Ezekiel 27:27 kjv
Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.
Ezekiel 27:27 nkjv
"Your riches, wares, and merchandise, Your mariners and pilots, Your caulkers and merchandisers, All your men of war who are in you, And the entire company which is in your midst, Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.
Ezekiel 27:27 niv
Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, sailors and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck.
Ezekiel 27:27 esv
Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your mariners and your pilots, your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise, and all your men of war who are in you, with all your crew that is in your midst, sink into the heart of the seas on the day of your fall.
Ezekiel 27:27 nlt
Everything is lost ?
your riches and wares,
your sailors and pilots,
your ship builders, merchants, and warriors.
On the day of your ruin,
everyone on board sinks into the depths of the sea.
Ezekiel 27 27 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Rev 18:9-19 | The kings of the earth...will weep and lament...merchants of the earth will weep...for no one buys their merchandise anymore. | Merchants mourn the fall of a great commercial city. |
Eze 28:8 | You will go down to the pit...and die the death of those slain in the heart of the seas. | Direct parallel, death in the "heart of the seas." |
Isa 23:14 | Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste. | Prophecy of Tyre's destruction affecting shipping. |
Ps 48:7 | You shatter the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. | Divine destruction of a mighty naval force. |
Prov 11:4 | Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. | Wealth's inability to save in judgment. |
Zeph 1:18 | Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord's wrath. | Material possessions offer no protection from judgment. |
Jer 51:13 | O you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut. | Similar imagery of rich city by waters facing ruin. |
Nah 3:8-10 | Are you better than Thebes...that was situated by the Nile...Yet she went into captivity. | No powerful city, however secure, can escape God's judgment. |
Zech 9:3-4 | Tyre built herself a stronghold...but behold, the Lord will dispossess her. | Tyre's fortifications and wealth won't save it. |
Obad 1:3-4 | The pride of your heart has deceived you...Though you soar aloft like the eagle...I will bring you down. | Pride leads to destruction. |
Rev 18:21 | A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon...be thrown down." | Symbolic, sudden, and total destruction by the sea. |
Jer 49:28 | Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor...they will lay waste Hazor...Its inhabitants will flee... | Divine judgment bringing desolation to kingdoms. |
Joel 3:4-8 | Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia...I will swiftly return your recompense upon your own heads. | God's specific judgment on coastal regions and Tyre. |
Eze 26:12 | They will plunder your wealth...throw your stones...into the water. | Prediction of Tyre's physical remains cast into the sea. |
Eze 28:18-19 | I brought fire from your midst...You became ashes...Never will you be found again. | The total and irreversible disappearance of the King/city of Tyre. |
Luke 12:16-21 | The ground of a certain rich man produced plentifully...God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded.' | Parable illustrating the sudden loss of earthly riches and life. |
Jas 5:1-3 | Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you...Your riches have rotted. | NT warning against transient, corruptible worldly wealth. |
Ps 37:35-36 | I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, flourishing like a luxuriant native tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more. | The ultimate transient nature of wicked prosperity. |
Matt 6:19-21 | Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy...but lay up treasures in heaven. | Counter-principle: invest in eternal, not worldly, security. |
Isa 14:12-15 | How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!...But you are brought down to Sheol, to the lowest parts of the pit. | Parallel to a powerful entity brought low from pride. |
Amos 1:9-10 | For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole colony... | Tyre's specific sins that led to God's judgment. |
Ps 107:23-27 | Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters...they mounted up to the heavens, they went down to the depths. | Mariners' vulnerability and powerlessness in a storm. |
Jude 1:12-13 | Wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars...to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. | Metaphor for those swiftly swept away into destruction. |
Ezekiel 27 verses
Ezekiel 27 27 Meaning
Ezekiel 27:27 prophesies the complete and utter destruction of Tyre's entire commercial and military apparatus. Every facet of its celebrated power – its accumulated wealth, its tradable goods, its extensive network of skilled personnel including mariners, pilots, ship repairers, and merchants, and even its protective military forces – will simultaneously plummet into the deepest part of the seas. This signifies an irreversible and total ruin, where the very element that brought Tyre its prosperity will become the instrument of its demise, marking the appointed "day of its ruin."
Ezekiel 27 27 Context
Ezekiel chapter 27 is an elaborate lament, or dirge (a "qînâ" in Hebrew), over the prosperous city-state of Tyre, personifying it as a magnificent merchant ship that is ultimately doomed to a catastrophic shipwreck. The chapter opens with a description of Tyre's beauty and sophisticated construction, likening its structure and components to various nations. It then meticulously details Tyre's vast international trade network, listing dozens of cities and peoples that contributed to its immense wealth and served as its trading partners. The enumeration of these resources highlights the sheer scale of Tyre's global dominance and self-sufficiency. Verse 27 represents the climactic point of this lament, moving from a celebration of Tyre's grand design and successful ventures to the sudden, comprehensive declaration of its total destruction. This particular verse summarizes the fate of all the elements previously listed as contributing to its might, portraying their complete submersion. The historical context is the period during Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Tyre (c. 586–573 BC), which significantly weakened the mainland city, foreshadowing the complete ruin described, even if the final obliteration of the island city took longer, particularly with Alexander the Great. This judgment comes because of Tyre's pride and its joy over Jerusalem's fall (Eze 26:2).
Ezekiel 27 27 Word analysis
- Your riches (הוֹן, hôn): Refers to the accumulated wealth, fortune, and substance of Tyre. This includes not just currency but all valuable assets amassed through its extensive trade. Its significance highlights the vanity of storing up worldly treasures, as they are ultimately powerless against divine judgment.
- your wares (מַעֲרָב, maʿarāv): Goods acquired through trade, often specific to the act of "bartering" or "exchanging." This signifies the active goods involved in its commercial operations.
- your merchandise (מִבְעָיִךְ, mibʿaḝekh): Items of trade, what is "sought for" or desired for buying and selling. This covers the entire range of goods that made Tyre a commercial hub.
- your mariners (מַלָּחֶיךָ, mallāḥekha): The experienced sailors who manned its ships. These were crucial to Tyre's identity as a seafaring power. Their demise highlights the loss of its operational workforce.
- your pilots (חֹבְלָיִךְ, ḥovlayikh): Skilled navigators, responsible for steering the ships. Their skill was highly valued, making their loss critical. Their fall underscores the complete breakdown of leadership and direction.
- your caulkers (בֹּדְקַיִךְ, bodeqayikh): Repairers of ships, essential for maintaining Tyre's fleet. Their destruction signals the end of Tyre's ability to maintain its fleet or even itself.
- your merchants (סֹחֲרָיִךְ, soḥărayikh): The traders, buyers, and sellers. This signifies the entrepreneurial class and the core business engine of Tyre.
- your all the men of war in you (וְכֹל אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחַמְתֵּךְ בָּךְ, vekhol ʾanshê milḥamtekha bakh): This includes both its standing army and any mercenaries or armed personnel who protected its trade and city. The emphasis on "all" suggests total loss of defense and security.
- and all your company (וְכָל קְהָלֵךְ, vekhol qəhālekh): Refers to its entire assembly, community, or organized body. This encompasses everyone and everything associated with Tyre's existence and operation, ensuring no aspect is left out of the judgment.
- that is in your midst (אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹכֵךְ, ʾăšer betôkhekh): Emphasizes that every internal element and function of Tyre will be affected.
- will fall (יִפְּלוּ, yippělû): To fall, to be cast down. Denotes a sudden, irreversible plummet into ruin. It implies a loss of support and control, collapsing entirely.
- into the heart of the seas (בְּלֵב יַמִּים, bělēv yammîm): Literally "in the heart/midst of the seas." This vivid metaphor signifies a deep, complete, and unrecoverable submersion. The sea, which was Tyre's source of life and wealth, becomes its tomb, swallowing everything.
- on the day of your ruin (בְּיוֹם מַפַּלְתֵּךְ, běyôm mappaltekha): This phrase highlights that the destruction is not accidental but divinely appointed and catastrophic. "Ruin" (מַפָּלָה, mappālāh) implies a great downfall, an overthrow or collapse.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your mariners, your pilots, your caulkers, your merchants, your all the men of war in you, and all your company that is in your midst": This extensive, repetitive list creates a cumulative effect, stressing that absolutely every single component and person vital to Tyre's identity, power, and operation—from its material wealth to its most skilled human capital and defensive strength—will be equally subjected to the impending doom. It leaves no stone unturned, showing a total wipeout. The direct address "your" repeatedly personalizes this ultimate loss.
- "will fall into the heart of the seas": This powerful imagery of total immersion and disappearance uses the "heart of the seas" as a symbol of irretrievable loss and ultimate oblivion. It's not merely a defeat on land, but an eradication by the very element that fueled Tyre's life and identity. The falling motion suggests a sudden and overwhelming descent, a final, unrecoverable plunge from its elevated status.
- "on the day of your ruin": This concluding phrase fixes the entire calamitous event to a specific, determined "day." It signifies an inevitable, divinely ordained appointment for destruction, emphasizing that the timing is set and the outcome is certain, reflecting God's sovereignty over nations and their fates.
Ezekiel 27 27 Bonus section
- The dirge over Tyre (chapters 26-28) is one of the longest prophetic pronouncements against a single foreign nation in the Old Testament, underscoring the gravity of Tyre's transgressions and the extensive nature of its judgment.
- The meticulous detailing of every component of Tyre's commercial and military strength prior to their destruction in verse 27 heightens the tragedy and illustrates the principle of lex talionis (law of retaliation) where the source of pride becomes the instrument of judgment. Tyre exalted itself through its seafaring might; it is swallowed by the sea.
- The "day of your ruin" carries the weight of a divine appointment, akin to the "Day of the Lord," signifying a specific time of God's intervention and judgment. This removes any possibility of accidental misfortune, instead framing it as a decreed, just recompense.
- This passage's powerful imagery of a commercial empire sinking resonates through biblical prophecy, most notably in Revelation's description of the fall of "Babylon the Great," which shares many commercial and prideful characteristics with ancient Tyre (Rev 18).
Ezekiel 27 27 Commentary
Ezekiel 27:27 delivers the punchline of Tyre's tragic saga. After a grandiose description of its magnificent commerce, immense wealth, and global influence, the verse reveals the swift and total undoing of it all. It serves as a stark reminder of the transient nature of all worldly achievements built upon pride and self-reliance, rather than acknowledging divine sovereignty. Every category of Tyre's strength – its accumulated riches, its vibrant trade, its highly skilled maritime personnel, its vital maintenance workers, its active merchants, and its protective military forces – is singled out for a common fate: complete obliteration in the depths of the sea. This imagery is profoundly significant, as the sea was the very source of Tyre's identity and power, making its ultimate demise within the sea an act of poetic, divine justice. The phrase "heart of the seas" conveys an inescapable and irrecoverable ruin, ensuring that nothing of Tyre's once-celebrated empire will be salvageable. It underscores the biblical theme that earthly wealth and power are fleeting, unable to withstand the appointed "day of ruin" brought about by God's righteous judgment against pride and sin. The completeness of this destruction warns against putting trust in any earthly system, however mighty, rather than in the living God.