Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 26:15
Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
15 18. Commotion among the princes of the sea caused by her fall; they mourn and take up a lament over Tyre (17, 18)
15. the isles shake ] the coast-lands, the island-like countries on the seaboard.
the sound of thy fall ] might mean “at the report of thy fall,” but here by a strong hyperbole the prophet appears to represent the crash of the city’s fall and the cries of the wounded as being heard in the neighbouring coasts, ch. Eze 27:28, Eze 31:16; cf. Jer 49:21.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The effect of the fall of Tyre.
Eze 26:16
Clothe themselves with trembling – Mourners change their bright robes for sad garments.
Eze 26:17
Of seafaring men – literally, from the seas, i. e., occupied by men who come from the seas. Tyre was an inhabited city rising from out of the sea.
Eze 26:20
Compare Isa 14:9. The image used by Isaiah and Jeremiah of Babylon is by Ezekiel applied to Tyre, as if to show that Tyre and Babylon alike represent the world-power. So, in the Book of Revelation, Babylon is the kingdom of Antichrist.
The land of the living – The land of the true God, as opposed to the land of the dead, to which is gathered the glory of the world. Here then, together with the utter ruin of Tyre, rises the vision of renewed glory to Jerusalem. The coming Messiah is thus propheticly pointed out. The over-throw of Gods enemies shall be accompanied by the establishment of His true kingdom.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eze 26:15
Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall?
Tyres fall awakens alarm in others
As when a great merchant breaks, all that he deals with are shocked by it, and begin to look about them. Or when they see one fail and become bankrupt, of a sudden, in debt a great deal more than he is worth, it makes them afraid for themselves, lest they should do so too. Thus the isles, which thought themselves safe in the embraces of the sea, when they see Tyrus fall, shall tremble and be troubled, saying, What will become of us? And it is well, if they make this use of it, to take warning by it not to be secure, but to stand in awe of God and His judgments. (M. Henry.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. The isles shake at the sound of thy fall] All those which had traded with this city, which was the grand mart, and on which they all depended. Her ruin involved them all, and caused general wailing.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Isles, which are places freest from the danger of invasions, and in those days thought themselves safe, will think themselves in danger, and shake with fear, when they hear that Tyre is fallen; it will amaze and fright them all, when they hear thy men were wounded and slain in the midst of thee who dwellest in the sea.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15-21. The impression which theoverthrow of Tyre produced on other maritime nations and upon her owncolonies, for example, Utica, Carthage, and Tartessus or Tarshish inSpain.
islesmaritime lands.Even mighty Carthage used to send a yearly offering to the temple ofHercules at Tyre: and the mother city gave high priests to hercolonies. Hence the consternation at her fall felt in the widelyscattered dependencies with which she was so closely connected by theties of religion, as well as commercial intercourse.
shakemetaphorically:”be agitated” (Jer49:21).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus,…. By his prophet, who very probably delivered this prophecy to the ambassadors of Tyre at Babylon; or to some of their merchants that traded there; or sent it in a letter to them:
shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall; when they hear the noise of Tyre being taken, it will make them tremble, as fearing their turn will be next; that if a city so well fortified by nature and art, so well supplied with men and money, that had held out the siege so long, should at last surrender; what should they, the neighbouring isles, do, if attacked, who were so inferior to it? and besides, they might have much of their goods in it, in which they traded with the inhabitants of it, trusting to its great strength, and which would now give them a sensible concern. The Targum renders it, the suburbs; and anther Jewish n writer, the villages; those that were near to Tyre:
when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? upon the enemy’s entrance, putting to the sword all they meet with; when those that are wounded shall cry, either to have their lives spared, or through the pain and distress occasioned by their wounds.
n R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 42. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The tidings of the destruction of Tyre will produce great commotion in all her colonies and the islands connected with her. – Eze 26:15. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to Tyre, Will not the islands tremble at the noise of thy fall, at the groaning of the wounded, at the slaughter in the midst of thee? Eze 26:16. And all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, and will lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered clothes, and dress themselves in terrors, sit upon the earth, and they will tremble every moment, and be astonished at thee. Eze 26:17. They will raise a lamentation for thee, and say to thee: How hast thou perished, thou who wast inhabited from out of the sea, thou renowned city, she who was mighty upon the sea, she and her inhabitants, who inspired all her inhabitants with fear of her! Eze 26:18. Now do the islands tremble on the day of thy fall, and the islands in the sea are confounded at thy departure. – , nonne, has the force of a direct affirmation. , the noise of the fall, stands for the tidings of the noise, since the noise itself could not be heard upon the islands. The fall takes place, as is added for the purpose of depicting the terrible nature of the event, at or amidst the groaning of the wounded, and the slaughter in the midst of thee. is the infinitive Niphal, with the accent drawn back on account of the following Milel, and should be pointed . The word , islands, is frequently used so as to embrace the coast lands of the Mediterranean Sea; we have therefore to understand it here as applied to the Phoenician colonies on the islands and coasts of that sea. The “princes of the sea” are not kings of the islands, but, according to Isa 23:8, the merchants presiding over the colonies of Tyre, who resembled princes. , not royal thrones, but chairs, as in 1Sa 4:13, etc. The picture of their mourning recalls the description in Jon 3:6; it is not derived from that passage, however, but is an independent description of the mourning customs which commonly prevailed among princes. The antithesis introduced as a very striking one: clothing themselves in terrors, putting on terrors in the place of the robes of state which they have laid aside (see the similar trope in Eze 7:27). The thought is rendered still more forcible by the closing sentences of the verse: they tremble , by moments, i.e., as the moments return – actually, therefore, “every moment” (vid., Isa 27:3). – In the lamentation which they raise (Eze 26:17), they give prominence to the alarming revolution of all things, occasioned by the fact that the mistress of the seas, once so renowned, has now become an object of horror and alarm. , inhabited from the seas. This is not to be taken as equivalent to “as far as the seas,” in the sense of, whose inhabitants spread over the seas and settle there, as Gesenius ( Thes.) and Hvernick suppose; for being inhabited is the very opposite of sending the inhabitants abroad. If were to be taken in the geographical sense of direction or locality, the meaning of the expression could only be, whose inhabitants spring from the seas, or have migrated thither from all seas; but this would not apply to the population of Tyre, which did not consists of men of all nations under heaven. Hitzig has given the correct interpretation, namely, from the sea, or out of the seas, which had as it were ascended as an inhabited city out of the bosom of the sea. It is not easy to explain the last clause of Eze 26:17: who inspired all her inhabitants with their terror, or with terror of them (of themselves); for if the relative is taken in connection with the preceding , the thought arises that the inhabitants of Tyre inspired her inhabitants, i.e., themselves, with their terror, or terror of themselves. Kimchi, Rosenmller, Ewald, Kliefoth, and others, have therefore proposed to take the suffix in the second as referring to ot gnirre , all the inhabitants of the sea, i.e., all her colonies. But this is open to the objection, that not only is of the masculine gender, but it is extremely harsh to take the same suffix attached to the two as referring to different subjects. We must therefore take the relative and the suffix in as both referring to : the city with its population inspired all its several inhabitants with fear or itself. This is not to be understood, however, as signifying that the inhabitants of Tyre kept one another in a state of terror and alarm; but that the city with its population, through its power upon the sea, inspired all the several inhabitants with fear of this its might, inasmuch as the distinction of the city and its population was reflected upon every individual citizen. This explanation of the words is confirmed by the parallel passages in Eze 32:24 and Eze 32:26. – This city had come to so appalling an end, that all the islands trembled thereat. The two hemistichs in Eze 26:18 are synonymous, and the thought returns by way of conclusion to Eze 26:15. has the Aramaean form of the plural, which is sometimes met with even in the earlier poetry (vid., Ewald, 177 a). , departure, i.e., destruction.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Burden of Tyre. | B. C. 588. |
15 Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? 16 Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee. 17 And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! 18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. 19 For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; 21 I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.
The utter ruin of Tyre is here represented in very strong and lively figures, which are exceedingly affecting.
1. See how high, how great, Tyre had been, how little likely ever to come to this. The remembrance of men’s former grandeur and plenty is a great aggravation of their present disgrace and poverty. Tyre was a renowned city (v. 17), famous among the nations, the crowning city (so she is called Isa. xxiii. 8), a city that had crowns in her gift, honoured all she smiled upon, crowned herself and all about her. She was inhabited of seas, that is, of those that trade at sea, of those who from all parts came thither by sea, bringing with them the abundance of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand. She was strong in the sea, easy of access to her friends, but to her enemies inaccessible, fortified by a wall of water, which made her impregnable. So that she with her pomp, and her inhabitants with their pride, caused their terror to be on all that haunted that city, and upon any account frequented it. It was well fortified, and formidable in the eyes of all that acquainted themselves with it. Every body stood in awe of the Tyrians and was afraid of disobliging them. Note, Those who know their strength are too apt to cause terror, to pride themselves in frightening those they are an over-match for.
2. See how low, how little, Tyre is made, Eze 26:19; Eze 26:20. This renowned city is made a desolate city, is no more frequented as it has been; there is no more resort of merchants to it; it is like the cities not inhabited, which are no cities, and having none to keep them in repair, will go to decay of themselves. Tyre shall be like a city overflowed by an inundation of waters, which cover it, and upon which the deep is brought up. As the waves had formerly been its defence, so now they shall be its destruction. She shall be brought down with those that descend into the pit, with the cities of the old world that were under water, and with Sodom and Gomorrah, that lie in the bottom of the Dead Sea. Or, she shall be in the condition of those who have been long buried, of the people of old time, who are old inhabitants of the silent grace, who are quite rotted away under ground and quite forgotten above ground; such shall Tyre be, free among the dead, set in the lower parts of the earth, humbled, mortified, reduced. It shall be like the places desolate of old, as well as like persons dead of old; it shall be like other cities that have formerly been in like manner deserted and destroyed. It shall not be inhabited again; none shall have the courage to attempt the rebuilding of it upon that spot, so that it shall be no more; The Tyrians shall be lost among the nations, so that people will look in vain for Tyre in Tyre: Thou shalt be sought for, and never found again. New persons may build a new city upon a new spot of ground hard by, which they may call Tyre, but Tyre, as it is, shall never be any more. Note, The strongest cities in this world, the best-fortified and best-furnished, are subject to decay, and may in a little time be brought to nothing. In the history of our own island many cities are spoken of as in being when the Romans were here which now our antiquaries scarcely know where to look for, and of which there remains no more evidence than Roman urns and coins digged up there sometimes accidentally. But in the other world we look for a city that shall stand for ever and flourish in perfection through all the ages of eternity.
3. See what a distress the inhabitants of Tyre are in (v. 15): There is a great slaughter made in the midst of thee, many slain, and great men. It is probable that, when the city was taken, the generality of the inhabitants were put to the sword. Then did the wounded cry, and they cried in vain, to the pitiless conquerors; they cried quarter, but it would not be given them; the wounded are slain without mercy, or, rather, that is the only mercy that is shown them, that the second blow shall rid them out of their pain.
4. See what a consternation all the neighbours are in upon the fall of Tyre. This is elegantly expressed here, to show how astonishing it should be. (1.) the islands shall shake at the sound of thy fall (v. 15), as, when a great merchant breaks, all that he deals with are shocked by it, and begin to look about them; perhaps they had effects in his hands, which they are afraid they shall lose. Or, when they see one fail and become bankrupt of a sudden, in debt a great deal more than he is worth, it makes them afraid for themselves, lest they should do so too. Thus the isles, which thought themselves safe in the embraces of the sea, when they see Tyrus fall, shall tremble and be troubled, saying, “What will become of us?” And it is well if they make this good use of it, to take warning by it not to be secure, but to stand in awe of God and his judgments. The sudden fall of a great tower shakes the ground round about it; thus all the islands in the Mediterranean Sea shall feel themselves sensibly touched by the destruction of Tyre, it being a place they had so much knowledge of, such interests in, and such a constant correspondence with. (2.) The princes of the sea shall be affected with it, who ruled in those islands. Or the rich merchants, who live like princes (Isa. xxiii. 8), and the masters of ships, who command like princes, these shall condole the fall of Tyre in a most compassionate and pathetic manner (v. 16): They shall come down from their thrones, as neglecting the business of their thrones and despising the pomp of them. They shall lay away their robes of state, their broidered garments, and shall clothe themselves all over with tremblings, with sackcloth that will make them shiver. Or they shall by their own act and deed make themselves to tremble upon this occasion; they shall sit upon the ground in shame and sorrow; they shall tremble every moment at the thought of what has happened to Tyre, and for fear of what may happen to themselves; for what island is safe if Tyre be not? They shall take up a lamentation for thee, shall have elegies and mournful poems penned upon the fall of Tyre, v. 17. How art thou destroyed! [1.] It shall be a great surprise to them, and they shall be affected with wonder, that a place so well fortified by nature and art, so famed for politics and so full of money, which is the sinews of war, that held out so long and with so much bravery, should be taken at last (v. 21): I make thee a terror. Note, It is just with God to make those a terror to their neighbours, by the suddenness and strangeness of their punishment, who make themselves a terror to their neighbours by the abuse of their power. Tyre had caused her terror (v. 17) and now is made a terrible example. [2.] It shall be a great affliction to them, and they shall be affected with sorrow (v. 17); they shall take up a lamentation for Tyre, as thinking it a thousand pities that such a rich and splendid city should be thus laid in ruins. When Jerusalem, the holy city, was destroyed, there were no such lamentations for it; it was nothing to those that passed by (Lam. i. 12); but when Tyre, the trading city, fell, it was universally bemoaned. Note, Those who have the world in their hearts lament the loss of great men more than the loss of good men. [3.] It shall be a loud alarm to them: They shall tremble in the day of thy fall, because they shall have reason to think that their own turn will be next. If Tyre fall, who can stand? Howl, fir-trees, if such a cedar be shaken. Note, The fall of others should awaken us out of our security. The death or decay of others in the world is a check to us, when we dream that our mountain stands strongly and shall not be moved.
5. See how the irreparable ruin of Tyre is aggravated by the prospect of the restoration of Israel. Thus shall Tyre sink when I shall set glory in the land of the living, v. 20. Note, (1.) The holy land is the land of the living; for none but holy souls are properly living souls. Where living sacrifices are offered to the living God, and where the lively oracles are, there the land of the living is; there David hoped to see the goodness of the Lord, Ps. xxvii. 13. That was a type of heaven, which is indeed the land of the living. (2.) Though this land of the living may for a time lie under disgrace, yet God will again set glory in it; the glory that had departed shall return, and the restoration of what they had been deprived of shall be so much more their glory. God will himself be the glory of the lands that are the lands of the living. (3.) It will aggravate the misery of those that have their portion in the land of the dying, of those that are for ever dying, to behold the happiness of those, at the same time, that shall have their everlasting portion in the land of the living. When the rich man was himself in torment he saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham, and glory set for him in the land of the living.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
HER GLORY DEPARTED
Verses 15-21:
Verse 15 rhetorically states that the desolation of Tyrus, by the vicious and cruel army of Chaldea, shall be so severe that the isles or seacoasts would literally shake near the city, by the sound of the walls that crashed, and the cry of the wounded as the slaughter occurred over the city, Isa 2:19; Jer 49:21; Eze 31:16; Eze 32:10.
Verse 16 describes the shock of sorrow that would seize the princes or ruling merchants of the isles or countries that had league of commerce with Tyre. They came from their merchant thrones, took off their ruling robes, clothed themselves with trembling, and sat on the ground and trembled in dazed astonishment at the destruction of this great city, Isa 23:8; Eze 33:10; Eze 27:35; See also Jon 3:6.
Verses 17-19 describe the laments of the merchantmen who had done business with Tyre, asking how such a strong center of merchantmen, salty-seafaring men, such a renounced city, could possibility have been so completely destroyed, Rev 18:9. She had formerly haunted all who knew her because of her might. It was again and further foretold that in that coming day of the fall of Tyre, both her coastal villages who supported her, and those floating isles of merchants of the seas, would be troubled “shook up” at her destruction. Yet, God had decreed her destruction, as a Gentile power, so as to cause all her merchant people to see the sea waters that would cover her once proud city, warehouses, and docks, Isa 23:4.
Verse 20 asserts that God would one day bring Tyre down to the pits, even as he had Sodom and Gomorrah; It would-be a thing that would bring glory to God and the land of Israel, Eze 32:18; Eze 32:24; Gen 19:24-25; Luk 10:15; Zec 2:8.
Verse 21 declares that the Lord would make Tyre to be a terror, that is an occasion of terror, for all who should later behold the barren rock of her once continental glory, Psa 37:36; Isa 46:13.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
C. The Result of Tyres Destruction 26:1518
TRANSLATION
(15) Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: Shall not the islands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter occurs in your midst? (16) Then all the princes of the sea shall go down from upon their thrones, and remove their robes, and strip off their woven garments; they shall clothe themselves with trembling; upon the ground they shall sit, and shall tremble continually, and be appalled over you. (17) And they shall take up for you a lamentation, and they shall say to you: How sad that the one who was populated from the seas, has been destroyed the famous city, which was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which caused their terror to be on all its inhabitants. (18) Now shall the islands tremble in the day of your fall; the islands which are in the sea shall be frightened because of your departure.
COMMENTS
A whole network of satellite trading colonies would be affected by the fall of Tyre. The coastal states along the Mediterranean would quake in consternation and dismay at the news of the fall of Tyre and the terrible slaughter which had transpired there (Eze. 26:15). Again using prophetic hyperbole, the prophet describes the rulers of these trading partners removing their royal robes and clothing themselves with trembling, i.e., they would take on the disposition and demeanor of mourners. They would sit on the ground trembling, visibly shaken by the news that such a powerful overlord had been destroyed (Eze. 26:16).
News of the demise of Tyre would evoke a lament from neighboring princes. How sad it is,[389] they would wail. The most famous and most powerful of all the seafaring people had been destroyed! (Eze. 26:17). If Tyre has fallen, who would be next? The shipping communities on the islands and coastlands of the Mediterranean would tremble as they contemplated their own prospects for survival (Eze. 26:18).
[389] The Hebrew ech (elsewhere echah) introduces a dirge.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(15) The isles.This word is constantly used in Scripture, not merely for islands, strictly so called, but for any sea-coasts. The main reference here, no doubt, is to the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean; but as Tyrian commerce extended also beyond, the language need not be entirely restricted to these. The tidings of the conquest of Tyre is poetically represented as the sound of her fall.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15, 16. At the sound of the falling walls and the cries of the wounded the seacoasts (isles, Eze 26:15; Eze 26:18) tremble and shake, while the merchant princes of the sea (Isa 23:8) put away their royal robes and sit in the dust and clothe themselves with “tremblings” and act as mourners at this national funeral.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Tyre, “Will not the isles/coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in the midst of you? Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their bordered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground, and will tremble every moment and be appalled at you.” ’
The description of their tragedy goes on. Those to whom their seamen regularly sailed, and especially their own colonies, (Tyre had colonies in many Mediterranean coastal regions such as Cyprus, Rhodes, Malta, Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, and Africa), will learn the news of their fall and tremble, and the isles and distant coastlands, the island and city states on the Mediterranean seaboard, themselves will shake when Tyre falls, an exaggerated description of the cataclysmic nature of their fall. The groans of the wounded will, as it were, reach out to them. Then these princes across the sea (the princes of the colonies, and the merchant princes who benefited by them), will mourn for them, stripping off their ordinary clothing and clothing themselves with trembling, i.e. mourning clothes and mourning rites. They will be totally appalled. Such was the myth of Tyre.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Effect of the Fall of Tyre
v. 15. Thus saith the Lord God of Tyrus, Shall not the isles, v. 16. Then all the princes of the sea, v. 17. And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, v. 18. Now shall the isles, v. 19. For thus saith the Lord God, When I shall make thee a desolate city, v. 20. when I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, v. 21. I will make thee a terror,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Those that favor the idea of mystic Tyre being here spoken of, and not ancient Tyre, (which could never be so considerable in point of commerce and of riches,) conclude, that what is here spoken refers to that glorious era of the Church, when the Lord shall bring again his people. It is very probable, that the Holy Ghost by the Prophet’s ministry, directs the Church to this contemplation. The great slaughter to be made in Tyre; and the cry of the wounded; and the Princes of the Sea, coming down from their thrones to clothe themselves with trembling, and to take up a lamentation; these are no doubt most striking features of some very horrible visitation, and to some great maritime power. But what nation is here meant, I do not presume to say. The Lord in his own time will reveal; and that is consolation enough for the faithful in Christ Jesus. Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him. Isa 3:10 . This, let every real, regenerated follower of the Lord Jesus, carry in his bosom; and beg of God the Holy Ghost to engrave the truth of it upon his heart. One point, here predicted, is abundantly plain, and in which I would wish the Reader to be more earnestly interested; namely, that when this mystic Tyre is brought down to the ground, then the Lord saith, I shall set glory in the land of the living. And what is Jehovah’s glory, but Jehovah’s Christ? the one only ordinance of heaven, for salvation, to his Church and people. And who are the living, but those who are regenerated, and become new creatures in Christ? Reader! let no man deceive you. He that hath the Son! hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. 1Jn 5:12 . Nothing short of the new birth, the new life, hid with Christ in God, will avail in that day, when God riseth to shake terribly the earth, (or what is the same thing to every individual as it concerns his own everlasting welfare,) the day of every man’s death will determine for him finally and fully, whose he is, and to whom he belongs. Reader! are you in that blessed state now? Hath the Lord, as it concerns you, set glory in the land of the living? Is Christ formed in you, the hope of glory? Oh! precious testimony of God the Holy Ghost, when witnessing with our spirits, that we are children of God. So that we can, and do, bear witness also, to that soul comforting truth, Thy God, thy glory! Isa 60:19 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 26:15 Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
Ver. 15. Shall not the isles. ] See the like, Isa 23:1-16
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 26:15-18
15Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre, Shall not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall when the wounded groan, when the slaughter occurs in your midst? 16Then all the princes of the sea will go down from their thrones, remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble every moment and be appalled at you. 17They will take up a lamentation over you and say to you,
‘How you have perished, O inhabited one,
From the seas, O renowned city,
Which was mighty on the sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who imposed her terror
On all her inhabitants!
18Now the coastlands will tremble
On the day of your fall;
Yes, the coastlands which are by the sea
Will be terrified at your passing.’
Eze 26:15 groan This VERB (BDB 60, KB 72) occurs three times in Ezekiel.
1. Eze 9:4, those who sigh and groan over Judah’s sins
2. Eze 24:17, Ezekiel groans quietly over the death of his wife
3. Eze 26:15, the dying of Tyre groan loudly at their approaching death (cf. Job 24:12; Jer 51:52; Eze 30:24). It occurs only one other time in the OT, Jer 51:52. The NOUN (BDB 60) occurs in Psa 12:5; Psa 79:11; Psa 102:20; Mal 2:13.
Eze 26:16 they will sit on the ground This is a sign of mourning (e.g., Lam 2:10, esp. for a king, cf. Isa 47:1). See Special Topic: Grieving Rites .
trembling. . .tremble This term (BDB 353, KB 350) denotes great fear. It is used twice (VERB and NOUN) in this verse. The ones trembling are the colonies which the Phoenicians had started all around the Mediterranean. These outposts of Phoenician culture were dependant on Tyre.
be appalled at you This VERB (BDB 1030, KB 1563, Qal PERFECT) denotes astonishment at YHWH’s judgment (cf. Lev 26:32; Job 17:8; Isa 52:14; Jer 50:13; Eze 26:16; Eze 27:35; Eze 28:19; Eze 32:10; Dan 8:27). This fear at the fall of a powerful commercial nation is used in Revelation 18.
Eze 26:17-18 This is a lamentation (BDB 884, cf. Eze 2:10; Eze 19:1; Eze 19:14; Eze 27:2; Eze 27:32; Eze 32:2; Eze 32:16) in poetic form.
Eze 26:17
NASB, NKJV,
PESHITTAO inhabited one
LXX, NRSV,
NJBvanished
The MT reflects option 1 (). The second option is from the Septuagint and involves an emendation (). The UBS Hebrew OT Text Project gives option 1 a B rating (some doubt).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
isles = coastlands, or maritime countries.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eze 26:15-18
Eze 26:15-18
“Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to Tyre: Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at thee. And they shall take up a lamentation over thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that west inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city that was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, that caused their terror to be on all that dwelt there! Now shall the isles tremble in the days of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be dismayed at thy departure.”
ALARM AND SHOCK AT THE NEWS OF TYRE’S FALL
“The isles …” (Eze 26:15; Eze 26:18). These refer to all of the islands and coastlands of the Mediterranean Sea, which long had been under the domination of Tyre.
“The renowned city that caused her terror to fall upon all …” (Eze 26:17). The heartless old slave traders of Tyre had been the terror of mankind, but for the thirteen year siege against them by Nebuchadnezzar, they allowed the evil slave trade to rest!
“The princes shall come down from their thrones …” (Eze 26:15). These merchant princes were not actually kings. They were agents of Tyre, and the meaning here is that the source of their power, wealth, and glory had dried up. They were therefore downgraded and humiliated.
“The mourning of these `princes’ indicated that they had better judgment than the rulers of Tyre. Those in Tyre could not realize that the destruction of Jerusalem meant the same fate awaited them; but these ‘princes’ realized that they also were involved in the fate of Tyre.
“They shall tremble every moment …” (Eze 26:16) “This means that they were trembling and fearful continually.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
shake: Eze 26:18, Eze 27:28, Eze 27:35, Eze 31:16, Eze 32:10, Isa 2:19, Jer 49:21, Heb 12:26, Heb 12:27
Reciprocal: Isa 23:5 – so shall Isa 23:11 – stretched Isa 41:5 – isles Eze 26:10 – shake Eze 26:21 – a terror Eze 30:24 – he shall Hag 2:21 – I will Zec 9:5 – and be
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 26:15. The Lord’s feeling against Tyrus was so intense that the city is named 14 times in course of the chapters in this “interval. Isles is from an original that Strong defines a habitable spot, and it means the people of various areas will shake or be shocked at the downfall of Tyrus.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 26:15-18. Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall? All those that dwell upon the sea-coast near thee shall be thrown into a consternation at the news of thy being taken and destroyed. All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones All the princes and rich merchants (or the merchants who are as princes, as Isaiah speaks) of Zidon, Carthage, and other maritime cities that maintained a trade with Tyre, and got great wealth by that means, shall express a deep grief and concern for the fall of it. They shall clothe themselves with trembling With fear productive of trembling; or, they shall be afraid on every side, and full of fear and trembling. And they shall take up a lamentation for thee Shall bitterly bewail thy fall. Compare Rev 18:9. And say, How art thou destroyed How totally and irrecoverably, thou who wast such a great, rich, splendid, and well-fortified city! The renowned city, which was strong in the sea Tyre is called the strength of the sea, (Isa 23:4,) being strong at sea, both by its situation and its great naval forces, upon which account it was formidable to all that had trading upon the sea. Now shall the isles tremble The Vulgate reads, Nunc stupebunt naves, Now shall the ships tremble, &c., that is, all seafaring men. Yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled, &c. The description given here, and in the foregoing verses, of the lamentation of the neighbouring places, and of the merchants and seafaring people, at the fall of Tyre, is extremely pathetical. By thy departure here, the Chaldee understands the removal of the inhabitants of Tyre into captivity. But Houbigant and others explain it of their forsaking the city, and fleeing away in ships to Carthage, and other distant places.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The effect on Tyre’s allies 26:15-18
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord also revealed that other towns would tremble when they heard of Tyre’s overthrow. These were Tyre’s vassals along the coast and among the islands that depended on Tyre for their prosperity and protection. Tyre had colonies in many Mediterranean coastal regions: Cyprus, Rhodes, Malta, Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, and Africa. [Note: Feinberg, p. 150.] The rulers of these communities would go into mourning and would fear because of what had overtaken their mother city (cf. Job 2:11-13; Jon 3:6; Rev 18:9). They would abdicate their thrones and submit to the enemy invaders.