Ezekiel 26 · Verse 3

Ezekiel 26:3

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
Ezekiel 26:3, King James Version

Ezekiel 26:3 in other translations

BSBtherefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.
WEBtherefore the Lord GOD says, ‘Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.
ASVtherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth its waves to come up.
YLTTherefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am against thee, O Tyre, And have caused to come up against thee many nations, As the sea causeth its billows to come up.
DARBYtherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth its waves to come up.
BBEFor this cause the Lord has said, See, I am against you, O Tyre, and will send up a number of nations against you as the sea sends up its waves.
WebsterTherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth its waves to come up.

What does Ezekiel 26:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 26:3-4
3-4. nations ... as the sea ... waves--In striking contrast to the boasting of Tyre, God threatens to bring against her Babylon's army levied from "many nations," even as the Mediterranean waves that dashed against her rock-founded city on all sides. scrape her dust ... make her ... top of ... rock--or, "a bare rock" [Grotius]. The soil which the Tyrians had brought together upon the rock on which they built their city, I will scrape so clean away as to leave no dust, but only the bare rock as it was. An awful contrast to her expectation of filling herself with all the wealth of the East now that Jerusalem has fallen.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Will cause many nations to come up against thee - We have already seen that the empire of the Chaldeans was composed of many different provinces, and that Nebuchadnezzar's army was composed of soldiers from different nations: these may be the people meant; but I doubt whether this may not refer to the different nations which in successive ages fought against Tyre. It was at last finally destroyed in the sixteenth century of the Christian era.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 26:1-14

A prophecy against Tyre. Verses 1-14 To be secretly pleased with the death or decay of others, when we are likely to get by it; or with their fall, when we may thrive upon it, is a sin that easily besets us, yet is not thought so bad as really it is. But it comes from a selfish, covetous principle, and from that love of the world as our happiness, which the love of God expressly forbids. He often blasts the projects…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 26:1-14 →

Ezekiel 26:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לָכֵ֗ןla.Khen<to> thereforeH3651
כֹּ֤הkohthusH3541
אָמַר֙'a.Marhe saysH559
אֲדֹנָ֣י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3069
הִנְנִ֥יhi.Nihere IH2005
עָלַ֖יִךְ'a.La.yikh[am] on youH5921
צֹ֑רTzorO TyreH6865
וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֤יve.ha.'a.lei.Tiand I will bring upH5927
עָלַ֙יִךְ֙'a.La.yikhon youH5921
גּוֹיִ֣םgo.YimnationsH1471
רַבִּ֔יםra.BimmanyH7227
כְּהַעֲל֥וֹתke.ha.'a.Lotas brings upH5927
הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
לְגַלָּֽיו\׃le.ga.Lav<to> waves itsH1530

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 26:3

  • Jeremiah 51:42

    The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

  • Isaiah 5:30

    And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

  • Micah 4:11

    Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

  • Ezekiel 27:32-34

    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? When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise. In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.

  • Ezekiel 38:3

    And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

  • Ezekiel 21:3

    And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

  • Zechariah 14:2

    For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

  • Ezekiel 28:22

    And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.

  • Jeremiah 50:31

    Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

  • Psalms 107:25

    For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

  • Jeremiah 50:42

    They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

  • Ezekiel 27:26

    Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Behold.These verses (3-6) contain a summary prediction of what befel both the continental and insular Tyre, during a long succession of ages. The former was totally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, after a siege of thirteen years, B.C. 573; and the latter, which arose out of its ruins, after seventy years recovered its ancient wealth and splendour, as foretold by Isaiah, (ch. 23:15-17.) After it was taken and burnt by Alexander, B.C. 332, it speedily recovered its strength and dignity, and nineteen years afterwards withstood both the fleets and armies of Antigonus. Agreeably to the prophetic declarations, (Ps 45:12; 72:10. Isa 23:18. Zec 9:1-7,) it was early converted to Christianity; and after being successively taken by the Saracens, Christians, Mamalukes, and Turks, in whose hands it still remains, it became "a place for the spreading of nets."
I am.
5:8; 21:3; 28:22; 38:3; Jer 21:13; 50:31; Na 2:12
many.
Mic 4:11; Zec 14:2
as the sea.
27:26,32-34; Ps 93:3,4; 107:25; Isa 5:30; Jer 6:23; 51:42; Lu 21:25

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 26:2

    Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:

  • Ezekiel 26:3

    Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.

  • Ezekiel 26:4

    And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.

Read all of Ezekiel 26

Ezekiel 26:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Por tanto, así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: He aquí yo contra ti, oh Tiro, y haré subir contra ti muchas gentes, como la mar hace subir sus ondas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		à cause de cela, ainsi dit le Seigneur, l’ Éternel: Voici, j’en veux à toi, Tyr! et je ferai monter contre toi des nations nombreuses, comme la mer fait monter ses flots.
German
Elberfelder 1871		darum, so spricht der Herr, Jehova: Siehe, ich will an dich, Tyrus! Und ich werde viele Nationen wider dich heraufführen, wie das Meer seine Wellen heraufführt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		propterea hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce ego super te, Tyre, et ascendere faciam ad te gentes multas, sicut ascendit mare fluctuans.