Ezekiel 26:2

"In the eleventh year, in the first of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,"

Key Reflection

The verse from Ezekiel 26:2 marks the beginning of a prophetic oracle directed by God to Ezekiel. In this context, the first-century Jewish culture is important to understand; in that society, the act of foot washing was a demeaning task typically performed by slaves or servants, not someone as honored as a prophet. This setting makes the subsequent message from the Lord all the more striking, as it introduces an oracle specifically addressing events related to the city of Tyre.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Gates -i. e., one gate of two leaves. The people -Or, the peoples (and inEzekiel 27:3), the plural expressing the fact that many peoples passed through Jerusalem, as the central place on the highway of commerce, e. g., in the reign of Solomon. This was viewed with jealousy by Tyre, who owed her greatness to the same cause, and in the true spirit of mercantile competition exulted in the thought that the trade of Jerusalem would be diverted into her markets. Render it: Aha! She is broken - the gate of the peoples! She is turned unto me. I shall be filled. She is laid waste.

More from Ezekiel 26

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