Ezekiel 27:31 kjv
And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
Ezekiel 27:31 nkjv
They will shave themselves completely bald because of you, Gird themselves with sackcloth, And weep for you With bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
Ezekiel 27:31 niv
They will shave their heads because of you and will put on sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and with bitter mourning.
Ezekiel 27:31 esv
they make themselves bald for you and put sackcloth on their waist, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter mourning.
Ezekiel 27:31 nlt
They shave their heads in grief for you
and dress themselves in burlap.
They weep for you with bitter anguish
and deep mourning.
Ezekiel 27 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 26:1-2 | "Tyre... will be a place for the spreading of nets." | Judgment against Tyre's pride |
| Ezekiel 26:3 | "I am against you, Tyre, and will bring many nations against you..." | God's direct judgment |
| Ezekiel 26:15 | "The isles will tremble at the sound of your fall." | Impact of Tyre's destruction on nations |
| Ezekiel 27:2-3 | "Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’" | Tyre's boastful pride |
| Ezekiel 27:4 | "Your ramparts reach the sea; you are perfect in beauty." | Tyre's magnificent fortifications |
| Isaiah 23:1-14 | Prophecy against Tyre | Parallel judgment prophecy |
| Jeremiah 25:22 | "And all the kings of the isles that are across the sea." | Nations affected by divine judgment |
| Jeremiah 50:3 | "For out of the north a nation has come against her." | Description of attacking forces |
| Revelation 18:9-10 | "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived deliciously with her..." | Parallel lament over fallen Babylon |
| Revelation 18:17-19 | "All who plied the sea... cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning..." | Economic devastation of a great city |
| Proverbs 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Principle of pride leading to downfall |
| 1 Corinthians 10:12 | "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." | Warning against overconfidence |
| Psalm 37:35-36 | "I have seen a wicked man overpowering... but he passed away..." | God's sovereignty over worldly powers |
| Nahum 3:14-15 | "Draw yourself into the city to the strongest defense..." | Destruction of Nineveh |
| Zechariah 1:14-17 | God's zeal for Jerusalem and judgment on oppressors | God's intervention in world affairs |
| Habakkuk 2:6-8 | "Will not all of these take up a proverb against him..." | Judgment on greedy nations |
| Amos 1:9-10 | "Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions of Tyre... I will not revoke the punishment...’" | Specific judgment against Tyre |
| Matthew 11:22 | "But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more bearable for Tyre..." | Jesus refers to Tyre's future judgment |
| Luke 10:13-14 | "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ... Tyre..." | Jesus contrasts judgment |
| Acts 12:20 | "Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon..." | Historical interaction with Tyre |
| Acts 21:4 | "...they found the disciples and stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem." | Early disciples in Tyre |
Ezekiel 27 verses
Ezekiel 27 31 Meaning
This verse portrays the overwhelming grief and lamentation of maritime nations and kings at the downfall of Tyre, a great commercial and maritime power. They recognize Tyre's past glory and the devastation wrought by its destruction. The immense sorrow expresses a recognition of the interconnectedness of global trade and the significant impact of Tyre's demise on international markets and political stability. It highlights the shock and despair felt by those who benefited from or were influenced by Tyre's influence.
Ezekiel 27 31 Context
Ezekiel chapter 27 is a profound elegy lamenting the city of Tyre. The preceding verses (1-28) meticulously detail Tyre's commercial power, its vast trading network, its skilled artisans, and its pride. Tyre is depicted as a magnificent ship, sailing on the seas, laden with precious goods from all over the known world. This verse, Ezekiel 27:31, marks the beginning of the nations' response to the prophecy of Tyre's impending doom. The context is one of established international relationships and economic interdependence that Tyre dominated. Tyre's destruction, orchestrated by God through foreign armies (implied to be Nebuchadnezzar and later Alexander the Great, though not explicitly named in this chapter), is presented as a cataclysmic event that shakes the very foundations of global commerce.
Ezekiel 27 31 Word Analysis
- And (Hebrew: וְ, vaw) - A common conjunctive particle, linking clauses and ideas. Here, it connects the preceding descriptions with the nations' reactions.
- all (Hebrew: כֹּל, kol) - Signifies entirety, universality. It emphasizes that all those who are accustomed to Tyre's prosperity will mourn.
- who (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר, asher) - A relative pronoun, introducing a subordinate clause.
- gird (Hebrew: חָגְרוּ, chagru) - From the root חגר (chagar), meaning to gird, bind about, surround. It signifies wearing sackcloth, a traditional sign of mourning, by tying it around their waist. This was a public and visible expression of grief.
- sackcloth (Hebrew: שַׂק, sak) - A coarse, rough fabric made of animal hair, commonly used for mourning garments, sacks, or rough coverings. It symbolizes deep sorrow, humiliation, and repentance.
- shall be (Hebrew: יִהְיוּ, yihyu) - Future tense of the verb to be.
- girt (Hebrew: חָגְרֵי, chagrey) - The participle form, "girding."
- with (Hebrew: בְּ, be) - Preposition, indicating means or accompaniment.
- ashes (Hebrew: אֵפֶר, efer) - The dust or residue left after burning. Also used symbolically in mourning and repentance. Sprinkling oneself with ashes or sitting in dust and ashes was a common practice during deep mourning or repentance before God.
- they (Hebrew: הֵמָּה, hemmah) - Plural pronoun.
- shall make (Hebrew: יַעֲשׂוּ, ya'asu) - From the root עָשָׂה (asah), meaning to do, make, perform.
- lamentation (Hebrew: מִסְפֵּד, misped) - A wailing, a mournful cry, audible expressions of grief, dirge. This term denotes a professional or formal expression of sorrow, often accompanied by hired mourners.
- for (Hebrew: עַל, al) - Preposition indicating cause, against, upon.
- thee (Hebrew: בָּךְ, bach) - Feminine singular pronoun, referring to Tyre, which is personified as female in this passage, common for cities and nations.
Groups of Words:
- "gird themselves with sackcloth": This phrase vividly paints a picture of immediate, visible, and deeply felt mourning. The act of wearing sackcloth was not private; it was a public display of distress and contrition, signaling that the established order and prosperity they knew had been violently disrupted.
- "make lamentation for thee with ashes": This combination intensifies the expression of grief. Sackcloth signifies the state of mourning, while ashes are the dust to which all flesh returns, representing a profound sense of loss and mortality. The "lamentation" signifies the vocal outcries accompanying these physical displays of sorrow.
Ezekiel 27 31 Bonus Section
The depiction of Tyre as a magnificent ship in Ezekiel 27 underscores its pride and ultimate vulnerability. Its perfection was a human construct, relying on fortifications, trade routes, and wealth. This imagery resonates with later biblical passages that warn against trusting in earthly riches or mighty defenses, as these are ultimately fragile. The sorrow of the nations for Tyre can be seen as an echo of the sorrow the world will feel for fallen spiritual powers or systems of sin. The "lamentation with ashes" speaks to a universal human experience of loss when foundational structures are demolished, and a deep mourning for what is gone. It’s also a testament to God’s comprehensive justice; His judgment on one powerful, corrupt entity has ripple effects, serving as a visible lesson to all nations about His sovereignty.
Ezekiel 27 31 Commentary
Tyre's unparalleled maritime dominance made it the linchpin of global trade for many nations. Its luxurious lifestyle and vast wealth were not isolated; they were interconnected with economies across the Mediterranean and beyond. When God prophesies Tyre's utter destruction, it's not just a pronouncement against one city but a warning about the shattering of the existing world order. The kings and merchants who benefited from Tyre's prosperity would feel this loss keenly. Their outward expressions of grief—girding with sackcloth and covering themselves with ashes—show the profound economic and political vacuum its fall created. This is a picture of the far-reaching consequences of divine judgment on pride and wickedness, impacting not just the direct recipient but all who are tied to its systems.