, Qal PERFECT with waw) denotes astonishment at YHWH's judgment (cf. Lev. 26:32; Job 17:8; Isa. 52:14; Jer. 50:13; Ezek. 26:16; 27:35; 28:19; 32:10; Dan. 8:27). This fear at the fall of a powerful commercial nation is used in Revelation 18. 26:17-18 This is a lamentation (BDB 884, cf. Ezek. 2:10; 19:1,14; 27:2,32; 32:2,16) in poetic form. 26:17 The questions about the first two lines of the lament are: are there two parallel VERBALS "perished" "ceased" (NET Bible) are there two parallel titles O inhabited one O renewed city or, is there one of each
Ezequiel 26:19-21
26:19 "the deep over you and the great waters" This refers to the chaotic waters of creation (cf. Gen. 1:2,6-7,9-10), which became known as Sheol or the holding place of the dead (i.e. "the pit," Ezek. 26:20; 31:16; Ps. 28:1; 30:3; 40:2; 88:4; 143:7; Prov. 1:12; Isa. 14:15; 38:18). "The deep" is the Hebrew term tehom (BDB 1062 #3, KB 1690-91). A similar, but different, Hebrew root is personified as Tiamat in the Sumerian and Babylonian creation myths as the monster of chaos and the mother of the gods, wife of Apsu. She tried to kill all lesser gods that came forth from her. Marduk killed her. Out of her body Marduk fashioned heaven and earth in the Babylonian Genesis account called Enuma Elish. The Hebrews believed that water was the beginning element of creation (cf. Ps. 24:1; 104:6; 2 Pet. 3:5). It is never said to have been created. However, the Hebrew term is MASCULINE, not FEMININE and it is unrelated etymologically to Tiamat. There are passages in the OT which describe YHWH in conflict with personified watery chaos (cf. Ps. 74:13-14; 89:9-10; 104:6-7; Isa. 51:9-10). However, these are always in poetical, metaphorical passages. Water is a crucial aspect of creation (cf. Ezek. 1:2b,6-7), but its creation is never mentioned. Special Topic: The Dead, Where Are They?, I. B. Special Topic: Ancient Near East Creation and Flood Myths Special Topic: Waters 26:20 "I shall bring you down with those who go down to the pit" This refers to Sheol, the holding place of the dead until judgment day. The rabbis speculated that it was divided into two sections—the righteous dead and the wicked dead. This three-level worldview (earth for the living, below the earth for the dead, and heaven above, e.g. Ps. 139:8; Amos 9:2) was based on the burial practice of the Jews. The dead were buried, so they were in the ground (cf. Ezek. 31:14,16,18; 32:18,24). Smoke from the sacrifices and incense altars rose to God so heaven was up. This is metaphorical, not literal (e.g. Isa. 14:9-10). In reality Scripture reveals very little about the afterlife (heaven or hell), but focuses on choices, actions, and consequences of current reality! Special Topic: The Dead, Where Are They? NASB, NKJV "I shall set glory in the land of the living" "or have a place in the land of the living" "and take your place in the land of the living" "or be restored to the land of the land of the living" "nor rise (or stand) upon a land of life" "and I will not cause your resurrection in the land of the living" "or take your place in the land of the living" The MT has "and I will give beauty (BDB 840) in the land of the living," which does not make sense in this context, unless it is a statement of pride, like Ezek. 28:2,12. So, most modern English translations follow the Septuagint.