Ezekiel 26:17 Meaning and Explanation

The princes will lament Tyre's destruction, composing a funeral dirge that expresses grief and shock. Their song will recall what Tyre was: 'inhabited of seafaring men'—a thriving center of merchants, sailors, and maritime commerce. The phrase 'renowned city' emphasizes Tyre's reputation across the ancient world. She was 'strong in the sea,' meaning that her naval power and island fortifications made her seem invincible. This lament celebrates Tyre's former glory even as it mourns her present ruin.

The final phrase—'which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it'—reveals the darker side of Tyre's greatness. Her strength had been wielded in ways that inspired terror in others. Her commercial dominance, her military power, and her political influence had created fear among other nations. The irony is that the nation whose power and strategies created terror in others is herself utterly terrified by her destruction, and that terror will now be what she is remembered for.