And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
Ezekiel 26:9 belongs to God's prophecy of the ruin and utter destruction of Tyre, the great commercial city and former metropolis of Phoenicia. It foretells Nebuchadnezzar's assault on Tyre's defenses, setting engines of war against its walls and breaking down its towers with axes in the Babylonian siege. That word was fulfilled in his thirteen-year siege and work against the city, when its walls and towers were destroyed and it was at last taken by assault. The battering down of its walls, towers and strongholds was literally fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar, and is also linked to the later destruction by Alexander, who cast its stones, timber and dust into the sea. The warning to Tyre stands as a lesson for today, proving that God judges and punishes proud cities and calling modern cities and nations to repent and do right.
Assault Prophesied on Tyre
Ezekiel 26:9 belongs to God's prophecy of the ruin and utter destruction of Tyre, the great commercial city of the world and former metropolis of Phoenicia, given in Ezekiel 26. Chapters 26 to 28 give her ruin and the lamentation over her destruction, rising from Tyre to Satan as the instigator of all her wickedness. It is counted among the stirring prophecies against the nations and among the prophecies about other nations whose fulfillment is evident today, and as foretelling the destruction of Tyre and Sidon.
The verse foretells Nebuchadnezzar's assault on Tyre's defenses as part of the Babylonian and Chaldean siege. He would set engines of war against its walls and break down its towers with axes, attacking the city with siege engines and axes. This was the prediction that Tyre would be destroyed by the Chaldeans, that Nebuchadnezzar would attack the city and break down its defenses and capture the city. The account particularly describes Nebuchadnezzar's work against the city, though it also fits the later destruction by Alexander, who used the stones and rubble of the old city to build a causeway to the island city.
The Hebrew preposition translated with in connection with axes shows that the preposition elsewhere rendered under when used with a tool or weapon can mean with. The prophecy was given through Ezekiel during twenty-two years of pleading with Israel to turn to God, contrary to the false prophets who said Nebuchadnezzar was not coming against Jerusalem, and from Tyre he would go on to conquer Jerusalem.
Fulfilled Destruction of Tyre
The battering of walls with siege engines and the breaking down of towers with axes was fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar's thirteen-year siege and work against Tyre. In that siege the Babylonians destroyed the walls and towers of the mainland city and their horses trampled its streets. Tyre held out for thirteen years because its island position and strong navy made blockade exceptionally difficult, but it was at last taken by assault and its leading families were carried into Chaldea.
The bringing down of walls, towers and strongholds came to pass literally through Nebuchadnezzar. The same account also fits and is joined to the later destruction by Alexander, who used the stones and rubble of the old city to build a causeway to the island city. Other parts of the destruction announced against Tyre, the scraping away of her dust and the casting of her stones, timber and dust into the water and sea, had not yet been fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar's work.
Tyre was to be utterly wiped out of existence, so that the very place on which she stood would become a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. The old city on the seashore, the former metropolis of Phoenicia, lies barren and desolate, while the new city stands on what was formerly an island but is now joined to the mainland by a narrow stretch of sand. That fulfillment is evident today in existing facts, and is counted among the prophecies about other nations whose fulfillment is evident and which supports the divine origin of the prophetic Scriptures.
The reducing of the great city of Tyre to subjection was one of Nebuchadnezzar's glorious triumphs, alongside routing the Egyptians and destroying Jerusalem and carrying the Jews into captivity.
Warning to Proud Cities
The battering of walls by siege engines and the breaking down of towers by axes belongs to the warning of judgment upon defiant Tyre for open, flaunting, God-defying wickedness. It shows one act in her preliminary punishment, and that punishment was the fate such wickedness invited, the fruit of awful wickedness joined with the mercy of God. The warning to Tyre in Ezekiel 26 stands as a lesson and warning for today, not for San Francisco alone in her earthquake ruin and catastrophe. San Francisco's catastrophe is compared with the fate of Tyre and Babylon, as modern proud and beautiful Babylon and modern thrifty Tyre, and the same lesson warns New York, Chicago, and every other place forgetting and defying God. The judgment on Tyre is thus presented as a lesson for cities that forget and defy God.
The destruction of Tyre's walls and towers proves that God judges and punishes cities, and that cities are judged and punished or rewarded by the God of Heaven. The same truth applies to modern cities and nations, which have responsibility to God and not only to taxpayers. Such warnings call people to repent and do right, and the mention of the judgment and destruction of the wicked city connects the setting of engines against walls with the consequence of sin in defying God. Deliverance comes only by deep and genuine repentance toward God and firm determination to purify private, social, and political life according to the standard of His revealed will. The prophecy is given as an illustration of how God brings down pride, rising from Tyre to Satan as the instigator of all her wickedness.
Ezekiel 26:9 belongs to God's prophecy of the ruin and utter destruction of Tyre, the great commercial city and former metropolis of Phoenicia. It foretells Nebuchadnezzar's assault on Tyre's defenses, setting engines of war against its walls and breaking down its towers with axes in the Babylonian siege. That word was fulfilled in his thirteen-year siege and work against the city, when its walls and towers were destroyed and it was at last taken by assault. The battering down of its walls, towers and strongholds was literally fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar, and is also linked to the later destruction by Alexander, who cast its stones, timber and dust into the sea. The warning to Tyre stands as a lesson for today, proving that God judges and punishes proud cities and calling modern cities and nations to repent and do right.
Assault Prophesied on Tyre
Ezekiel 26:9 belongs to God's prophecy of the ruin and utter destruction of Tyre, the great commercial city of the world and former metropolis of Phoenicia, given in Ezekiel 26. Chapters 26 to 28 give her ruin and the lamentation over her destruction, rising from Tyre to Satan as the instigator of all her wickedness. It is counted among the stirring prophecies against the nations and among the prophecies about other nations whose fulfillment is evident today, and as foretelling the destruction of Tyre and Sidon.
The verse foretells Nebuchadnezzar's assault on Tyre's defenses as part of the Babylonian and Chaldean siege. He would set engines of war against its walls and break down its towers with axes, attacking the city with siege engines and axes. This was the prediction that Tyre would be destroyed by the Chaldeans, that Nebuchadnezzar would attack the city and break down its defenses and capture the city. The account particularly describes Nebuchadnezzar's work against the city, though it also fits the later destruction by Alexander, who used the stones and rubble of the old city to build a causeway to the island city.
The Hebrew preposition translated with in connection with axes shows that the preposition elsewhere rendered under when used with a tool or weapon can mean with. The prophecy was given through Ezekiel during twenty-two years of pleading with Israel to turn to God, contrary to the false prophets who said Nebuchadnezzar was not coming against Jerusalem, and from Tyre he would go on to conquer Jerusalem.
Fulfilled Destruction of Tyre
The battering of walls with siege engines and the breaking down of towers with axes was fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar's thirteen-year siege and work against Tyre. In that siege the Babylonians destroyed the walls and towers of the mainland city and their horses trampled its streets. Tyre held out for thirteen years because its island position and strong navy made blockade exceptionally difficult, but it was at last taken by assault and its leading families were carried into Chaldea.
The bringing down of walls, towers and strongholds came to pass literally through Nebuchadnezzar. The same account also fits and is joined to the later destruction by Alexander, who used the stones and rubble of the old city to build a causeway to the island city. Other parts of the destruction announced against Tyre, the scraping away of her dust and the casting of her stones, timber and dust into the water and sea, had not yet been fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar's work.
Tyre was to be utterly wiped out of existence, so that the very place on which she stood would become a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. The old city on the seashore, the former metropolis of Phoenicia, lies barren and desolate, while the new city stands on what was formerly an island but is now joined to the mainland by a narrow stretch of sand. That fulfillment is evident today in existing facts, and is counted among the prophecies about other nations whose fulfillment is evident and which supports the divine origin of the prophetic Scriptures.
The reducing of the great city of Tyre to subjection was one of Nebuchadnezzar's glorious triumphs, alongside routing the Egyptians and destroying Jerusalem and carrying the Jews into captivity.
Warning to Proud Cities
The battering of walls by siege engines and the breaking down of towers by axes belongs to the warning of judgment upon defiant Tyre for open, flaunting, God-defying wickedness. It shows one act in her preliminary punishment, and that punishment was the fate such wickedness invited, the fruit of awful wickedness joined with the mercy of God. The warning to Tyre in Ezekiel 26 stands as a lesson and warning for today, not for San Francisco alone in her earthquake ruin and catastrophe. San Francisco's catastrophe is compared with the fate of Tyre and Babylon, as modern proud and beautiful Babylon and modern thrifty Tyre, and the same lesson warns New York, Chicago, and every other place forgetting and defying God. The judgment on Tyre is thus presented as a lesson for cities that forget and defy God.
The destruction of Tyre's walls and towers proves that God judges and punishes cities, and that cities are judged and punished or rewarded by the God of Heaven. The same truth applies to modern cities and nations, which have responsibility to God and not only to taxpayers. Such warnings call people to repent and do right, and the mention of the judgment and destruction of the wicked city connects the setting of engines against walls with the consequence of sin in defying God. Deliverance comes only by deep and genuine repentance toward God and firm determination to purify private, social, and political life according to the standard of His revealed will. The prophecy is given as an illustration of how God brings down pride, rising from Tyre to Satan as the instigator of all her wickedness.