Now the isles tremble on the day of your fall: The adverb Now stresses that Tyre’s neighboring countries tremble in fear on the same day that it is destroyed. Isles renders the same Hebrew word translated “coastlands” in verse 15 (see the comments there). For tremble see verse 16. On the day of your fall refers to the day Nebuchadnezzar defeated Tyre. Parole de Vie renders these two lines well, saying “Now the peoples of the coast tremble because you don’t exist anymore.”

Yea, the isles that are in the sea are dismayed at your passing: These two lines repeat the sense of the first half of this verse. The Hebrew verb rendered dismayed has the sense of being greatly “afraid” (New Century Version) or paralyzed by fear (see 7.27, where it is translated “palsied by terror”). New International Version, New International Reader’s Version, and New Jerusalem Bible say “terrified.” At your passing is a euphemistic reference to Tyre’s destruction. Parole de Vie says “because you disappeared.”

A model for the song in verses 17-18 is:

• Ah, Tyre! That famous city,
Her people [came] from the seas far and wide,
She has been destroyed.
[Before that,] she wielded great power over the sea,
She and those who lived in her;
They inspired great terror,
All those who lived in her.
18 Now, on the day that Tyre has been defeated,
Those who live on the islands and the coasts tremble with fear;
They are paralyzed with fear [or, They are very, very frightened],
Because Tyre has passed away.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .