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Ezekiel 26:16

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 26:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at thee.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at thee.
Ezekiel 26:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 26

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
14And I will make thee a bare rock; thou shalt be a place for the spreading of nets; thou shalt be built no more: for I Jehovah have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
15Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to Tyre: shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
16Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at thee.
17And they shall take up a lamentation over thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, that was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, that caused their terror to be on all that dwelt there!
18Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be dismayed at thy departure.
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;
← Ezekiel 26:15Ezekiel 26:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, &c.] The kings of the islands of the sea shall lay aside their regalia, all their royal grandeur, and the ensigns of it; leave their thrones of state, and sit in an humble posture: and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments; their royal robes and raiment of needlework curiously embroidered, and richly wrought, such as princes wear; so did the king of Nineveh in token of humiliation, (Jon 3:6). The Septuagint and Arabic versions understand the first clause of their taking their mitres, or diadems, from their heads: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall tremble from head to foot in every…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“come down from their thrones . . . upon the ground--"the throne of the mourners" (Job 2:13; Jon 3:6). princes of the sea--are the merchant rulers of Carthage and other colonies of Tyre, who had made themselves rich and powerful by trading on the sea (Isa 23:8). clothe . . . with trembling--Hebrew, "tremblings." Compare Eze 7:27, "clothed with desolation"; Psa 132:18. In a public calamity the garment was changed for a mourning garb.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The effect of the fall of Tyre. Ezekiel 26:16 Clothe themselves with trembling - Mourners change their bright robes for sad garments. Ezekiel 26:17 Of seafaring men - literally, “from the seas,” i. e., occupied by men who come from the seas. Tyre was an inhabited city rising from out of the sea. Ezekiel 26:20 Compare Isaiah 14:9. The image used by Isaiah and Jeremiah of Babylon is by Ezekiel applied to Tyre, as if to show that Tyre and Babylon alike represent the world-power. So, in the Book of Revelation, Babylon is the kingdom of Antichrist. The land of the living - The land of the true God, as opposed to the land of the dead, to which is gathered the glory of the world. Here then,…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The princes - Who were lords of the islands of that sea. Come down - In token of condolence. Trembling - They shall be afraid of their own concerns, and astonished in the midst of their fears. Ezekiel 26:18”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“all the princes: Eze 27:29-36, Eze 32:21-32; Isa 14:9-13, Isa 23:1-8; Rev 18:11-19 come: Exo 33:4, Exo 33:5; Job 2:12; Jon 3:6 clothe: Eze 7:8; Job 8:22; Psa 35:26, Psa 109:18, Psa 109:29, Psa 132:18; Pe1 5:5 trembling: Heb. tremblings sit: Job 2:13; Isa 3:26, Isa 47:1, Isa 52:2; Lam 2:10 tremble: Eze 32:10; Exo 15:15; Dan 5:6; Hos 11:10; Rev 18:15 be astonished: Eze 27:35 Ezekiel 26:17”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 26 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification