mh_parser/vol_split/26 - Ezekiel/Chapter 26.xml

<div2 id="Ez.xxvii" n="xxvii" next="Ez.xxviii" prev="Ez.xxvi" progress="60.18%" title="Chapter XXVI">
<h2 id="Ez.xxvii-p0.1">E Z E K I E L.</h2>
<h3 id="Ez.xxvii-p0.2">CHAP. XXVI.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Ez.xxvii-p1" shownumber="no">The prophet had soon done with those four nations
that he set his face against in the foregoing chapters; for they
were not at that time very considerable in the world, nor would
their fall make any great noise among the nations nor any figure in
history. But the city of Tyre is next set to the bar; this, being a
place of vast trade, was known all the world over; and therefore
here are three whole chapters, this and the two that follow, spent
in the prediction of the destruction of Tyre. We have "the burden
of Tyre," <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.23.1-Isa.23.18" parsed="|Isa|23|1|23|18" passage="Isa 23:1-18">Isa. xxiii.</scripRef> It
is but just mentioned in Jeremiah, as sharing with the natives in
the common calamity, <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Jer.25.22 Bible:Jer.27.3 Bible:Jer.47.4" parsed="|Jer|25|22|0|0;|Jer|27|3|0|0;|Jer|47|4|0|0" passage="Jer 25:22,27:3,47:4"><i>ch.</i> xxv. 22; xxvii. 3; xlvii.
4</scripRef>. But Ezekiel is ordered to be copious upon that head.
In this chapter we have, I. The sin charged upon Tyre, which was
triumphing in the destruction of Jerusalem, <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.25.2" parsed="|Ezek|25|2|0|0" passage="Eze 25:2">ver. 2</scripRef>. II. The destruction of Tyrus itself
foretold. 1. The extremity of this destruction: it shall be utterly
ruined, <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.25.4-Ezek.25.6 Bible:Ezek.25.12-Ezek.25.14" parsed="|Ezek|25|4|25|6;|Ezek|25|12|25|14" passage="Eze 25:4-6,12-14">ver. 4-6,
12-14</scripRef>. 2. The instruments of this destruction, many
nations (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.25.3" parsed="|Ezek|25|3|0|0" passage="Eze 25:3">ver. 3</scripRef>), and the
king of Babylon by name with his vast victorious army, <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.25.7-Ezek.25.11" parsed="|Ezek|25|7|25|11" passage="Eze 25:7-11">ver. 7-11</scripRef>. 3. The great surprise
that this should give to the neighbouring nations, who would all
wonder at the fall of so great a city and be alarmed at it,
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p1.7" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.25.15-Ezek.25.21" parsed="|Ezek|25|15|25|21" passage="Eze 25:15-21">ver. 15-21</scripRef>.</p>
<scripCom id="Ez.xxvii-p1.8" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26" parsed="|Ezek|26|0|0|0" passage="Eze 26" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Ez.xxvii-p1.9" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.1-Ezek.26.14" parsed="|Ezek|26|1|26|14" passage="Eze 26:1-14" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Ez.xxvii-p1.10">
<h4 id="Ez.xxvii-p1.11">The Burden of Tyre. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p1.12">b. c.</span> 588.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Ez.xxvii-p2" shownumber="no">1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in
the first <i>day</i> of the month, <i>that</i> the word of the
<span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.1">Lord</span> came unto me, saying,   2
Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha,
she is broken <i>that was</i> the gates of the people: she is
turned unto me: I shall be replenished, <i>now</i> she is laid
waste:   3 Therefore thus saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.2">God</span>; Behold, I <i>am</i> against thee, O Tyrus,
and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea
causeth his waves to come up.   4 And 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.   5 It
shall be <i>a place for</i> the spreading of nets in the midst of
the sea: for I have spoken <i>it,</i> saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.3">God</span>: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
  6 And her daughters which <i>are</i> in the field shall be
slain by the sword; and they shall know that I <i>am</i> the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.4">Lord</span>.   7 For thus saith the Lord
<span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.5">God</span>; 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.   8 He 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.
  9 And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and
with his axes he shall break down thy towers.   10 By 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.   11 With 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.   12 And 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.
  13 And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the
sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.   14 And I will
make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be <i>a place</i> to
spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.6">Lord</span> have spoken <i>it,</i> saith the Lord
<span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p2.7">God</span>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p3" shownumber="no">This prophecy is dated in the eleventh
year, which was the year that Jerusalem was taken, and <i>in the
first day of the month,</i> but it is not said what month, some
think the month in which Jerusalem was taken, which was the fourth
month, others the month after; or perhaps it was the first month,
and so it was the first day of the year. Observe here,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p4" shownumber="no">I. The pleasure with which the Tyrians
looked upon the ruins of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was a great way off, in
Babylon, but God told him what Tyrus said against Jerusalem
(<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.2" parsed="|Ezek|26|2|0|0" passage="Eze 26:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>): "<i>Aha! she
is broken,</i> broken to pieces, that was <i>the gates of the
people,</i> to whom there was a great resort and where there was a
general rendezvous of all nations, some upon one account and some
upon another, and I shall get by it; all the wealth, power, and
interest, which Jerusalem had, it is hoped, shall be turned to
Tyre, and so <i>now</i> that <i>she is laid waste I shall be
replenished.</i>" We do not find that the Tyrians had such a hatred
and enmity to Jerusalem and the sanctuary as the Ammonites and
Edomites had, or were so spiteful and mischievous to the Jews. They
were men of business, and of large acquaintance and free
conversation, and therefore were not so bigoted, and of such a
persecuting spirit, as the narrow souls that lived retired and knew
not the world. All their care was to get estates, and enlarge their
trade, and they looked upon Jerusalem not as an enemy, but as a
rival. Hiram, king of Tyre, was a good friend to David and Solomon,
and we do not read of any quarrels the Jews had with the Tyrians;
but Tyre promised herself that the fall of Jerusalem would be an
advantage to her in respect of trade a commerce, that now she shall
have Jerusalem's customers, and the great men from all parts that
used to come to Jerusalem for the accomplishing of themselves, and
to spend their estates there, will now come to Tyre and spend them
there; and whereas many, since the Chaldean army became so
formidable in those parts, had retired into Jerusalem, and brought
their estates thither for safety, as the Rechabites did, now they
will come to Tyre, which, being in a manner surrounded with the
sea, will be thought a place of greater strength than Jerusalem,
and thus the prosperity of Tyre will rise out of the ruins of
Jerusalem. Note, To be secretly pleased with the death or decay of
others, when we are likely to get by it, with their fall when we
may thrive upon it, is a sin that does most easily beset us, but is
not thought to be such a bad thing, and so provoking to God, as
really it is. We are apt to say, when those who stand in our light,
in our way, are removed, when they break or fall into disgrace, "We
shall be <i>replenished</i> now that they are <i>laid waste.</i>"
But this comes from a selfish covetous principle, and a desire to
be <i>placed alone in the midst of the earth,</i> as if we grudged
that any should live by us. This comes from a want of that love to
our neighbour as to ourselves which the law of God so expressly
requires, and from that inordinate love of the world as our
happiness which the love of God so expressly forbids. And it is
just with God to blast the designs and projects of those who thus
contrive to raise themselves upon the ruins of others; and we see
they are often disappointed.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p5" shownumber="no">II. The displeasure of God against them for
it. The providence of God had done well for Tyrus. Tyrus was a
pleasant and wealthy city, and might have continued so if she had,
as she ought to have done, sympathized with Jerusalem in her
calamities and sent her an address of condolence; but when, instead
of that, she showed herself pleased with her neighbour's fall, and
perhaps sent an address of congratulation to the conquerors, then
God says, <i>Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus!</i> <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.3" parsed="|Ezek|26|3|0|0" passage="Eze 26:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>. And let her not expect
to prosper long if God be against her.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p6" shownumber="no">1. God will bring formidable enemies upon
her: <i>Many nations shall come against thee,</i> an army made up
of many nations, or one nation that shall be as strong as many.
Those that have God against them may expect all the creatures
against them; for what peace can those have with whom God is at
war? They shall come pouring in as <i>the waves of the sea,</i> one
upon the neck of another, with an irresistible force. The person is
named that shall bring this army upon them—<i>Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, a king of kings,</i> that had many kings tributaries to
him and dependents on him, besides those that were his captives,
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Dan.2.37-Dan.2.38" parsed="|Dan|2|37|2|38" passage="Da 2:37,38">Dan. ii. 37, 38</scripRef>. He is
that <i>head of gold.</i> He shall come with a vast army, <i>horses
and chariots,</i> &amp;c., all land-forces. We do not find that he
had any naval force, or any thing wherewith he might attack it by
sea, which made the attempt the more difficult, as we find
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.29.18" parsed="|Ezek|29|18|0|0" passage="Eze 29:18"><i>ch.</i> xxix. 18</scripRef>, where
it is called a <i>great service which he served against Tyrus.</i>
He shall besiege it in form (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p6.3" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.8" parsed="|Ezek|26|8|0|0" passage="Eze 26:8"><i>v.</i>
8</scripRef>), <i>make a fort, and cast a mount,</i> and (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p6.4" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.9" parsed="|Ezek|26|9|0|0" passage="Eze 26:9"><i>v.</i> 9</scripRef>) shall <i>set engines of
war against the walls.</i> His troops shall be so numerous as to
raise a dust that shall cover the city, <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p6.5" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.10" parsed="|Ezek|26|10|0|0" passage="Eze 26:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>. They shall make a noise that
shall even <i>shake the walls;</i> and they shall shout at every
attack, as soldiers do when they <i>enter a city</i> that is
<i>broken up;</i> the horses shall prance with so much fury and
violence that they shall even <i>tread down the streets</i> though
so ever well paved.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p7" shownumber="no">2. They shall do terrible execution. (1.)
The enemy shall make themselves masters of all their
fortifications, shall <i>destroy the walls</i> and <i>break down
the towers,</i> <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.4" parsed="|Ezek|26|4|0|0" passage="Eze 26:4"><i>v.</i>
4</scripRef>. For what walls are so strongly built as to be a fence
against the judgments of God? Her <i>strong garrisons shall go down
to the ground,</i> <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.11" parsed="|Ezek|26|11|0|0" passage="Eze 26:11"><i>v.</i>
11</scripRef>. And the walls shall be broken down, <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.3" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.12" parsed="|Ezek|26|12|0|0" passage="Eze 26:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>. The city held out a
long siege, but it was taken at last. (2.) A great deal of blood
shall be shed: <i>Her daughters who are in the field,</i> the
cities upon the continent, which were subject to Tyre as the
mother-city, the inhabitants of them <i>shall be slain by the
sword,</i> <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.4" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.6" parsed="|Ezek|26|6|0|0" passage="Eze 26:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>. The
invaders begin with those that come first in their way. And
(<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.5" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.11" parsed="|Ezek|26|11|0|0" passage="Eze 26:11"><i>v.</i> 11</scripRef>) <i>he shall
slay thy people with the sword;</i> not only the soldiers that are
found in arms, but the burghers, shall be <i>put to the sword,</i>
the king of Babylon being highly incensed against them for holding
out so long. (3.) The wealth of the city shall all become a spoil
to the conqueror (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.6" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.12" parsed="|Ezek|26|12|0|0" passage="Eze 26:12"><i>v.</i>
12</scripRef>): They <i>shall make a prey of the merchandise.</i>
It was in hope of the plunder that the city was set upon with so
much vigour. See the vanity of riches, that they are <i>kept for
the owners to their hurt;</i> they entice and recompense thieves,
and not only cease to benefit those who took pains for them and
were duly entitled to them, but are made to serve their enemies,
who are thereby put into a capacity of doing them so much the more
mischief. (4.) The city itself shall be laid in ruins. All the
<i>pleasant houses</i> shall be <i>destroyed</i> (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.7" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.12" parsed="|Ezek|26|12|0|0" passage="Eze 26:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>), such as were
pleasantly situated, beautified, and furnished, shall become a heap
of rubbish. Let none please themselves too much in their pleasant
houses, for they know not how soon they may see the desolation of
them. Tyre shall be utterly ruined; the enemy shall not only pull
down the houses, but shall carry away <i>the stones and the
timber,</i> and shall <i>lay them in the midst of the water,</i>
not to be recovered, or ever made use of again. Nay (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.8" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.4" parsed="|Ezek|26|4|0|0" passage="Eze 26:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>), <i>I will scrape her
dust from her;</i> not only shall the loose dust be blown away, but
the very ground it stands upon shall be torn up by the enraged
enemy, carried off, and laid <i>in the midst of the water,</i>
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.9" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.12" parsed="|Ezek|26|12|0|0" passage="Eze 26:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>. The
<i>foundation</i> is <i>in the dust;</i> that dust shall be all
taken away, and then the city must fall of course. When Jerusalem
was destroyed it was <i>ploughed like a field,</i> <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.10" osisRef="Bible:Mic.3.12" parsed="|Mic|3|12|0|0" passage="Mic 3:12">Mic. iii. 12</scripRef>. But the destruction of
Tyre is carried further than that; the very soil of it shall be
scraped away, and it shall be made <i>like the top of a rock</i>
(<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.11" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.4 Bible:Ezek.26.14" parsed="|Ezek|26|4|0|0;|Ezek|26|14|0|0" passage="Eze 26:4,14"><i>v.</i> 4, 14</scripRef>), pure
rock that has no earth to cover it; it shall only be a place <i>for
the spreading of nets</i> (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.12" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.5 Bible:Ezek.26.14" parsed="|Ezek|26|5|0|0;|Ezek|26|14|0|0" passage="Eze 26:5,14"><i>v.</i> 5, 14</scripRef>); it shall serve fishermen
to dry their nets upon and mend them. (5.) There shall be a full
period to all its mirth and joy (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.13" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.13" parsed="|Ezek|26|13|0|0" passage="Eze 26:13"><i>v.</i> 13</scripRef>): <i>I will cause the noise of
thy songs to cease.</i> Tyre had been a joyous city (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.14" osisRef="Bible:Isa.23.7" parsed="|Isa|23|7|0|0" passage="Isa 23:7">Isa. xxiii. 7</scripRef>); with her songs she
had courted customers to deal with her in a way of trade. But now
farewell all her profitable commerce and pleasant conversation;
Tyre is no more a place either of business or of sport.
<i>Lastly,</i> It shall be <i>built no more</i> (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.15" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.14" parsed="|Ezek|26|14|0|0" passage="Eze 26:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>), not built any more as it had
been, with such state and magnificence, nor built any more in the
same place, within the sea, nor built any where for a long time;
the present inhabitants shall be destroyed or dispersed, so that
this Tyre shall be <i>no more.</i> For <i>God has spoken it</i>
(<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p7.16" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.5 Bible:Ezek.26.14" parsed="|Ezek|26|5|0|0;|Ezek|26|14|0|0" passage="Eze 26:5,14"><i>v.</i> 5, 14</scripRef>); and
when what he has said is accomplished <i>they shall know</i>
thereby that <i>he is the Lord,</i> and <i>not a man that he should
lie nor the son of man that he should repent.</i></p>
</div><scripCom id="Ez.xxvii-p7.17" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.15-Ezek.26.21" parsed="|Ezek|26|15|26|21" passage="Eze 26:15-21" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Ez.xxvii-p7.18">
<h4 id="Ez.xxvii-p7.19">The Burden of Tyre. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p7.20">b. c.</span> 588.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Ez.xxvii-p8" shownumber="no">15 Thus saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p8.1">God</span> 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?   16 Then 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
<i>every</i> moment, and be astonished at thee.   17 And they
shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou
destroyed, <i>that wast</i> inhabited of seafaring men, the
renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her
inhabitants, which cause their terror <i>to be</i> on all that
haunt it!   18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy
fall; yea, the isles that <i>are</i> in the sea shall be troubled
at thy departure.   19 For thus saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p8.2">God</span>; 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;   20 When 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;   21 I will make thee a terror, and thou
<i>shalt be</i> no <i>more:</i> though thou be sought for, yet
shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Ez.xxvii-p8.3">God</span>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p9" shownumber="no">The utter ruin of Tyre is here represented
in very strong and lively figures, which are exceedingly
affecting.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p10" shownumber="no">1. See how high, how great, Tyre had been,
how little likely ever to come to this. The remembrance of men's
former grandeur and plenty is a great aggravation of their present
disgrace and poverty. Tyre was <i>a renowned city</i> (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.17" parsed="|Ezek|26|17|0|0" passage="Eze 26:17"><i>v.</i> 17</scripRef>), famous among the
nations, the <i>crowning</i> city (so she is called <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.23.8" parsed="|Isa|23|8|0|0" passage="Isa 23:8">Isa. xxiii. 8</scripRef>), a city that had
crowns in her gift, honoured all she smiled upon, crowned herself
and all about her. She was <i>inhabited of seas,</i> that is, of
those that trade at sea, of those who from all parts came thither
by sea, bringing with them the <i>abundance of the seas</i> and
<i>the treasures hidden in the sand.</i> She was <i>strong in the
sea,</i> easy of access to her friends, but to her enemies
inaccessible, fortified by a <i>wall of water,</i> which made her
impregnable. So that <i>she</i> with her pomp, <i>and her
inhabitants</i> with their pride, <i>caused their terror to be on
all that haunted</i> that city, and upon any account frequented it.
It was well fortified, and formidable in the eyes of all that
acquainted themselves with it. Every body stood in awe of the
Tyrians and was afraid of disobliging them. Note, Those who know
their strength are too apt to cause terror, to pride themselves in
frightening those they are an over-match for.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p11" shownumber="no">2. See how low, how little, Tyre is made,
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p11.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.19-Ezek.26.20" parsed="|Ezek|26|19|26|20" passage="Eze 26:19,20"><i>v.</i> 19, 20</scripRef>. This
<i>renowned city</i> is made a <i>desolate city,</i> is no more
frequented as it has been; there is no more resort of merchants to
it; it is <i>like the cities not inhabited,</i> which are no
cities, and having none to keep them in repair, will go to decay of
themselves. Tyre shall be like a city overflowed by an inundation
of waters, which <i>cover</i> it, and upon which the <i>deep</i> is
<i>brought up.</i> As the waves had formerly been its defence, so
now they shall be its destruction. She shall be <i>brought down
with those that descend into the pit,</i> with the cities of the
old world that were under water, and with <i>Sodom and
Gomorrah,</i> that lie in the bottom of the Dead Sea. Or, she shall
be in the condition of those who have been long buried, of the
<i>people of old time,</i> who are old inhabitants of the silent
grace, who are quite rotted away under ground and quite forgotten
above ground; such shall <i>Tyre be, free among the dead, set in
the lower parts of the earth,</i> humbled, mortified, reduced. It
shall be <i>like the places desolate of old,</i> as well as like
persons dead of old; it shall be like other cities that have
formerly been in like manner deserted and destroyed. It shall
<i>not be inhabited</i> again; none shall have the courage to
attempt the rebuilding of it upon that spot, so that <i>it shall be
no more;</i> The Tyrians shall be lost among the nations, so that
people will look in vain for Tyre in Tyre: <i>Thou shalt be sought
for, and never found again.</i> New persons may build a new city
upon a new spot of ground hard by, which they may call <i>Tyre,</i>
but Tyre, as it is, shall never be any more. Note, The strongest
cities in this world, the best-fortified and best-furnished, are
subject to decay, and may in a little time be brought to nothing.
In the history of our own island many cities are spoken of as in
being when the Romans were here which now our antiquaries scarcely
know where to look for, and of which there remains no more evidence
than Roman urns and coins digged up there sometimes accidentally.
But in the other world we look for a city that shall stand for ever
and flourish in perfection through all the ages of eternity.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p12" shownumber="no">3. See what a distress the inhabitants of
Tyre are in (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p12.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.15" parsed="|Ezek|26|15|0|0" passage="Eze 26:15"><i>v.</i>
15</scripRef>): <i>There is a great slaughter made in the midst of
thee,</i> many slain, and great men. It is probable that, when the
city was taken, the generality of the inhabitants were put to the
sword. Then did <i>the wounded cry,</i> and they cried in vain, to
the pitiless conquerors; they cried <i>quarter,</i> but it would
not be given them; the wounded are <i>slain</i> without mercy, or,
rather, that is the only mercy that is shown them, that the second
blow shall rid them out of their pain.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p13" shownumber="no">4. See what a consternation all the
neighbours are in upon the fall of Tyre. This is elegantly
expressed here, to show how astonishing it should be. (1.) the
<i>islands</i> shall <i>shake at the sound of thy fall</i>
(<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.15" parsed="|Ezek|26|15|0|0" passage="Eze 26:15"><i>v.</i> 15</scripRef>), as, when a
great merchant breaks, all that he deals with are shocked by it,
and begin to look about them; perhaps they had effects in his
hands, which they are afraid they shall lose. Or, when they see one
fail and become bankrupt of a sudden, in debt a great deal more
than he is worth, it makes them afraid for themselves, lest they
should do so too. Thus <i>the isles,</i> which thought themselves
safe in the embraces of the sea, when they see Tyrus fall, shall
<i>tremble</i> and <i>be troubled,</i> saying, "What will become of
us?" And it is well if they make this good use of it, to take
warning by it not to be secure, but to stand in awe of God and his
judgments. The sudden fall of a great tower shakes the ground round
about it; thus all the islands in the Mediterranean Sea shall feel
themselves sensibly touched by the destruction of Tyre, it being a
place they had so much knowledge of, such interests in, and such a
constant correspondence with. (2.) The <i>princes of the sea</i>
shall be affected with it, who ruled in those islands. Or the rich
merchants, who live like princes (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.23.8" parsed="|Isa|23|8|0|0" passage="Isa 23:8">Isa.
xxiii. 8</scripRef>), and the masters of ships, who command like
princes, these shall condole the fall of Tyre in a most
compassionate and pathetic manner (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.3" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.16" parsed="|Ezek|26|16|0|0" passage="Eze 26:16"><i>v.</i> 16</scripRef>): <i>They shall come down from
their thrones,</i> as neglecting the business of their thrones and
despising the pomp of them. They shall <i>lay away their robes</i>
of state, <i>their broidered garments,</i> and shall <i>clothe
themselves</i> all over with <i>tremblings,</i> with sackcloth that
will make them shiver. Or they shall by their own act and deed make
themselves to tremble upon this occasion; they shall <i>sit upon
the ground</i> in shame and sorrow; they shall <i>tremble every
moment</i> at the thought of what has happened to Tyre, and for
fear of what may happen to themselves; for what island is safe if
Tyre be not? They shall <i>take up a lamentation for thee,</i>
shall have elegies and mournful poems penned upon the fall of Tyre,
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.4" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.17" parsed="|Ezek|26|17|0|0" passage="Eze 26:17"><i>v.</i> 17</scripRef>. <i>How art
thou destroyed!</i> [1.] It shall be a great surprise to them, and
they shall be affected with wonder, that a place so well fortified
by nature and art, so famed for politics and so full of money,
which is the sinews of war, that held out so long and with so much
bravery, should be taken at last (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.5" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.21" parsed="|Ezek|26|21|0|0" passage="Eze 26:21"><i>v.</i> 21</scripRef>): <i>I make thee a terror.</i>
Note, It is just with God to make those a terror to their
neighbours, by the suddenness and strangeness of their punishment,
who make themselves a terror to their neighbours by the abuse of
their power. Tyre had <i>caused her terror</i> (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.6" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.17" parsed="|Ezek|26|17|0|0" passage="Eze 26:17"><i>v.</i> 17</scripRef>) and now is made a terrible
example. [2.] It shall be a great affliction to them, and they
shall be affected with sorrow (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.7" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.17" parsed="|Ezek|26|17|0|0" passage="Eze 26:17"><i>v.</i> 17</scripRef>); they shall <i>take up a
lamentation for Tyre,</i> as thinking it a thousand pities that
such a rich and splendid city should be thus laid in ruins. When
Jerusalem, the holy city, was destroyed, there were no such
lamentations for it; it was <i>nothing</i> to <i>those that passed
by</i> (<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p13.8" osisRef="Bible:Lam.1.12" parsed="|Lam|1|12|0|0" passage="La 1:12">Lam. i. 12</scripRef>); but
when Tyre, the trading city, fell, it was universally bemoaned.
Note, Those who have the world in their hearts lament the loss of
great men more than the loss of good men. [3.] It shall be a loud
alarm to them: <i>They shall tremble in the day of thy fall,</i>
because they shall have reason to think that their own turn will be
next. If Tyre fall, who can stand? <i>Howl, fir-trees, if such a
cedar be shaken.</i> Note, The fall of others should awaken us out
of our security. The death or decay of others in the world is a
check to us, when we dream that our mountain <i>stands strongly and
shall not be moved.</i></p>
<p class="indent" id="Ez.xxvii-p14" shownumber="no">5. See how the irreparable ruin of Tyre is
aggravated by the prospect of the restoration of Israel. Thus shall
Tyre sink <i>when I shall set glory in the land of the living,</i>
<scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.20" parsed="|Ezek|26|20|0|0" passage="Eze 26:20"><i>v.</i> 20</scripRef>. Note, (1.)
The holy land is the <i>land of the living;</i> for none but holy
souls are properly living souls. Where living sacrifices are
offered to the living God, and where the lively oracles are, there
<i>the land of the living</i> is; there David hoped to <i>see the
goodness of the Lord,</i> <scripRef id="Ez.xxvii-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.27.13" parsed="|Ps|27|13|0|0" passage="Ps 27:13">Ps. xxvii.
13</scripRef>. That was a type of heaven, which is indeed the
<i>land of the living.</i> (2.) Though this land of the living may
for a time lie under disgrace, yet God will again <i>set glory</i>
in it; the glory that had departed shall return, and the
restoration of what they had been deprived of shall be so much more
their glory. God will himself be the glory of the lands that are
the lands of the living. (3.) It will aggravate the misery of those
that have their portion in the land of the dying, of those that are
for ever dying, to behold the happiness of those, at the same time,
that shall have their everlasting portion in the land of the
living. When the rich man was himself in torment he saw Lazarus in
the bosom of Abraham, and glory set for him in the land of the
living.</p>
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