Ezekiel 27:32
And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?
The verse pictures mourners wailing over fallen Tyre and crying out that no city was like her, now destroyed in the midst of the sea, with the greatness of the lament itself showing how wealthy and prominent she had been. She was a rich international merchant city of the Mediterranean, the great trading emporium whose ships, mariners and far-reaching network of merchants brought goods from many lands and enriched kings. Her end was utter ruin in the sea, her very site scraped bare as a rock where fishermen spread their nets, in stark contrast to her former riches. The lament belongs to Ezekiel's prophecies against the nations around Israel in Ezekiel 25 to 31, with Ezekiel 27 foretelling Tyre's overthrow, a remarkable prophecy whose fulfillment remains evident as a witness for God. Her downfall stands as a warning to proud modern cities and to commercial Babylon, that defiant wickedness and forgetfulness of God bring judgment and call not for mere temporary reform but for repentance.
Tyre's Wealth and Ruin
In their wailing they take up a lamentation over Tyre and lament over her, asking what city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea, a public mourning over her destruction. The grief of those who lament her shows her wealth and prominence, for none could compare with her now ruined in the midst of the sea. The verse belongs to Ezekiel's prophecies against foreign nations, with Ezekiel 27 foretelling Tyre's overthrow. It is part of the prophecies of other nations in Ezekiel 25 to 31, in which Tyre passes under the prophet's vision along with Ammon, Moab and Egypt.
Tyre was a wealthy international trading and merchant city of the Mediterranean, the commercial emporium of Phoenicia and one of the greatest and most famous cities of the ancient world. She was the great commercial city of ancient times, the London, Liverpool and New York of the Orient. Her ships, skilled mariners and pilots, hired soldiers, and extensive network of merchants brought goods from many lands. Her trade enriched kings, and Ezekiel 27 sets forth the extent of her commerce and vividly describes her wealth and greatness, making her like a continual world's fair.
She stood on the Mediterranean shore. Her 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 where ancient Tyre stood. Her king Hiram assisted Solomon in building the temple, and her king Ethbaal was father of Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. Her end was to be utterly wiped out of existence as a ruin in the sea, leaving her very site as a bare rock fishing ground in the midst of the sea where nets were spread, contrasting her former riches with the destruction she later suffered.
Prophecy Fulfilled in History
Ezekiel 27 is a remarkable prophecy whose fulfillment is evident today. It sets forth the extent of Tyre's commerce, showing Tyre was the great commercial city of ancient times, the London, Liverpool, and New York of the Orient. It vividly describes the wealth and greatness of Tyre as a witness for God, and belongs to the prophecies of other nations in Ezekiel 25 to 31, in which Tyre passes under the prophet's vision along with Ammon, Moab and Egypt.
The lament is over Tyre, the great commercial city of the world and one of the two great nations against which prophecy is uttered. It means God brings down Tyre's pride and wipes it utterly out of existence, leaving its very site as a bare fishing ground in the midst of the sea. Nebuchadnezzar captures Tyre and from Tyre conquers Jerusalem, contrary to the false prophets who said he was not coming against Jerusalem. The lament thus illustrates how God deals with the kingdoms on all sides of Israel.
Warning to Modern Cities
The lament taken up over Tyre after its destruction stands as a warning to cities and people who forget and defy God. Its lesson is directed to modern cities, to San Francisco and to other cities including New York and Chicago. Tyre is set forth as a proud city brought to ruin, whose overthrow shows that open, defiant wickedness can bring judgment. Calamities of that kind call people to repent, and not merely to make a temporary effort to improve.
San Francisco is compared with a modern Tyre facing such a fate. Tyre supplies the model as a wealthy trading city brought to ruin, a major seaport and commercial center rich in goods, shipping, and trade. Its seaborne trade and widespread network of merchants make its fall a model for the commercial pride and eventual desolation of modern Babylon, portrayed as a worldwide federation. The public mourning and lament over the great city therefore foreshadow the same pride and desolation on a worldwide scale.