The Meaning of Ezekiel 26:12 Explained

Ezekiel 26:12

KJV: And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.

YLT: And they have spoiled thy wealth, And they have plundered thy merchandise, And they have thrown down thy walls, And thy desirable houses they break down, And thy stones, and thy wood, and thy dust, In the midst of the waters they place.

Darby: And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy wares; and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses; and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the waters.

ASV: And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise; and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses; and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the waters.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they shall make a spoil  of thy riches,  and make a prey  of thy merchandise:  and they shall break down  thy walls,  and destroy  thy pleasant  houses:  and they shall lay  thy stones  and thy timber  and thy dust  in the midst  of the water. 

What does Ezekiel 26:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Tyre"s enemies ("they") would take much spoil from the city and would push its physical remains into the sea (cf. Zechariah 9:3-4). God accomplished this by the hand of Alexander the Great who used the rubble from the mainland town to widen the causeway (mole) to the fortress on the peninsula.

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 26:12 mean?

And they will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise and they will break down your walls and houses your pleasant destroy and your stones and your timber and your soil in the midst of the water they will lay
וְשָׁלְל֣וּ חֵילֵ֗ךְ וּבָֽזְזוּ֙ רְכֻלָּתֵ֔ךְ וְהָֽרְסוּ֙ חוֹמוֹתַ֔יִךְ וּבָתֵּ֥י חֶמְדָּתֵ֖ךְ יִתֹּ֑צוּ וַאֲבָנַ֤יִךְ וְעֵצַ֙יִךְ֙ וַֽעֲפָרֵ֔ךְ בְּת֥וֹךְ מַ֖יִם יָשִֽׂימוּ

וְשָׁלְל֣וּ  And  they  will  plunder 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁלַל 
Sense: (Qal) to draw out.
חֵילֵ֗ךְ  your  riches 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
וּבָֽזְזוּ֙  and  pillage 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּזַז  
Sense: to spoil, plunder, prey upon, seize.
רְכֻלָּתֵ֔ךְ  your  merchandise 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רְכֻלָּה  
Sense: merchandise, traffic, trade.
וְהָֽרְסוּ֙  and  they  will  break  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
חוֹמוֹתַ֔יִךְ  your  walls 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
וּבָתֵּ֥י  and  houses 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
חֶמְדָּתֵ֖ךְ  your  pleasant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חֶמְדָּה  
Sense: desire, that which is desirable adj.
יִתֹּ֑צוּ  destroy 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָתַץ  
Sense: to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth).
וַאֲבָנַ֤יִךְ  and  your  stones 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
וְעֵצַ֙יִךְ֙  and  your  timber 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
וַֽעֲפָרֵ֔ךְ  and  your  soil 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
בְּת֥וֹךְ  in  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
מַ֖יִם  of  the  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
יָשִֽׂימוּ  they  will  lay 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.