The Meaning of Ezekiel 26:2 Explained

Ezekiel 26:2

KJV: 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:

YLT: Because that Tyre hath said of Jerusalem: Aha, she hath been broken, the doors of the peoples, She hath turned round unto me, I am filled -- she hath been laid waste,

Darby: Son of man, because Tyre hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken, the gate of the peoples! she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished now she is laid waste;

ASV: Son of man, because that Tyre hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gate of the peoples; she is turned unto me; I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Ezekiel 26:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Divine judgment would come on this city-state because its people rejoiced at Jerusalem"s destruction (cf25:3; Genesis 12:3; Proverbs 15:5 b). According to other prophets the Tyrians had also sold Jews as slaves to the Greeks and Edomites ( Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9-10). The Tyrians viewed Jerusalem"s destruction as advancing their commercial interests. The Tyrians controlled the sea routes, but Judah had controlled the land routes. Controlling trade routes enabled a nation to impose tolls and so obtain revenue. Now Jerusalem would cease to compete with Tyre for this income. The Babylonians thus opened Jerusalem"s gates to Tyre.
"When Judah was strong and subjugated Edom, she controlled the caravan routes to the Red Sea, thus hindering the Phoenician tradesmen from gaining all the profit they hoped for." [1]
The prophetic perfect tense in Hebrew describes a future event as though it were past, as well as describing past events. Jerusalem fell on the tenth day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar"s reign ( 2 Kings 25:8; Jeremiah 52:12), which was the eleventh year of Jehoiachin"s captivity. Dyer dated the fall of Jerusalem on July18 , 586 B.C. [2] Because of the absence of reference to the month of this prophecy, it is impossible to date it definitely before or after the fall of Jerusalem. Ezekiel , however, gave it before news of Jerusalem"s fall reached him and the other exiles (cf33:21).

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 26

1  Tyrus, for insulting Jerusalem, is threatened with destruction
7  The power of Nebuchadnezzar against her
15  The mourning and astonishment of the sea at her fall

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 26:2 mean?

Son of man because because has said Tyre against Jerusalem Aha she is broken who [was] the gateway of the peoples now she is turned over to me I shall be filled she is laid waste
בֶּן־ אָדָ֗ם יַ֠עַן אֲשֶׁר־ אָ֨מְרָה צֹּ֤ר עַל־ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ הֶאָ֔ח נִשְׁבְּרָ֛ה דַּלְת֥וֹת הָעַמִּ֖ים נָסֵ֣בָּה אֵלָ֑י אִמָּלְאָ֖ה הָחֳרָֽבָה

בֶּן־  Son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָ֗ם  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
יַ֠עַן  because 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַעַן  
Sense: because, therefore, because that, on account of prep.
אֲשֶׁר־  because 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אָ֨מְרָה  has  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
צֹּ֤ר  Tyre 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צֹור 
Sense: the Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
הֶאָ֔ח  Aha 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֶאָח  
Sense: aha!.
נִשְׁבְּרָ֛ה  she  is  broken 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
דַּלְת֥וֹת  who  [was]  the  gateway 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
הָעַמִּ֖ים  of  the  peoples 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
נָסֵ֣בָּה  now  she  is  turned  over 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
אֵלָ֑י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אִמָּלְאָ֖ה  I  shall  be  filled 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
הָחֳרָֽבָה  she  is  laid  waste 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.