Lexical Summary niy: River Original Word: נִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance wailing A doubtful word; apparently from nahah; lamentation -- wailing. see HEBREW nahah Brown-Driver-Briggs [נִי] noun [masculine] si vera lectio, wailing (AV RV) (= נְהִי); — וְנָָֽשְׂאוּ אֵלַיִךְ בְּנִיהֶם קִינָה Ezekiel 27:32, but improbable; ᵐ5 ᵑ6 בְּנֵיהֶם, see MV; so Co, who, however, strike out as gloss, compare Buhl Berthol. הִי noun [masculine] si vera lectio, wailing (= (נְ)הִי) q. v.) Ezekiel 2:10 וָהִ֑י, where probably read וּנְהִי Ol Co, compare Berthol ("" קינים והגה). Topical Lexicon Occurrence The form נִי appears once, in Ezekiel 27:32, where mariners mourning Tyre cry, “Who was ever like Tyre, destroyed in the midst of the sea?”. Literary Context Ezekiel 27 is a dirge that traces Tyre’s trade networks and wealth (verses 3–25) before describing her sudden ruin (verses 26–36). נִי sits at the pivot between commerce and catastrophe, portraying the bustling port reduced to a soundless wreck beneath the waves. The word’s placement inside a rhetorical question intensifies the shock: the city that seemed incomparable is now comparably silent. Historical Setting Tyre’s fortunes peaked during the reigns of David and Solomon (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Kings 5:1). Nebuchadnezzar II besieged the mainland city for thirteen years (c. 586–573 BC), after which Alexander the Great demolished the insular stronghold (332 BC). Ezekiel’s prophecy came years before either event, underscoring divine foreknowledge. נִי captures the moment Ezekiel foresaw—commercial pride hushed by God’s judgment. Theological Themes 1. Divine Silence after Judgment Hebrew poetry often expresses ruin through imposed quiet (Psalm 94:17; Lamentations 2:10). נִי reinforces that motif: when God acts, the noisiest human enterprise can be muted in an instant. 2. Fragility of World Systems Tyre typifies economic empires later echoed in Revelation 18. נִי anticipates the final hush awaiting every society that exalts wealth above righteousness. 3. Reliability of Scripture The single occurrence fulfils earlier oracles against Tyre (Ezekiel 26:3–6). God’s word proves unstoppable, validating every promise of salvation and every warning of judgment. Intertextual Echoes • Psalm 46:10—voluntary stillness before God contrasts with Tyre’s enforced stillness. Ministry Implications • Preaching: A solitary Hebrew word can underline the certainty of judgment; sermons on Ezekiel 27 can press home that worldly security offers no refuge from divine holiness. Practical Reflection When the bustle of life is silenced, what remains? Tyre’s enforced quiet proclaims that only what is rooted in God endures: “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing” (Psalm 33:10). נִי thus stands as a one-word monument to the transience of human glory and the permanence of divine sovereignty. Forms and Transliterations בְּנִיהֶם֙ בניהם bə·nî·hem beniHem bənîhemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 27:32 HEB: וְנָשְׂא֨וּ אֵלַ֤יִךְ בְּנִיהֶם֙ קִינָ֔ה וְקוֹנְנ֖וּ KJV: And in their wailing they shall take up INT: will take and their wailing A lamentation and lament 1 Occurrence |
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