Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
Thy borders in the midst of the seas describes Tyre as a maritime city set in the sea in an island setting, whose skilled builders had brought its beauty to completion and perfection. That beauty and greatness appeared in its finely built ships and fittings, its costly materials and its worldwide trade, for it was the celebrated commercial metropolis and merchant city of the Mediterranean whose traffickers were found everywhere. The verse belongs to the lamentation over Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28 among the prophecies against Ammon, Moab, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt, and it presents the city at the height of its splendor just before the judgment pronounced against it. That judgment foretells its utter destruction until its site would become a ruined place for the spreading of nets in the sea, a fulfillment still evident today as a striking object-lesson and warning to cities that forget and defy God. Its commercial spirit made it corrupt and exalted until God had to humble her, and that same spirit of merchandise reappears in great Babylon, a modern Tyre taking in all the earth in traffic that forgets God and makes gold its god, whose merchants lament when in one hour so great riches is made desolate.
Tyre's Maritime Splendor
Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, for Tyre was a maritime city set amid the seas, surrounded by the sea in an island setting with its boundaries lying in the water. Its skilled builders had brought its beauty to completion and perfection, making it beautiful in location and construction. That completed beauty made it exceptionally beautiful, splendid, renowned and celebrated for greatness, wealth and splendor.
That celebrated beauty is shown in its finely made ships and fittings, its fine materials, and its extensive worldwide trade. It was the ancient commercial metropolis of the world and merchant city of the Mediterranean, a celebrated maritime and commercial city whose traffickers were found everywhere. Its merchants even brought fish and all kinds of goods into Jerusalem to sell to Judah on the Sabbath.
The verse presents the city at the height of its splendor before the judgment pronounced against it.
Prophecy of Ruin and Warning
Ezekiel 27:4 stands within the lamentation over Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28, which foretells the utter ruin of Tyre. That lamentation belongs to the prophecies against foreign nations in Ezekiel 25-31 concerning Ammon, Moab, Tyre and Egypt. The same portion foretells the destruction of Tyre and Sidon. The verse describes Tyre situated amid the sea with its beauty perfected by its builders as part of those prophecies against foreign nations.
The prophecy declares that this great commercial city and merchant city of the Mediterranean would be utterly destroyed. Its position in the midst of the seas and its completed beauty show the greatness, wealth and splendor of that ancient commercial metropolis of the world, yet it would be brought down to ruin. The site where it stood would become a ruined place for the spreading of nets in the sea. Its boundaries lying amid the sea and its exceptional beauty made by its builders belong to that prophecy of becoming a place where nets were spread.
That ruin now stands as a striking object-lesson of fulfilled prophecy. The fulfilment of these remarkable prophecies concerning the nations is evident today.
The chapter is a lesson warning cities that forget and defy God, with Tyre portrayed as a city whose location lay amid the seas and whose builders had made it beautiful. Its fate should awaken not merely an impulse to improve but a principle of doing right. Tyre is portrayed as a prosperous, beautiful city surrounded by the sea and made splendid by its builders, and its fate is connected with the judgment of a modern city whose pride and open defiance of God invite catastrophe.
Tyre's worldwide merchandise had traffickers everywhere, and that commercial spirit made it corrupt and exalted until God had to humble her. The same spirit of merchandise reappears in great Babylon, called modern Tyre, not one city but a federation taking in all the earth and dealing in the same traffic. That traffic is a commercialism that overrides honor and integrity, seeks to possess all nations and gather every commodity even to the bodies and souls of men, forgets God and makes gold its god. When the combination falls its merchants lament that in one hour so great riches is made desolate.
Thy borders in the midst of the seas describes Tyre as a maritime city set in the sea in an island setting, whose skilled builders had brought its beauty to completion and perfection. That beauty and greatness appeared in its finely built ships and fittings, its costly materials and its worldwide trade, for it was the celebrated commercial metropolis and merchant city of the Mediterranean whose traffickers were found everywhere. The verse belongs to the lamentation over Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28 among the prophecies against Ammon, Moab, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt, and it presents the city at the height of its splendor just before the judgment pronounced against it. That judgment foretells its utter destruction until its site would become a ruined place for the spreading of nets in the sea, a fulfillment still evident today as a striking object-lesson and warning to cities that forget and defy God. Its commercial spirit made it corrupt and exalted until God had to humble her, and that same spirit of merchandise reappears in great Babylon, a modern Tyre taking in all the earth in traffic that forgets God and makes gold its god, whose merchants lament when in one hour so great riches is made desolate.
Tyre's Maritime Splendor
Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, for Tyre was a maritime city set amid the seas, surrounded by the sea in an island setting with its boundaries lying in the water. Its skilled builders had brought its beauty to completion and perfection, making it beautiful in location and construction. That completed beauty made it exceptionally beautiful, splendid, renowned and celebrated for greatness, wealth and splendor.
That celebrated beauty is shown in its finely made ships and fittings, its fine materials, and its extensive worldwide trade. It was the ancient commercial metropolis of the world and merchant city of the Mediterranean, a celebrated maritime and commercial city whose traffickers were found everywhere. Its merchants even brought fish and all kinds of goods into Jerusalem to sell to Judah on the Sabbath.
The verse presents the city at the height of its splendor before the judgment pronounced against it.
Prophecy of Ruin and Warning
Ezekiel 27:4 stands within the lamentation over Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28, which foretells the utter ruin of Tyre. That lamentation belongs to the prophecies against foreign nations in Ezekiel 25-31 concerning Ammon, Moab, Tyre and Egypt. The same portion foretells the destruction of Tyre and Sidon. The verse describes Tyre situated amid the sea with its beauty perfected by its builders as part of those prophecies against foreign nations.
The prophecy declares that this great commercial city and merchant city of the Mediterranean would be utterly destroyed. Its position in the midst of the seas and its completed beauty show the greatness, wealth and splendor of that ancient commercial metropolis of the world, yet it would be brought down to ruin. The site where it stood would become a ruined place for the spreading of nets in the sea. Its boundaries lying amid the sea and its exceptional beauty made by its builders belong to that prophecy of becoming a place where nets were spread.
That ruin now stands as a striking object-lesson of fulfilled prophecy. The fulfilment of these remarkable prophecies concerning the nations is evident today.
The chapter is a lesson warning cities that forget and defy God, with Tyre portrayed as a city whose location lay amid the seas and whose builders had made it beautiful. Its fate should awaken not merely an impulse to improve but a principle of doing right. Tyre is portrayed as a prosperous, beautiful city surrounded by the sea and made splendid by its builders, and its fate is connected with the judgment of a modern city whose pride and open defiance of God invite catastrophe.
Tyre's worldwide merchandise had traffickers everywhere, and that commercial spirit made it corrupt and exalted until God had to humble her. The same spirit of merchandise reappears in great Babylon, called modern Tyre, not one city but a federation taking in all the earth and dealing in the same traffic. That traffic is a commercialism that overrides honor and integrity, seeks to possess all nations and gather every commodity even to the bodies and souls of men, forgets God and makes gold its god. When the combination falls its merchants lament that in one hour so great riches is made desolate.