The big picture
Ezekiel 26 opens in verse 1 with “And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 11 with “With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy…”, and closes in verse 21 with “I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Tyrus, people, walls, break. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 21Ezekiel 26:1-7
1–7: It came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month…
Ezekiel 26:1–7 opens with “And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the…” and reaches “For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 26 develops its own movement around LORD, Tyrus, people, walls, break, with particular weight carried by LORD, Tyrus, king.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
“Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Ezekiel 26:1-7
King James Version1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
3Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
4And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
5It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD : and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
6And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD .
7For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
Ezekiel 26:8-14
8–14: He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall…
Ezekiel 26:8–14 opens with “He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee…” and reaches “And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 26 develops its own movement around LORD, Tyrus, people, walls, break, with particular weight carried by walls, break, dust.
Context that brings the passage to life
“He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Ezekiel 26:8-14
King James Version8He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
9And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
10By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
11With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
12And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
13And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
14And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD .
Ezekiel 26:15-21
15–21: Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound…
Ezekiel 26:15–21 opens with “Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the…” and reaches “I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 26 develops its own movement around LORD, Tyrus, people, walls, break, with particular weight carried by inhabited, isles, Lord.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Ezekiel 26:15-21
King James Version15Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
16Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
17And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!
18Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.
19For thus saith the Lord GOD ; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;
20When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
21I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Ezekiel 26:1 begins with “And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Ezekiel 26:15 forms a natural hinge: “Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of…”
The final note
Ezekiel 26:21 leaves the reader with “I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD .”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Tyrus, people, walls, break, cause help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does Isaac respond to repeated disputes?
He relocates and digs again until a well is not contested, while later accepting a negotiated peace.
What persists from Abraham's story?
The promise, altars, wells, outsider status and the dangerous sister deception.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.