What is the meaning of Ezekiel 27:1? Then • “Then” places this verse in a living stream of events. Ezekiel 26 has just pronounced judgment on Tyre, so the adverb marks the next moment in God’s unfolding timetable. • Scripture consistently ties God’s revelations to real dates and circumstances—compare Ezekiel 26:1 and 30:20, or Jeremiah 1:3—reminding us that prophecy is not folklore but genuine history. • The flow also underscores God’s patient sequence: judgment (chapter 26), lament (chapter 27), and ultimate sovereignty (chapter 28), exactly as foretold. the word of the LORD • What follows is not Ezekiel’s opinion but God’s own utterance. As 2 Peter 1:21 says, “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit,” and Isaiah 55:11 assures that His word “will not return to Me empty.” • The phrase signals absolute authority; every syllable will stand (Numbers 23:19). • The Lord’s word is the final standard for truth, correction, and hope—see Psalm 33:4 and Hebrews 4:12. came to me • God initiates; Ezekiel simply receives. Compare Ezekiel 1:3, “the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel,” and 1 Kings 17:2 where the same pattern appears with Elijah. • The personal arrival highlights relationship: the Almighty engages a willing servant (Amos 7:15). • It also stresses accountability—having heard, the prophet must speak (Ezekiel 2:7). saying • The Lord does not merely appear; He communicates specific content. Deuteronomy 18:18 promises, “I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command.” • “Saying” prepares the reader to listen. Revelation 2:7 echoes the call: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.” • Every coming verse of chapter 27 is therefore God’s articulated message, not optional commentary. summary Ezekiel 27:1 is a compact but weighty announcement: at that precise moment, the sovereign, unfailing word of God arrived personally to His prophet with a message that must be heard. The verse anchors the chapter in real history, affirms the divine origin and authority of the prophecy, highlights Ezekiel’s role as a faithful conduit, and urges the reader to receive what God is about to say with reverent attention. |