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 thee? 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 every moment, and be astonished at thee. And 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! Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. For 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. 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; 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 (verses 15-21).
The isles and the princes of the sea were deeply affected by her fall and overthrow. The princes came down from their thrones and laid away their robes and trembled at every moment. The lamentation they took up is on account of the destruction of the renowned city. In Revelation xviii we have a similar lament over the final Babylon, the end in judgment of a godless, materialistic civilization. (See Rev. xviii:9-19). Verses 19-20 give a description of the descent of Tyre into the pit. "When I shall make thee desolate, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep unto thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 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." The last sentence, which is a promise of glory, can only refer to the coming glory of the earthly Zion, the glory in store for Israel. Boasting, proud Tyrus is laid in the dust; her site completely blotted out. Other nations who hate Israel and continue in the wickedness of those ancient nations will also be broken to pieces, but Zion has a future of glory. When the time of the judgment of the nations comes God will set glory in Israel's land through the coming of the King of Glory. We have already pointed out the literal and startling fulfilment of the last verse of this chapter.
GLORIOUS TYRUS AND HER FALL.
Chapter xxvii.
"The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus." It is an interesting description of the world-wide commerce and glory of this once-proud world-city, which is given in this chapter. "Sic transit gloria mundi"—thus passeth the glory of the world; nothing but ruins instead of the wicked mistress of the sea; yea, her very site is no longer known. And what her glory was and how it passed away under divine displeasure is made known through the inspired prophet. Ezekiel certainly never saw Tyrus, nor did he have probably any knowledge of her grandeur, her great wealth and far-reaching commerce. But he was Jehovah's mouthpiece who put into his lips and pen all these words.
I. The Glory of Tyrus.
The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Now, thou Son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus. And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, "I am of perfect beauty." Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim. Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elisha was that which covered thee. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee, they set forth thy comeliness. The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect (verses 3-15).
The great city had her situation at the entry of the sea and was the trader for the people of many isles. Lifted up with pride, the powerful city boasted of perfect beauty. "O Tyrus, thou has said, I am of perfect beauty." Beginning with the fourth verse, we have a description of her as a monster ship. The borders in the midst of the seas, the builders perfecting her beauty. The shipboards, the masts and the oars from the oaks of Bashan are mentioned. The Ashurites made benches of ivory for this ship; the ivory was brought from the isles of Chittim (Cyprus, etc.). Fine linen and broidered work from Egypt she spread for sail. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were the sailors and her wise men pilots. It is all in the form of an allegory. Tyrus also had an army gathered from different nations.
Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. The merchandise of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants. These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas (verses 16-25).
The commerce of Tyrus is next vividly described. The description begins with Tarshish, then of great renown, and ends with mentioning the ships of Tarshish. And what are the articles of commerce mentioned? Silver, iron, tin, lead, slaves, vessels of brass, horses and mules. Then there were horns of ivory and ebony; emeralds, purple and broidered work, fine linen, coral and agate. Wheat of Minni and Pannag, honey, oil and balm; wine of Helbon and white wool. Then follow other articles of commerce: bright iron, cassia, calamus and precious cloths for chariots. They also traded in live stock: lambs and rams, and goats, besides spices, precious stones, gold chests of rich apparel, etc. Thus she was replenished and made glorious in the midst of the seas. Another world-city or system is described in the last book of the Bible, Babylon the great; the articles of her world-wide commerce are also given (Rev. xviii:12-13); it is much like the commerce of ancient Tyrus. Tyrus is a picture of a great world-city: rich, increased in goods, enjoying prosperity and filled with pride. As she passed away with all her glory, so others have crumbled into dust. Equally so will this present Godless civilization, culminating in Babylon the great, pass away under the judgment-stroke of God (Rev. xviii:15-19).