In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: ‘Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights how the very sea that was Tyre's source of wealth and security becomes the symbol of its utter destruction. What once lifted them up now signifies their complete downfall, a stark reversal where their greatest asset becomes their grave.
In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: ‘Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel's prophecy has detailed Tyre's immense wealth and power, built on trade and seafaring, but now describes its utter destruction through divine judgment. This verse marks the transition from describing the fall to the actual lamentation sung by those witnessing the catastrophe. The lament itself emphasizes the unparalleled rise and now equally unparalleled fall of Tyre, turning its maritime strength into its grave.
Imagine a city so magnificent, so wealthy, that its fall is unlike anything the world has ever seen. Ezekiel describes just such a moment.
The lament over Tyre in Ezekiel 27:32 isn't just a sad song; it's a profound statement of unparalleled loss. The question, 'Who is like Tyre?' echoes throughout the chapter, emphasizing that no other city, in its glory or its destruction, could compare.
A City Built on the Waves
Tyre was an island city, a powerhouse of trade and luxury. Its very location, surrounded by the sea, was both its strength and its vulnerability. This sea, which brought it riches, ultimately became the agent of its complete destruction.
The Ultimate Fall
This wasn't just a political defeat or an economic downturn. It was a total annihilation. The text highlights the stark contrast: Tyre, once full of life, song, and bustling commerce, is now silent, 'destroyed in the midst of the sea.' Its former glory makes its present ruin all the more shocking.
Grief has a way of transforming sound, turning shouts of joy into cries of sorrow. The fall of Tyre prompts this dramatic shift.
Ezekiel paints a vivid picture of the aftermath of Tyre's destruction. The people's immediate, raw reaction is 'wailing' – a visceral expression of shock and pain.
The Art of Grief
But this raw emotion soon takes shape. The wailing turns into a 'lamentation,' a structured song of mourning. This wasn't just random crying; it was a formal expression of grief, a song passed from person to person, meant to capture the magnitude of their loss. It’s like a funeral dirge, but for an entire city.
Ask a follow-up
A Silent City's Echo
The lament asks, 'What city is like Tyre?' The implication is that Tyre, once a center of vibrant activity and music, is now utterly silent. The joy is gone, replaced by the echo of its own destruction. The sea that once carried songs of trade now holds the silence of ruin.
Understand the original words
qinah · Hebrew Noun
A formal song, cry, or poem expressing profound grief, typically for the dead or for the fall of a city or nation. It reflects the community's acknowledgment of a catastrophic loss.
dumah · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
A person or entity brought to ruin or rendered desolate; it often carries the nuance of divine judgment where something once proud is brought down to nothing.
Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre, describing its utter destruction and the world's astonishment, directly addresses the lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful siege by Nebuchadnezzar II, a defining crisis for the city's independence and pride.
c. 1200 BC
Ancient Phoenician City-States Flourish
Tyre, a major Phoenician city, rises to prominence as a vital maritime trading power, known for its wealth, influence, and skilled sailors.
722 BC
Assyrian Empire's Dominance
The powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire exerts significant influence over Phoenicia, though Tyre, with its island stronghold, often resisted direct rule.
c. 664–612 BC
Tyre Resists Assyrian and Babylonian Pressure
Tyre continues to be a major economic force, navigating the shifting powers of the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Empires.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon
The Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, a major event in the region, further solidifies Nebuchadnezzar II's power and the empire's dominance.
585–573 BC— this verse
Nebuchadnezzar II's Siege of Tyre
King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon lays siege to mainland Tyre for 13 years in an attempt to conquer the wealthy city. The city ultimately withstands the siege, though it likely suffers greatly.
c. 573 BC
Tyre Submits to Babylon
Following the prolonged siege, Tyre submits to Babylonian authority, marking a significant shift in its political status and economic independence.
c. 332 BC
Alexander the Great Conquers Tyre
Alexander the Great conquers Tyre after a determined seven-month siege, building a causeway to reach the island city and destroying it in the process.
This passage echoes the lament over Babylon, another great commercial center that falls, emphasizing the theme of lost glory and the shock of such a mighty city's destruction.
Jeremiah 51:7Similar to Ezekiel's lament for Tyre, Jeremiah foretells the downfall of Babylon, describing it as a 'golden cup' that the whole earth drank from, highlighting the idea of a once-powerful entity bringing ruin upon itself.
Isaiah 23:1This earlier prophecy against Tyre sets the stage by describing its former splendor and foretelling its eventual destruction, creating a narrative arc that Ezekiel's lament concludes.
Ezekiel 28:12While this passage describes the fall of the Prince of Tyre, it uses similar language of lament and emphasizes the perfection and subsequent fall from grace, mirroring the broader theme of judgment on prideful power.
clarkeEzekiel 27:32: "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?"
What city is like Tyrus - This, to the end of the chapter, is the lamentation.
pulpitEzekiel 27:32: "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?"
Verse 32. - As in other instances of extreme sorrow, the inarticulate signs of grief pass after a time into spoken words. What city is like Tyrus, etc.? What parallel can be found in the world's history, either for her magnificence or her fall? The shipwreck of her fortunes (we are still in the region of the prophet's…
The verse highlights how the very sea that was Tyre's source of wealth and security becomes the symbol of its utter destruction. What once lifted them up now signifies their complete downfall, a stark reversal where their greatest asset becomes their grave.
Ezekiel's prophecy has detailed Tyre's immense wealth and power, built on trade and seafaring, but now describes its utter destruction through divine judgment. This verse marks the transition from describing the fall to the actual lamentation sung by those witnessing the catastrophe. The lament itself emphasizes the unparalleled rise and now equally unparalleled fall of Tyre, turning its maritime strength into its grave.
Ezekiel's prophecy has detailed Tyre's immense wealth and power, built on trade and seafaring, but now describes its utter destruction through divine judgment. This verse marks the transition from describing the fall to the actual lamentation sung by those witnessing the catastrophe. The lament itself emphasizes the unparalleled rise and now equally unparalleled fall of Tyre, turning its maritime strength into its grave.
"In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: ‘Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?" — The verse highlights how the very sea that was Tyre's source of wealth and security becomes the symbol of its utter destruction. What once lifted them up now signifies their complete downfall, a star…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026