Bible Strands
Ezekiel 29:18
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the labor they expended on it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks to Ezekiel, identified as "Son of man," on the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year. The message addresses the historical campaign of Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre.
The words — The Hebrew verb הֶעֱבִיד (he.'e.Vid) means "he made to labor," describing how Nebuchadnezzar forced his army to work against Tyre. This action left soldiers with bald heads and raw shoulders from the intense siege labor.
The thread — The campaign against Tyre is introduced in Ezekiel 26:7, where the Lord promises to bring Nebuchadnezzar from the north. The lack of wages for this labor is resolved in Ezekiel 29:19, where the Lord grants Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as payment for his army's toil.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human military effort, however exhaustive, yields no intrinsic reward without divine provision. It directs attention to God's sovereign distribution of spoil as the true settlement of earthly debts.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 27:6 So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.
- Jeremiah 25:9 behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
- Ezekiel 26:7 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops.
- Jeremiah 48:37 For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.