Ezekiel 27:36 · Bible study
Ezekiel 27:36 Commentary: Tyre's Fall and Pride's Warning
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
An examination of Ezekiel 27:36, exploring the meaning of the merchants' hissing and Tyre's complete destruction as a judgment on human arrogance.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Tyre's total destruction astonishes the trading world, showing God's judgment on pride.
- Key words: Hiss (astonishment/dismay), Terror (utter destruction), No more (final end).
- Main debate: Whether the merchants' hissing expresses scorn or shock.
- Theological theme: Divine judgment on human arrogance and the transience of worldly power.
- Best use: A warning against pride and a call to humility before God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Those who trade among the nations hiss at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
The merchants among the peoples hiss at you. You have come to a terrible end, and you will be no more.”’”
KJV King James Version 1769
The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The merchants among the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Merchants among the peoples have shrieked for thee, Wastes thou hast been, and thou art not--to the age!'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The merchants among the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become a terror, and thou shalt never be any more.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The merchants of people have hissed at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Los mercaderes en los pueblos silbarán sobre ti: vendrás á ser espanto, y dejarás de ser para siempre.
Os mercadores nos povos assoviam por causa de ti; tu te tornaste em motivo de espanto, e nunca mais voltarás a existir.
Les marchands parmi les peuples sifflent sur toi;
Die Kaufleute in den Ländern pfeifen dich an, daß du so plötzlich untergegangen bist und nicht mehr aufkommen kannst.
De handelaars onder de volken fluiten u aan; gij zijt een grote schrik geworden, en zult er niet meer zijn tot in eeuwigheid.
I mercanti fra i popoli fischiano su di te; sei diventata uno spavento, e non esisterai mai più!”
Kupcy między narodami zaświsną nad tobą; na postrach im będziesz, a nie będzie cię na wieki.
Торговцы других народов свистнули о тебе; ты сделался ужасом, - и не будет тебя во веки".
各國民中 的客商 都向你 發嘶聲；你 令人驚恐，不再存留於世，直到 永遠。」
Those who do business among the peoples make sounds of surprise at you; you have become a thing of fear, you have come to an end for ever.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the merchants' hissing in Ezekiel 27:36 is not simple mockery but a response of shock and dismay at Tyre's sudden ruin. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges explains that 'hiss' here expresses astonishment and horror, as in 1 Kings 9:8. Adam Clarke notes that the Hebrew word suggests a shriek of alarm, like spectators watching a ship swallowed by the sea. The phrase 'terrible end' (KJV 'be a terror') translates a Hebrew plural that emphasizes complete devastation, according to the Cambridge Bible. The final declaration 'you will be no more' is absolute in context: Tyre's former splendor is gone forever. Matthew Henry observes that 'the most mighty and magnificent kingdoms have their day to come down.' While Gill suggests the merchants hiss with a sense of scorn, the broader consensus among commentators is that hissing signals the awe and dread that accompany the execution of divine judgment. The message is clear: human pride, symbolized by Tyre, meets its end, and the world stands stunned.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: That Tyre meets a catastrophic end as divine judgment for pride is not in dispute.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the merchants' hissing | The hissing is a strong emotional response to Tyre's fall. | Some commentators (e.g., Gill) see scorn and delight; others (Cambridge, Clarke) see astonishment and dismay. |
| Finality of Tyre's destruction | Tyre's former glory and power are ended. | Whether this means literal nonexistence or loss of preeminence; later rebuilding (e.g., Alexander's Tyre) complicates some readings. |
| Application to spiritual Babylon | The passage echoes Revelation 18's fall of Babylon. | Whether Tyre is a direct type or a general analogy of worldly power judged by God. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel 27 is a lament over Tyre, a powerful Phoenician port city that dominated Mediterranean trade in the 7th, 6th centuries BC. The chapter portrays Tyre as a majestic ship, constructed with the finest materials and manned by skilled sailors from many nations (vv. 4, 9). Verses 12, 25 list the rich trade goods and partners that made Tyre wealthy and proud. This allegory sets the stage for the shipwreck in verses 26, 36, where the 'east wind' (a symbol of divine judgment) shatters the vessel. Verse 36 concludes the lament: once-profiting merchants 'hiss' in shock. The word 'hiss' in the Old Testament often accompanies scenes of total desolation (Jeremiah 18:16; 19:8; 49:17; Lamentations 2:15). It is the reaction of passersby to a city reduced to rubble. The merchants here are those who traded with Tyre; they witness the complete disappearance of their commercial partner. Their hissing is not gloating but a visceral response to catastrophic loss. Tyre's judgment therefore carries a global dimension, nations that depended on her trade are left stunned. Historically, Tyre did fall to Nebuchadnezzar after a long siege, and later to Alexander the Great. This verse looks to that end, pronouncing that no amount of wealth or commerce can withstand God's judgment on arrogance. The literary genre, a funeral lament, deepens the irony: the city that enriched kings is now mourned by those it enriched.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Ezekiel 27:36 is consistent across ancient manuscripts. The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for this verse.
Reception History
Ezekiel 27:36 has been cited throughout church history as a vivid illustration of the judgment that befalls human pride. Medieval expositors often treated Tyre as a symbol of worldly power doomed to fall. Reformation commentators emphasized God's sovereignty over nations. The hissing imagery also appears in hymns about the transience of earthly glory. In modern preaching, the verse is often paired with Revelation 18 to warn against the arrogance of commercial empires. Across traditions, the verse serves as a somber call to humility.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Stunning Fall of the Great: Tyre's pride leads to its destruction, showing that the most magnificent powers are not immune to God's judgment.
- The Reaction of the World: The merchants hiss in shock and horror, signaling how divine judgment leaves onlookers awestruck.
- The Finality of God's Sentence: 'You will be no more' declares the complete end of Tyre's former glory and a call for humility before God.
Five-point outline
- The foundation of pride: Tyre's vast trade and riches created arrogance (Ezekiel 27:12, 25).
- The suddenness of judgment: The east wind and shipwreck illustrate how quickly God's verdict can fall (Ezekiel 27:26, 27).
- The response of the nations: Kings and merchants are terrified and hiss (Ezekiel 27:35, 36).
- The completeness of the end: 'Never any more' underscores total ruin.
- The universal lesson: All human power must bow to the sovereign God.
Illustration hooks
- A once-thriving company collapses overnight due to ethical failures; competitors and partners are left stunned, hissing in disbelief.
- A towering skyscraper, a symbol of economic might, is demolished; spectators watch in silence, shaken by the sight.
- A respected leader falls from grace; those who once admired them can only shake their heads.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God condemn economic success? How do we distinguish between blessing and pride?
- Is it fair to say Tyre will 'be no more' when it was later rebuilt? What does that mean for us?
- How can we use our gifts and resources without falling into the arrogance that led to Tyre's fall?
Leading a Discussion
Ezekiel 27:36 closes the lament over Tyre with a stark image: merchants hiss at the fallen city, and Tyre is gone. This passage invites us to reflect on the nature of divine judgment, the fragility of human achievement, and the call to humility before God.
Discussion questions
- What does the hissing of the merchants communicate about their reaction to Tyre's fall?
- How does the ship allegory of Ezekiel 27 help you understand the severity of Tyre's destruction?
- Why does the passage emphasize that Tyre 'will be no more'? What does that reveal about God's judgment?
- In what ways does pride show up in our own lives, communities, or even nations today?
- How can Christians trust God's provision without becoming self-reliant like Tyre?
- What hope does the gospel bring in light of such a strong message of judgment?
- How does the merchants' shock challenge us to consider our own response when others fall?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 9:8 | Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?’ |
| Psalms 37:10 | For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there. |
| Psalms 37:36 | But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. |
| Jeremiah 18:16 | to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished, and shake his head. |
| Jeremiah 19:8 | I will make this city an astonishment and a hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues. |
| Jeremiah 49:17 | “Edom will become an astonishment. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished, and will hiss at all its plagues. |
| Jeremiah 50:13 | Because of Yahweh’s wrath she won’t be inhabited, but she will be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon will be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. |
| Lamentations 2:15 | All that pass by clap their hands at you. They hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, “Is this the city that men called ‘The perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth’?” |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains that the Hebrew word translated "hiss" actually means "shriek" and describes the horrified cry of spectators on the shore. As they watched the vessel being swallowed up, their reaction was one of
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary clarifies that the lament's question is not "what city?" but "who is like Tyre?" to emphasize Tyre's unmatched pride. It also reinterprets the "hiss" as a cry of astonishment rather than malice, and "terror" as complete destruction, presenting the response as shock at Tyre's total ruin.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The merchants hissing at the doomed city is a gesture of contempt and derision, marking its utter ruin. The commentator notes that terror will overtake this place, and it will be completely destroyed, never to exist again.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets Tyre's fall as a pattern for the final destruction of spiritual Babylon, applying the details of the merchants' astonishment and the city's terror to Revelation. He reads the promise "never shall be any more" as pointing to the antitype's complete and permanent end, not merely a temporary collapse.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
hiss —with astonishment; as in 1 Ki 9:8 .
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch emphasize that the allegory of Tyre as a magnificent merchant ship is deliberately shattered by the violent east wind, starkly contrasting its former glory with total loss. They note the careful repetition of wording to show that every person and possession—sailors, merchants, soldiers, and cargo—sinks together, and the lamentation includes rival traders hissing in malicious joy.