New Living Translation
Ezekiel 26:17
17Then they will wail for you, singing this funeral song: “O famous island city, once ruler of the sea, how you have been destroyed! Your people, with their naval power, once spread fear around the world.
Ezekiel 26:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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!
- New International Version (NIV)Then they will take up a lament concerning you and say to you: “ ‘How you are destroyed, city of renown, peopled by men of the sea! You were a power on the seas, you and your citizens; you put your terror on all who lived there.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you, "'How you have perished, you who were inhabited from the seas, O city renowned, who was mighty on the sea; she and her inhabitants imposed their terror on all her inhabitants!
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they will take up a lamentation for you, and say to you: “How you have perished, O one inhabited by seafaring men, O renowned city, Who was strong at sea, She and her inhabitants, Who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants!
Context of Ezekiel 26:17
15“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: The whole coastline will tremble at the sound of your fall, as the screams of the wounded echo in the continuing slaughter. 16All the seaport rulers will step down from their thrones and take off their royal robes and beautiful clothing. They will sit on the ground trembling with horror at your destruction. Then they will wail for you, singing this funeral song: “O famous island city, once ruler of the sea, how you have been destroyed! Your people, with their naval power, once spread fear around the world. 18Now the coastlands tremble at your fall. The islands are dismayed as you disappear. 19“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will make Tyre an uninhabited ruin, like many others. I will bury you beneath the terrible waves of enemy attack. Great seas will swallow you.
Read all of Ezekiel 26Ezekiel 26:17 word by word
וְנָשְׂא֨וּ עָלַ֤יִךְ קִינָה֙ וְאָ֣מְרוּ לָ֔ךְ אֵ֣יךְ אָבַ֔דְתְּ נוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת מִיַּמִּ֑ים הָעִ֣יר הַהֻלָּ֗לָה אֲשֶׁר֩ הָיְתָ֨ה חֲזָקָ֤ה בַיָּם֙ הִ֣יא וְיֹשְׁבֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁר־נָתְנ֥וּ חִתִּיתָ֖ם לְכָל־יוֹשְׁבֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they shall take upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
- a lamentationקִינָהqîynâh · dirgeH7015
- for thee, and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to thee, How art thou destroyedאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
- inhabitedיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- of seafaring menיָםyâm · seaH3220
- the renownedהָלַלhâlal · to boast: praiseH1984
- cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- which wast strongחָזָקchâzâq · strongH2389
- which causeנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- their terrorחִתִּיתchittîyth · terrorH2851
Cross-references for Ezekiel 26:17
- Ezekiel 19:1“Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel:
- Ezekiel 27:2“Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre,
- Ezekiel 28:12“Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.
- Ezekiel 32:2“Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message: “You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the nations, but you are really just a sea monster, heaving around in your own rivers, stirring up mud with your feet.
- Jeremiah 6:26Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap and sit among the ashes. Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son. For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you!
- Jeremiah 7:29Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains. For the Lord has rejected and forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.’
- Jeremiah 9:20Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord; open your ears to what he has to say. Teach your daughters to wail; teach one another how to lament.
- Micah 2:4In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you: “We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us. He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.”
- 2 Samuel 1:19Your pride and joy, O Israel, lies dead on the hills! Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen!
- Isaiah 14:12“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.
- Lamentations 1:1Jerusalem, once so full of people, is now deserted. She who was once great among the nations now sits alone like a widow. Once the queen of all the earth, she is now a slave.
- Joel 1:18How the animals moan with hunger! The herds of cattle wander about confused, because they have no pasture. The flocks of sheep and goats bleat in misery.
- Obadiah 1:5“If thieves came at night and robbed you (what a disaster awaits you!), they would not take everything. Those who harvest grapes always leave a few for the poor. But your enemies will wipe you out completely!
- Zephaniah 2:15This is the boisterous city, once so secure. “I am the greatest!” it boasted. “No other city can compare with me!” But now, look how it has become an utter ruin, a haven for wild animals. Everyone passing by will laugh in derision and shake a defiant fist.
- Revelation 18:9And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
- Revelation 18:16“How terrible, how terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!
Commentaries on Ezekiel 26:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Wast strong in the sea - The strength of Tyre was so great, that Alexander despaired of being able to reduce it unless he could fill up that arm of the sea that ran between it and the main land. And this work cost his army seven months of labor.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-21Verses 15-21 The effect of the fall of Tyre. Ezekiel 26:16 Clothe themselves with trembling - Mourners change their bright robes for sad garments. Ezekiel 26:17 Of seafaring men - literally, “from the seas,” i. e., occupied by men who come from the seas. Tyre was an inhabited city rising from out of the sea. Ezekiel 26:20 Compare Isaiah 14:9. The image used by Isaiah and Jeremiah of Babylon is by Ezekiel applied to Tyre, as if to show that Tyre and…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-21Verses 15-21 See how high, how great Tyre had been. See how low Tyre is made. The fall of others should awaken us out of security. Every discovery of the fulfilment of a Scripture prophecy, is like a miracle to confirm our faith. All that is earthly is vanity and vexation. Those who now have the most established prosperity, will soon be out of sight and forgotten.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18A funeral song would be sung for Tyre. This kind of song is called a lament (a song of mourning for the dead). The prophet had used this kind of song earlier (see study note on Ezekiel 19:1–14). People would repeat this funeral song from place to place. Many would mourn the fall of the great city. powerful on the sea … who imposed terror: Tyre had strong naval power (military strength at sea). Her ships traveled widely and controlled important trade…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-2115-21. The impression which the overthrow of Tyre produced on other maritime nations and upon her own colonies, for example, Utica, Carthage, and Tartessus or Tarshish in Spain. isles--maritime lands. Even mighty Carthage used to send a yearly offering to the temple of Hercules at Tyre: and the mother city gave high priests to her colonies. Hence the consternation at her fall felt in the widely scattered dependencies with which she was so closely…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries