What is the meaning of Ezekiel 26:19? For this is what the Lord GOD says God Himself is speaking, underscoring absolute authority and certainty. His pronouncements never fail (Numbers 23:19; Ezekiel 25:3). We listen in the same way Israel—and Tyre—were expected to: with reverence and readiness to obey. When I make you a desolate city Tyre’s bustling trade center would become empty ruins. The Lord alone “makes” or unmakes a city (Isaiah 13:19-22; Ezekiel 26:2). The phrase reminds us that national security ultimately rests not in walls or wealth but in the Lord’s favor (Psalm 127:1). Like other deserted cities Tyre would not be judged in isolation; it would join the long list of once-proud places laid waste for their arrogance (Jeremiah 25:9-11; Zephaniah 2:13). God’s dealings are consistent: persistent sin brings predictable consequences. When I raise up the deep against you The picture shifts to the sea itself—fitting for an island city. Just as the Lord once opened the deep in judgment during Noah’s flood (Genesis 7:11) and stirs the restless sea as a symbol of turmoil (Isaiah 57:20), He would marshal natural forces to accomplish His purpose. So that the mighty waters cover you Total submersion speaks of irreversible ruin. Tyre would sink beneath the waves of history, echoing Jonah’s desperate words, “The waters engulfed me to take my life” (Jonah 2:5) and anticipating Babylon’s final plunge (Revelation 18:21). No trace of former glory would remain. summary Ezekiel 26:19 announces God’s sovereign, climactic judgment on Tyre: the Lord speaks with unquestioned authority, strips the city of its vitality, matches it with other fallen centers, employs the very sea that sustained its economy, and brings complete obliteration. The verse stands as a sobering reminder that no power—ancient or modern—can withstand the righteous verdict of the Lord GOD. |
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