Ezekiel 26:21

I will make thee a terrour, and thou shalt bee no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou neuer bee found againe, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 26:21 (KJV)

I 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. Ezekiel 26:21 (KJV)

Ezekiel 26:21 is a vivid proclamation of judgment against the ancient city of Tyre. The verse forms part of a larger prophecy delivered by the prophet Ezekiel while he was a captive in Babylon during the Babylonian exile. Tyre was a prominent coastal trading center in the ancient Near East, renowned for its wealth and influence.

In the surrounding verses God declares judgment on Tyre for its pride, arrogance, and oppression of other peoples. The specific promise in verse 21 is that Tyre would become a “terror” and would cease to exist, so that even though people might search for it, they would never find it again.

History records a partial fulfillment of this judgment when the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, besieged and conquered the mainland portion of Tyre in 573 BC. The city, however, consisted of both a mainland settlement and an island fortress. The island city continued to thrive after the Babylonian attack, but the prophecy also foretold its ultimate destruction. That final blow came centuries later when Alexander the Great laid siege to the island in 332 BC, a siege that lasted seven months before his forces breached the defenses and utterly destroyed the island city.

Beyond the chronological events, the passage carries a spiritual and symbolic message. It reminds believers that no nation or city, regardless of its power or prominence, is immune from God’s judgment when it embraces wickedness, pride, and oppression. Tyre’s rise and fall serve as a stark testimony to the consequences of arrogance and the certainty of divine justice.

For contemporary readers the verse offers a sobering reminder of God’s righteousness. It warns against the temptations of arrogance, greed, and oppression, and it calls each person to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy. Recognizing God as the ultimate judge who holds both nations and individuals accountable encourages a life lived in humility and obedience.

In summary, Ezekiel 26:21 prophesies the complete eradication of Tyre, a prediction that was historically realized through the Babylonian conquest of the mainland and the later destruction of the island by Alexander the Great. The passage also points to enduring spiritual truths about divine justice and the call to righteous living.