Question 1

What is happening in this lament over Tyre in Ezekiel 27?

Accepted Answer

In this passage God tells Ezekiel to take up a lament, like a funeral song, for the city of Tyre. Tyre sits at the entrance of the sea and has become rich through sea trade with many nations. The chapter first praises Tyre’s beauty, its fine ships, skilled workers, soldiers, and long list of trading partners. Then the picture suddenly changes: Tyre is like a grand ship driven into deep waters and shattered by a strong east wind. Its riches, people, and armies sink, and the nations who traded with Tyre stand on shore, weeping, shocked at its fall.

Question 2

Why does God judge Tyre even though it was wealthy and strong?

Accepted Answer

God judges Tyre because its wealth, power, and skill led to pride instead of humility. Tyre says, “I am of perfect beauty,” treating its riches and trade as its glory. The city trusted in its ships, merchants, and hired soldiers rather than in God. This passage shows that worldly success does not protect anyone from God’s justice. When pride and greed rule a people, their strength becomes a trap. God brings down Tyre to show that all human success is temporary and that boasting in riches instead of in God ends in ruin.

Question 3

What does it mean that Tyre said, “I am of perfect beauty”?

Accepted Answer

When Tyre says, “I am of perfect beauty,” it is boasting in its looks and success. The city praises its ships built from the best wood, its rich fabrics, carved ivory, and all the skilled workers and soldiers that surround it. Tyre measures its worth by how impressive it seems to the world. This stands against the kind of beauty God values, which is holiness and obedience. The words show a heart that finds security in appearance and wealth. The passage exposes that kind of pride and shows that it will not last.

Question 4

Why is Tyre described like a great ship that breaks in the sea?

Accepted Answer

The passage paints Tyre as a splendid ship because the city’s life and power came from the sea. Its boards, masts, oars, sails, and crew all point to trade and shipping. By picturing Tyre as a ship, the prophet shows both its strength and its weakness. A ship can seem grand, yet one strong wind can break it. The “east wind” pictures God’s judgment using a foreign power. When the ship breaks, everything goes down at once: goods, sailors, and soldiers. It is a vivid way to say that Tyre’s whole way of life would suddenly collapse.

Question 5

Who were Tyre’s trading partners listed in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The passage lists many places to show how wide Tyre’s reach was. It traded with nearby coastal cities like Zidon, Arvad, and Gebal, and with inland regions such as Syria and Damascus. It dealt with Persia, Lud, Phut, Arabia, and the princes of Kedar for soldiers and livestock. From Tarshish came metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and bronze. Judah and Israel supplied wheat, honey, oil, and balm. Sheba and Raamah brought spices, precious stones, and gold. This long list underlines how rich and connected Tyre had become.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about wealth and trade?

Accepted Answer

This chapter does not condemn trade itself, but it shows how wealth and business can become a source of pride. Tyre’s careful shipbuilding, fine fabrics, and vast markets show human skill and hard work. Yet the city trusted in these things as if they were its safety and beauty. When God’s judgment came, all its goods and partners could not save it. The lesson is that wealth is temporary and must not be treated as a god. Trade and success should be held with humility, knowing they can vanish and that real security is in God, not in money.

Question 7

How did other nations react to Tyre’s fall in this passage?

Accepted Answer

When Tyre falls, the nations that traded with it are shocked. Sailors and pilots leave their ships, stand on the land, and cry out with bitter weeping. They throw dust on their heads, sit in ashes, shave their heads, and put on sackcloth, all signs of deep mourning. Kings of the islands are terrified and their faces show fear. Merchants hiss, or whistle in amazement, at what has happened. They ask, “What city is like Tyre, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?” Their grief shows how great Tyre seemed and how complete its fall was.

Question 8

What does this lament over Tyre show about God’s character and rule?

Accepted Answer

This lament shows that God rules over nations, trade, and the sea itself. Tyre’s strength, wise men, soldiers, and rich allies do not place it outside God’s reach. God allows cities to grow strong, but He also brings down those that exalt themselves. At the same time, God tells His prophet to mourn, not to gloat, which shows that judgment is serious and sorrowful, not light or cruel. God cares how people use the gifts He gives. When pride and injustice grow, He will act, and no amount of human planning can stand against His purpose.

Question 9

How can believers today apply the message of Tyre’s downfall?

Accepted Answer

Believers today can take this passage as a warning against trusting in money, appearance, career, or national strength. Tyre looked secure because of its trade, skilled workers, and powerful allies, yet all of it sank in a moment. This calls us to hold earthly success lightly and to see it as a gift, not as our identity. It also reminds us to mourn the suffering that comes with judgment, even on those who do wrong. Most of all, it invites us to seek a different kind of beauty, one rooted in holiness, humility, and dependence on God.

Ezekiel 27:1

The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

A Lament for Tyre

A Lament for Tyre

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Ezekiel 27:1

The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

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A Lament for Tyre

A Lament for Tyre

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