Ezekiel 26 20

Ezekiel 26:20 kjv

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;

Ezekiel 26:20 nkjv

then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living.

Ezekiel 26:20 niv

then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living.

Ezekiel 26:20 esv

then I will make you go down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you to dwell in the world below, among ruins from of old, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set beauty in the land of the living.

Ezekiel 26:20 nlt

I will send you to the pit to join those who descended there long ago. Your city will lie in ruins, buried beneath the earth, like those in the pit who have entered the world of the dead. You will have no place of respect here in the land of the living.

Ezekiel 26 verses

Ezekiel 26 20 Meaning

Ezekiel 26:20 proclaims the utter and permanent downfall of the proud city of Tyre. It describes a divine decree that will consign Tyre to a state of absolute ruin, comparable to the forgotten cities and peoples of ancient times who have descended into the grave (Sheol). The verse emphasizes that Tyre will be reduced to a deep, uninhabitable desolation, forever stripped of its former glory and prevented from taking its place or having splendor among the living nations. This judgment signifies a complete removal from historical prominence and human flourishing.

Ezekiel 26 20 Context

Ezekiel 26:20 is part of a larger prophecy (chapters 26-28) primarily concerned with the judgment against Tyre. These prophecies follow judgments against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. The overall context for these pronouncements against foreign nations is their opposition to God's people and, more broadly, their ungodliness and pride.

Chapter 26 opens with Tyre gloating over Jerusalem's destruction ("Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken... I shall be filled"). This attitude, coupled with Tyre's immense wealth, commercial power, and self-proclaimed impregnability (due to its island fortress), formed the basis of God's judgment. The chapter describes successive waves of nations (symbolized by Nebuchadnezzar, later famously fulfilled by Alexander the Great) that would besiege, dismantle, and utterly devastate Tyre. The preceding verses vividly portray Tyre's magnificent architecture being thrown into the sea, its commerce ceasing, and its population destroyed. Verse 20 provides a poetic summary of this judgment, focusing on Tyre's permanent removal from the 'land of the living' into a realm of oblivion. Historically, Tyre faced destruction first from Nebuchadnezzar (long siege, mainland city conquered), and then, definitively, by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, who scraped its mainland ruins into the sea to build a causeway to the island, leading to the island's conquest and widespread destruction.

Ezekiel 26 20 Word analysis

• Then I will make you go down (וְהוֹרַדְתִּ֤י אוֹתָךְ֙ - vehōwradetî ‘ōwtāḵ):
  • Then: Indicates the logical consequence of the previous declarations of judgment.
  • I will make you go down: Hebrew Hifil verb horadti meaning 'I will cause to go down.' This emphasizes Yahweh's active role, His sovereign power executing the judgment. It's not a natural decline, but a divinely ordained one.
  • You: Refers to the city of Tyre personified, its corporate entity.
  • Significance: This highlights divine sovereignty. God Himself is the agent of Tyre's descent, demonstrating His absolute control over the fates of nations.
• with those who go down to the Pit (אֶת־יוֹרְדֵי בּוֹר֙ - ’eṯ-yōwrədê bōwr):
  • Those who go down: General term for the deceased.
  • The Pit: Hebrew bor (בּוֹר). This term often denotes a cistern, dungeon, or grave, but in prophetic and poetic contexts like this, it is synonymous with Sheol, the common grave, the underworld realm of the dead. It signifies removal from the sphere of human life and activity.
  • Significance: Tyre's fate is equated with death, not just political or economic collapse, but a metaphorical death of its very being as a thriving city. It will be amongst the forgotten.
• to the people of old (אֶל־עַם עוֹלָ֔ם - ’el-‘am ‘ōwlām):
  • People of old: Hebrew am ‘olam (עַם עוֹלָם). Olam can mean eternity, ancient times, or long ago. Here it specifically refers to people who have been dead for a very long time, whose memory has faded from living recollection. They are forgotten ancestors.
  • Significance: Reinforces the depth and permanence of Tyre's removal. It's not merely a contemporary defeat, but a consigning to an ancient, forgotten state, a perpetual anonymity among the deceased.
• and I will make you dwell in the lowest parts of the earth (וְהוֹשַׁבְתִּ֖יךְ בְּאֶ֥רֶץ תַּחְתִּיּֽוֹת - wəhôšaḇtîḵ bə’ereṣ taḥtîyôṯ):
  • I will make you dwell: Another Hifil verb (hoshavtik), "I will cause you to reside," or "settle you." God again as the active agent.
  • Lowest parts of the earth: Hebrew erets taḥtîyôṯ (אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּיּוֹת). This explicitly refers to the deepest regions of Sheol, the most desolate and hidden parts of the underworld. It is a place without light or activity, further away from human existence.
  • Significance: This deep, hidden dwelling highlights Tyre's absolute cessation of prominence and power. It's a cosmic demotion from being a glorious maritime power to the uttermost depths.
• like ancient ruins (כַּחֳרָב֥וֹת עוֹלָ֖ם - kaḥorāḇōṯ ‘ōwlām):
  • Ancient ruins: Hebrew horavot ‘olam (חֳרָבוֹת עוֹלָם). Horavot refers to desolations, wastes, or dilapidated remains of cities. Coupled with olam again, it means cities that have been ruined and deserted for a very long time.
  • Significance: This metaphor makes the invisible realm of the dead tangible: Tyre's physical destruction will mirror its spiritual/societal death. It will become a place of rubble and emptiness, just as ancient forgotten cities are.
• with those who go down to the Pit (אֶת־יוֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר - ’eṯ-yōwrədê bōwr):
  • Repetition: The phrase is repeated for emphasis, underscoring the finality and the nature of Tyre's fate. It will truly be dead.
  • Significance: The double mention hammers home the idea of Tyre's company in oblivion—it's not just a journey but a permanent residence with the deceased.
• so that you will not again be inhabited (לְבִלְתִּ֤י תֵשָׁ֙בִי֙ - ləḇiltî têšāḇî):
  • So that you will not again be inhabited: Hebrew lebil ti teshvi (לְבִלְתִּי תֵשָׁבִי). Ləḇiltî means 'in order not to' or 'so that... not.' Teshvi means 'you will be inhabited/dwell.'
  • Significance: This declares absolute and enduring desolation. Tyre's population will not merely decrease but will cease to exist. This contrasts sharply with its previous description as a populous and bustling trade center.
• or take your place in the land of the living (וְנָתַתִּ֥י צְבִ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ חַיִּֽים - wənāṯattî ṣeḇî bə’ereṣ ḥayyîm):
  • Or take your place: This interpretation draws on the understanding that nathan tzevi (נָתַתִּ֥י צְבִ֖י), typically "to give/set splendor/glory," is here under the negation established by lebil from the previous clause. Thus, "and you will not be given/retain splendor."
  • Glory/splendor (צְבִ֖י - tzevi): This Hebrew word often means "glory," "beauty," "splendor," or "adornment." It refers to Tyre's former magnificence, power, and high standing among nations.
  • Land of the living (אֶ֥רֶץ חַיִּֽים - ’ereṣ ḥayyîm): This term refers to the world of the human, a realm of normal existence, prosperity, and activity, in stark contrast to Sheol.
  • Significance: Tyre's destruction is total: not only will it be uninhabited and reside with the dead, but it will never again possess any form of glory or prominence in the active, thriving world. It will not merely be desolate but utterly forgotten and insignificant. This is the final and crushing blow to Tyre's pride.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:
  • "Then I will make you go down... to the Pit": Emphasizes God's direct agency in consigning Tyre to a state of death and oblivion, an unavoidable judgment.
  • "with those who go down to the Pit, to the people of old": Highlights Tyre's future company—the forgotten dead. This signifies not just a loss of life but a loss of remembrance, a permanent erase from living memory.
  • "and I will make you dwell in the lowest parts of the earth, like ancient ruins": Deepens the imagery of Tyre's fate. Its dwelling is in the most remote, dark parts of Sheol, akin to forgotten, deserted physical remains. Its very identity is reduced to rubble.
  • "so that you will not again be inhabited or take your place in the land of the living": This is the concluding and definitive statement of judgment. It promises both perpetual desolation (uninhabited) and irreversible loss of honor/prominence ("splendor in the land of the living"). Tyre will be nullified in both physical and conceptual terms within the realm of the living.

Ezekiel 26 20 Bonus section

The destruction of Tyre described here, particularly the city's reduction to "ancient ruins" and its inability to regain "splendor in the land of the living," finds profound historical fulfillment through the actions of Alexander the Great. When Alexander besieged Tyre in 332 BC, he literally scraped the ruins and debris of the mainland city into the sea to construct a causeway, linking it to the island fortress. This act physically embodied the "throwing into the sea" (Ezek 26:12) and the concept of becoming an ancient ruin forgotten beneath the waves. The utter destruction, subsequent repopulation under Greek rule, but never regaining its former pre-eminence or "splendor" as a world power, aligns strikingly with the prophetic word. The imagery of descending into Sheol also serves as a polemic against Tyre's self-deifying pride, particularly that of its ruler described in Ezekiel 28. By depicting Tyre's fate as being relegated to the company of deceased kings and forgotten civilizations, Ezekiel challenges the city's belief in its own enduring power and its attempts to compare itself with divine beings. God's judgment strips away every vestige of this false self-importance.

Ezekiel 26 20 Commentary

Ezekiel 26:20 delivers a powerful and conclusive judgment against Tyre, signaling its absolute removal from the world of the living and consigning it to eternal oblivion. This isn't merely a political or economic collapse, but a metaphorical "death" on a grand scale, orchestrated by Yahweh Himself. The recurring imagery of "going down to the pit" (Sheol) and dwelling with "the people of old" vividly portrays a fate of utter forgetfulness and decay. Tyre, once renowned for its maritime glory, architectural beauty, and vast wealth, will become a forgotten ruin in the "lowest parts of the earth," its splendor eternally removed from the "land of the living." This prophecy underscores God's sovereign control over even the most powerful and seemingly invincible earthly kingdoms, judging their pride and self-sufficiency with a finality that defies human resistance or natural restoration. It serves as a stark warning against placing trust in temporal strength and earthly glory, reinforcing that true honor and lasting presence belong solely to God and those who trust Him.