Ezekiel 26:9 kjv
And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
Ezekiel 26:9 nkjv
He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers.
Ezekiel 26:9 niv
He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.
Ezekiel 26:9 esv
He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers.
Ezekiel 26:9 nlt
He will pound your walls with battering rams and demolish your towers with sledgehammers.
Ezekiel 26 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eze 26:7-8 | For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring against Tyre Nebuchadnenezzar king of Babylon... | God sends Nebuchadnezzar as His agent. |
| Eze 28:2-7 | Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Because your heart is proud... | Tyre's pride in its strength leads to its fall. |
| Isa 23:1, 14 | The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish... Howl, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste! | Prophecy of Tyre's destruction. |
| Jer 52:4 | And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came... | Babylonian siege tactics on Jerusalem. |
| 2 Kgs 25:10 | And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem... | Breaking down of city walls by Babylon. |
| Hab 1:6, 10 | For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation... They scoff at kings, and princes are a derision to them. They laugh at every fortress... | Chaldeans as God's instruments, able to breach strongholds. |
| Ps 33:16 | The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. | Futility of military might against God. |
| Prov 21:30-31 | No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord... | No human power or strategy can defy God. |
| Zech 9:3-4 | Tyre built herself a stronghold, heaped up silver like dust... but behold, the Lord will impoverish her and strike down her wealth into the sea... | Tyre's fortifications and wealth cannot save it from God's judgment. |
| Jer 6:6 | For thus says the Lord of hosts: "Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem... | Imagery of siege preparations. |
| Lk 19:43-44 | For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and hem you in... | Jesus' prophecy of Jerusalem's siege. |
| Rev 18:19 | And they will cast dust on their heads and cry out, weeping and mourning... for in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste. | Fall of a great commercial city, echoing Tyre. |
| Amos 1:9-10 | Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment... | Judgment specifically against Tyre. |
| Mic 1:12 | ... for disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. | Prophecy of judgment reaching city gates. |
| Isa 31:1-3 | Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses... but look not to the Holy One of Israel... | Against reliance on human strength over God. |
| Ps 127:1 | Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. | Futility of human defense without divine backing. |
| Isa 2:15-16 | ... and against every high tower and every fortified wall... and against all the ships of Tarshish... | God's judgment targets human pride in strength. |
| Lam 2:2 | The Lord has swallowed up without pity all the habitations of Jacob... He has brought down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. | God's destruction of strongholds. |
| Nah 1:4-5 | The mountains quake before him; the hills melt... the earth is laid waste before him... | Divine power to demolish. |
| Jer 49:26 | Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed... | Total destruction of a city's defenses and population. |
| Jer 50:15 | Shout against her all around; she has surrendered... her walls are thrown down... | Walls thrown down during judgment. |
| Zeph 2:4 | For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon a desolation... Tyre, Sidon will be judged. | Mention of judgment on Tyre alongside other cities. |
Ezekiel 26 verses
Ezekiel 26 9 Meaning
Ezekiel 26:9 foretells the precise military tactics Nebuchadnezzar's forces, as instruments of God's judgment, would employ against Tyre. It means that powerful siege equipment, specifically battering rams and other crushing engines, would be used directly to demolish the strong walls and fortified towers of the city. This verse highlights the destructive certainty and detailed nature of the divine judgment, emphasizing the futility of human fortifications against God's decree.
Ezekiel 26 9 Context
Ezekiel 26 opens with God's prophetic judgment against Tyre because of its gloating over Jerusalem's downfall (Eze 26:2). Tyre, a prosperous maritime city, saw Jerusalem's destruction as an opportunity to gain more trade, thinking "Ah, Broken is the gate of the peoples. It has opened to me." The preceding verses (Eze 26:3-8) detail that God will bring many nations against Tyre, personified as a mighty king (Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, specified in verse 7), to shatter its walls and level its structures. Ezekiel 26:9, therefore, specifies the means of this destruction, focusing on the powerful siege tactics of battering rams and war engines against Tyre's renowned, seemingly impregnable fortifications, which were the source of its pride and perceived security. This judgment demonstrates God's sovereignty over nations and their seemingly unshakeable defenses.
Ezekiel 26 9 Word analysis
He will direct (וּמְחִי - u-mə-ḥî): From the root מחא (māḥā’), "to strike," "to beat." Here, used causatively and with the construct of a noun "blow," implying an active, directed, and forceful impact. It's not a passive act but an aggressive, determined application of force. This refers to the attacking king (Nebuchadnezzar) and, ultimately, God's orchestration.
his battering rams (בְּרָחוּשׁ - bə-rā-ḥûš): Specifically refers to the powerful, blunt-nosed instruments used in ancient siege warfare to breach fortified walls. The term implies heavy, forceful impact intended to crumble masonry. This indicates advanced military technology and strategic assault.
against your walls (עַל-חוֹמֹתָיִךְ - ʿal ḥô-mō-ṯā-yiḵ): Ḥōmōṯ (חֹמָה) means "wall," and the suffix indicates "your" (feminine singular, referring to Tyre). Tyre was renowned for its strong, high walls, both on the mainland and its island fortress. The preposition ʿal ("against," "upon") denotes direct confrontation and assault.
and with his war engines (בְּמַדּוֹכֹתָיו - bə-mad-dô-ḵō-ṯāw): This term, from the root דכך (dākaḵ) meaning "to crush" or "to beat fine," describes a broader category of siege weaponry or "instruments of crushing/beating." This likely encompasses various siege machines like towers, catapults, or other devices designed to weaken or overthrow defenses, distinct from just battering rams. It suggests comprehensive and sophisticated destructive capability.
he will break down (יִתְּצִיפָךְ - yit-tə-ṣî-p̄āḵ): From the root נתץ (nāṯaṣ), "to break down," "to demolish," "to pull down." A strong, active verb signifying complete and utter destruction, not just damage. The suffix refers to "your" (towers). This emphasizes the irreversible nature of the coming destruction.
your towers (מִגְדָּלוֹתָיִךְ - miḡ-dā-lō-ṯā-yiḵ): Miḡdāl (מִגְדָּל) refers to a "tower," particularly a fortified tower used for defense, observation, and as a platform for archers. These were critical components of city defenses, offering commanding views and strategic positions. Their destruction means the weakening of the city's overall defensive integrity.
"He will direct his battering rams against your walls": This phrase emphasizes the precise and direct application of a primary siege weapon. It points to a focused and deliberate strategy to breach the most fundamental part of the city's defense – its walls. The use of "his" battering rams indicates that these are the tools of the divinely appointed aggressor.
"and with his war engines he will break down your towers": This extends the scope of destruction beyond mere wall breaching. "War engines" suggests a broader arsenal of sophisticated siege equipment, attacking other critical defensive structures – the towers. The verb "break down" (rather than just damage) highlights a comprehensive and complete demolition of the city's fortifications.
Ezekiel 26 9 Bonus section
The specific details in Ezekiel 26:9 regarding battering rams and war engines (often rendered as "instruments of destruction" or "engines of assault") point to a military strategy well-known to the ancient Near East. The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar were renowned for their highly organized and formidable siege tactics, which included a diverse range of siege machinery. The meticulous destruction described here stands in contrast to Tyre's great pride, highlighted elsewhere in Ezekiel (especially chapter 28), where its ruler considered himself wise and nearly divine, relying on his wealth and fortifications. This verse shows that even the most impressive human constructions and defenses are vulnerable when God determines to execute judgment, acting as a direct rebuttal to Tyre's self-assuredness. While Nebuchadnezzar's long siege of mainland Tyre was brutal and effective, the ultimate destruction of the island city through a causeway and comprehensive leveling, which fits the extent of destruction described in Ezekiel 26 generally, would come later under Alexander the Great. This blending of historical fulfillments across different agents, all orchestrated by God, further demonstrates divine foresight and control over history.
Ezekiel 26 9 Commentary
Ezekiel 26:9 is a vivid and specific prediction of the methodical destruction awaiting Tyre, delivered as a detailed prophecy of judgment. It underscores that God, through Nebuchadnezzar's mighty army, would systematically dismantle Tyre's impressive fortifications. The mention of both "battering rams" and "war engines" speaks to the comprehensive nature of the assault, utilizing the most advanced siege technology of the time to breach walls and topple towering strongholds. This verse reveals the futility of human pride and reliance on seemingly impregnable defenses when set against the sovereign will and judgment of the Almighty. It confirms that Tyre's perceived invulnerability was an illusion, as God would utterly devastate what it most trusted in – its material strength and security. This serves as a timeless reminder that all human strength, wisdom, and achievements are temporary and ultimately subject to God's purpose.