Ezekiel 27 26

Ezekiel 27:26 kjv

Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

Ezekiel 27:26 nkjv

Your oarsmen brought you into many waters, But the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.

Ezekiel 27:26 niv

Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces far out at sea.

Ezekiel 27:26 esv

"Your rowers have brought you out into the high seas. The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.

Ezekiel 27:26 nlt

"But look! Your oarsmen
have taken you into stormy seas!
A mighty eastern gale
has wrecked you in the heart of the sea!

Ezekiel 27 verses

Ezekiel 27 26 Meaning

Ezekiel 27:26 graphically depicts the destruction of Tyre, personified as a magnificent merchant ship. It declares that the very people responsible for its greatness—its "rowers" or leaders—have guided it into deep perils. Ultimately, an overwhelming "east wind," symbolic of divine judgment or an invading force like Babylon, shatters the ship in the high seas, far from safety, signifying complete and inescapable ruin.

Ezekiel 27 26 Context

Ezekiel chapter 27 is a sorrowful dirge, a lament (qînāh) prophesying the utter downfall of Tyre, the magnificent Phoenician city-state renowned for its unparalleled maritime power and wealth. Throughout the chapter (Ezek 27:1-25), Tyre is vividly personified as a splendid merchant ship, meticulously built from the finest materials across various nations, navigated by the most skilled mariners, and filled with an abundance of goods traded across the known world. This elaborate description underscores its self-reliance, grandeur, and vast commercial network, presenting it as an invincible empire. Verse 26, however, abruptly shifts to the moment of its catastrophic ruin, directly contrasting its previous glory with its swift and inescapable destruction. The historical context includes Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon's thirteen-year siege of Tyre (586–573 BCE), an event aligning with the "east wind" metaphor representing an invading power from the East that served as an agent of God's judgment.

Ezekiel 27 26 Word analysis

• Your rowers (קֹשְׁטֵיךְ, qoshteikh): Refers to Tyre's skilled mariners, the very people expertly navigating its magnificent "ship." Metaphorically, these are the leaders, merchants, and decision-makers whose astute planning and operations brought Tyre immense wealth and power, but also, through their pride and over-reach, brought it to its ultimate destruction. Their human skill proved inadequate against divine judgment.
• have brought you (הֱבִיאוּךְ, hevi’ukh): This perfect tense verb indicates a completed action, underscoring the inevitability and certainty of Tyre's downfall as a direct consequence of its course. It emphasizes that Tyre's own actions and those of its leaders led it to its fate.
• into great waters (אֶל-מַיִם רַבִּים, ʾel-mayim rabbim): Literally "into many waters." This phrase often symbolizes immense perils, overwhelming troubles, chaos, or foreign nations in biblical literature (Rev 17:15). Here, it denotes the deep, dangerous high seas from which there is no return, a place of extreme vulnerability far beyond any hope of rescue or security.
• the east wind (רוּחַ קָדִים, ruach qadim): A potent and often destructive wind in the ancient Near East, typically originating from the desert. In scripture, it frequently serves as a symbol of divine judgment, bringing scorching heat, locust plagues (Exo 10:13), or catastrophic destruction (Exo 14:21, Hos 13:15). It metaphorically represents a powerful, sudden, and devastating force (like the invading Babylonian army from the East), divinely orchestrated to dismantle Tyre. Ruach also means "spirit," subtly hinting at the spiritual agency behind this natural phenomenon.
• has broken you (שְׁבָרָךְ, shevarakh): From the verb shabar, meaning to break, shatter, or destroy completely. It signifies the irreversible and absolute ruin of Tyre, portraying its once magnificent "ship" as utterly wrecked and fragmented beyond repair.
• in the midst of the seas (בְּלֶב יַמִּים, belev yammim): Literally "in the heart of the seas." This vivid and poignant imagery places Tyre's destruction far from the safety of any port or shoreline. It signifies complete exposure and inescapable doom at the very core of its power—the sea itself—highlighting the irony that the source of its strength and pride became the place of its final undoing. It conveys total helplessness and the absolute cessation of its global influence.

Ezekiel 27 26 Bonus section

The profound irony in Ezekiel 27:26 is amplified by the chapter's preceding verses, which celebrate every minute detail of Tyre's construction and global connections. The "east wind" here is not merely a meteorological event; it embodies the absolute will of God bringing justice. Furthermore, the concept of being broken "in the heart of the seas" directly challenges Tyre's perceived invulnerability, a city physically separated from the mainland and renowned for its fortified harbor. The lament's detailed list of goods and partners suddenly serves as witnesses to the funeral of this once-glorious empire, highlighting the transient nature of even the most magnificent earthly powers.

Ezekiel 27 26 Commentary

Ezekiel 27:26 is the prophetic climax of Tyre's narrative as a ship, detailing its sudden and final obliteration. Despite the city's unparalleled human-made grandeur, extensive wealth, and the cunning of its "rowers," their very actions lead it into insurmountable "great waters" of peril, perhaps reflecting their aggressive commercial expansion and pride which provoked divine judgment. The "east wind," a direct agent of God's wrath often personified by conquering eastern powers like Babylon, then mercilessly "breaks" Tyre. The ultimate irony lies in its destruction "in the midst of the seas," the very arena of its triumph, demonstrating that even the most formidable human structures and strategic locations are vulnerable to God's sovereign decree. This verse profoundly underscores that self-sufficiency and reliance on material power are futile when measured against divine judgment, leaving an inescapable picture of total devastation for those whose pride exceeds their God-given limits.