Biblical prophecy fulfilled by the Phoenician city-state of Tyre

The following is a selection of Bible prophecies that involve Tyre, a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean Sea that had great animosity with the people of Israel.

The commentaries below are from the second edition of the book, 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies, by George Konig and Ray Konig, who are the authors and copyright holders of the material. The commentaries are reprinted here with written permission from the authors. The third edition, revised and expanded, of 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies is available through Amazon.com.

Tyre's mainland would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:7-9
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 573 BC

In Ezekiel 26:7-9, the prophet said in 590 BC that Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the mainland of Tyre. Four years later, the Babylonians began a 13-year siege of Tyre. It lasted from 586 BC to 573 BC. (Alexander the Great later destroyed the island portion of Tyre, in 332 BC).

Ezekiel 26:7-9 (NIV):

7 "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar[1] king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army.

8 He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you.

9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.

NIV Footnote: [1] Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Ezekiel and Jeremiah

Tyre's fortresses would fail

Bible prophecy: Amos 1:9-10
Prophecy written: About 750 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 333-332 BC

In Amos 1:9-10, the prophet said that God would cause Tyre's protective fortresses to fail, as punishment for the way that Tyre treated Israel. That prophecy was fulfilled in 586-573 BC when Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar attacked the mainland of Tyre, and in 333-332 BC when Alexander the Great conquered the island of Tyre. Alexander's army built a land bridge from the mainland to the island so that they could use a battering ram to break through the island's fortress.

Amos 1:9-10 (NIV):

This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses."

Tyre would be attacked by many nations

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:3
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 573 BC, 332 BC, etc.

In Ezekiel 26:3, the prophet said that Tyre, the Phoenician Empire's most powerful city, would be attacked by many nations, because of its treatment of Israel. At about the time that Ezekiel delivered this prophecy, Babylon had begun a 13-year attack on Tyre's mainland. Later, in about 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the island of Tyre and brought an end to the Phoenician Empire.

Ezekiel 26:3 (NIV):

therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves.

Tyre's stones, timber and soil would be cast into the sea

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:12
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 333-332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:12, the prophet said that Tyre's stones, timber and soil would be thrown into the sea. Ezekiel's prophecy accurately describes how Alexander the Great built a land bridge from the mainland to the island of Tyre, when he attacked in 333-332 BC. Alexander's forces took rubble from Tyre's mainland and tossed it - stones, timber and soil - into the sea, to build the land bridge (which is still there).

Ezekiel 26:12 (NIV):

They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.

Tyre would be scraped and made bare

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:4
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 333 BC

In Ezekiel 26:4, the prophet said the buildings of Tyre would be ripped down and that the rubble would be scraped away. This might have happened in two stages. The Babylonians destroyed the mainland of Tyre during an attack that ended in 573 BC. Then, Alexander the Great attacked the island of Tyre in 333-332 BC. It is believed that Alexander's army scraped the rubble from the mainland and tossed it into the sea, building a land bridge to the island to conquer it. The prophecy may have been fulfilled in another way: During the centuries after Alexander's conquest of Tyre, the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders and Arabs came to the area of Tyre and put up their own buildings on or near the site of the original Phoenician Tyre. In doing this, the workers would have had to remove rubble from the original Phoenician Tyre.

Ezekiel 26:4 (NIV):

They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock.

Tyre would lose its power over the sea

Bible prophecy: Zechariah 9:3-4
Prophecy written: Between 520 and 518 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: Since 332 BC

In Zechariah 9:3-4, the prophet said that the Phoenician city of Tyre would lose its status as a powerful nation on the Mediterranean Sea. Today there is a city called Tyre that is either on, or near, the original Phoenician site. But this Tyre is a small city in modern-day Lebanon. It is certainly not the powerful nation that it was in the days of Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:3-4 (NIV):

Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets.

But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.

Phoenician Tyre would never again be found

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:21
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: After 332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:21, the prophet said that the Phoenician city of Tyre would be brought to an end and would never again be found. When Alexander the Great destroyed the city in 332 BC, he brought an end to the Phoenician Empire. The Empire was never revived or "found" again. As for the city itself, it has been torn down and built upon by a succession of foreign powers. Today, finding artifacts from the original Phoenician Tyre is difficult. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition: "The principal ruins of the city today are those of buildings erected by the Crusaders. There are some Greco-Roman remains, but any left by the Phoenicians lie underneath the present town."

Ezekiel 26:21 (NIV):

I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord."

Phoenician Tyre would never be rebuilt

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:14
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: Since 332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:14, the prophet says the Phoenician city of Tyre would be destroyed and never be rebuilt. This was fulfilled when Alexander the Great conquered Tyre in 332 BC. His conquest brought an end to the Phoenician Empire. The empire never recovered from the attack. And so, it could never rebuild Tyre. Other nations and empires have built and rebuilt cities on or near the original Phoenician site.

Ezekiel 26:14 (NIV):

I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

Notes: The commentaries above are summaries from the book 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies. Copyright © Ray Konig.

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