Ezekiel 26:16

All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Lord GOD speaks through Ezekiel concerning Tyre, delivering this declaration at the moment the city’s destruction triggers widespread shaking among the coastal nations.

The words — The Hebrew יָרְדוּ (yardu) means they will go down or descend, and נְשִׂיאֵי הַיָּם (ne'si'e ha-yam) translates to the princes of the sea, describing rulers abandoning their seats of authority.

The thread — The motif of rulers losing status and trembling before divine judgment appears in Ezekiel 32:10, where kings shudder at God's judgment, and Job 8:22, where enemies are clothed in shame. Hosea 11:10 similarly depicts people coming trembling before God's roar.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that political power is temporary and subject to sudden reversal when divine judgment executes. It requires the reader to accept the concrete imagery of rulers stripped, seated on the ground, and paralyzed without softening the declaration of their downfall.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְֽיָרְד֞וּve./ya.re.Duand/ they will go down מֵעַ֣לme./'Alfrom/ on כִּסְאוֹתָ֗םkis.'o.Ta/mthrones/ their כֹּ֚לkolall נְשִׂיאֵ֣יne.si.'Ei[the] princes of הַיָּ֔םhai./Yamthe/ sea וְהֵסִ֙ירוּ֙ve./he.Si.ruand/ they will remove אֶת־'et-<obj.>מְעִ֣ילֵיהֶ֔םme.'I.lei./Hemrobes/ their וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>בִּגְדֵ֥יbig.Dei[the] clothes of רִקְמָתָ֖םrik.ma.Ta/mmulticolored cloth/ their יִפְשֹׁ֑טוּyif.Sho.tuthey will strip off חֲרָד֤וֹת׀cha.ra.Dottrembling<s>יִלְבָּ֙שׁוּ֙yil.Ba.shuthey will be clothed עַל־'al-on הָאָ֣רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ ground יֵשֵׁ֔בוּye.She.vuthey will sit וְחָֽרְדוּ֙ve./cha.re.Duand/ they will tremble לִרְגָעִ֔יםli/r.ga.'Imto/ moments וְשָׁמְמ֖וּve./sha.me.Muand/ they will be appalled עָלָֽיִךְ׃'a.La.yi/khon/ you

King James Version

Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.

Cross-references

Ezekiel 32:10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled over you, and their kings will shudder in horror because of you when I brandish My sword before them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.’
Job 8:22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Hosea 11:10 They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west.
Jonah 3:6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Psalms 35:26 May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
Isaiah 3:26 And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.
1 Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Exodus 15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
Exodus 33:4 When the people heard this bad news, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry.
Job 2:12 When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head.