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HarperCollins Study Bible Page 306

by Harold W. Attridge


  Proclamation against Edom

  12Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance upon them, 13therefore thus says the Lord GOD, I will stretch out my hand against Edom, and cut off from it humans and animals, and I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword. 14I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel; and they shall act in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath; and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord GOD.

  Proclamation against Philistia

  15Thus says the Lord GOD: Because with unending hostilities the Philistines acted in vengeance, and with malice of heart took revenge in destruction; 16therefore thus says the Lord GOD, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, cut off the Cherethites, and destroy the rest of the seacoast. 17I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful punishments. Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance on them.

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  a Gk Old Latin: Heb Moab and Seir

  b Heb towns from its towns

  25.1–32.32 Oracles against foreign nations. As in other books (Isa 13–23; Jer 46–51; Am 1.3–2.3; Nahum), prophets often directed oracles against nations and rulers other than Israel and Judah. Ezekiel addresses one empire, Egypt, and a number of smaller Syro-Palestinian states, Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, which form a geographic arc around Judah. Tyre (chs. 26–28) and Egypt (chs. 29–32)—and their respective kings—receive primary attention. Many of these oracles postdate the demise of Judah in 587 BCE. The punishment of other nations sets the stage for the announcements of well-being for Israel that follow.

  25.1–17 Four oracles against nations on the eastern and western flanks of Israel: Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia.

  25.1–7 Proclamation against Ammon, a nation east of the Jordan River, north of Moab. Its southern border began approximately halfway up the Dead Sea and continued for almost half the Jordan Valley between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. In 21.28, Ezekiel had already focused attention on this nation. Ammon had, in league with the Moabites and Arameans, cooperated with the Neo-Babylonians in their first major attack against Jerusalem (2 Kings 24.1–2). Later however, Ammon and Judah together attempted to withstand the Neo-Babylonians (Jer 27).

  25.3 Not Ammonite history (see note on 25.1–7), but Ammonite delight in the destruction of the temple and Judah serves as Ezekiel’s indictment.

  25.4 People of the east, encampments, tents suggest that other, though unnamed, foreign peoples—desert nomads—will destroy Ammon.

  25.5 Rabbah. See note on 21.20.

  25.8–11 Proclamation against Moab, a nation that lay south of Ammon. This and the previous oracle (vv. 1–7) are closely related. The method of punishment for Moab is the same as that of Ammon (destruction by the people of the east); Ammon is mentioned explicitly in both oracles; and Israel understood itself to stand in a kinship relation with both Ammon and Moab (Gen 19; 37–38).

  25.8 Like all the other nations. Cf. 20.32; 1 Sam 8.5. In all three texts the phrase bears a negative connotation.

  25.9 The towns. Cf. Jer 47, which also emphasizes destruction of cities and villages and not just the capital. Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, Kiriathaim, cities near Moab’s border with Israel.

  25.12–14 Proclamation against Edom, which lies next to Moab just south of the Dead Sea. As with the other nations, there was a kinship relationship to Israel, in this case through Esau (see Gen 25.23–26). Both Edom and Philistia (25.15) are indicted for taking revenge.

  25.12 Other biblical texts allude to Edomite action against Israel (Ps 137.7; Isa 34.5–17; Jer 49.7–22; Lam 4.21–22; Ob 1–14; Mal 1.2–5), which results in a particularly spiteful relationship between Judah and Edom; cf. Am 1.9.

  25.13 My hand. God will act directly with Edom, not through an intermediary as was the case with Ammon and Moab. Teman, Dedan. Locations uncertain, though Teman was probably not located on a border.

  25.14 By the hand of my people seems to stand in contrast to v. 13. On the demise of Edom, cf. 32.29.

  25.15–17 Proclamation against Philistia. Cf. Jer 47, though there is less evidence for a Philistine nation as such in the early sixth century BCE than there is for the other three territories.

  EZEKIEL 26

  Proclamation against Tyre

  1In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2Mortal, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem,

  “Aha, broken is the gateway of the peoples;

  it has swung open to me;

  I shall be replenished,

  now that it is wasted,”

  3therefore, thus says the Lord GOD:

  See, I am against you, O Tyre!

  I will hurl many nations against you,

  as the sea hurls its waves.

  4They shall destroy the walls of Tyre

  and break down its towers.

  I will scrape its soil from it

  and make it a bare rock.

  5It shall become, in the midst of the sea,

  a place for spreading nets.

  I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

  It shall become plunder for the nations,

  6and its daughter-towns in the country

  shall be killed by the sword.

  Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

  7For thus says the Lord GOD: I will bring against Tyre from the north King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, king of kings, together with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great and powerful army.

  8Your daughter-towns in the country

  he shall put to the sword.

  He shall set up a siege wall against you,

  cast up a ramp against you,

  and raise a roof of shields against you.

  9He shall direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls

  and break down your towers with his axes.

  10His horses shall be so many

  that their dust shall cover you.

  At the noise of cavalry, wheels, and chariots

  your very walls shall shake,

  when he enters your gates

  like those entering a breached city.

  11With the hoofs of his horses

  he shall trample all your streets.

  He shall put your people to the sword,

  and your strong pillars shall fall to the ground.

  12They will plunder your riches

  and loot your merchandise;

  they shall break down your walls

  and destroy your fine houses.

  Your stones and timber and soil

  they shall cast into the water.

  13I will silence the music of your songs;

  the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more.

  14I will make you a bare rock;

  you shall be a place for spreading nets.

  You shall never again be rebuilt,

  for I the LORD have spoken,

  says the Lord GOD.

  15Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: Shall not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter goes on within you? 16Then all the princes of the sea shall step down from their thrones; they shall remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They shall clothe themselves with trembling, and shall sit on the ground; they shall tremble every moment, and be appalled at you. 17And they shall raise a lamentation over you, and say to you:

  How you have vanisheda from the seas,

  O city renowned,

  once mighty on the sea,

  you and your inhabitants,b

  who imposed yourc terror

  on all the mainland!d

  18Now the coastlands tremble

  on the day of your fall;

  the coastlands by the sea

  are dismayed at your passing.

  19For thus says the Lord GOD: When I make you a city laid waste, like cities that a
re not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you, 20then I will thrust you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of long ago, and I will make you live in the world below, among primeval ruins, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you will not be inhabited or have a placee in the land of the living. 21I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more; though sought for, you will never be found again, says the Lord GOD.

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  a Gk OL Aquila: Heb have vanished, O inhabited one,

  b Heb it and its inhabitants

  c Heb their

  d Cn: Heb its inhabitants

  e Gk: Heb I will give beauty

  26.1–28.19 Pronouncements against Tyre and its rulers. Tyre was one city-state, in contrast to the larger geographic units addressed in ch. 25. Its maritime trade and geographic remove just off the Phoenician coast made it a particularly prominent city. After defeating Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre for thirteen years, though without obtaining a decisive victory (cf. 29.18). Ezekiel probably devotes so much attention to Tyre (and Egypt) because they, unlike Judah, were able to resist the instrument of God’s punishment, Nebuchadnezzar and the Neo-Babylonians.

  26.1–21 Four distinct oracles, vv. 2–6, 7–14, 15–18, 19–21, the last three of which are introduced by the same formula.

  26.1 The eleventh year, probably of King Jehoiachin (see note on 1.2), which was 587 BCE, the year in which Jerusalem fell (cf. 33.21).

  26.2–6 Indictment and sentence.

  26.2 Ezekiel quotes Tyre’s apparent delight at the destruction of Jerusalem as an indictment. Gateway, in Hebrew “gateways.” Whether singular or plural, the Tyrians refer to Judah as a commercial competitor, whose absence will enrich Tyre.

  26.3 Many nations. Cf. the singular focus on Nebuchadnezzar in vv. 7–10.

  26.5 Spreading nets. Cf. 47.10.

  26.6 Daughter-towns, those cities (especially coastal ones) in Syro-Palestine over which Tyre exerted political and economic influence.

  26.7–14 Destruction by Nebuchadrezzar.

  26.7 Nebuchadrezzar, a more correct spelling of the Akkadian name, which may be translated “May Nabu preserve my offspring” in the Bible more often “Nebuchadnezzar.” King of kings, a royal title used throughout the ancient Near East as early as the second millennium BCE.

  26.8 Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great was able to build a ramp and siege wall to conquer Tyre.

  26.13 Cf. Am 5.23.

  26.14a A repetition of imagery in the first oracle (vv. 4–5).

  26.15–18 Lament described and intoned.

  26.15 Cf. 27.26–36; 31.16.

  26.16 Princes of the sea, either a mythological allusion or a reference to rulers of other coastal city-states who begin traditional lament practices.

  26.17–18 Composed in the Hebrew qinah, or lament rhythm, this short poem emphasizes the prior and present position of Tyre vis-à-vis the seas.

  26.19–21 God proclaims to Tyre its final fate. The destruction of Tyre is viewed as a direct act of God, who manipulates the great waters, i.e., the primeval deep, against Tyre (cf. 31.4).

  26.20 The Pit, the netherworld, abode of the dead; cf. 32.17–32; Pss 63.9; 139.15; Isa 44.23. Tyrians will live in the netherworld, thus allowing for a city not inhabited. The world below. Cf. Deut 32.22; Pss 86.13; 88.6; Lam 3.55. Land of the living. Cf. 32.23–27, 32.

  EZEKIEL 27

  Lamentation over Tyre

  1The word of the LORD came to me: 2Now you, mortal, raise a lamentation over Tyre, 3and say to Tyre, which sits at the entrance to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, Thus says the Lord GOD:

  O Tyre, you have said,

  “I am perfect in beauty.”

  4Your borders are in the heart of the seas;

  your builders made perfect your beauty.

  5They made all your planks

  of fir trees from Senir;

  they took a cedar from Lebanon

  to make a mast for you.

  6From oaks of Bashan

  they made your oars;

  they made your deck of pinesa

  from the coasts of Cyprus,

  inlaid with ivory.

  7Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt

  was your sail,

  serving as your ensign;

  blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah

  was your awning.

  8The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad

  were your rowers;

  skilled men of Zemerb were within you,

  they were your pilots.

  9The elders of Gebal and its artisans were within you,

  caulking your seams;

  all the ships of the sea with their mariners were within you,

  to barter for your wares.

  10Parasc and Lud and Put

  were in your army,

  your mighty warriors;

  they hung shield and helmet in you;

  they gave you splendor.

  11Men of Arvad and Helechd

  were on your walls all around;

  men of Gamad were at your towers.

  They hung their quivers all around your walls;

  they made perfect your beauty.

  12Tarshish did business with you out of the abundance of your great wealth; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. 13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14Beth-togarmah exchanged for your wares horses, war horses, and mules. 15The Rhodianse traded with you; many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. 16Edomf did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise wheat from Minnith, millet,g honey, oil, and balm. 18Damascus traded with you for your abundant goods—because of your great wealth of every kind—wine of Helbon, and white wool. 19Vedan and Javan from Uzalh entered into trade for your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were bartered for your merchandise. 20Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your favored dealers in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you. 22The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices, and all precious stones, and gold. 23Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24These traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure; in these they traded with you.i 25The ships of Tarshish traveled for you in your trade.

  So you were filled and heavily laden

  in the heart of the seas.

  26Your rowers have brought you

  into the high seas.

  The east wind has wrecked you

  in the heart of the seas.

  27Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,

  your mariners and your pilots,

  your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,

  and all your warriors within you,

  with all the company

  that is with you,

  sink into the heart of the seas

  on the day of your ruin.

  28At the sound of the cry of your pilots

  the countryside shakes,

  29and down from their ships

  come all that handle the oar.

  The mariners and all the pilots of the sea

  stand on the shore

  30and wail aloud over you,

  and cry bitterly.

  They throw dust on their heads

  and wallow in ashes;

  31they make themselves bald for you,

  and put on sackcloth,

  and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,

  with bitter mourning.

  32I
n their wailing they raise a lamentation for you,

  and lament over you:

  “Who was ever destroyedj like Tyre

  in the midst of the sea?

  33When your wares came from the seas,

  you satisfied many peoples;

  with your abundant wealth and merchandise

  you enriched the kings of the earth.

  34Now you are wrecked by the seas,

  in the depths of the waters;

  your merchandise and all your crew

  have sunk with you.

  35All the inhabitants of the coastlands

  are appalled at you;

  and their kings are horribly afraid,

  their faces are convulsed.

  36The merchants among the peoples hiss at you;

  you have come to a dreadful end

  and shall be no more forever.”

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  a Or boxwood

  b Cn Compare Gen 10.18: Heb your skilled men, O Tyre

  c Or Persia

  d Or and your army

  e Gk: Heb The Dedanites

  f Another reading is Aram

  g Meaning of Heb uncertain

  h Meaning of Heb uncertain

  i Cn: Heb in your market

  j Tg Vg: Heb like silence

  27.1–36 Lamentation over Tyre, which uses the limping Hebrew qinah, or lament rhythm, in vv. 3–9, 25–36. A prose description of economic transactions interrupts the poem, which uses the primary metaphor of a large sailing ship. Ezekiel uses metaphors in other laments; see 19.1; 28.12; 32.3.

  27.3 Entrance to the sea, i.e., a description from the perspective of those who live on land, which is consistent with a description of Tyre as a merchant of the peoples. Tyre’s self-description of perfection has a negative connotation that stands in contrast with vv. 4–9.

 

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