Ezekiel 26:19
For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities, and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you,
For this is what the Lord GOD says:

The judgment proceeds from the sovereign Lord, whose rule extends over Tyre’s merchants, kings, ships, and fortified island. Ezekiel delivers God’s verdict, not a human prediction shaped by political circumstance.

Ezk 28:2 Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that the Lord GOD says…
Ezk 29:3 Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD…
Ezk 30:2 Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is…

‘When I make you a desolate city

Tyre’s wealth and maritime strength could not preserve it from the Lord’s judgment. Nebuchadnezzar devastated the mainland city, and Alexander later conquered the island stronghold in 332 BC, using rubble from the old city to build a causeway to it.

Isa 25:2 Indeed, You have made the city a heap of rubble…
Jer 51:37 Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals…
Nam 3:7 Then all who see you will recoil from you…

like other deserted cities,

Tyre would share the fate of nations that exalted themselves, trusted in earthly power, and rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall. God’s judgments on cities such as Nineveh and Babylon testify that no civilization remains secure when it sets itself against His purposes.

Ezk 35:4 I will turn your cities into ruins, and you…
Jer 49:13 For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD……
Jer 19:8 I will make this city a desolation and…

and when I raise up the deep against you

The sea that made Tyre prosperous would become part of its humiliation. Tyre’s commercial empire depended on the waters, yet the Lord commands the sea and can turn every source of human confidence into an instrument of judgment.

Jer 51:42 The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered…
Psa 69:2 I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no footing;…
Gen 7:17-20 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth…

so that the mighty waters cover you,

The overwhelming waters portray ruin from which Tyre could not escape by wealth, defenses, or alliances. Divine judgment reaches beneath outward strength and exposes the frailty of all who build their security apart from God.

Exo 15:10 But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them.…
Jon 2:5-6 The waters engulfed me to take my life; the watery depths…
Isa 28:2 Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty.…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet of God who ministered to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. He conveyed God's messages of judgment and restoration.

2. Tyre
An ancient and prosperous Phoenician city known for its trade and wealth. It was located on the Mediterranean coast and was a significant maritime power.

3. The Lord GOD
The sovereign and covenant-keeping God of Israel, who speaks through His prophet Ezekiel to pronounce judgment on Tyre.

4. The Deep and Great Waters
Symbolic imagery used to describe the overwhelming judgment and destruction that God would bring upon Tyre, likening it to a flood.

5. Desolate City
The state of ruin and abandonment that Tyre would experience as a result of God's judgment, similar to other cities that faced divine wrath.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Judgment
God's pronouncement against Tyre demonstrates His control over nations and His ability to bring about justice.

The Temporary Nature of Earthly Wealth
Tyre's wealth and power could not save it from God's judgment, reminding us of the fleeting nature of material prosperity.

The Certainty of God's Word
The fulfillment of prophecy against Tyre assures us that God's words are true and reliable.

Repentance and Humility
The judgment on Tyre serves as a warning to turn from pride and self-reliance, seeking humility before God.

Hope in Restoration
While judgment is severe, God's ultimate plan includes restoration and redemption for those who turn to Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the judgment on Tyre in Ezekiel 26:19 reflect God's sovereignty over nations, and what implications does this have for our understanding of current world events?

2. In what ways does the imagery of "great waters" covering Tyre connect to other biblical instances of divine judgment, and how can this deepen our understanding of God's justice?

3. Considering the temporary nature of Tyre's wealth and power, how should Christians view and use their own resources in light of eternity?

4. How can the certainty of God's prophetic word, as seen in the fulfillment of Tyre's judgment, encourage us in our faith and trust in God's promises today?

5. Reflecting on the themes of judgment and restoration, how can we apply the lessons from Tyre's downfall to our personal lives and communities?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 23
This chapter also prophesies the downfall of Tyre, emphasizing the temporary nature of human pride and wealth.

Revelation 18
The fall of Babylon in Revelation echoes the judgment on Tyre, highlighting the ultimate downfall of worldly systems opposed to God.

Genesis 7
The flood account provides a backdrop for understanding the imagery of "great waters" as a form of divine judgment.
The Sin and Doom of TyreW. Jones Ezekiel 26:1-21
Glory DepartedJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 26:15-21
National Disaster Becomes a Public LessonJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 26:15-21
People
Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar
Places
Babylon, Edom, Jerusalem, Tyre
Topics
Bring, Bringing, Cities, Cover, Covered, Covering, Deep, Depths, Desolate, Inhabited, Laid, Longer, Making, Ocean, Says, Thus, Town, Towns, Unpeopled, Vast, Waste, Wasted, Waters
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 26:19-21

     5508   ruins

Library
Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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