Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 29:18

Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head [was] made bald, and every shoulder [was] peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

18. On spelling of Nebuchadnezzar cf. Eze 26:7, Eze 30:10.

every head made bald ] Not by the length of time but by the hard service, the rubbing of the armour or the burdens borne on head and shoulder. Arabic poets refer to the baldness caused by the headpieces. The siege of Tyre lasted thirteen years, but while this is well attested history is silent as to the issue of the siege. Whatever the issue was Neb. and his army did not reap adequate reward from it he had no wages for his service done for Jehovah.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 18. Caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus] He was thirteen years employed in the siege. See Joseph. Antiq. lib. x. c. 11. In this siege his soldiers endured great hardships. Being continually on duty, their heads became bald by wearing their helmets; and their shoulders bruised and peeled by carrying baskets of earth to the fortifications, and wood, c., to build towers, &c.

Yet had he no wages, nor his army] The Tyrians, finding it at last impossible to defend their city, put all their wealth aboard their vessels, sailed out of the port, and escaped for Carthage and thus Nebuchadnezzar lost all the spoil of one of the richest cities in the world.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

His army: the army, the inferior officers, and principal commanders, it is like, were weary of the siege, and might advise the raising it; but the authority, presence, and immovable resolution of the king kept them on still, and made them hold out.

A great service; it was service to the justice of God in punishing the Tyrians by the ambition of Nebuchadnezzar, who would not endure any thing to stand against him. It was great service, both for hardness of work, heaviness of burdens, and unreasonable length of the siege, thirteen years together.

Every head was made bald; either age, or sicknesses, (which often make men bald,) or continued wearing of the helmets, spoiled the best heads of hair amongst them; or perhaps it noteth the weeping bargain they had, though they mastered Tyre, where they got no booty; and both Nebuchadnezzar and his army might shave their heads, in token of mourning for their loss, rather than crown their heads with garlands of joy for gaining of the city.

Every shoulder was peeled; either clothes wore out, they had scarce any to their backs in so long a siege, or galled and blistered with carrying burdens, stones, timber, iron, and earth for fortifications, and to make a passage from the continent to Tyre; which sores, when healed, left scabs or dead skin that peeled off.

He had no wages; for though Tyre was very rich when first besieged, no doubt very much wealth was carried away by shipping at the beginning and during the siege, which none could prevent, very much spent and wasted in the siege, and what was left preserved by articles of surrender; for most conclude that it was delivered on composition, and the conqueror had only victory for his pains and charge.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

18. every head . . . bald, . . .shoulder . . . peeledwith carrying baskets of earth and stonesfor the siege works.

no wages . . . for theservicethat is, in proportion to it and the time andlabor which he expended on the siege of Tyre. Not that he actuallyfailed in the siege (JEROMEexpressly states, from Assyrian histories, that Nebuchadnezzarsucceeded); but, so much of the Tyrian resources had been exhausted,or transported to her colonies in ships, that little was left tocompensate Nebuchadnezzar for his thirteen year’s siege.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon,…. The same with Nebuchadnezzar; he goes by both names in Scripture, nor is the difference very great:

caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus; in besieging it thirteen years c before he was able to take it; during which time his army suffered much hardship, was greatly fatigued and wearied, by the various military works they were engaged in, to carry on the siege so long a time:

every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: the heads of the soldiers became bald with wearing their helmets so long, or carrying baskets of earth and timber upon them, to make mounts with; and the skin of their shoulders was peeled off, either with their armour, or by carrying burdens on them for the above purpose; or, as Jerom says, from the Assyrian annals, to make a causeway to join the island to the continent, that so they might come at it with their battering rams, and demolish it:

yet hath he no wages; nor his army, for Tyrus; for besieging it; for, as the same Jerom observes when the Tyrians found that the city was like to be taken by him, their gold and silver, and whatsoever was valuable that was with them, they put on and sent it to other islands; or, as others say, that when Tyre on the continent, which was what Nebuchadnezzar besieged, was about to be taken, the inhabitants transplanted their riches to the island at some distance, where new Tyre was afterwards built; however, what with the consumption of their riches during this thirteen years’ siege, and the removing their effects to other places before the taking of the city there was scarce anything left for the plunder of king of Babylon’s army, so that he and that had nothing to requite them:

for the service that he had served against it: it must have cost him a great deal of money to support such a numerous army for so long a time, as well as the siege was very toilsome and laborious; and yet, when the city was taken, there was nothing found in it to answer this expense and labour.

c Hist. Physic. spud Joseph. adv. Aplon, l. 1. c. 21.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(18) Yet had he no wages.The siege of Tyre is here represented as a service to God, for which Nebuchadnezzar had not yet received his reward. This is quite in accordance with the whole Scriptural representation of that monarch, as a man raised up to execute Gods judgments. He was himself unconscious of this, and yet did that which had been foretolda striking instance that there is a God in history. It has been argued from this verse, and from the fact that there is no especial mention in history of the result of the siege of Tyre, that Nebuchadnezzar failed in its capture; but all that is meant is that he failed to obtain any considerable booty thereby, the Tyrians having abundant warning and opportunity to convey away their valuables by sea. This St. Jerome expressly asserts to have been done by them, and he further describes the method of the capture of the city by the same means afterwards used by Alexander, that of building a mole from the mainland to the island; thus explaining how in the besieging army every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled by the bearing of burdens for the structure. Berosus expressly testifies that Nebuchadnezzar conquered all Syria and Phnicia (Jos. c. Ap., i. 21); and Josephus also cites Philostratus, Megasthenes, and Diocles as mentioning Nebuchadnezzars exploits and the siege of Tyre in a way which, while they do not directly mention, yet certainly imply the capture of the city (ibid., and Antt. x. 11, 1). Besides, it is inconceivable that Ezekiel, who long survived that siege, should have left that prophecy on record if the event was otherwise than as he predicted.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Eze 29:18-19. Son of man, &c. Menander the Greek historian, Philostratus, and Josephus, all assert, that Nebuchadrezzar besieged Tyre thirteen years, when Ithobal was king there. The siege continuing so long, the soldiers must needs endure many hardships. Their heads were made bald by continually wearing helmets, and their skin was worn off their shoulders with carrying earth in baskets to raise fortifications; whence we understand better the force of Ezekiel’s expression, that Nebuchadrezzar caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled. It farther appears from the Phoenician annals, that the Tyrians received their kings afterwards from Babylon; which plainly evinces, that some of the blood royal must have been carried captives thither. The Phoenician annals too agree with Ezekiel’s account of the year wherein the city was taken; Tyre therefore, according to the prophesies, was subdued and taken by Nebuchadrezzar and the Chaldeans; and after this we hear little more of that part of the city which stood upon the continent. It is some satisfaction, that we are able to produce such authorities out of heathen historians for transactions of so remote antiquity. The Scripture asserts, that Nebuchadrezzar and his army had no wages for Tyrus, for the service which he had served against it; and this was literally true; for when the Tyrians saw no hope of escaping the besiegers, they went on board ships, and fled to Carthage, carrying all their furniture, clothes, and wealth with them. So that when the city was taken, the conqueror found nothing worthy of his labour. It must have been grievous to Nebuchadrezzar, after so long a siege, to have been disappointed of the spoil of so rich a city; and therefore Ezekiel was commissioned to promise him the conquest of Egypt for his reward; Eze 29:19. See Bishop Newton, vol. 1: and Calmet.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Eze 29:18 Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head [was] made bald, and every shoulder [was] peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

Ver. 18. To serve a great service. ] For thirteen years together, as saith Josephus.

Every head was made bald, ] sc., By continual carrying, upon their heads and shoulders, earth, wood, and stones – for which they were much laughed at by the Tyrian soldiers – to fill up that strait of the sea which separated Tyre from the continent, before it could be taken.

Yet had he no wages. ] The Tyrians, when they saw they could hold out no longer, had sent much of their wealth away to Carthage and other places; much of it also they cast into the seat saith Lyra; so that Nebuchadnezzar, at his entrance, found nothing but a bare rock, – saith Jerome, out of an old Assyrian chronicle.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Nebuebadrezzar. caused his army, &c. That this was fulfilled is shown by Prof. Sayre, The Egypt of the Hebrews (1896), p. 130, who quotes an inscription which describes this campaign, which took place (it says) in the thirty = seventh year of his reign. He defeated Pharaoh Amasis. For this spelling (“Nebuchadrezzar “) see note on Eze 26:4.

head was made bald. Probably from the helmet worn in so long a war.

shoulder was peeled. From bearing arms so long.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Nebuchadrezzar: Eze 26:7-12, Jer 25:9, Jer 27:6

a great: Nebuchadnezzar was thirteen years employed in the siege. During this long siege, the soldiers must have endured great hardships; their heads would become bald by constantly wearing their helmets; and their shoulders be peeled by carrying materials to and from the works.

yet: St. Jerome asserts, on the authority of the Assyrian histories, that when the Tyrians saw their city must fall, they put their most valuable effects on board their ships, and fled with them to the islands, and their colonies, “so that, the city being taken, Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy of his labour.

Reciprocal: Gen 49:15 – bowed 2Ki 10:30 – Because thou hast Neh 4:10 – bearers Isa 7:20 – shave Isa 23:13 – and he Jer 25:22 – Tyrus Jer 27:3 – Edom Jer 43:10 – I will send Amo 6:11 – the Lord Mat 11:22 – Tyre Mat 20:14 – thine Rev 6:4 – power

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Eze 29:18. When God uses one nation to chastise another He does not forget that agency If it renders faithful service. The Lord had directed Ezekiel to predict the successful invasion of Nebuchadnezzar into Egypt, but had not told him the reason for selecting that king as the instrument for the punishment of that country. That explanation is given in this verse, that it was to repay him for his faithful service against Tyrus, at which he did not reap any gain. It is necessary for the reader to see the long note quoted at Eze 26:4-5. noting especially the words found nothing in the place to requite them, which definitely agrees with the present statement. Serve a great service is further explained by the clause every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled. This refers to the labor and hardships suffered in preparing a siege and attacking the walls with the battering-ram. In carrying baskets of material for the forts (which were carried on the head) the hair would be worn off that part of the body. A battering-ram was a large piece of timber with some hard substance on the end. This piece of timber was often used by being borne on the shoulders of the men, and that would wear the skin from their shoulders.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

29:18 Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great {k} service against Tyre: every head [was] made bald, and every shoulder [was] rubbed raw: yet had he no wages, {l} nor his army, for Tyre, for the service that he had served against it:

(k) He took great pains at the siege of Tyre and his army was sore handled.

(l) Signifying that Nebuchadnezzar had more pains than profit by the taking of Tyre.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

The Lord revealed to Ezekiel that Nebuchadnezzar, as Yahweh’s instrument of judgment, had worked hard at defeating Tyre. "Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare" describes the chafing of helmets and the carrying of burdens for the siege-works. The siege of Tyre took 13 years (ca. 586-573 B.C.). However, Nebuchadnezzar received little compensation for his labor; the spoil he took was hardly worth all the time and effort he expended.

"In ancient times armies were not paid as they are today. Soldiers might receive a small allowance along with their rations, but it would have been foolish to join an army just for the pittance paid as wage. Instead, a special incentive system made army life attractive and often exciting. Soldiers successful in battle were allowed to take and keep anything they could lay hands on and carry away. Many battles took place at or near large cities or in prosperous lands where wealth was concentrated. Indeed, ancient wars of conquest were launched precisely so that the conquerors could acquire the wealth of other nations. After defeating an enemy, an army would dig into the spoils. Those fortunate enough to find gems, precious metals, or other great valuables among the possessions of their defeated foes might become instantly rich. Almost all could at least supplement their income handsomely." [Note: Stuart, pp. 283-84.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)