25:15 So 1 the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision. 2 “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. 3 Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it.
47:4 For the time has come
to destroy all the Philistines.
The time has come to destroy all the help
that remains for Tyre 7 and Sidon. 8
For I, the Lord, will 9 destroy the Philistines,
that remnant that came from the island of Crete. 10
26:1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, 11 the word of the Lord came to me: 26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre 12 has said about Jerusalem, 13 ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich, 14 now that she 15 has been destroyed,’ 26:3 therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, 16 I am against you, 17 O Tyre! I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 26:4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape her soil 18 from her and make her a bare rock. 26:5 She will be a place where fishing nets are spread, surrounded by the sea. For I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord. She will become plunder for the nations, 26:6 and her daughters 19 who are in the field will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
26:7 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note that 20 I am about to bring King Nebuchadrezzar 21 of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north, with horses, chariots, and horsemen, an army and hordes of people. 26:8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will build a siege wall against you, erect a siege ramp against you, and raise a great shield against you. 26:9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his weapons. 22 26:10 He will cover you with the dust kicked up by his many horses. 23 Your walls will shake from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots when he enters your gates like those who invade through a city’s broken walls. 24 26:11 With his horses’ hoofs he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will tumble down to the ground. 26:12 They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious 25 homes. Your stones, your trees, and your soil he will throw 26 into the water. 27 26:13 I will silence 28 the noise of your songs; the sound of your harps will be heard no more. 26:14 I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place where fishing nets are spread. You will never be built again, 29 for I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.
26:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive slaughter in your midst! 26:16 All the princes of the sea will vacate 30 their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has happened to you. 31 26:17 They will sing this lament over you: 32
“‘How you have perished – you have vanished 33 from the seas,
O renowned city, once mighty in the sea,
she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror! 34
26:18 Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your fall;
the coastlands by the sea will be terrified by your passing.’ 35
26:19 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: When I make you desolate like the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging 36 waters overwhelm you, 26:20 then I will bring you down to bygone people, 37 to be with those who descend to the pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth, among 38 the primeval ruins, with those who descend to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited or stand 39 in the land of the living. 26:21 I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the sovereign Lord.”
27:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 27:2 “You, son of man, sing a lament for Tyre. 40 27:3 Say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance 41 of the sea, 42 merchant to the peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘O Tyre, you have said, “I am perfectly beautiful.”
27:4 43 Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders have perfected your beauty.
27:5 They crafted 44 all your planks out of fir trees from Senir; 45
they took a cedar from Lebanon to make your mast.
27:6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan;
they made your deck 46 with cypresses 47 from the Kittean isles. 48
27:7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail
to serve as your banner;
blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah 49 was used for your deck’s awning.
27:8 The leaders 50 of Sidon 51 and Arvad 52 were your rowers;
your skilled 53 men, O Tyre, were your captains.
27:9 The elders of Gebal 54 and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; 55
all the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your merchandise. 56
27:10 Men of Persia, Lud, 57 and Put were in your army, men of war.
They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.
27:11 The Arvadites 58 joined your army on your walls all around,
and the Gammadites 59 were in your towers.
They hung their quivers 60 on your walls all around;
they perfected your beauty.
27:12 “‘Tarshish 61 was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise. 27:14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, 62 and mules for your products. 27:15 The Dedanites 63 were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid 64 you with ivory tusks and ebony. 27:16 Edom 65 was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products. 27:17 Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from Minnith, 66 millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise. 27:18 Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar, 27:19 and casks of wine 67 from Izal 68 they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise. 27:20 Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding. 27:21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs, rams, and goats they traded with you. 27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products. 27:23 Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your clients. 27:24 They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise. 27:25 The ships of Tarshish 69 were the transports for your merchandise.
“‘So you were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.
27:26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters.
The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.
27:27 Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains,
your ship’s carpenters, 70 your merchants,
and all your fighting men within you,
along with all your crew who are in you,
will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.
27:28 At the sound of your captains’ cry the waves will surge; 71
27:29 They will descend from their ships – all who handle the oar,
the sailors and all the sea captains – they will stand on the land.
27:30 They will lament loudly 72 over you and cry bitterly.
They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes; 73
27:31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth,
and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning. 74
27:32 As they wail they will lament over you, chanting:
“Who was like Tyre, like a tower 75 in the midst of the sea?”
27:33 When your products went out from the seas,
you satisfied many peoples;
with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise
you enriched the kings of the earth.
27:34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your company have sunk 76 along with you. 77
27:35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you,
and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.
27:36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you;
you have become a horror, and will be no more.’”
28:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:2 “Son of man, say to the prince 78 of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Your heart is proud 79 and you said, “I am a god; 80
I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas” –
yet you are a man and not a god,
though you think you are godlike. 81
28:3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; 82
no secret is hidden from you. 83
28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself;
you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
28:5 By your great skill 84 in trade you have increased your wealth,
and your heart is proud because of your wealth.
28:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Because you think you are godlike, 85
28:7 I am about to bring foreigners 86 against you, the most terrifying of nations.
They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, 87
and they will defile your splendor.
28:8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violently 88 in the heart of the seas.
28:9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you –
though you are a man and not a god –
when you are in the power of those who wound you?
28:10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised 89 by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
28:11 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:12 “Son of man, sing 90 a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘You were the sealer 91 of perfection,
full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. 92
Every precious stone was your covering,
the ruby, topaz, and emerald,
the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,
the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; 93
your settings and mounts were made of gold.
On the day you were created they were prepared.
28:14 I placed you there with an anointed 94 guardian 95 cherub; 96
you were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked about amidst fiery stones.
28:15 You were blameless in your behavior 97 from the day you were created,
until sin was discovered in you.
28:16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, 98 and you sinned;
so I defiled you and banished you 99 from the mountain of God –
the guardian cherub expelled you 100 from the midst of the stones of fire.
28:17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom on account of your splendor.
I threw you down to the ground;
I placed you before kings, that they might see you.
28:18 By the multitude of your iniquities, through the sinfulness of your trade,
you desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I drew fire out from within you;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
before the eyes of all who saw you.
28:19 All who know you among the peoples are shocked at you;
you have become terrified and will be no more.’”
28:20 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:21 “Son of man, turn toward 101 Sidon 102 and prophesy against it. 28:22 Say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Look, I am against you, 103 Sidon,
and I will magnify myself in your midst.
Then they will know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments on her
and reveal my sovereign power 104 in her.
28:23 I will send a plague into the city 105 and bloodshed into its streets;
the slain will fall within it, by the sword that attacks it 106 from every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
28:24 “‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers 107 or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them. 108 Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.
28:25 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When I regather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are dispersed, I will reveal my sovereign power 109 over them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their land that I gave to my servant Jacob.
3:4 Why are you doing these things to me, Tyre and Sidon? 110
Are you trying to get even with me, land of Philistia? 111
I will very quickly repay you for what you have done! 112
3:5 For you took my silver and my gold
and brought my precious valuables to your own palaces. 113
3:6 You sold Judeans and Jerusalemites to the Greeks,
removing them far from their own country. 114
3:7 Look! I am rousing them from that place to which you sold them.
I will repay you for what you have done! 115
3:8 I will sell your sons and daughters to 116 the people of Judah. 117
They will sell them to the Sabeans, 118 a nation far away.
Indeed, the Lord has spoken!
1:9 This is what the Lord says:
“Because Tyre has committed three crimes 119 –
make that four! 120 – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. 121
They sold 122 a whole community 123 to Edom;
they failed to observe 124 a treaty of brotherhood. 125
1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; 126
fire 127 will consume her fortresses.”
1 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably being used in the sense that BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 3.c notes, i.e., the causal connection is somewhat loose, related here to the prophecies against the nations. “So” seems to be the most appropriate way to represent this.
2 tn Heb “Thus said the
3 sn “Drinking from the cup of wrath” is a common figure to represent being punished by God. Isaiah had used it earlier to refer to the punishment which Judah was to suffer and from which God would deliver her (Isa 51:17, 22) and Jeremiah’s contemporary Habakkuk uses it of Babylon “pouring out its wrath” on the nations and in turn being forced to drink the bitter cup herself (Hab 2:15-16). In Jer 51:7 the
4 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
5 sn Tyre and Sidon are mentioned within the judgment on the Philistines in Jer 47:4. They were Phoenician cities to the north and west of Judah on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon.
6 sn The connection with Tyre and Sidon suggests that these were Phoenician colonies. See also Isa 23:2.
7 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
8 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
9 tn Heb “For the
10 sn All the help that remains for Tyre and Sidon and that remnant that came from the island of Crete appear to be two qualifying phrases that refer to the Philistines, the last with regard to their origin and the first with regard to the fact that they were allies that Tyre and Sidon depended on. “Crete” is literally “Caphtor” which is generally identified with the island of Crete. The Philistines had come from there (Amos 9:7) in the wave of migration from the Aegean Islands during the twelfth and eleventh century and had settled on the Philistine plain after having been repulsed from trying to enter Egypt.
11 tc Date formulae typically include the month. According to D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:34, n. 27) some emend to “in the twelfth year in the eleventh month” based partially on the copy of the LXX from Alexandrinus, where Albright suggested that “eleventh month” may have dropped out due to haplography.
12 sn Tyre was located on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel.
13 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
14 tn Heb “I will be filled.”
15 sn That is, Jerusalem.
16 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.
17 tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘h!nn#n' ?l?K>,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8. The Hebrew text switches to a second feminine singular form here, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed (see vv. 5-6a). The address to Jerusalem continues through v. 15. In vv. 16-17 the second masculine plural is used, as the people are addressed.
18 tn Or “debris.”
19 sn That is, the towns located inland that were under Tyre’s rule.
20 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something.
21 tn Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an an “r” rather than an “n.”
22 tn Heb “swords.”
23 tn Heb “From the abundance of his horses he will cover you (with) their dust.”
24 tn Heb “like those who enter a breached city.”
25 tn Heb “desirable.”
26 tn Heb “set.”
27 tn Heb “into the midst of the water.”
28 tn Heb “cause to end.”
29 sn This prophecy was fulfilled by Alexander the Great in 332
30 tn Heb “descend from.”
31 tn Heb “and they will be astonished over you.”
32 tn Heb “and they will lift up over you a lament and they will say to you.”
33 tn Heb “O inhabitant.” The translation follows the LXX and understands a different Hebrew verb, meaning “cease,” behind the consonantal text. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:72, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:43.
34 tn Heb “she and her inhabitants who placed their terror to all her inhabitants.” The relationship of the final prepositional phrase to what precedes is unclear. The preposition probably has a specifying function here, drawing attention to Tyre’s inhabitants as the source of the terror mentioned prior to this. In this case, one might paraphrase verse 17b: “she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror; yes, her inhabitants (were the source of this terror).”
35 tn Heb “from your going out.”
36 tn Heb “many.”
37 tn Heb “to the people of antiquity.”
38 tn Heb “like.” The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition כְּ (kÿ, “like”), to בְּ (bÿ, “in, among”).
39 tn Heb “and I will place beauty.” This reading makes little sense; many, following the lead of the LXX, emend the text to read “nor will you stand” with the negative particle before the preceding verb understood by ellipsis; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:73. D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:47) offers another alternative, taking the apparent first person verb form as an archaic second feminine form and translating “nor radiate splendor.”
40 tn Heb “lift up over Tyre a lament.”
41 tn Heb “entrances.” The plural noun may reflect the fact that Tyre had two main harbors.
42 sn Rome, another economic power, is described in a similar way in Rev 17:1.
43 tn The city of Tyre is described in the following account as a merchant ship.
44 tn Heb “built.”
45 tn Perhaps the hull or deck. The term is dual, so perhaps it refers to a double-decked ship.
46 tn Or “hull.”
47 tc The Hebrew reads “Your deck they made ivory, daughter of Assyria.” The syntactically difficult “ivory” is understood here as dittography and omitted, though some construe this to refer to ivory inlays. “Daughter of Assyria” is understood here as improper word division and the vowels repointed as “cypresses.”
48 tn Heb “from the coastlands (or islands) of Kittim,” generally understood to be a reference to the island of Cyprus, where the Phoenicians had a trading colony on the southeast coast. Many modern English versions have “Cyprus” (CEV, TEV), “the coastlands of Cyprus” (NASB), “the coasts of Cyprus” (NIV, NRSV), or “the southern coasts of Cyprus” (NLT).
49 sn This is probably a reference to Cyprus.
50 tc The MT reads “the residents of”; the LXX reads “your rulers who dwell in.” With no apparent reason for the LXX to add “the rulers” many suppose something has dropped out of the Hebrew text. While more than one may be possible, Allen’s proposal, positing a word meaning “elders,” is the most likely to explain the omission in the MT from a graphic standpoint and also provides a parallel to the beginning of v. 9. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:81.a parallel to v. 9.
51 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
52 sn Sidon and Arvad, like Tyre, were Phoenician coastal cities.
53 tn Or “wise.”
54 sn Another Phoenician coastal city located between Sidon and Arvad.
55 tn Heb “strengthening damages.” Here “to strengthen” means to repair. The word for “damages” occurs several times in 1 Kgs 12 about some type of damage to the temple, which may have referred to or included cracks. Since the context describes Tyre in its glory, we do not expect this reference to damages to be of significant scale, even if there are repairmen. This may refer to using pitch to seal the seams of the ship, which had to be done periodically and could be considered routine maintenance rather than repair of damage.
56 sn The reference to “all the ships of the sea…within you” suggests that the metaphor is changing; previously Tyre had been described as a magnificent ship, but now the description shifts back to an actual city. The “ships of the sea” were within Tyre’s harbor. Verse 11 refers to “walls” and “towers” of the city.
57 sn See Gen 10:22.
58 tn Heb “sons of Arvad.”
59 sn The identity of the Gammadites is uncertain.
60 tn See note on “quivers” in Jer 51:11 on the meaning of Hebrew שֶׁלֶט (shelet) and also M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:553.
61 sn Tarshish refers to a distant seaport sometimes believed to be located in southern Spain (others identified it as Carthage in North Africa). In any event it represents here a distant, rich, and exotic port which was a trading partner of Tyre.
62 tn The way in which these horses may have been distinguished from other horses is unknown. Cf. ASV “war-horses” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV all similar); NLT “chariot horses.”
63 tn Heb “sons of Dedan.”
64 tn Heb “they returned as your gift.”
65 tc Many Hebrew
66 sn The location is mentioned in Judg 11:33.
67 tc The MT leaves v. 18 as an incomplete sentence and begins v. 19 with “and Dan and Javan (Ionia) from Uzal.” The LXX mentions “wine.” The translation follows an emendation assuming some confusions of vav and yod. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:82.
68 sn According to L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 2:82), Izal was located between Haran and the Tigris and was famous for its wine.
69 tn Or perhaps “Large merchant ships.” The expression “ships of Tarshish” may describe a class of vessel, that is, large oceangoing merchant ships.
70 tn Heb “your repairers of damage.” See v. 9.
71 tn Compare this phrase to Isa 57:20 and Amos 8:8. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:561.
72 tn Heb “make heard over you with their voice.”
73 tn Note a similar expression to “roll in the ashes” in Mic 1:10.
74 tn Heb “and they will weep concerning you with bitterness of soul, (with) bitter mourning.”
75 tn As it stands, the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The translation follows the suggestion of M. Dahood, “Accadian-Ugaritic dmt in Ezekiel 27:32,” Bib 45 (1964): 83-84. Several other explanations and emendations have been offered. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:83, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:85-86, for a list of options.
76 tn Heb “fallen.”
77 tn Heb “in the midst of you.”
78 tn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).
79 tn Heb “lifted up.”
80 tn Or “I am divine.”
81 tn Heb “and you made your heart (mind) like the heart (mind) of gods.”
82 sn Or perhaps “Danel” (so TEV), referring to a ruler known from Canaanite legend. See the note on “Daniel” in 14:14. A reference to Danel (preserved in legend at Ugarit, near the northern end of the Phoenician coast) makes more sense here when addressing Tyre than in 14:14.
83 sn The tone here is sarcastic, reflecting the ruler’s view of himself.
84 tn Or “wisdom.”
85 tn Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”
86 sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.
87 tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”
88 tn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”
89 sn The Phoenicians practiced circumcision, so the language here must be figurative, indicating that they would be treated in a disgraceful manner. Uncircumcised peoples were viewed as inferior, unclean, and perhaps even sub-human. See 31:18 and 32:17-32, as well as the discussion in D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:99.
90 tn Heb “lift up.”
91 tn For a discussion of possible nuances of this phrase, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:580-81.
92 sn The imagery of the lament appears to draw upon an extrabiblical Eden tradition about the expulsion of the first man (see v. 14 and the note there) from the garden due to his pride. The biblical Eden tradition speaks of cherubs placed as guardians at the garden entrance following the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:24), but no guardian cherub like the one described in verse 14 is depicted or mentioned in the biblical account. Ezekiel’s imagery also appears to reflect Mesopotamian and Canaanite mythology at certain points. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:119-20.
93 tn The exact identification of each gemstone is uncertain. The list should be compared to that of the priest in Exod 28:17-20, which lists twelve stones in rows of three. The LXX apparently imports the Exod 28 list. See reference to the types of stones in L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.
94 tn Or “winged”; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.
95 tn The meaning of this phrase in Hebrew is uncertain. The word translated here “guards” occurs in Exod 25:20 in reference to the cherubim “covering” the ark.
96 tn Heb “you (were) an anointed cherub that covers and I placed you.” In the Hebrew text the ruler of Tyre is equated with a cherub, and the verb “I placed you” is taken with what follows (“on the holy mountain of God”). However, this reading is problematic. The pronoun “you” at the beginning of verse 14 is feminine singular in the Hebrew text; elsewhere in this passage the ruler of Tyre is addressed with masculine singular forms. It is possible that the pronoun is a rare (see Deut 5:24; Num 11:15) or defectively written (see 1 Sam 24:19; Neh 9:6; Job 1:10; Ps 6:3; Eccl 7:22) masculine form, but it is more likely that the form should be repointed as the preposition “with” (see the LXX). In this case the ruler of Tyre is compared to the first man, not to a cherub. If this emendation is accepted, then the verb “I placed you” belongs with what precedes and concludes the first sentence in the verse. It is noteworthy that the verbs in the second and third lines of the verse also appear at the end of the sentence in the Hebrew text. The presence of a conjunction at the beginning of “I placed you” is problematic for the proposal, but it may reflect a later misunderstanding of the syntax of the verse. For a defense of the proposed emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.
97 tn Heb “ways.”
98 tn Heb “they filled your midst with violence.”
99 tn Heb “I defiled you.” The presence of the preposition “from” following the verb indicates that a verb of motion is implied as well. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.
100 tn Heb “and I expelled you, O guardian cherub.” The Hebrew text takes the verb as first person and understands “guardian cherub” as a vocative, in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the verb. However, if the emendation in verse 14a is accepted (see the note above), then one may follow the LXX here as well and emend the verb to a third person perfect. In this case the subject of the verb is the guardian cherub. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.
101 tn Heb “set your face against.”
102 sn Sidon was located 25 miles north of Tyre.
103 tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘h!nn#n' ?l?K>,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.
104 tn Or “reveal my holiness.” God’s “holiness” is fundamentally his transcendence as sovereign ruler of the world. The revelation of his authority and power through judgment is in view in this context.
105 tn Heb “into it”; the referent of the feminine pronoun has been specified in the translation for clarity.
106 tn Heb “by a sword against it.”
107 sn Similar language is used in reference to Israel’s adversaries in Num 33:55; Josh 23:13.
108 tn Heb “and there will not be for the house of Israel a brier that pricks and a thorn that inflicts pain from all the ones who surround them, the ones who scorn them.”
109 tn Or “reveal my holiness.” See verse 22.
110 tn Heb “What [are] you [doing] to me, O Tyre and Sidon?”
111 tn Or “districts.”
112 tn Heb “quickly, speedily, I will return your recompense on your head.” This is an idiom for retributive justice and an equitable reversal of situation.
113 tn Or perhaps, “temples.”
114 tn Heb “border.”
115 tn Heb “I will return your recompense on your head.”
116 tn Heb “into the hand of.”
117 tn Heb “the sons of Judah.”
118 sn The Sabeans were Arabian merchants who were influential along the ancient caravan routes that traveled through Arabia. See also Job 1:15; Isa 43:3; 45:14; Ps 72:10.
119 tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.
120 tn Heb “Because of three violations of Tyre, even because of four.”
121 tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.
122 tn Heb “handed over.”
123 tn Heb “[group of] exiles.” A similar phrase occurs in v. 6.
124 tn Heb “did not remember.”
125 sn A treaty of brotherhood. In the ancient Near Eastern world familial terms were sometimes used to describe treaty partners. In a treaty between superior and inferior parties, the lord would be called “father” and the subject “son.” The partners in a treaty between equals referred to themselves as “brothers.” For biblical examples, see 1 Kgs 9:13; 20:32-33.
126 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
127 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
128 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
129 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
130 tn The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength, wealth”) can, with certain suffixes, look exactly like חֵל (khel, “fortress, rampart”). The chiastic pattern here suggests that not Tyre’s riches but her defenses will be cast into the sea. Thus the present translation renders the term “fortifications” (so also NLT) rather than “wealth” (NASB, NRSV, TEV) or “power” (NAB, NIV).