Ezekiel 26:15
Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Tyre's commercial empire was the ancient world's most extensive, establishing colonies throughout the Mediterranean (Carthage, founded 814 BC, was Tyre's greatest colony). When Tyre fell, the entire Phoenician trading network collapsed. Coastal cities that depended on Tyrian merchant ships, banking, and purple dye production faced economic devastation. The 'islands' include Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, and coastal regions of North Africa and Spain. Alexander's 332 BC siege—building a causeway to the island and destroying the city so thoroughly that its stones were literally thrown into the sea (fulfilling 26:12)—sent shockwaves throughout the Hellenistic world. Ancient Tyre never recovered; modern Tyre is a small Lebanese town.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Tyre's 'impossible' fall remind us that no human power or economic system is ultimately secure apart from God?
- What modern economic or political powers do we treat as 'too big to fail' that God's sovereignty could humble in a moment?
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Analysis & Commentary
Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?—The rhetorical question expects affirmative answer: Yes, the coastlands will tremble. The Hebrew iyim (אִיִּים, "isles") refers to Mediterranean coastal regions and islands dependent on Tyre's trade network. Ra'ash (רָעַשׁ, "shake") denotes violent trembling from terror, not just economic disruption but existential fear—if mighty Tyre can fall, no city is secure.
"When the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee"—the Hebrew ne'ekah chalal (נֶאֱקַת חָלָל, "groaning of the wounded") and herog (הֶרֶג, "slaughter") depict graphic urban warfare. Island Tyre was considered impregnable; its fall would be catastrophic. This prophecy found initial fulfillment in Nebuchadnezzar's 13-year siege (585-572 BC) and complete fulfillment when Alexander the Great utterly destroyed the island city in 332 BC. The "isles" shaking refers to the cascading collapse of Phoenician commercial colonies from Cyprus to Carthage to Spain—the ancient world's first global economic crisis.