HolyStudy
Bible IndexRead BibleNotesChurchesMissionPrivacyTermsContact
© 2026 HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurchesSign in
HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurches
Sign in

Ezekiel 27

1

The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

2

Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;

3

And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.

4

Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.

5

They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.

6

Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim.

7

Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.

1
8

The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.

9

The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.

10

They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.

11

The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.

12

Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.

13

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.

14

They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.

15

The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony.

16

Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.

17

Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.

18

Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.

19

Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.

20

Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.

21

Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.

22

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.

23

Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants.

24

These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.

25

The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.

26

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

27

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.

28

The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.

29

And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land;

30

And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:

31

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.

32

And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?

33

When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

34

In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.

35

All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.

36

The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.

← Previous ChapterNext Chapter →

Ezekiel 27

God presents a lament for Tyre, depicting the city as a magnificent ship built from the finest materials and sailed by the most skilled traders, stocked with goods from every known nation, now wrecked at sea and reduced to nothing. This elaborate mercantile metaphor catalogs Tyre's commercial connections, emphasizing the city's centrality to international trade and its pride in commercial supremacy. The detailed list of trading partners and goods establishes Tyre's influence extending across the ancient world; it is not merely a city but a node connecting continents through commerce. The ship metaphor transforms the city into a vessel—magnificent but vulnerable—that founders in judgment, establishing that even the greatest human achievements are subject to divine justice. The repetition of "great city" and reference to perfection establish Tyre's pride and arrogance as theological problems; security based on wealth and military might is ultimately illusory. The merchants' lament—wailing over the city's destruction—emphasizes the genuine pathos of human loss and the economic disruption judgment produces. This lament form acknowledges real tragedy while maintaining that justice has been accomplished. The catalog of nations establishes God's knowledge and concern extending across the entire world system; no nation falls outside God's purview. This chapter's elaborate poetic form and cultural detail establish Ezekiel's sophistication and literary skill while maintaining theological focus. The chapter prepares for chapter 28's explicit theological indictment of Tyre's fundamental problem.

Ezekiel 27:1

The word of the Lord came to me: 'Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, and say to Tyre, 'You who dwell at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord God, initiating an elaborate funeral dirge that will employ the metaphor of Tyre as a magnificent ship to express her commercial glory and imminent destruction. The 'entrance of the sea' and 'merchant' characterizations establish Tyre's identity as a maritime commercial hub whose prosperity depended on ocean trade. This lament genre serves to immortalize the memory of Tyre's fall even as it announces destruction.

Ezekiel 27:2

Tyre, you have said, 'I am of perfect beauty,' attributing to Tyre a theological error of self-deification expressed through claims of perfection. The boast of beauty echoes the language of Eden and of the divine realm (Psalm 50:2, Isaiah 2:16), suggesting that Tyre's self-assessment involves claiming divine or quasi-divine status. This theological presumptuousness becomes the fundamental occasion for judgment: claiming perfection that belongs only to God.

Ezekiel 27:3

Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty, extending the description of Tyre's location and construction, with 'heart of the seas' suggesting her strategic maritime position and 'builders perfecting beauty' indicating human artistic achievement. Yet the perfection described is ultimately human craft, raising the question of whether human achievement can legitimately claim to rival divine creation. The detailed description of Tyre's splendor serves the literary purpose of heightening the subsequent contrast with her destruction.

Ezekiel 27:4

They have built you using cypress from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you, beginning an elaborate enumeration of the materials and craftsmanship that constructed Tyre as a ship. The specific woods mentioned—cypress and cedar from the Lebanon range—were the finest available materials, suggesting that only the best resources could construct such a vessel. This detailed material catalogue serves multiple purposes: it demonstrates Tyre's access to the world's finest materials, illustrates the interconnection of ancient trade networks, and emphasizes the human ingenuity invested in creating Tyre's grandeur.

Ezekiel 27:5

They made your planks of pine from Roshan; your deck they made of cypress from the coasts of Cyprus with inlays of ivory, continuing the exhaustive enumeration of construction materials with increasingly exotic and precious resources. The mention of ivory inlays introduces decorative luxury, suggesting that function and beauty were combined in creating a vessel that was both seaworthy and magnificent. The geographical scope—Cyprus, Roshan, Lebanon—illustrates the international trade networks that supplied Tyre's construction.

Ezekiel 27:6

Your sails were of fine linen, embroidered from Egypt; your awning was of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah, shifting from the ship's structural materials to its furnishings and decoration. The fine linen and embroidery from Egypt, combined with purple dye from Elishah, represent luxury goods that would have been extraordinarily expensive and symbolically significant. Purple dye was the mark of royalty in the ancient world, suggesting that Tyre's ship was decorated in regal splendor.

Ezekiel 27:7

Your rowers were from Sidon and Arvad; your skilled men, O Tyre, were aboard as your oarsmen; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to barter for your wares, introducing the human element: the sailors and merchants whose labor and skill made Tyre's maritime commerce possible. The enumeration of maritime peoples—Sidonians, Arvadites—demonstrates that Tyre's greatness depended on drawing together the talents of multiple nations. The phrase 'all the ships...were in you to barter' suggests that Tyre functioned as the central hub of maritime trade, where goods and peoples converged.

Ezekiel 27:8

The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were your pilots, further elaborating on the human expertise that staffed Tyre's maritime operations. The careful distinction between rowers and pilots—between laborers and skilled navigators—suggests a hierarchical organization of maritime labor. These details construct a picture of a bustling commercial hub where international expertise was deployed toward commercial ends.

Ezekiel 27:9

The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea and their mariners were in you to barter for your wares, continuing to enumerate the craftspeople and merchants who contributed to Tyre's maritime supremacy. The specific mention of Gebal's craftspeople suggests that even the technical work of ship-construction was imported, with Tyre coordinating the skills of multiple nations. The repetition of 'to barter for your wares' emphasizes that all these elements served the ultimate purpose of commercial exchange.

Ezekiel 27:10

Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war; they hung the shield and helmet in you; they set the splendor of your adornment, introducing military elements into the description, suggesting that Tyre's commercial power was backed by military force drawn from multiple nations. The enumeration of Persian, Lydian, and Libyan warriors implies that Tyre maintained an international military garrison, further illustrating the cosmopolitan character of the city. The 'shield and helmet' serve as symbols of military readiness and power.

Ezekiel 27:11

The men of Arvad with your mighty men were on your walls all around, and valiant men were in your towers; they hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your splendor, emphasizing the defensive fortifications that protected Tyre's commercial wealth. The 'mighty men' and 'valiant men' stationed on walls and towers created an impression of invulnerability, while the shields displayed on walls served both defensive and ceremonial purposes. This militarization of space demonstrates that Tyre's beauty was underwritten by military power.

Ezekiel 27:12

Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares, beginning an extensive catalogue of the goods that Tyre traded, with Tarshish representing the far western reaches of commerce. This enumeration—metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead—illustrates the technological and economic foundations of ancient commerce, with Tyre serving as a central node in the redistribution of raw materials. The formula 'exchanged for your wares' suggests that Tyre exported goods for which these materials were payment.

Ezekiel 27:13

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your traders; they exchanged for you slaves and articles of bronze, extending the enumeration to include human trafficking (slaves) and bronze manufactures. The inclusion of the slave trade reveals the darker side of Tyre's commercial dominance, suggesting that human beings were commodities in the ancient economy. The mention of bronze indicates that Tyre also dealt in manufactured goods, not merely raw materials.

Ezekiel 27:14

From Beth-togarmah they exchanged for you horses, war horses, and mules, continuing the catalogue with live animals used in military and commercial transport. The specification of 'war horses' suggests that Tyre supplied the military apparatus of other nations, making her a crucial node in ancient military-industrial networks. The inclusion of pack animals indicates that Tyre served transportation as well as martial needs.

Ezekiel 27:15

The men of Dedan were your traders; many isles were your own merchandise, bringing you ivory and ebony, introducing luxury goods that appealed to elite consumers. Ivory and ebony were particularly prized in the ancient Near East, used for furniture, decoration, and religious artifacts. The phrase 'many isles were your own merchandise' suggests that island peoples brought goods to Tyre for redistribution rather than exchanging directly with each other.

Ezekiel 27:16

Edom was your trader in emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and ruby, cataloguing luxury goods that would have appealed to royal courts and the wealthy. The specific mention of purple and embroidered work connects to Tyre's own adornment (mentioned in verse 7), suggesting that she both produced and consumed luxury goods. The variety of materials—mineral (emerald, ruby), vegetable (coral), and textile (linen)—demonstrates the breadth of Tyre's commercial networks.

Ezekiel 27:17

Judah and the land of Israel, they were your merchants; they exchanged for you wheat of Minnith, confections, honey, oil, and balm, noting that even Israel, God's covenant people, participated in Tyre's commercial networks by supplying agricultural and processed goods. This detail demonstrates the integration of Israel into international commerce despite covenant distinctions, suggesting that economic forces transcend theological boundaries. Yet it also indicates that Israel's agricultural surplus was extracted to feed the commercial elite of Tyre.

Ezekiel 27:18

Damascus was your merchant in wine from Helbon and white wool, and wine from Zahar and cassia and calamus from Kedar were exchanged for you in your wares, continuing the enumeration with goods from Syria and Arab regions. The specificity of wine origins (Helbon) and the detail about white wool indicate that Tyre traders recognized and paid premium prices for distinctive regional products. The inclusion of spices (cassia, calamus) demonstrates that Tyre served as a spice hub connecting Arabian and Mediterranean markets.

Ezekiel 27:19

Dedan was your merchant in saddled donkeys, and Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were your merchants in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they were your merchants, further illustrating the Arabian contributions to Tyre's commerce, particularly in livestock and pack animals. The mention of 'princes' suggests that Tyre's trade networks extended to ruling classes throughout the Arabian peninsula, with Tyre functioning as their market. The animals enumerated were essential both for transportation and for consumption.

Ezekiel 27:20

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were your merchants; they exchanged for you the finest of all spices, and all precious stones, and gold, introducing traders from even more distant regions (southern Arabia and East Africa) who brought the rarest and most valuable goods. Spices and precious stones represented the ultimate luxuries of the ancient world, traded over vast distances and commanding extraordinary prices. The mention of gold emphasizes that Tyre's commerce reached the wealthiest regions of the known world.

Ezekiel 27:21

Kedar and the princes of Arabia were your merchants; lambs, rams, and goats, in these were your merchants; they were your traders, reiterating the Arabian contributions to emphasize their significance to Tyre's commerce. The repetition serves rhetorical purposes, impressing upon the audience the extent to which Tyre depended on diverse suppliers from multiple regions. The cyclical enumeration suggests an inexhaustible flow of goods from every direction.

Ezekiel 27:22

The merchants of Sheba, Raamah, and Saba were your merchants; they exchanged for you gold, precious stones, and spices, reinforcing the Sabaean contribution and emphasizing the luxury goods that these traders brought. The South Arabian kingdoms represented the wealthiest sources of spices and precious materials in the ancient world, making them essential partners in Tyre's commercial supremacy. The enumeration of these far-flung traders demonstrates that Tyre's wealth ultimately depended on access to the world's most valuable materials.

Ezekiel 27:23

Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Kimchi, they were your merchants, introducing Mesopotamian and Syrian trading centers into the enumeration. These cities—Haran, Canneh, Eden—were ancient trade hubs in their own right, suggesting that Tyre competed with or coordinated with other significant commercial centers. The inclusion of Asshur indicates that even the Assyrian empire, which would later conquer the region, participated in Tyre's commercial networks.

Ezekiel 27:24

These were your merchants in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure; in these they traded with you, specifying the textile and decorative goods that these Mesopotamian and Syrian traders supplied. The detail about binding and securing cords suggests that these were packaged goods—likely expensive bolts of fabric or finished carpets—that required careful handling. The emphasis on quality and craftsmanship reflects the high standards of Tyre's market.

Ezekiel 27:25

The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise; you were replenished and made very glorious in the midst of the sea, pivoting from enumeration of goods to description of the shipping that enabled this commerce. The 'ships of Tarshish' represent the great merchant vessels that connected distant ports, with Tyre serving as their hub. The phrase 'very glorious in the midst of the sea' returns to the metaphor of Tyre as a ship, suggesting that the city itself was a floating bazaar replenished by the world's wealth.

Ezekiel 27:26

Your rowers have brought you into great waters; the east wind has broken you in the midst of the sea, introducing the sudden shift from commercial glory to nautical disaster. The 'east wind' (ruah qadim) evokes both natural disaster (sudden storms) and divine judgment (the east wind as instrument of God's will in other biblical narratives). This transition from description to action marks the moment when Tyre's commercial network becomes the mechanism of her destruction.

Ezekiel 27:27

Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise, your sailors, and your pilots, your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise, and all your men of war who were in you, with all your company that was in you, shall fall into the midst of the sea on the day of your ruin, cataloguing all the elements—people, goods, knowledge—that made Tyre great and asserting that they will all perish together. The comprehensive enumeration—wealth, wares, sailors, soldiers—emphasizes that nothing will be spared from the catastrophe. The 'midst of the sea' inverts the maritime location that once guaranteed Tyre's power, transforming it into a tomb.

Ezekiel 27:28

The countryside shakes at the sound of the cry of your pilots, detailing the auditory and seismic reverberations of Tyre's destruction, suggesting that her fall affects not merely the city but the surrounding landscape. The 'cry of your pilots' evokes the terror of experienced mariners who recognize that disaster is beyond remedy. This sensory detail makes the destruction viscerally real to the audience.

Ezekiel 27:29

And all who handle the oar come down from their ships; the sailors and all the pilots of the sea stand on the land, abandoning the maritime world and seeking refuge on shore, suggesting panic and desperate flight. The image of experienced sailors abandoning their ships conveys the absolute horror of the disaster—even those accustomed to sea peril recognize that this is unprecedented. The transition from sea to land symbolizes displacement and loss of the maritime identity that defined these peoples.

Ezekiel 27:30

And they raise a loud cry over you, and cry out bitterly; they cast dust on their heads and wallow in ashes, expressing mourning through ritualized gestures of grief that were standard in ancient Near Eastern funeral practices. The intensification from 'loud cry' to 'bitter' crying, combined with the physical degradation of rolling in ashes, conveys absolute despair. This mourning ritual acknowledges both personal loss and cosmic disorder.

Ezekiel 27:31

They make themselves bald for you and gird themselves with sackcloth, and they weep over you with bitterness of soul and bitter mourning, escalating the mourning gestures to include self-mutilation (baldness) and the wearing of sackcloth. The phrase 'bitterness of soul' suggests that the mourning is not merely external performance but reflects genuine spiritual devastation. The repetition of 'bitter' underscores the depth of grief expressed.

Ezekiel 27:32

In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: 'Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea? introducing a formal lament that expresses the uniqueness of Tyre's destruction. The rhetorical question 'Who is like Tyre?' conveys both the unparalleled greatness of her former state and the unparalleled scope of her destruction. The lament inverts the earlier boast of perfection, making destruction equally perfect and comprehensive.

Ezekiel 27:33

When your wares went out from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with your great wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth, reflecting on Tyre's past magnificence even as she lies destroyed. The retrospective acknowledgment that Tyre 'enriched the kings of the earth' demonstrates that her commercial power had made her essential to the global economy. The lament grieves not merely for Tyre but for the interruption of the commercial networks that depended on her.

Ezekiel 27:34

Now you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and all your company have sunk with you, contrasting her former status with present annihilation, with the sea that once elevated her now burying her. The phrase 'broken by the seas' inverts the image of maritime mastery, suggesting that the sea itself becomes the agent of Tyre's destruction. The sinking of merchandise alongside the city emphasizes that material wealth cannot ensure survival.

Ezekiel 27:35

All the inhabitants of the isles are appalled at you, and the kings thereof are horribly afraid, their faces are troubled, expressing the universal shock and fear that Tyre's destruction generates throughout the maritime world. The appalment and troubled faces of distant kings demonstrate that Tyre's destruction shakes the entire political order that depended on her. This universal response elevates Tyre's fall from local disaster to international catastrophe.

Ezekiel 27:36

The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever, concluding the lament with the merchants' hissing (expressing contempt and rejection) and a final statement of perpetual obliteration. The contrast between the merchants who once crowded Tyre's ports and those who now hiss in contempt illustrates the complete reversal of her status. The phrase 'shall be no more forever' echoes the conclusion of chapter 26, emphasizing that Tyre's destruction is total and permanent.