Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 26:17

"And 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!" — Ezekiel 26:17 (ASV)

Inhabited of seafaring men. — Rather, inhabited from the sea. The word, which is very common, never bears the sense of men. The thought is that the rock of Tyre, built up with dwellings to the water’s edge, was like a city rising from the sea.

Which cause their terror. — This clause has caused much difficulty. The literal translation is, she and her inhabitants, which gave their fear to all her inhabitants. “Fear” is here used in the sense of that which causes fear; and the meaning is that the power of Tyre was so feared that every Tyrian was respected for her sake, just as at a later day every Roman carried with him something of the majesty of Rome, or, as now, the citizen of a great Power is respected among foreigners for his country’s sake (Compare to Ezekiel 32:24, 26).