Ezekiel 27: The Shipwreck of Splendor
In a haunting lament, Tyre is pictured as a magnificent merchant ship that sinks in the heart of the seas, taking all her glory down with her.
Ezekiel 27 (WEB)
1 Yahweh’s word came again to me, saying,
2 You, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre;
3 and tell Tyre, you who dwell at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, thus says the Lord Yahweh: You, Tyre, have said, I am perfect in beauty.
4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.
5 They have made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
6 Of the oaks of Bashan have they made your oars; they have made your benches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the islands of Kittim.
7 Of fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, that it might be to you for a banner; blue and purple from the islands of Elishah was your awning.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers: your wise men, Tyre, were in you, they were your pilots.
9 The old men of Gebal and the wise men of it were in you your repairers of ship seams: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to deal in your merchandise.
10 Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in you; they showed your beauty.
11 The men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around, and valorous men were in your towers; they hanged their shields on your walls all around; they have perfected your beauty.
12 Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded for your wares.
13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your traffickers; they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass for your merchandise.
14 They of the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses and war horses and mules.
15 The men of Dedan were your traffickers; many islands were the market of your hand: they brought you in exchange horns of ivory and ebony.
16 Syria was your merchant by reason of the multitude of your handiworks: they traded for your wares with emeralds, purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and rubies.
17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were your traffickers: they traded for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, and confections, and honey, and oil, and balm.
18 Damascus was your merchant for the multitude of your handiworks, by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
19 Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for your wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among your merchandise.
20 Dedan was your trafficker in precious cloths for riding.
21 Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of your hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they your merchants.
22 The traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were your traffickers; they traded for your wares with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were your traffickers.
24 These were your traffickers in choice wares, in wrappings of blue and embroidered work, and in chests of rich clothing, bound with cords and made of cedar, among your merchandise.
25 The ships of Tarshish were your caravans for your merchandise: and you were replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas.
26 Your rowers have brought you into great waters: the east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas.
27 Your riches, and your wares, your merchandise, your mariners, and your pilots, your repairers of ship seams, and the dealers in your merchandise, and all your men of war, who are in you, with all your company which is in your midst, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of your ruin.
28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots the suburbs shall shake.
29 All who handled the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships; they shall stand on the land,
30 and shall cause their voice to be heard over you, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust on their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
31 and they shall make themselves bald for you, and clothe them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for you in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning.
32 In their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for you, and lament over you, saying, Who is there like Tyre, like her who is brought to silence in the midst of the sea?
33 When your wares went out of the seas, you filled many peoples; you enriched the kings of the earth with the multitude of your riches and of your merchandise.
34 In the time that you were broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, your merchandise and all your company fell in your midst.
35 All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at you, and their kings are horribly afraid; they are troubled in their face.
36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you are become a terror, and you shall nevermore have any being.
Ezekiel 27 (KJV)
1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
3 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.
4 Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
5 They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.
6 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.
7 Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.
8 The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.
9 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.
10 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.
11 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.
12 Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.
13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
14 They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 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.
19 Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.
20 Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.
21 Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.
22 The merchants 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.
23 Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants.
24 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.
25 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.
26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.
27 Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.
28 The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.
29 And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land;
30 And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
31 And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
32 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33 When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.
34 In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.
35 All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.
36 The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
Ezekiel 27 (ASV)
1 The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying,
2 And thou, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre;
3 and say unto Tyre, O thou that dwellest at the entry of the sea, that art the merchant of the peoples unto many isles, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou, O Tyre, hast said, I am perfect in beauty.
4 Thy borders are in the heart of the seas; thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
5 They have made all thy planks of fir-trees from Senir; they have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for thee.
6 Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; they have made thy benches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the isles of Kittim.
7 Of fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy sail, that it might be to thee for an ensign; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were thy rowers: thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots.
9 The old men 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 deal in thy merchandise.
10 Persia and Lud and Put were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.
11 The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and valorous men were in thy towers; they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have perfected thy beauty.
12 Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded for thy wares.
13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers; they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass for thy merchandise.
14 They of the house of Togarmah traded for thy wares with horses and war-horses and mules.
15 The men of Dedan were thy traffickers; many isles were the mart of thy hand: they brought thee in exchange horns of ivory and ebony.
16 Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of thy handiworks: they traded for thy wares with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and rubies.
17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy traffickers: they traded for thy merchandise wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.
18 Damascus was thy merchant for the multitude of thy handiworks, by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
19 Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among thy merchandise.
20 Dedan was thy trafficker in precious cloths for riding.
21 Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of thy hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they thy merchants.
22 The traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy traffickers; they traded for thy wares with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were thy traffickers.
24 These were thy traffickers in choice wares, in wrappings of blue and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.
25 The ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas.
26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas.
27 Thy riches, and thy wares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the dealers in thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, with all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy ruin.
28 At the sound of the cry of thy pilots the suburbs shall shake.
29 And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships; they shall stand upon the land,
30 and shall cause their voice to be heard over thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads; they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
31 and they shall make themselves bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning.
32 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, Who is there like Tyre, like her that is brought to silence in the midst of the sea?
33 When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many peoples; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.
34 In the time that thou wast broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company did fall in the midst of thee.
35 All the inhabitants of the isles are astonished at thee, and their kings are horribly afraid; they are troubled in their countenance.
36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.
Summary
Ezekiel is told to take up a lamentation over Tyre, and he does so with a richly detailed poem. Tyre is pictured as a magnificent ship, the merchant of the peoples, boasting “I am perfect in beauty.” The poet describes her construction from the finest materials of the world: planks of fir from Senir, a cedar mast from Lebanon, oars of oak from Bashan, a deck inlaid with ivory, sails of embroidered Egyptian linen, and awnings of blue and purple. Skilled rowers, pilots, and caulkers from the coastal cities crew her, and soldiers from distant nations hang their shields on her walls. Then comes a long catalogue of her trading partners—Tarshish, Javan, Tubal, Damascus, Sheba, and many more—who bring silver, iron, horses, ivory, emeralds, wine, wool, spices, and gold, making her glorious in the heart of the seas. But the lament turns: her rowers have brought her into deep waters, and the east wind breaks her in the heart of the seas. All her riches, her mariners, and her vast company sink in the day of her ruin. The pilots cry out, sailors mourn with dust on their heads, and the merchants of the nations hiss in horror that the renowned city has become a terror and is no more.
Key Figures
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who commands the lament and stands behind the east wind that wrecks the proud ship, sovereign over the wealth and ruin of the nations.
- Tyre, the great ship — The merchant city pictured as a magnificent vessel, boasting “I am perfect in beauty,” crafted from the riches of the world and crewed by the nations.
- The trading nations — Tarshish, Javan, Sheba, Damascus, and many more who filled Tyre with silver, gold, spices, and goods, enriching her until she sank in the seas.
- The mariners and merchants — The pilots, rowers, and traders who cry out, cast dust on their heads, and mourn in bitter astonishment as the glorious ship goes down.
Key Verse
Ezekiel 27:3 (WEB)
and tell Tyre, you who dwell at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, thus says the Lord Yahweh: You, Tyre, have said, I am perfect in beauty.
Lessons Learned
- Boasting in our own beauty and achievement sets us up for a fall.
- Riches gathered from all the world cannot keep us afloat when judgment comes.
- Human glory, however dazzling, is fragile and quickly lost.
- The same things that make us proud can become the very weight that sinks us.
- Pride sets the stage for ruin. Tyre boasts, “I am perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 27:3, WEB). Self-glorying confidence in our own splendor is a warning sign, not a strength.
- Accumulated wealth offers no rescue. Tyre was “replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas” (Ezekiel 27:25, WEB), yet all of it sinks in the day of her ruin. Treasure cannot ransom us.
- Earthly glory is perishable. “The east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas” (Ezekiel 27:26, WEB). What looks magnificent can be undone in a moment by forces we cannot control.
- The collapse of pride brings widespread grief. Merchants and mariners “cry bitterly” and mourn over Tyre (Ezekiel 27:30-32, WEB). When we build our lives on what perishes, its loss leaves only lament.
- How does the image of Tyre as a glorious ship capture both her splendor and her vulnerability?
- Why do you think Ezekiel spends so long listing all of Tyre's trading partners and goods?
- What is the significance of Tyre's boast, “I am perfect in beauty” (27:3)?
- How does the long buildup of wealth make the sudden sinking of the ship more striking?
- What “cargo” are you tempted to glory in, and how would you feel if it were suddenly lost?
- A ship is beautiful, powerful, and the source of Tyre's wealth—yet it is also utterly at the mercy of the sea. The image lets the prophet display all the city's grandeur while reminding the hearer that one storm, sent by God, can send it all to the bottom.
- The exhaustive catalogue of partners and goods (27:12-24) shows just how vast and central Tyre was to the world's commerce. The sheer accumulation magnifies the tragedy: all this glory, gathered from every nation, sinks at once, underscoring the emptiness of trusting in riches.
- The boast reveals a heart that has made an idol of its own splendor. Help the group see that crediting our beauty, success, or wealth to ourselves invites the very humbling God brings to the proud, and that all true beauty is a gift to be held with thanks, not boasting.
- Verse after verse piles up the ship's riches and renown, so that when the east wind strikes and she sinks “in the heart of the seas” (27:26-27), the reversal is total and shocking. The structure itself preaches: the higher the pile of glory, the greater the fall.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to name, perhaps silently, the achievements or possessions they most identify with, and to consider how loosely or tightly they hold them. Encourage them to anchor their worth in God's love rather than in perishable cargo.