Ezekiel 26:4 kjv
And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
Ezekiel 26:4 nkjv
And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
Ezekiel 26:4 niv
They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock.
Ezekiel 26:4 esv
They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock.
Ezekiel 26:4 nlt
They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down its towers. I will scrape away its soil and make it a bare rock!
Ezekiel 26 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ez 26:2 | "Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken..." | Tyre's joy at Jerusalem's downfall. |
| Ez 26:12 | "...your stones, your timber, and your soil will be laid in the midst of the water." | Foreshadows complete physical dismantling. |
| Ez 27:36 | "The merchants among the peoples hiss at you... you will be no more forever." | Lament over Tyre's irreversible end. |
| Isa 23:1 | "The burden against Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor!" | General prophecy of Tyre's destruction. |
| Joel 3:4 | "What are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me?" | God's judgment on Tyre for past offenses. |
| Amos 1:9-10 | "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment..." | Specific reasons for Tyre's judgment. |
| Zech 9:3-4 | "Tyre has built herself a stronghold, heaped up silver like dust... Behold, the Lord will dispossess her..." | Tyre's perceived invincibility is challenged. |
| Jer 1:10 | "See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow..." | Prophetic power to destroy cities. |
| Jer 50:13 | "...it shall not be inhabited, but shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified..." | Prophecy of Babylon's complete desolation. |
| Isa 13:19-20 | "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms... shall never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation." | Another example of utter, permanent city ruin. |
| Nah 3:7 | "And it shall come to pass that all who look at you will flee from you, and say, 'Nineveh is devastated! Who will grieve for her?'" | A great city reduced to ruin. |
| Obad 1:3 | "The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose dwelling is high..." | God judges nations proud of their fortifications. |
| Pro 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Biblical principle for Tyre's judgment. |
| Psa 33:10-11 | "The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect... The counsel of the LORD stands forever." | God's sovereignty over nations' plans. |
| Dan 4:37 | "...and those who walk in pride He is able to humble." | God's ability to humble the proud rulers. |
| Job 18:15-19 | "Fire shall dwell in his tent, it shall no longer be his... His root shall dry up beneath..." | Imagery of complete desolation for the wicked. |
| Psa 107:33-34 | "He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground... For the wickedness of those who dwell in it." | Environmental desolation as divine judgment. |
| Lk 17:29 | "...but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all." | Example of swift and total city destruction. |
| Rev 18:21 | "Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence will great Babylon be thrown down, and will not be found anymore.'" | Eschatological imagery of final city destruction. |
| Mal 3:6 | "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob." | God's unchangeable nature ensures His prophecies. |
| Ez 28:16-18 | "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor..." | Details the sin of pride, relevant to Tyre. |
| Mic 7:13 | "Nevertheless, the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it..." | Land becoming desolate due to inhabitants' sin. |
| Hab 2:13 | "Is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples toil for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?" | Futility of human effort against divine will. |
Ezekiel 26 verses
Ezekiel 26 4 Meaning
Ezekiel 26:4 is a severe prophetic declaration of the utter and irreversible destruction of the powerful city of Tyre. It details the dismantling of its fortifications, the complete removal of its very foundation debris, and its reduction to a desolate, bare rock. This imagery signifies absolute ruin and the permanent loss of its former glory and existence as a habitable place, emphatically declaring God's sovereign judgment against human pride, self-reliance, and economic might.
Ezekiel 26 4 Context
Ezekiel chapter 26 initiates a series of divine judgments against surrounding nations, focusing intensely on Tyre (chapters 26-28). The specific motivation for God's wrath against Tyre is stated in Ez 26:2: its hostile rejoicing over Jerusalem's fall. Tyre, a wealthy Phoenician city, saw Jerusalem's demise as an opportunity for its own economic advancement ("Aha! The gateway of the nations is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste."), displaying a covetous spirit and an adversarial stance toward God's chosen people.
Historically, Tyre was one of the most powerful and influential maritime city-states, famous for its strategic island location, vast trade networks, and impressive fortifications that rendered it seemingly impenetrable. The prophecy in Ez 26, and particularly verse 4, foretells an unparalleled level of destruction for Tyre, moving beyond mere military defeat to its complete obliteration. This profound judgment serves to demonstrate God's supreme power over all human might and pride, even that which seemed unassailable.
Ezekiel 26 4 Word analysis
- "They will destroy" (Hebrew: וְנָתְצוּ, v'nat'tsū)
- This active verb signifies a violent, deliberate act of tearing down or demolishing.
- The indefinite subject "they" refers to the many nations prophesied to come against Tyre (Ez 26:3), highlighting that the initial act of destruction would be by human agency. The Hebrew root natats often describes the dismantling of strongholds and walls, underscoring the severity of the planned demolition.
- "the walls of Tyre" (חוֹמֹת צֹר, chōmōt Tsor)
- "Walls" (chōmōt) represent the primary defensive fortifications, symbolizing the city's perceived security and strength. Tyre's walls, especially those of the island city, were legendary for their height and thickness, making them a monument to human engineering and pride.
- Tsor is the Hebrew name for Tyre.
- "and pull down her towers" (וְהָרְסוּ מִגְדָּלֶיהָ, v'hāresū migdaleyhā)
- "Pull down" (haras) is another strong verb for demolishing, often paired with natats to emphasize complete overthrow and dismemberment.
- "Towers" (migdaleyhā) refers to the strategic observation and defense towers integral to Tyre's fortifications, indicating a comprehensive obliteration of all its defensive structures.
- "I will scrape away" (וְסִחֵיתִי, v'sicheytī)
- This crucial shift from "they" to "I" unequivocally places the agency and ultimate execution of this phase of destruction directly in God's hands.
- The verb sikhah (סָחָה) denotes to sweep, scrape clean, or strip off, painting a vivid picture of meticulously removing every surface element. It implies going beyond demolition to meticulously clearing the resulting debris and even the underlying soil.
- "her rubble" (עֲפָרָהּ, afarāh)
- "Rubble" (afarāh) denotes the debris, dust, and accumulated earth that results from the destruction of structures. The act of "scraping away her rubble" suggests that even the foundational remnants of the city, and the very ground upon which it stood, would be removed.
- "and make her a bare rock" (וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ לְסֶלַע מִבְחָא, v'samtiyah l'sela' mivchā)
- "Make her" (וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ, v'samtiyah) reaffirms God's divine will in shaping Tyre's final state.
- "A bare rock" (sela' mivchā) translates as "a rock of bareness" or a "smooth/scraped rock." This profound imagery signifies a surface completely stripped clean, devoid of any soil or vegetation, making it utterly uninhabitable and incapable of sustaining life or new construction. It means Tyre would be reduced to its geological foundation, becoming a barren, useless place.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers;": This initial segment outlines the typical military actions of conquest and demolition. It speaks to the breaking down of the formidable, visible defenses that formed Tyre's identity and provided its sense of security. The "they" anticipates the instrumental role of human armies, like that of Nebuchadnezzar, in initiating Tyre's downfall by breaching its formidable fortifications.
- "I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock.": This second, profoundly significant part elevates the destruction from human effort to divine decree. The direct action of "I" (God) performing the "scraping away her rubble" goes far beyond ordinary warfare; it denotes the removal of not just the structures but all resulting debris and even the earth itself. The ultimate declaration "make her a bare rock" seals Tyre's fate as an utterly desolate, infertile, and uninhabitable site, devoid of any trace of its former urban glory. This demonstrates the unique and absolute thoroughness of God's judgment, ensuring Tyre's destruction would be final and irreversible.
Ezekiel 26 4 Bonus section
The fulfillment of Ezekiel 26:4 is a cornerstone of biblical apologetics, frequently cited due to its extraordinary detail. Many scholars point to the historical events surrounding Alexander the Great's siege of Tyre in 332 BC as a direct, precise realization of this verse. Nebuchadnezzar indeed sacked the mainland city of Tyre decades after Ezekiel's prophecy, but the island city remained. Centuries later, Alexander faced this fortified island. To conquer it, he constructed a massive causeway (mole) by literally "scraping away" the ruins, timber, and soil from the old mainland city, including its houses and debris. This act removed all its "rubble" and essentially left the site a "bare rock." Tyre's historical trajectory shifted to this new causeway, while the original mainland site remained permanently barren and uninhabited, never rebuilt as a significant city again, confirming the precise nature of Ezekiel's divine inspiration.
Ezekiel 26 4 Commentary
Ezekiel 26:4 provides a precise and dramatic prophecy concerning the ultimate fate of Tyre, moving from the initial destruction by human forces to God's ultimate decree of irreversible desolation. While various nations (the "they") would conquer and dismantle Tyre's famed fortifications, God Himself ("I") declares that He would go further. He would "scrape away her rubble," signifying not just the demolition of buildings but the removal of all debris and even the very soil. This meticulous act would leave Tyre as a "bare rock," utterly stripped and uninhabitable. This unprecedented level of ruin served as a stark lesson against human pride, reliance on material wealth and fortified strength, and animosity toward God's people. Its astonishing literal fulfillment, notably by Alexander the Great who used the mainland city's ruins to construct a causeway, converting the site into barren rock, stands as a profound testament to the detailed accuracy and divine origin of biblical prophecy, confirming God's sovereign control over history and the rise and fall of nations.