Ezekiel 27:30

And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:

Ezekiel 27:30 describes the nations mourning Tyre's destruction, crying bitterly, casting dust upon their heads, and wallowing in ashes as signs of grief. It belongs to the lament over Tyre in Ezekiel 27, which foretells the destruction, overthrow, and ruin of Tyre and Sidon. That chapter vividly sets forth Tyre's wealth, greatness, and extent of commerce as the great commercial city of ancient times. It presents Tyre as a wealthy maritime trading city and center of widespread trade, like the London, Liverpool, and New York of the Orient.

The verse belongs to the prophecy against Tyre within Ezekiel 25-31, a group of prophecies against Ammon, Moab, Tyre, and Egypt whose fulfillment is evident today. It belongs to instruction given through Ezekiel during twenty-two years of pleading with Israel to turn to God, given as an illustration of how God dealt with the kingdoms on all sides of Israel and brought down their pride. Tyre, the great commercial city of the world, would be utterly wiped out of existence, so that the very place on which she stood would become a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea.

Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the false prophets said he was not coming against Jerusalem, would capture Tyre, and from Tyre would go on to conquer Jerusalem. Tyre's commercial spirit provides a pattern for Babylon, and the lament over Tyre's fall is linked to the merchants' grief when Babylon's riches are suddenly destroyed and judged. The verse forms part of a warning about the judgment that comes upon proud, wicked places that forget and defy God.

That warning is applied as a lesson to modern cities such as New York and Chicago. Tyre's fate is compared with San Francisco's catastrophe, because both were major centers of sea trade, commerce, and wealth.

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