Tyre Is Judged for Its Pride and Joy in Jerusalem’s Fall

26:1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said about Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich, now that she has been destroyed,’ 26:3 therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Tyre! I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 26:4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock. 26:5 She will be a place where fishing nets are spread, surrounded by the sea. For I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord. She will become plunder for the nations, 26:6 and her daughters who are in the field will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 26:7 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note that I am about to bring King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north, with horses, chariots, and horsemen, an army and hordes of people. 26:8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will build a siege wall against you, erect a siege ramp against you, and raise a great shield against you. 26:9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his weapons. 26:10 He will cover you with the dust kicked up by his many horses. Your walls will shake from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots when he enters your gates like those who invade through a city’s broken walls. 26:11 With his horses’ hoofs he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will tumble down to the ground. 26:12 They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your trees, and your soil he will throw into the water. 26:13 I will silence the noise of your songs; the sound of your harps will be heard no more. 26:14 I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place where fishing nets are spread. You will never be built again, for I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord. 26:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive slaughter in your midst! 26:16 All the princes of the sea will vacate their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has happened to you. 26:17 They will sing this lament over you: “‘How you have perished – you have vanished from the seas, O renowned city, once mighty in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror! 26:18 Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your fall; the coastlands by the sea will be terrified by your passing.’ 26:19 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: When I make you desolate like the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging waters overwhelm you, 26:20 then I will bring you down to bygone people, to be with those who descend to the pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth, among the primeval ruins, with those who descend to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited or stand in the land of the living. 26:21 I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the sovereign Lord.”

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

God announces judgment against Tyre because it rejoiced over Jerusalem’s destruction and expected to profit from it. He says he will bring many nations against it, with Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon as the immediate instrument. The oracle uses strong prophetic language to show Tyre’s complete humiliation and the end of its former power.

Tyre had treated Jerusalem’s ruin as a chance to become richer. The Lord answered with a clear word of judgment: “I am against you.”

The passage pictures Tyre being attacked by many nations, like waves of the sea. It also names Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon as the main historical enemy. The siege is described in vivid detail. Walls, towers, wealth, songs, and trade will all be brought low.

The repeated images of a bare rock and fishing nets show that Tyre will be stripped of its former glory and usefulness. The final words are very strong. They mean that Tyre’s old power and standing will be ended decisively. They should be read as prophetic totalization, not as a denial that the site could ever be inhabited again in some later form.

The surrounding rulers are shown mourning Tyre’s fall. This judgment will make the nations tremble and show that the Lord is sovereign over cities, trade, and kings. He judges pride and gloating. He also shows that no human wealth or power can stand before his word.

• God is against proud and opportunistic sin.
• Tyre sinned by rejoicing over Jerusalem’s fall and seeking gain from it.
• The Lord uses nations and rulers as instruments of his judgment.
• God’s judgment can destroy wealth, power, and public honor.
• The purpose of judgment is that the nations will know that he is the Lord.

• Warning: Do not rejoice over another person’s ruin for profit.
• Warning: Pride and security in wealth cannot protect a nation from God’s judgment.
• Warning: The Lord can bring down what looks strong and lasting.
• Command: Hear God’s word and tremble before his holiness.
• Promise: God will publicly vindicate his name among the nations.

This oracle shows the Lord ruling over the nations during Judah’s exile. He judges Tyre as part of his larger purpose to humble arrogant power and to make his holy name known. In the wider Bible, this fits the pattern that God brings down proud human kingdoms and finally vindicates his rule.

Readers should not celebrate when others fall in order to benefit themselves. This passage warns rulers, business leaders, and ordinary people that success is fragile before God. It calls us to fear the Lord, refuse pride, and trust his justice instead of human power.

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