Ezekiel 26:19-21 Meaning: The Great Waters Over Tyre
19“For the Lord Yahweh says: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep on you, and the great waters cover you,
20then I will bring you down with those who descend into the pit, to the people of old time, and will make you dwell in the lower parts of the earth, in the places that are desolate of old, with those who go down to the pit, that you be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of the living.
21I will make you a terror, and you will no more have any being. Though you are sought for, yet you will never be found again,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”
19For thus saith the Lord God; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;
20When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
21I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.
19For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and the great waters shall cover thee;
20then will I bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, to the people of old time, and will make thee to dwell in the nether parts of the earth, in the places that are desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of the living.
21I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt no more have any being; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord Jehovah.
19For thus said the Lord Jehovah: In my making thee a city wasted, Like cities that have not been inhabited, In bringing up against thee the deep, Then covered thee have the great waters.
20And I have caused thee to go down, With those going down to the pit, Unto the people of old, And I have caused thee to dwell in the land, The lower parts--in wastes of old, With those going down to the pit, So that thou art not inhabited, And I have given beauty in the land of the living.
21Wastes I do make thee, and thou art not, And thou art sought, and art not found any more--to the age, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'
19For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I bring up the deep upon thee, and the great waters cover thee:
20then will I bring thee down, with them that go down to the pit, to the people of old time, and will cause thee to dwell in the lower parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of the living.
21And I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no [more]; and thou shalt be sought for, and shalt never be found again, for ever, saith the Lord Jehovah.
Meaning in one sentence
God’s judgment against Tyre described as a flood covering the city and bringing it down to the pit, a prophecy of total destruction.
Context
Ezekiel 26 pronounces judgment on the Phoenician city of Tyre, a wealthy seaport that rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall. The chapter moves through the stages of Tyre’s coming ruin: a siege by many nations, the breaking of its walls, and the scattering of its wealth. Verses 19, 21 gather all of this into a final image. The city that once rose proudly from the sea will be covered by the deep and sink like a corpse into the pit. No trace of its power will remain. Meanwhile, God declares He will set glory in the land of the living, a promise for His own people. This is the end of a world power that trusted in itself.
Key Words
Two key English terms carry the weight of these verses. First, “the deep” (and “great waters”) evokes the chaos of Genesis, the flood that undoes creation. Commentators note this is both a picture of the Babylonian army sweeping in like a tidal wave and, literally, the sea washing over the broken ruins of Tyre’s ramparts. The waters are total and final. Second, “the pit” is the grave, the underworld. Tyre is not merely destroyed; it is brought down to join the dead of ancient times, removed from the land of the living entirely. The contrast in verse 20 is striking: while Tyre descends to ruins, God sets “glory” in the land of the living. That word points to His presence, His beauty, what cannot be taken away.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have seen this prophecy as historically fulfilled. Many Protestant commentators (Matthew Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) point to Nebuchadnezzar’s siege and later Alexander the Great’s destruction of insular Tyre, which scraped the site clean. Keil and Delitzsch describe the city sinking into the sea as a descent to the realm of the dead. Several note the phrase “set glory in the land of the living” as a promise of Messiah’s coming and the enduring glory of God’s presence in Judah. Catholics and Orthodox likewise understand this as God’s sovereignty over proud nations, with the final disappearance of Tyre’s former glory confirming the certainty of His word. All see here a warning against trusting human power.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to take “you will never be found again” as a claim that no city called Tyre would ever exist. In fact, a new Tyre was built on a nearby island and flourished into Roman times. What the prophecy declares is the end of the original city’s power, location, and pride. The old Tyre was so thoroughly erased that its very site became impossible to identify. The words are fulfilled in the complete removal of what Tyre once was.
Living This Out
This week, you might notice something you treat as unshakable, your job, your health, your reputation. Tyre trusted in its wealth and location. God brought it to nothing. That does not mean every loss is judgment, but it does ask: where is your security? Let the image of those great waters covering a proud city loosen your grip on anything that is not God Himself. And take heart from the promise tucked into the judgment: glory will be set in the land of the living. You can let go of what will not last because His kingdom does not sink.
Main takeaway: The proud city that trusted in its own strength was brought to nothing, but God’s glory remains in the land of the living.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God told a proud city called Tyre that big waters would cover it and it would be gone. This shows us God is stronger than any city. We can trust Him because He never fails.
For ages 9, 12
God used the Babylonian army like a flood to destroy Tyre, a city that thought it was unbeatable. The city sank like someone going into a deep grave, never to be found again. But God also said He would place something beautiful and glorious in the land of the living, that’s His presence with His people. This teaches us not to put our confidence in riches or power, because only God’s kingdom lasts forever.
Questions People Ask
What is 'the deep' in Ezekiel 26:19?
The 'deep' refers to the great waters that cover Tyre. Some interpreters see this as a literal flood of the sea after Tyre’s walls are broken; others see it as a metaphor for the invading Babylonian army. Often both meanings are intended, the army overwhelms like a flood, and the sea physically covers the ruins.
Was Tyre literally flooded after the siege?
Historical sources indicate that after Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of mainland Tyre, the city was left in ruins. Later, when Alexander the Great attacked insular Tyre, he used debris to build a causeway, and the sea covered parts of the old site. Many commentators (e.g., Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) take the prophecy as literally fulfilled: the sea washed over the destroyed ramparts.
What does 'set glory in the land of the living' mean?
This phrase contrasts Tyre’s destruction with what God will do for His people. The 'land of the living' is often understood as Judah or Jerusalem, the place where God dwells. The 'glory' likely refers to God’s presence (the Shekinah) or to the coming Messiah. While Tyre sinks, God’s beauty and honor will be established among those who trust Him.
Has the prophecy against Tyre been completely fulfilled?
Most Christian commentators agree that the prophecy was fulfilled in the ancient world. The old, proud city of Tyre on the mainland was destroyed and its site became a place for spreading fishing nets (Ezekiel 26:14). While a later city named Tyre existed on an island, it never regained the original power and glory. The prophecy’s words 'you will never be found again' refer to that specific city and its former greatness.
Does 'thou shalt never be found again' mean we cannot find any remains of Tyre?
Nearly. The site of the original mainland Tyre is now underwater or built over, and archaeologists cannot identify its exact location. As Adam Clarke notes, there is 'not the smallest vestige of the ancient Tyre.' The prophecy accurately describes the total disappearance of the city that once commanded the sea.
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