They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The destruction isn't just about loss of riches and buildings, but the complete dispersal and disposal of the city's very substance – its stones, timber, and even dust – thrown into the water. This signifies not just conquest, but utter obliteration, leaving nothing intact to rebuild from.
They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Tyre, the wealthy island city, is facing God's judgment for its pride and its joy in the downfall of Jerusalem. After predicting its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, the prophecy now broadens to describe a more complete demolition. This devastation won't just be about plunder; their beloved buildings and possessions will be utterly ruined and cast into the sea.
Tyre was a city of immense wealth and beauty, a hub of global trade. But their success bred a dangerous pride that caught God's attention.
Ezekiel's prophecy paints a vivid picture of Tyre's downfall. The plunder of their riches and merchandise, the destruction of their beautiful homes – this wasn't just a military defeat, but a divine judgment. Their prosperity, built on commerce and worldly wisdom, ultimately became the very thing that was looted and destroyed. This serves as a stark reminder that material wealth and worldly success, when they become our idols, can lead to utter devastation.
From Desired to Destroyed
The text mentions "pleasant houses" or "houses of desire." These weren't just ordinary homes; they were the opulent palaces and luxurious residences of Tyre's elite, reflecting their immense wealth and status. When these are destroyed, it signifies the complete dismantling of their societal structure and the crushing of their worldly pride.
The destruction of Tyre wasn't confined to its walls; its very foundation was dismantled and cast into the sea. What does this dramatic imagery reveal about God's judgment?
The prophecy culminates in a powerful, almost unbelievable image: the stones, timber, and dust of Tyre being cast into the sea. This wasn't just a metaphor for destruction; historical accounts, particularly regarding Alexander the Great's siege, describe how the ruins of old Tyre were used to build a causeway to attack the island city. The city's own building materials became the instrument of its final demise, thrown into the waters that had once facilitated its trade and prosperity.
A Thorough Eradication
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Casting the rubble into the water signifies a complete and utter demolition, leaving nothing behind. It's a picture of God's judgment being absolute and irreversible, ensuring that what He has judged is thoroughly removed and rendered unusable.
Ezekiel's prophecy paints a vivid picture of Tyre's utter destruction, a fate met not just by Nebuchadnezzar's conquest, but progressively over centuries by subsequent conquerors, fulfilling the word of the Lord in dramatic and layered ways.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians conquer Jerusalem and destroy the Temple, leading to the exile of many Judeans. This event is fresh in the minds of Ezekiel and his audience.
c. 585 BC
Siege of Tyre begins
Nebuchadnezzar begins a lengthy siege of the island city of Tyre, aiming to break its economic and strategic power. The siege lasts for 13 years, a testament to Tyre's formidable defenses and independent spirit.
c. 573 BC— this verse
Tyre falls to Babylonians
After a grueling 13-year siege, Nebuchadnezzar finally conquers Tyre. The city is devastated, its wealth plundered, and its structures largely destroyed, fulfilling aspects of Ezekiel's prophecy.
332 BC
Alexander the Great conquers Tyre
Alexander the Great lays siege to Tyre. To reach the island city, he builds a massive causeway using the rubble and stones from the mainland ruins of Old Tyre, directly fulfilling the prophecy of stones and timber cast into the sea.
c. AD 639
Tyre conquered by Saracens
Tyre, having changed hands many times, is conquered by the advancing Islamic empire, marking another significant shift in its history.
AD 1124
Crusaders recapture Tyre
During the Crusades, Tyre is retaken by Christian forces, becoming an important port for the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
AD 1289
Mamluks destroy Tyre
The Mamluk Sultan of Egypt sacks and razes Tyre to prevent it from serving as a Christian stronghold, further contributing to its ruin.
This passage describes the lament over the fall of a great commercial city, echoing Ezekiel's prophecy of plunder and the destruction of wealth and desirable goods.
Isaiah 23:1This chapter also prophesies against Tyre, highlighting its pride and commercial dominance, and setting the stage for the devastating judgment described in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 26:4This verse directly parallels the prophecy of Tyre's destruction, specifically mentioning the casting of stones and ruins into the sea, reinforcing the thoroughness of the judgment.
Matthew 7:24-27Jesus uses the imagery of building a house on sand versus rock to illustrate the consequence of disobedience versus obedience, a concept that resonates with the ultimate ruin of a city built on its own perceived strength and wealth.
Luke 16:10-13This passage warns against serving both God and wealth, highlighting how an excessive focus on riches, as Tyre's was, can lead to spiritual bankruptcy and ultimately, destruction.
gillEzekiel 26:12: "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."
And they shall make a spoil of thy riches,.... The Chaldean army, when they entered the city, and got possession of it, would plunder it, and divide the riches of it among them: and make a prey of thy merchandise; of the merchants' goods, laid up i…
ellicottEzekiel 26:12: "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."
(12) They shall make. —In Ezekiel 26:12 the nominative changes. It is no longer Nebuchadnezzar who does these things, but “they.” This may intimate that the prophet’s vision now again passes beyond the immediate future to the long succession of cal…
The destruction isn't just about loss of riches and buildings, but the complete dispersal and disposal of the city's very substance – its stones, timber, and even dust – thrown into the water. This signifies not just conquest, but utter obliteration, leaving nothing intact to rebuild from.
Tyre, the wealthy island city, is facing God's judgment for its pride and its joy in the downfall of Jerusalem. After predicting its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, the prophecy now broadens to describe a more complete demolition. This devastation won't just be about plunder; their beloved buildings and possessions will be utterly ruined and cast into the sea.
Tyre, the wealthy island city, is facing God's judgment for its pride and its joy in the downfall of Jerusalem. After predicting its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, the prophecy now broadens to describe a more complete demolition. This devastation won't just be about plunder; their beloved buildings and possessions will be utterly ruined and cast into the sea.
"They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters." — The destruction isn't just about loss of riches and buildings, but the complete dispersal and disposal of the city's very substance – its stones, timber, and even dust – thrown into the water. This s…
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Last reviewed October 2026