Ezekiel 27:2
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Ezekiel 27:2
2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
Chapter Context
Ezekiel 27 is a prophetic vision chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of covenant, salvation, righteousness. Written during the Babylonian exile (c. 593-570 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Ministered to exiles in Babylon with visions of God's glory and future restoration.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-36: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it provides essential context for understanding God's covenant relationship with His people. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Ezekiel and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Ezekiel 27:2
2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
Analysis
Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus—God commands Ezekiel to sing a funeral dirge (qinah, קִינָה) for a city not yet destroyed. The prophetic perfect tense treats future judgment as already accomplished—from God's perspective, Tyre is already fallen. The title "son of man" (Hebrew ben-adam, בֶּן־אָדָם) appears 93 times in Ezekiel, emphasizing the prophet's humanity in contrast to divine majesty. Ezekiel, a mortal man, speaks God's eternal word.
A lamentation (qinah) was a specific literary form—3:2 meter Hebrew poetry expressing grief. That God commands mourning for a pagan city demonstrates His compassion even in judgment. Though Tyre deserves destruction for pride and cruelty (rejoicing over Jerusalem's fall, 26:2), God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11). The elaborate funeral song in verses 3-36 catalogues Tyre's beauty, wealth, and trading partnerships—all to be lost. This forces reflection: every human achievement, however magnificent, is temporary. Only what's built on God endures.
Historical Context
Lamentations were important in ancient Near Eastern culture. Professional mourners sang dirges at funerals (Jeremiah 9:17-18). Ezekiel's lamentation for Tyre (27:3-36) is one of Scripture's longest and most detailed, comparable to Lamentations' mourning over Jerusalem. The prophecy was delivered around 586 BC; Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre 585-572 BC, though the city survived in weakened form. Alexander the Great completely fulfilled the prophecy in 332 BC, destroying island Tyre so thoroughly it never recovered. The lamentation's poetic beauty makes Tyre's fall more poignant—like singing of paradise lost. God mourns what sin destroys.
Reflection
- Why does God command mourning for a proud, pagan city that mocked His people's suffering?
- How does the lamentation's detailed description of Tyre's glory make its fall more tragic—and what does this teach about divine judgment?
Cross-References
- Parallel theme: Ezekiel 19:1, 28:12, Jeremiah 9:10