In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
English Standard Version (ESV)
This prophecy lands in the very same year Jerusalem fell, a stark reminder that God's judgment often unfolds on a timeline that connects the fates of nations. The fact that the specific month is omitted, yet the day is marked, subtly highlights that the timing was divinely known and significant, even if human records left it vague.
In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophecy begins in the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, the very year Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Tyre, the wealthy coastal city, had rejoiced at Jerusalem's destruction, likely feeling secure in its own strength and isolation. This message from the Lord comes to Ezekiel shortly after Jerusalem's fall, targeting Tyre for its arrogant gloating and predicting a devastating siege and downfall for the proud city.
Why does the Bible give us such specific dates for God's messages? It's not just for historical record-keeping. There's a deeper significance to these precise moments.
A Date with Destiny
Ezekiel 26:1 pinpoints a specific day: "In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month." This wasn't just a random Tuesday. This eleventh year was the same year Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The city's destruction and its aftermath were fresh, raw wounds.
The Context of Calamity
This precision in God's timing isn't just about history; it's about revealing His sovereign hand at work, especially when human arrogance reaches its peak.
How did God communicate with His prophets? It wasn't a gentle whisper or a vague feeling. When God spoke, it was an event.
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The Unmistakable Arrival of Divine Truth
The phrase "the word of the LORD came to me" is a powerful declaration. It signifies a direct, authoritative communication from God Himself.
More Than Just Information
In a world often filled with conflicting messages and uncertain voices, the biblical narrative insists that God speaks clearly and powerfully through His chosen messengers.
This prophecy lands squarely in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction. Tyre's arrogant celebration of Judah's misery is the immediate trigger for God's judgment upon them.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonians breach the walls of Jerusalem, marking a devastating blow to the Kingdom of Judah and its people.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Tyre rejoices over Jerusalem's fall
The prosperous island city of Tyre, a significant trading power, likely celebrated Jerusalem's downfall, seeing it as a strategic advantage and perhaps a sign of their own invincibility.
c. 585 BC
Ezekiel prophesies against Tyre
The word of the LORD comes to Ezekiel, announcing a coming judgment upon Tyre for its pride and its gloating over Jerusalem's ruin.
c. 585 BC
Nebuchadnezzar begins siege of Tyre
The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II commences a lengthy siege against the island fortress of Tyre, a challenging military campaign.
c. 573 BC
Tyre falls to Nebuchadnezzar
After a grueling 13-year siege, Nebuchadnezzar finally conquers the mainland portion of Tyre, though the island city likely continued to resist for some time.
This passage shares the prophecy against Edom, which, like Tyre, is rebuked for its pride and for rejoicing over the downfall of others, highlighting a consistent theme of divine judgment against arrogance.
Isaiah 23:1-14This chapter also details prophecies against Tyre, focusing on its pride, immense wealth, and the judgment that will come upon it, echoing the message in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 25:1-7This passage immediately precedes the prophecy against Tyre and deals with judgments against the Ammonites, demonstrating Ezekiel's role in delivering messages from God against various nations that opposed Israel or rejoiced in its suffering.
Ezekiel 24:1-2This verse, dated just before the prophecy against Tyre, shows God's word coming to Ezekiel concerning the final destruction of Jerusalem, setting the immediate context for Tyre's rejoicing and subsequent judgment.
Luke 10:13-15Jesus uses the example of Tyre and Sidon, cities that experienced powerful miracles but still did not repent, to pronounce judgment, showing the historical reality of Tyre's spiritual state and God's reckoning.
barnesEzekiel 26:1: "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,"
Prophecies against Tyre. The siege of Tyre lasted thirteen years beginning 585 b.c., about three years after the capture of Jerusalem. While besieging Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar had driven Pharaoh Hophra back to the borders of Egypt. Tyre being thus relieved from a dangerous enemy, was exulting in her own deliverance, and in her neighbor's ruin, when Ezekiel pr…
gillEzekiel 26:1: "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,"
And it came to pass in the eleventh year,.... Of Jehoiachin's captivity and Zedekiah's reign, the same year that Jerusalem was taken: in the first day of the month; but what month is not mentioned; some have thought the first month, and so it was the first day of the year; others the fourth, the same in which the city of Jerusalem was taken; but more probably…
This prophecy lands in the very same year Jerusalem fell, a stark reminder that God's judgment often unfolds on a timeline that connects the fates of nations. The fact that the specific month is omitted, yet the day is marked, subtly highlights that the timing was divinely known and significant, even if human records left it vague.
The prophecy begins in the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, the very year Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Tyre, the wealthy coastal city, had rejoiced at Jerusalem's destruction, likely feeling secure in its own strength and isolation. This message from the Lord comes to Ezekiel shortly after Jerusalem's fall, targeting Tyre for its arrogant gloating and predicting a devastating siege and downfall for the proud city.
The prophecy begins in the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, the very year Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Tyre, the wealthy coastal city, had rejoiced at Jerusalem's destruction, likely feeling secure in its own strength and isolation. This message from the Lord comes to Ezekiel shortly after Jerusalem's fall, targeting Tyre for its arrogant gloating and predicting a devastating siege and downfall for the proud city.
"In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:" — This prophecy lands in the very same year Jerusalem fell, a stark reminder that God's judgment often unfolds on a timeline that connects the fates of nations. The fact that the specific month is omit…
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Last reviewed October 2026