2.5 Ezekiel

In the times of Ezekiel the city of Tyre was an island city out in the sea and which had settlements associated with it on the mainland. Ezekiel 26 tells us this because in verse 5 we read “out in the sea” talking of the island city, while verse 6 writes about “her settlements on the mainland”. We also know from other historical sources that the city wall was associated with the island. So the parts of Ezekiel 26 that talk about Tyre, the “city wall” and “out in the sea” all apply to the island part. With this in mind, working our way through the prophecy we find the following:

Verse
Text
Accuracy
Comment
3
this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you,
true
On the basis that 'many' is more than one 
4
They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers
true
One the basis that 'They' describe an army, not many nations.
4
I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock.
unknown
Could have been in the past
5
she will become a place to spread fishnets,
unknown
Could have been in the past
7
From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
true

8
He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword;
true

8, 9
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
false
On the basis that “he” refers to Nebuchadnezzar which follows from verse 7.
10
he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through
false
On the basis that “he” refers to Nebuchadnezzar as above.
12
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.
true
On the basis that “They” could include Alexander the Great who could have done this when he finally defeated the Island City. Ezekial 29 notes that Nebuchadnezzar didn't receive any reward from his campaign.
14
I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets.
unknown
Could have been in the past
14
You will never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.
false
Tyre had 117,000 inhabitants in 2003 making it the fourth biggest city in Lebanon. Also, that this is connected with the earlier part of the verse, “I will make you a bare rock” seems to suggest it was to say as a bare rock which has not happened.

It seems to me that parts of this prophecy are true and other parts could easily have been true but can't be verified. My concern is with the parts that seem to be false and there are essentially two of these. First that Nebuchadnezzar would overcome the island city which he did not, it was Alexander the Great who finally built a causeway most of the way out to the island and sacked it. Secondly that it would never be rebuilt, which it certainly has. Modern Tyre is the fourth biggest city in Lebanon and the buildings extend out along the now silted up causeway onto the location of the old island. Parts of the island are a UNESCO world heritage site so no building can be carried out there but the remains are from Roman times so they were built after Alexander the Great destroyed the city.

Ezekiel admits as much about his prophecy in 29:18-20 where we read that Nebuchadnezzar didn't receive any reward in his campaign against Tyre and would take Egypt instead.

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