Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 26:8

He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.

8. The cities and villages, dependencies of Tyre in the mainland, naturally are the first to suffer. Then the siege of the insular city itself is taken in hand. The order is precise: first the “fort” or moveable tower from which the archers shot so as to counteract the defensive efforts of the besieged (cf. Eze 4:2); then the “mount” or embankment, which in this case was a dam thrown across the narrow strait, in order to gain access to the walls; then the “buckler” or shield, i.e. probably the testudo or roof of shields under cover of which the besiegers operated, and finally ( Eze 26:9) the battering engines.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 8. Thy daughters in the field] This seems to be spoken of Palaetyre, or Tyre on the main land; for forts, mounts, engines of war, horses, and chariots could not be brought to act against the other.

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

See Eze 26:6.

Make a fort against thee: see Eze 4:2; 17:17.

Cast a mount against thee: he shall draw a line round about thee, and build bastions, raise sconces to defend the lines, to keep in the besieged, and secure the besiegers; or he shall pour out the shot, mighty stones or the like, out of the engines framed and placed on the forts before mentioned; for so did they of old build mighty wooden towers, and there placed engines, out of which they could fling mighty stones or darts against the besieged, who were much annoyed from these high towers, overlooking their walls and streets that none could stir out.

Lift up the buckler: see Eze 23:24.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field,…. The first thing he would do would be to destroy the cities, towns and villages on the continent, near to Tyre, and dependent on it, as in

Eze 26:6, and so the Targum is here, as there:

and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee; a fort built of wood, and a mount made of earth, from which stones might be cast out of their engines, and arrows shot from their bows into the city, to the damaging of the houses, and the hurt of the inhabitants:

and lift up the buckler against thee; or “shield”; that is, as the Targum paraphrases it,

“set against thee such who are armed with shields;”

to repel the arrows shot out from the city, and so defeat the design of them.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(8) A fort . . . a mount.These and the following particulars of the siege indicate the use of the ordinary methods as in the attack of a city on the mainland. The explanation of this is doubtless partly in the fact that Palotyrus, Old Tyre, upon the mainland, was approached in the ordinary way, and partly that Nebuchadnezzar must have contrived a bridge of boats, or some other method of approaching the island across the shoal and narrow channel (1,200 yards), which at that time separated it from the mainland. That if he built a mole it was afterwards removed, is plain from the fact that when Alexander built one, 250 years later, sand accumulated upon it, until the island has now become a peninsula, connected with the shore by a beach of considerable width.

The buckler is that sort of roof made with shields used in ancient warfare by besiegers to defend themselves from the missiles of the besieged. Herodotus (ix. 61, 99, 102) mentions its use among the Persians.

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

8-14. The description is startingly vivid, the outlying villages (“daughters”)

suffer first, then the well-known “fort” and “mount” are erected, and under cover of “the buckler” (a barricade of wickerwork covered with skins) the “engines of war” (R.V., “battering engines”) come into position and the axes (literally, swords) begin their deadly work. A breach is made in the wall, and then comes the charge of the cavalry and chariot force, the dust fills the air, and the fleeing people fall under the hoofs of the horses and the stroke of the swords. Even the temple of Baal is invaded and his sacred pillars (unfortunately translated “garrisons”) are cast to the ground. (Compare 2Ki 10:26.) The city is sacked, and the riches of her temples, her pleasant palaces, and bazaars become the spoil of her conqueror. The city is destroyed, never to be built again, and the music for which she was famous (Isa 23:16) sinks into a groan. Now it is certain that a complete destruction of the city such as Eze 26:12-14 contemplate was not wrought by Nebuchadnezzar, for after this campaign Tyre was able to sustain a very protracted siege under Alexander the Great (see also Eze 29:17-21); but it seems most probable that the prophet’s description of the Nebuchadnezzar campaign melts into the more awful destruction, which he has formerly said would be wrought by “many nations,” which should dash up against the proud city “as I bring up the sea, wave after wave” (Eze 26:3). This fusion of various events is not unusual in prophecy. (Compare particularly Matthew 24; Mark 13.)

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“He will slay with the sword your daughters in the surrounding countryside, and he will make forts against you, and cast up a mount against you, and raise up the buckler (large body shield) against you, and he will set his battering-engines against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers.”

All the devices of ancient warfare would be applied against Tyre. The villages around would be laid waste. Siege forts/walls would be built and a mount to make the defenders more accessible. Walls of shields would be utilised in the assaults, and battering-rams would be brought against the walls. Axes would be applied to the wooden defence towers. All this against the mainland town for the island could not be reached.

There is a deliberate attempt here to demonstrate that Tyre, with all her pride and claims, is really inferior compared to this supreme king who is Yahweh’s instrument.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Eze 26:8 He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.

Ver. 8. He shall slay with the sword. ] See on Eze 26:6 .

He shall lift up the buckler. ] Or, A continued series of bucklers,

“ – ut omnes

Ferre queant subter densa testudine casus. ”

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