Ezekiel 26:5 kjv
It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
Ezekiel 26:5 nkjv
It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,' says the Lord GOD; 'it shall become plunder for the nations.
Ezekiel 26:5 niv
Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the nations,
Ezekiel 26:5 esv
She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. And she shall become plunder for the nations,
Ezekiel 26:5 nlt
It will be just a rock in the sea, a place for fishermen to spread their nets, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign LORD. Tyre will become the prey of many nations,
Ezekiel 26 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ez 26:14 | "I will make you a bare rock, and you will be a place for spreading nets..." | Confirms the exact prophecy within the chapter, emphasizing permanent desolation. |
| Ez 26:21 | "I will bring you to a dreadful end and you will be no more..." | Reiteration of Tyre's ultimate destruction and cessation. |
| Ez 28:2-10 | "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'Thus says the Sovereign Lord: Because your heart is proud...'" | Explains why Tyre faces judgment – its pride and self-exaltation. |
| Isa 23:1 | "Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor!" | A parallel prophecy against Tyre, echoing its utter ruin. |
| Isa 23:9 | "The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory..." | Reveals God's intention behind judging proud cities like Tyre. |
| Zech 9:3-4 | "Tyre built herself a stronghold, piled up silver...But the Lord will dispossess her..." | Another prophetic declaration of Tyre's judgment and loss of wealth. |
| Isa 46:10 | "declaring the end from the beginning...My purpose will stand..." | Reinforces God's foreknowledge and the certainty of His declared will. |
| Ps 33:11 | "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations." | Affirms the eternal and unchanging nature of God's decrees. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that he should lie...Has he said, and will he not do it?" | Establishes the faithfulness and immutability of God's word. |
| Isa 55:11 | "so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty..." | Highlights the effectiveness and accomplishment of God's spoken word. |
| Mt 24:35 | "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away." | New Testament affirmation of the eternal authority of God's word. |
| Prov 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | A universal principle explaining the downfall of Tyre. |
| Jas 4:6 | "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." | New Testament principle illustrating divine opposition to pride. |
| Isa 14:23 | "I will make Babylon a possession for the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction." | Similar imagery of once-great cities reduced to desolate wild lands. |
| Zep 2:14 | "Herds will lie down in her midst, all kinds of animals...a wasteland." | Another example of a city (Nineveh) turned into an uninhabitable ruin. |
| Ps 107:33-34 | "He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants." | God's power to desolate lands as a judgment for sin. |
| Job 8:13-14 | "The hope of the godless will perish...like a spider's web broken." | Imagery of swift, utter ruin for those relying on their own power. |
| Lk 5:10 | "...from now on you will catch men." | Contrasting usage of "fishing" - productive for disciples vs. symbol of decay here. |
| Hab 1:15-17 | "They haul them up with nets...Therefore they sacrifice to their net..." | Irony: instruments of worldly power (nets) become symbols of its destruction. |
| Jer 25:9 | "...I will bring [Nebuchadnezzar] against this land and its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations." | Shows God using nations (like Babylon) as instruments of judgment. |
Ezekiel 26 verses
Ezekiel 26 5 Meaning
Ezekiel 26:5 declares the prophesied fate of Tyre: it will be utterly demolished and transformed into a bare, desolate place, fit only for fishermen to spread their nets for drying, existing amidst the sea where its magnificent structures once stood. This judgment is certain because it is a divine decree from the Sovereign Lord. The verse portrays a complete demotion from a proud, wealthy maritime city to a insignificant, exposed rock, underscoring God's absolute power and unalterable word over human might and pride.
Ezekiel 26 5 Context
Ezekiel 26:5 is part of a prophetic oracle (Ezekiel 26:1-28:19) delivered by the prophet Ezekiel against the city of Tyre. The immediate context of chapter 26 is the pronouncement of judgment on Tyre specifically because, as Ez 26:2 states, Tyre rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem, seeing it as an opportunity for its own economic gain: "Aha, broken is the gate of the peoples. It has opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste." Tyre, a powerful Phoenician port city on the Mediterranean coast, had grown immensely wealthy and proud through its extensive maritime trade network. It was famed for its impregnable island fortress, its skilled sailors, and its valuable purple dye. The historical context indicates that these prophecies were likely delivered before the prolonged siege of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (beginning around 586-573 BC), which significantly weakened Tyre. The ultimate fulfillment of some aspects of the prophecy (like Tyre being utterly scraped bare, resembling a "bare rock") came later with Alexander the Great's siege in 332 BC, where he literally scraped the mainland city into the sea to build a causeway to the island fortress. This verse directly counters Tyre's perception of its invulnerability and wealth, revealing that God's plan is paramount to any human strength or geopolitical calculation.
Ezekiel 26 5 Word analysis
- It will be: Signifies a future event of absolute certainty, reflecting God's foreknowledge and determination.
- a place: In Hebrew, מִשְׁטַח (mishtach), meaning "a spread," "a place for spreading," "a stretching." It denotes an area leveled out, laid bare, or flattened. This powerfully contrasts with Tyre's previous grandeur.
- for spreading nets: The Hebrew phrase מִשְׁטַח חֲרָמִים (mishtach charamim), refers to a surface where fishing nets are laid out to dry and mend. This is a common, humble activity associated with basic fishing, implying the city will be reduced to nothing more than a rock suitable for this purpose, a profound degradation from a thriving commercial hub. It paints a picture of complete abandonment of its former purpose.
- in the midst of the sea: בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם (betoch hayam). This refers to the location, indicating its proximity to water. While Tyre was originally a coastal city with an island component, the phrase here emphasizes the complete destruction such that its ruins would be surrounded by or lie beneath the sea, transformed from a fortified island to an exposed, bare piece of land or rubble in the water.
- for I have spoken: דִּבַּרְתִּי (dibbartiy). A strong declaration of divine agency. God himself is the author of this judgment, making it irreversible and certain. This underlines God's omnipotence and faithfulness to His word.
- declares the Sovereign Lord: נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (ne'um Adonai YHVH). A formal prophetic formula often used to authenticate and solemnize divine pronouncements. "Sovereign Lord" (Adonai YHVH) emphasizes His supreme authority, mastery over creation, and His covenant relationship with Israel, lending irrefutable weight to the prophecy.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "It will be a place for spreading nets": This phrase dramatically illustrates the radical transformation. What was once a place of magnificent palaces, bustling markets, and grand harbor will become a utilitarian, insignificant drying rack for fishing equipment, devoid of its former glory and population. The emphasis is on complete reversal and humiliation.
- "in the midst of the sea": This specific location highlights Tyre's maritime nature but reverses its symbolism. Instead of a strong, prosperous island fortress, it becomes a desolate ruin perpetually exposed to the elements, illustrating the extent of its fall and its utter insignificance in its new state.
- "for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord": This powerful concluding phrase anchors the prophecy in God's unassailable authority and unwavering purpose. It removes any doubt about the fulfillment and attributes it entirely to the divine will, not mere human prediction or political shifts. The word of God is self-executing.
Ezekiel 26 5 Bonus section
The specific choice of "spreading nets" is not merely about desolation but about the specific use of the desolated place. It evokes a mundane, unglamorous, and perpetual state for the former jewel of the Mediterranean. It speaks to a cessation of all productive life associated with a thriving city—no markets, no ships docking, no palaces, but only the raw elements, suited for a humble, manual task. The permanence of this state is reinforced later in Ez 26:14, where it says Tyre will "never be rebuilt," confirming that its demotion is not temporary. This contrasts sharply with other prophecies of restoration, indicating a unique and enduring judgment for Tyre. The imagery also contains a subtle polemic: Tyre, whose economy relied on ships and the sea, would itself become a lowly implement for the sea, not its master.
Ezekiel 26 5 Commentary
Ezekiel 26:5 succinctly delivers a profound prophetic judgment against Tyre, emphasizing its complete and irreversible downfall. The core of the prophecy rests on the transformation of a proud, formidable trading city into a mere "place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea." This imagery is potent: a vibrant hub of international commerce and a symbol of human power is reduced to a barren, uninhabited rock serving the humblest of functions for common fishermen. It is a graphic illustration of utter demotion, a stripping away of all glory and function.
The prophecy is remarkable not only for its imagery but also for its explicit declaration of divine authorship: "for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord." This formula underscores God's absolute sovereignty over nations and their destinies. Tyre's fall is not merely a consequence of geopolitical shifts or military might but the direct outcome of a divine decree in response to its pride and hostile attitude towards God's people (Ez 26:2).
Historically, the prophecy saw a two-stage fulfillment. Nebuchadnezzar significantly weakened the mainland city, though the island portion remained formidable. Later, Alexander the Great's brutal siege (332 BC), during which he literally scraped the ruins of the mainland city into the sea to build a causeway to the island, brought the "bare rock" aspect to fruition, reducing much of Tyre to underwater rubble. Even today, the ancient site confirms much of this desolation.
This verse serves as a powerful theological statement: no human achievement, no matter how great or secure, can stand against the determined will of the Sovereign Lord. Pride and self-reliance ultimately lead to ruin, and God's word is immutable, ensuring the fulfillment of His declared judgments and promises. The humility of "spreading nets" perfectly contrasts the former arrogance of the city, showing a dramatic, divine reversal.