What is the meaning of Ezekiel 26:3? Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says God Himself is speaking. That single fact forms the anchor of the passage. • The phrase signals divine authority, reminding us—just as in Isaiah 1:18 or Jeremiah 1:4—that the words that follow carry absolute, inerrant weight. • Because Scripture is literally true, every promise or threat in this oracle will stand just as surely as the creation account in Genesis 1 or the resurrection proclamation in Matthew 28. • The certainty of God’s word also recalls Numbers 23:19, “Does He speak and not act?”; here the answer is a resounding “He acts.” Behold, O Tyre Tyre, the proud Phoenician port, is directly addressed. • “Behold” draws the city’s attention much like Jesus’ repeated “Truly, truly” in John 3:3. • Tyre’s strategic coastal location (Joshua 19:29) gave her commercial dominance (Ezekiel 27:3), but material success never places anyone beyond God’s reach. • The personal address underscores God’s intimate knowledge of nations (Psalm 2:1–4) and His right to judge them (Acts 17:26–31). I am against you A sobering declaration. • When God sets Himself against a people, every advantage evaporates; see also Nahum 2:13 and James 4:6. • This is the polar opposite of Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”—here it is, “If God is against you, who can stand for you?” • Tyre had earlier rejoiced over Jerusalem’s downfall (Ezekiel 26:2; cf. Obadiah 10–12). God’s justice repays such arrogance (Proverbs 3:34). I will raise up many nations against you The coming judgment would be multi-layered and relentless. • History records Babylonian sieges (Ezekiel 29:18), later campaigns by Persia, Greece (Alexander the Great, Zechariah 9:3-4), and Rome—collectively fulfilling this word. • God employs nations as His instruments (Jeremiah 25:9; Habakkuk 1:6), demonstrating His sovereign rule over kings (Proverbs 21:1). • The plural “nations” assures that the prophecy is not limited to a single event; like dominoes, one empire after another would batter Tyre until all her pride sank beneath the waves. as the sea brings up its waves The imagery fits a maritime city perfectly. • Waves crash in succession; so would the invading powers. Jeremiah 51:42 uses similar language against Babylon: “The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered with its roaring waves.” • Each wave leaves lasting erosion. By the time of Jesus, Tyre still existed (Mark 7:24), yet the once-island fortress had become a peninsula joined to the mainland by Alexander’s causeway—an enduring scar of conquest. • The picture also conveys inevitability. Just as no one can hold back the tide (Job 38:10–11), Tyre could not repel God-sent nations. summary Ezekiel 26:3 announces God’s personal opposition to Tyre, the proud maritime powerhouse. The Lord’s infallible word guarantees that successive nations, like relentless ocean waves, will batter and humble the city until her glory is spent. The verse stands as a vivid reminder that no amount of wealth, location, or human alliance can shield anyone from divine judgment—and that God’s promises, whether of blessing or of discipline, are always fulfilled. |
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