Ezekiel 27:28 Komentář

Still we are attending the funeral of Tyre and the lamentations made for the fall of that renowned city. In this chapter we have, I. A large account of the dignity, wealth, and splendour of Tyre, while it was in its strength, the vast trade it drove, and the interest it had among the nations (v. 1-25), which is designed to make its ruin the more lamentable. II. A prediction of its fall and ruin, and the confusion and consternation which all its neighbours shall thereby be put into (Eze 27:26-36). And this is intended to stain the pride of all worldly glory, and, by setting the one over-against the other, to let us see the vanity and uncertainty of the riches, honours, and pleasures of the world, and what little reason we have to place our happiness in them or to be confident of the continuance of them; so that all this is written for our learning.

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 27 This chapter contains a lamentation on Tyre; setting forth her former grandeur, riches, and commerce; her ruin and destruction; and the concern of others on that account. The prophet is bid to take up his lamentation concerning it, Eze 27:1, observing her situation and magnificence, of which she boasted, Eze 27:3, describing the excellency of her shipping and naval stores, Eze 27:5, declaring who were her mariners, pilots, and caulkers, Eze 27:8, her military men, Eze 27:10 her several merchants, and the things they traded in with her in her fairs and markets, Eze 27:12, then follows an account of her destruction, Eze 27:26, the lamentation of pilots and mariners because of it, Eze 27:28, and of the kings and inhabitants of the isles, and merchants of the people, Eze 27:33.

And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea,.... Inferior officers, and the common people; though this may be literally understood of all sorts of seafaring people, differently employed in ships; some at the oar; some at the sails; and others at the helm; but all shall quit their posts, and shall come down from their ships; either there being no further business for them, an entire stop being put to trade, through the fall of Tyre; or because of danger, and to save themselves, would leave the ship, and betake to their boats, and make for land: hence it follows, they shall stand upon the land; upon the continent, being safely arrived; looking upon the shipwrecks, and bewailing the loss of Tyre, as in the next verse.

(Verse 28, 29) From the sound of the shouting of your helmsmen, the fleets will be thrown into confusion, and all who held the oar will come down from their ships. The sailors, and all the helmsmen of the sea, the shipmasters and the rowers, will stand on land, and they will wail loudly over you, and cry out bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads, and cover themselves with ashes (or spread ashes on themselves). And what follows: They will shave their heads because of you, and put on sackcloth; they will weep for you with bitter mourning, and take up a lamentation over you. In the Septuagint it is not found, but it is added in the Theodotian Edition. When Tyre falls, its governors will be troubled, and they will descend from their ships, and oarsmen and sailors and rowers, and all the governors of the sea, tossed by the waves, will finally stand on solid ground; and they will lament with a loud voice over it, which they previously enriched with their merchandise, and they will signify the bitterness of their minds with a clamor: and they will also throw dust or dirt on their heads, repenting of their earthly deeds. And they shall be sprinkled with ashes or calves, according to the Law (Num. XX), in order to be purified: or certainly they shall lay ashes upon themselves, according to that which is said to Jerusalem: Scatter the earth upon thy head, and lay ash beneath thee, and make lamentation (Jerem. VI, 16). And in the Gospel it is written: If these signs had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have done penance long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Luc. X, 13). And the Psalmist says: I have eaten ashes like bread (Psal. CI, 10). And they shave their head over Tyre, and they make baldness, which usually happens in mourning, at that time when the magnitude of sorrow has excluded all joy. But the apostles' hair was numbered, because they had consecrated their hair like the Nazarenes to the Lord (Matthew 10; Luke 6). And as long as Samson had hair, he possessed strength, but when his hair was cut off, he was captured by the Philistines (Judges 16). But when it is said, and they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, the old lust of the loins is condemned, so that those who lived in pleasures may afterwards live in austerity and hardness, repenting. The people of Nineveh had sackcloth. And again, it is said to Jerusalem: 'Wail to me like a bride wearing sackcloth, grieving for her husband as a virgin.' And they will mourn for you, it says, with bitter weeping. For it is better to enter the house of mourning than the house of feasting, so that they may mourn for Tyre and sing a mournful song, as the following Scripture adds. But in order to know the progress of those who mourn the falling, and who dwelled before in the heart of the sea, let the prophets teach us by their example: they themselves are commanded to mourn for Tyre, so that, after the time of repentance is fulfilled, it may be restored to its former state, and, taking up the lyre, may sound forth for the Lord. Read Isaiah. Some, though ridiculous (but still worth reading), interpret governors as bishops of heretics, counselors as priests, helmsmen as archdeacons, rowers and sailors as deacons, and carriers refer to the whole people. If they had added the devil as the shipmaster, they would have completed the tragedy. All of them will wail together and cry bitterly, and they will repent after they sense the shipwreck of their own ship and stand on land, and they will lose all the splendor of the false name of knowledge. And instead of joy and happiness, they will mark repentance with bitterness in their hearts.

This chapter may be considered as the second part of the prophecy concerning Tyre. The prophet pursues his subject in the manner of those ancient lamentations or funeral songs, in which the praeficiae or mourning women first recounted whatever was great or praiseworthy in the deceased, and then mourned his fall. Here the riches, glory, and extensive commerce of Tyre are enlarged upon, vv. 1-25. Her downfall is then described in a beautiful allegory, executed in a few words, with astonishing brevity, propriety, and perspicuity, Eze 27:26; upon which all the maritime and commercial world are represented as grieved and astonished at her fate, and greatly alarmed for their own, Eze 27:27-36. Besides the view which this chapter gives of the conduct of Providence, and the example with which it furnishes the critic and men of taste of a very elegant and highly finished piece of composition, it likewise affords the antiquary a very curious and interesting account of the wealth and commerce of ancient times. And to the mind that looks for "a city that hath foundations," what a picture does the whole present of the mutability and inanity of all earthly things! Many of the places mentioned in ancient history have, like Tyre, long ago lost their political consequence; the geographical situation of others cannot be traced; they have sunk in the deep waters of oblivion; the east wind hath carried them away.

The cry of thy pilots - When the ship was dashed against the rocks by the violence of the winds and the waves, and all hope of life was taken away, then a universal cry was set up by all on board. I have heard this cry, and nothing more dismal can be imagined, when the ship by a violent tempest is driving among rocks on a lee shore. Then "All lost! cut away the boat!" is more dreadful than the cry of fire at midnight.

TYRE'S FORMER GREATNESS, SUGGESTING A LAMENTATION OVER HER SAD DOWNFALL. (Eze. 27:1-36) lamentation--a funeral dirge, eulogizing her great attributes, to make the contrast the greater between her former and her latter state.

The suburbs--the buildings of Tyre on the adjoining continent.