Ezekiel 26:18

• A funeral song would be sung for Tyre. This kind of song is called a lament (a song of mourning for the dead). The prophet had used this kind of song earlier (see study note on Ezekiel 19:1–14). People would repeat this funeral song from place to place. Many would mourn the fall of the great city.

• powerful on the sea … who imposed terror: Tyre had strong naval power (military strength at sea). Her ships traveled widely and controlled important trade routes.

  Because of this power, Tyre spread fear among other nations. Her trading system was not always peaceful. It was often based on conquest (defeating others in war), subjugation (forcing others to submit), and exploitation (using others unfairly for gain). See Ezekiel 28:16, 18.

The message against Tyre, Israel’s northwestern neighbor, is more detailed than the short messages before it. It consists of three similar sections (Ezekiel 26:2–21; 27:1–36; and 28:1–19). Each section conveys the same idea: Tyre would meet a terrible end and cease to exist (Ezekiel 27:36).

• This section contains a series of messages of judgment against nearby nations. There are six shorter messages against Judah's immediate neighbors, arranged in a clockwise order, followed by a final message against Egypt (Ezekiel 30–32). Through experiencing God's judgment, the nations would recognize God's control over everything. The nations might be used to carry out God's judgment on his people, but they would not avoid judgment themselves.

• One of the main purposes of these messages was to show that the negative part of God's promise to Abraham ("I will … curse those who curse you," Genesis 12:3) was still active. No one can harm God's people and avoid consequences, even when God's people are under his judgment.