I) The judgment of Tyre and the effect of her fall (1-7)
Tyre is the capital of Phoenicia, a nation excelling in maritime commerce. All kinds of sea-bound trades came to Tyre's harbour. During the time of David and Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre supplied great amount of cedar and cypress timber for the temple, and helped Israel build their own sea-bound commerce. (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Kings 5).
On the negative side, Jezebel was a princess of Phoenicia and had evil influences over King Ahab of Israel who married her, including the worship of Baal. Even Ezekiel ran in fear of what Jezebel will do to him.
Tyre was a city divided into an inland and an island. As prophesied by Isaiah, the Assyrians and Babylonians conquered the in-land city, where it was "laid waste, without house or harbor!" (v1) The island city was conquered by Macedonian Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
II) Jehovah, the executioner of the judgment (8-14)
Tyre was filled with rich and proud people from the commerce. "The merchants are princes, and the traders are the honorable of the earth." (v8) But God's purpose was to judge and humble the city, as declared by Isaiah.
The city will be destroyed by both the Assyrians and Chaldeans (Babylonians), and Tyre will be ruined. (v13). Some of the people will escape across the mediterranean to Cyprus, but even there they will have no rest. (v12)
III) Tyre shall be restored (15-18)
There are probably multiple fulfilment in this prophetic chapter. "Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years" (v15) probably refers to the conquest of Babylon, that they will recover after Babylon has been overcome by the Persians. They survived until the Greeks conquered the land, and the island was taken by Alexander the Great.
Some theologians believe that the phrase "The Lord will visit Tyre" refer to the city becoming a Christian city during the Paul's times (Acts 21:4). Tyre finally lost its identity after the Turks took over the land in 1517. As Ezekiel prophesied, it became a bare rock, ‘a place to spread nets upon,’ (Eze. 26:14)
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