Ezekiel 26 19

Ezekiel 26:19 kjv

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;

Ezekiel 26:19 nkjv

"For thus says the Lord GOD: 'When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you,

Ezekiel 26:19 niv

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you,

Ezekiel 26:19 esv

"For thus says the Lord GOD: When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you,

Ezekiel 26:19 nlt

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will make Tyre an uninhabited ruin, like many others. I will bury you beneath the terrible waves of enemy attack. Great seas will swallow you.

Ezekiel 26 verses

Ezekiel 26 19 Meaning

Ezekiel 26:19 proclaims the Lord GOD's resolute declaration regarding the utter and irreversible destruction of Tyre. The city, once renowned for its wealth and maritime power, will be reduced to a barren wasteland, likened to ghost towns completely devoid of inhabitants. This desolation is further emphasized by the vivid imagery of the "deep" and "great waters" overwhelming and covering Tyre, symbolizing a total submergence and eradication, demonstrating divine judgment against its pride and actions.

Ezekiel 26 19 Context

Ezekiel chapter 26 is part of a series of prophecies against foreign nations (Ezekiel 25-32), specifically targeting Tyre. This prophecy arises from Tyre's opportunistic gloating over the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon (Ezek 26:2), viewing it as an advantage for its own trade. God declares that He will bring many nations against Tyre, describing its dismantling and becoming a desolate rock, never to be rebuilt. Verse 19 emphasizes the absolute and final nature of this divine judgment, painting a picture of Tyre being swallowed up and completely erased, contrasting sharply with its prior image as an invincible island fortress and a powerful mercantile hub. Historically, parts of this prophecy were fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon's thirteen-year siege (586–573 BC) and later by Alexander the Great's conquest of the island city (332 BC).

Ezekiel 26 19 Word analysis

• For thus says the Lord GOD: This is a standard prophetic formula, emphasizing the divine origin and authoritative certainty of the message. It highlights that the subsequent pronouncement is not human conjecture but God's unalterable decree.
• When I make you: The active verb "make" underscores God's direct agency in Tyre's downfall. He is not a passive observer but the orchestrator of its destruction, asserting His supreme sovereignty over nations and their fates.
• a desolate city (Hebrew: ʿir ḥǎrāḇāh עִיר חֲרָבָה): Literally "city of ruin." This phrase denotes complete physical destruction and cessation of urban life. It signifies a profound loss of purpose and identity for a once vibrant metropolis.
• like the cities that are not inhabited (Hebrew: lōʾ-tēšēḇ לֹא־תֵשֵׁב): This extends the meaning of "desolate" to include permanent abandonment. It's not just ruined; it's a place from which life has departed irrevocably, destined to remain empty, reinforcing the finality of its judgment.
• when I bring up the deep over you (Hebrew: haʿalôt ʿālayik ʾeṯ-hatěhôm הַעֲלוֹת עָלַיִךְ אֶת־הַתְּהוֹם):
  • haʿalôt (bring up): Implies an active, deliberate raising of a destructive force.
  • hatěhôm (the deep): A highly significant term referring to the primordial, often chaotic, cosmic waters mentioned in Gen 1:2. It symbolizes a boundless, overwhelming, and potentially destructive force, now wielded directly by God as an instrument of judgment, emphasizing His ultimate power even over forces traditionally associated with chaos. It also evokes a sense of being dragged into a terrifying abyss.
• and great waters cover you (Hebrew: wəḵissuḵ mayim rabbim וְכִסּוּךְ מַיִם רַבִּים):
  • wəḵissuḵ (cover you): Signifies complete submersion, engulfment, and disappearance beneath the surface, leaving no trace.
  • mayim rabbim (great waters / many waters): Reinforces the immensity and irresistible power of the destructive flood. This is particularly potent imagery for Tyre, a city built on an island, dependent on the sea for its power and wealth. The very source of its prosperity becomes the means of its obliteration.

• "a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited": This word-group acts as a potent hyperbolic phrase, doubling down on the severity and permanence of Tyre's future state. It communicates not merely ruin but utter non-existence as a functional, living city, implying a complete undoing of its identity and significance.
• "bring up the deep over you, and great waters cover you": This phrase combines cosmic and literal flood imagery. "The deep" resonates with primal, overwhelming destruction, while "great waters" grounds it in a powerful, unstoppable inundation. Together, they depict a complete and terrifying engulfment that effectively wipes the city off the map, akin to being swallowed by the sea. For a city built on the sea, this represents a symbolic and perhaps literal return to its primordial, pre-urban state of being submerged beneath the waves.

Ezekiel 26 19 Bonus section

The imagery of "the deep" (תהום, těhôm) not only invokes primordial chaos but can also be understood as God's reclaiming of what might be seen as beyond human control. For a coastal, island city, being covered by such waters means an undoing of its very foundation and existence. Historical fulfillment involved Nebuchadnezzar's siege of mainland Tyre, followed much later by Alexander the Great's conquest of the island city. Alexander famously built a causeway from the mainland to the island, using debris and rubble from the old city. This act could be seen metaphorically as "bringing up the deep over you" by literally building up from the sea, and then subsequently leaving the city largely uninhabited and devastated for a period. The prophecy of never being rebuilt (Ezek 26:14) is understood as its failure to regain its former global preeminence, rather than the absolute lack of any future settlement, underscoring the irreversible nature of its glory and power being lost forever.

Ezekiel 26 19 Commentary

Ezekiel 26:19 powerfully communicates the complete and irreversible destruction of Tyre as ordained by the Lord GOD. The passage foregrounds divine agency, proclaiming that God Himself will execute this judgment, transforming a vibrant city into an uninhabitable desolation. The vivid metaphors of "the deep" and "great waters" overwhelming Tyre are particularly striking for a proud maritime city. This imagery evokes not just an enemy attack, but a cosmic undoing, akin to a primordial flood consuming a creation, demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty even over the chaotic forces of nature, which He wields to punish national pride and defiance. This prophecy served as a stark warning to all nations that no human enterprise, no matter how grand or secure, can stand against the will of the Almighty.