Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
The verse opens a lamentation of grief over the coming judgment and downfall of Tyre. It mourns a city of perfect beauty and extraordinary wealth, with fine ships and skilled pilots and mariners, whose extensive trade in many kinds of merchandise enriched the kings of the earth and made it the great commercial metropolis of the ancient world. The lamentation predicts the utter destruction of proud Tyre for rejoicing at Judah's humiliation, when its walls and towers would be broken down, its dust scraped away, and its site made a bare rock in the midst of the sea. That ruin remains a striking object-lesson of fulfilled prophecy, shown today by the place where Tyre stood being used for the spreading of nets. Its fate stands as a warning to proud cities and places that forget and defy God, whose corrupt, self-exalting commercial spirit pictures worldwide Babylon and its eventual fall.
Lamentation over Glorious Tyre
The command to take up a lamentation for Tyre opens a lament expressing grief over the city's coming judgment and downfall. It belongs to the stirring prophecies against foreign nations in Ezekiel 26 to 28, which give the ruin of Tyre and the lamentation over her destruction and foretell her utter destruction. It stands as God's prophecy against Tyre alongside His prophecies against other nations, such as those against Egypt and against Mount Seir, given even as He prophesied for Israel in Ezekiel 36:1.
The lamentation portrays Tyre's glory before her fearful fall, for her builders had made her of perfect beauty. Her ships were made of fir with masts of the cedars of Lebanon, oars of the oaks of Bashan, seats for the oarsmen of ivory, sails of fine linen with embroidered work, and coverings of blue and purple. The wise men of Tyre were her pilots and the wise men of Gebal were her calkers, while her merchants were princes and her traders were the honorable of the earth.
The chapter describes Tyre's extraordinary wealth and extensive trade with many nations, with ships and equipment, skilled mariners and pilots, hired soldiers, and merchants and goods drawn from many lands. Its many kinds of merchandise and goods enriched the kings of the earth. Tyre was the ancient commercial metropolis and merchant city of the world, the commercial emporium of Phoenicia on the Mediterranean and one of the greatest and most famous cities of the ancient world. This explains why men of Tyre brought fish and all kinds of goods to sell to Judah in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.
The Tyre of the lamentation was the ancient coastal city whose wealth and greatness were such that its riches were moved by ship to Carthage when Nebuchadnezzar was about to take it. It is associated with Hiram its king who assisted Solomon in building the temple, and with Jezebel wife of King Ahab, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Long afterward its ancient site on the mainland had been abandoned for a new city built on a small island half a mile from shore, which Alexander the Great joined to the shore by an artificial mole built by scraping bare the rock over which ancient Tyre was built.
Prophecy and Fulfillment of Ruin
The lamentation predicts the utter destruction of Tyre, belonging to the stirring prophecies against the nations in Ezekiel 26 to 28 that give her ruin and the lamentation over her destruction. It stands among God's judgments against the nations around Judah that had rejoiced at Judah's humiliation, with Tyre the merchant city on the Mediterranean to be destroyed and become a place for the spreading of nets in the sea. It is one of His prophecies against other nations like those against Egypt and against Mount Seir, given even as He prophesied for Israel in Ezekiel 36:1. The lamentation was given as part of Jehovah's instruction repeated for twenty-two years to plead with Israel to turn to God, using the kingdoms around Israel to show how God deals with pride. It means that Tyre, the great commercial city of the world and one of the two great nations against which prophecy is uttered, would have its pride brought down until it was utterly wiped out of existence.
Its walls and towers would be destroyed, its dust scraped away, and its site made a bare rock and a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. The ancient commercial metropolis was destined to become a place for spreading nets. Nebuchadnezzar would capture Tyre, and from Tyre would conquer Jerusalem. The ruins remain as a striking object-lesson of fulfilled prophecy, foretelling utter ruin until the city would become a place for the spreading of nets. That fulfillment is evident today among the prophecies against other nations concerning Tyre, shown by the place where Tyre stood being used for spreading nets and by the removal of the stones from its buildings.
The chapter sets out the extent of the ancient city's commerce and presents Tyre as a great center of trade whose merchants ranged widely. Its corrupt, self-exalting commercial spirit made it necessary for God to humble it. Its worldwide commercialism also serves as a picture of Babylon's worldwide traffic and its eventual fall.
Warning to Forgetful Cities
The call to take up a lamentation for Tyre expresses grief over the city's coming judgment and downfall. That lamentation stands as a warning and lesson for cities that forget and defy God. It stands likewise as a warning and lesson for places that forget and defy God. Set alongside prophecies against other wicked cities, it shows that God-defying people and places face the consequences of sin and should heed calls to repent.
Tyre is held forth as a city facing judgment for its wickedness. Its fate warns that a proud, God-defying city may meet the consequences its conduct invites. Its catastrophe is both the fruit of wickedness and an act of God's mercy.
The verse opens a lamentation of grief over the coming judgment and downfall of Tyre. It mourns a city of perfect beauty and extraordinary wealth, with fine ships and skilled pilots and mariners, whose extensive trade in many kinds of merchandise enriched the kings of the earth and made it the great commercial metropolis of the ancient world. The lamentation predicts the utter destruction of proud Tyre for rejoicing at Judah's humiliation, when its walls and towers would be broken down, its dust scraped away, and its site made a bare rock in the midst of the sea. That ruin remains a striking object-lesson of fulfilled prophecy, shown today by the place where Tyre stood being used for the spreading of nets. Its fate stands as a warning to proud cities and places that forget and defy God, whose corrupt, self-exalting commercial spirit pictures worldwide Babylon and its eventual fall.
Lamentation over Glorious Tyre
The command to take up a lamentation for Tyre opens a lament expressing grief over the city's coming judgment and downfall. It belongs to the stirring prophecies against foreign nations in Ezekiel 26 to 28, which give the ruin of Tyre and the lamentation over her destruction and foretell her utter destruction. It stands as God's prophecy against Tyre alongside His prophecies against other nations, such as those against Egypt and against Mount Seir, given even as He prophesied for Israel in Ezekiel 36:1.
The lamentation portrays Tyre's glory before her fearful fall, for her builders had made her of perfect beauty. Her ships were made of fir with masts of the cedars of Lebanon, oars of the oaks of Bashan, seats for the oarsmen of ivory, sails of fine linen with embroidered work, and coverings of blue and purple. The wise men of Tyre were her pilots and the wise men of Gebal were her calkers, while her merchants were princes and her traders were the honorable of the earth.
The chapter describes Tyre's extraordinary wealth and extensive trade with many nations, with ships and equipment, skilled mariners and pilots, hired soldiers, and merchants and goods drawn from many lands. Its many kinds of merchandise and goods enriched the kings of the earth. Tyre was the ancient commercial metropolis and merchant city of the world, the commercial emporium of Phoenicia on the Mediterranean and one of the greatest and most famous cities of the ancient world. This explains why men of Tyre brought fish and all kinds of goods to sell to Judah in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.
The Tyre of the lamentation was the ancient coastal city whose wealth and greatness were such that its riches were moved by ship to Carthage when Nebuchadnezzar was about to take it. It is associated with Hiram its king who assisted Solomon in building the temple, and with Jezebel wife of King Ahab, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Long afterward its ancient site on the mainland had been abandoned for a new city built on a small island half a mile from shore, which Alexander the Great joined to the shore by an artificial mole built by scraping bare the rock over which ancient Tyre was built.
Prophecy and Fulfillment of Ruin
The lamentation predicts the utter destruction of Tyre, belonging to the stirring prophecies against the nations in Ezekiel 26 to 28 that give her ruin and the lamentation over her destruction. It stands among God's judgments against the nations around Judah that had rejoiced at Judah's humiliation, with Tyre the merchant city on the Mediterranean to be destroyed and become a place for the spreading of nets in the sea. It is one of His prophecies against other nations like those against Egypt and against Mount Seir, given even as He prophesied for Israel in Ezekiel 36:1. The lamentation was given as part of Jehovah's instruction repeated for twenty-two years to plead with Israel to turn to God, using the kingdoms around Israel to show how God deals with pride. It means that Tyre, the great commercial city of the world and one of the two great nations against which prophecy is uttered, would have its pride brought down until it was utterly wiped out of existence.
Its walls and towers would be destroyed, its dust scraped away, and its site made a bare rock and a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. The ancient commercial metropolis was destined to become a place for spreading nets. Nebuchadnezzar would capture Tyre, and from Tyre would conquer Jerusalem. The ruins remain as a striking object-lesson of fulfilled prophecy, foretelling utter ruin until the city would become a place for the spreading of nets. That fulfillment is evident today among the prophecies against other nations concerning Tyre, shown by the place where Tyre stood being used for spreading nets and by the removal of the stones from its buildings.
The chapter sets out the extent of the ancient city's commerce and presents Tyre as a great center of trade whose merchants ranged widely. Its corrupt, self-exalting commercial spirit made it necessary for God to humble it. Its worldwide commercialism also serves as a picture of Babylon's worldwide traffic and its eventual fall.
Warning to Forgetful Cities
The call to take up a lamentation for Tyre expresses grief over the city's coming judgment and downfall. That lamentation stands as a warning and lesson for cities that forget and defy God. It stands likewise as a warning and lesson for places that forget and defy God. Set alongside prophecies against other wicked cities, it shows that God-defying people and places face the consequences of sin and should heed calls to repent.
Tyre is held forth as a city facing judgment for its wickedness. Its fate warns that a proud, God-defying city may meet the consequences its conduct invites. Its catastrophe is both the fruit of wickedness and an act of God's mercy.