The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
Ezekiel 27:36 foretells the utter ruin of Tyre, the great and famous commercial city of ancient times whose wealth and worldwide trade enriched kings and reached every nation. The merchants of the peoples who traded with her hiss at her in scorn when she falls, and the once-powerful city becomes a terror and astonishment before she ceases to exist as a power forever. Her walls are destroyed and her towers broken down until she is scraped bare as a rock in the midst of the sea, a place for the spreading of nets whose very stones are carried away. The word belongs to the lamentation and prophecy against Tyre and Sidon among the prophecies against the nations around Judah in Ezekiel 25 to 31, whose foretold destruction stands fulfilled today. Her proud prosperity and corrupt commercial spirit required God to humble her, making her fall both a picture of the fall of Babylon as a worldwide commerce-driven federation and a warning to every wicked, defiant city and people who forget God.
Tyre's Trade and Downfall
Tyre was a great and famous commercial city of Phoenicia, the great commercial city of ancient times. It was the London, the Liverpool, the New York of the Orient, whose commerce extended to every quarter and whose merchants were everywhere. Its great wealth lay in international trade that drew goods from many nations. That trade enriched the kings of the earth.
The merchants among the people who had traded with Tyre, even merchants of other peoples, react to its downfall by hissing at her. Their hissing is scorn at her fate.
The once-powerful trading city becomes a terror and a source of astonishment. Then it ceases to exist and disappears as a power, never to be any more. Its downfall brings astonishment and terror before that final ceasing.
Its destruction is an utter wiping out of existence. Its walls are destroyed and its towers broken down, and its dust is scraped from her to make her a bare rock. Its place becomes a site for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. The very stones of its buildings are removed elsewhere, leaving where old Tyre stood a place for the spreading of nets.
Prophecy, Fulfillment, and Warning
Ezekiel 27:36 stands within the lamentation over the ruin of Tyre and the prophecy against that city foretelling the destruction of Tyre and Sidon. It is set among predictions of the destruction of the nations surrounding Judah, as one of the prophecies against Ammon, Moab, Tyre, and Egypt given in Ezekiel 25 to 31. The surrounding prophecies foretell Tyre's utter destruction, and their fulfillment is evident today.
Tyre's widespread trade embodied a corrupt commercial spirit, with its merchants everywhere, and its prosperity and pride required God to humble it. Its fall provides a picture of the fall of Babylon as a worldwide federation driven by commerce that disregards honor, integrity, and God. That federation seeks control of nations and goods, and even traffics in human lives.
The judgment on Tyre serves as a warning and lesson about judgment upon a wicked, defiant city, applying to cities and people who forget and defy God. Tyre's punishment stands as a precedent for the fate invited by a proud, prosperous city's open defiance of God. That warning was applied to San Francisco as a modern "Queen of the West" laid low.
Ezekiel 27:36 foretells the utter ruin of Tyre, the great and famous commercial city of ancient times whose wealth and worldwide trade enriched kings and reached every nation. The merchants of the peoples who traded with her hiss at her in scorn when she falls, and the once-powerful city becomes a terror and astonishment before she ceases to exist as a power forever. Her walls are destroyed and her towers broken down until she is scraped bare as a rock in the midst of the sea, a place for the spreading of nets whose very stones are carried away. The word belongs to the lamentation and prophecy against Tyre and Sidon among the prophecies against the nations around Judah in Ezekiel 25 to 31, whose foretold destruction stands fulfilled today. Her proud prosperity and corrupt commercial spirit required God to humble her, making her fall both a picture of the fall of Babylon as a worldwide commerce-driven federation and a warning to every wicked, defiant city and people who forget God.
Tyre's Trade and Downfall
Tyre was a great and famous commercial city of Phoenicia, the great commercial city of ancient times. It was the London, the Liverpool, the New York of the Orient, whose commerce extended to every quarter and whose merchants were everywhere. Its great wealth lay in international trade that drew goods from many nations. That trade enriched the kings of the earth.
The merchants among the people who had traded with Tyre, even merchants of other peoples, react to its downfall by hissing at her. Their hissing is scorn at her fate.
The once-powerful trading city becomes a terror and a source of astonishment. Then it ceases to exist and disappears as a power, never to be any more. Its downfall brings astonishment and terror before that final ceasing.
Its destruction is an utter wiping out of existence. Its walls are destroyed and its towers broken down, and its dust is scraped from her to make her a bare rock. Its place becomes a site for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. The very stones of its buildings are removed elsewhere, leaving where old Tyre stood a place for the spreading of nets.
Prophecy, Fulfillment, and Warning
Ezekiel 27:36 stands within the lamentation over the ruin of Tyre and the prophecy against that city foretelling the destruction of Tyre and Sidon. It is set among predictions of the destruction of the nations surrounding Judah, as one of the prophecies against Ammon, Moab, Tyre, and Egypt given in Ezekiel 25 to 31. The surrounding prophecies foretell Tyre's utter destruction, and their fulfillment is evident today.
Tyre's widespread trade embodied a corrupt commercial spirit, with its merchants everywhere, and its prosperity and pride required God to humble it. Its fall provides a picture of the fall of Babylon as a worldwide federation driven by commerce that disregards honor, integrity, and God. That federation seeks control of nations and goods, and even traffics in human lives.
The judgment on Tyre serves as a warning and lesson about judgment upon a wicked, defiant city, applying to cities and people who forget and defy God. Tyre's punishment stands as a precedent for the fate invited by a proud, prosperous city's open defiance of God. That warning was applied to San Francisco as a modern "Queen of the West" laid low.