Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
A Prophecy respecting Tyre. ISAL\H XXIII. Its Miserable Overthrow, try Canaan. 13. He—God. rejoice—riotously (t). 7). op« pressed—" deflowered ;" laying aside the Hgure taken by storm: the Arabs compare a city never taken to an undefiled virgin (cf. Nahum 3. 5, &c.). dangliter «f Zidon— Tyre : or else, sons of Zidon, i. e., the whole land and people of Phoenicia (jVo/c i'. 2). [Maurer.] Cliittltn—Citium in Cyrus (v. 1). there also . . . no rest—Thy colonies, having been harslily treated by thee, will now repay thee in kind (JVote v. 10). But Vitringa refers it to tlie calamities which befel the Tyrians in their settlements subsequently, viz.. Sicily, Corcyra, Carthage, and Spain, all flowing from the original curse of Noah against the posterity of Canaan (Genesis 9. 2.>-'27). 13. Behold—Calling attention to the fact, 8*3 tiumiliating to Tyre, that a people of yesterday, like the Chaldees, should destroy the most ancient of cities. Tyre, was not—had no existence as a recognized nation; the Chaldees were previously but a rude, predatory people (Job 1. 17). Assyrian founded it—The Chaldees ("them that dwell in the wilderness ") lived a nomadic life in the mountains of Armenia originally (Arphaxad, in Genesis 10. 22, refers to such a region of Assyria near Armenia), nortli and east of Assyria proiier. Somq may have settled in Mesopotamia and Baljylonia very early, and given origin to the astrologers called Cfuildeei in later times. But most of the people had been transferred only a little before the time of this prophecy from their original seats in the north to Mesopotamia, and soon afterwards to South Babylonia. "P'ounded it," means " assigned it (the land) to them wlio had (heretofore) dwelt in t)ie wilderness" as a permanent settlement nesses of its ruin (Lamentations 2. 10); or, In contrast to the din of coiiimerce once heard in Tyre; now all is hushed and still. Isle—strictly applicable to New Tyre: In the sense coast, to tlie mainland city, Old Tyre (cf. v. 6; ch. 20. 6). Zldoii—of whicli Tyre was a colony, planted wlien Zidon was conquered by the Philistines of Ascalon. Zidon means a fishing station: tiiis was its beginning, replenished—willi wealtli and an industrious population (Ezekiel 27.3,8,23). Here "Zidon," as the oldest city of Phoenicia, Includes all llie Phoenician towns on the strip of "coast." Thus, Etlibaal, king of Tyre (Joseplius, Antiquities, 8. 3, 2), is called king of tlie Sidonians (1 Kings 16. 31): and ou coins lyre is called the metropolis of t!ie Sidonians. .3. great waters—tlie wide waters of the sea. seed grain, or cr02>, as in 1 Samuel 8. 15 ; Job 39. 12. SiUoe—lit., Dark-coloured: applied to the Nile, as the Egyptian Jeor, and the
Greek 3Ielas, to express the dark, turbid colours given to its waters by tlie fertilizing soil which it deposits at its yearly overflow (Jeremiah 2. 18). hai-vest of tlie river the growth of the Delta; tlie produce due to the overflow of the Nile: Egypt was the great granary of corn in the ancient world (Genesis 41.; 42.; 43). lier revenue—Tyrian vessels carried Egyptian produce got in exchange for wine, oil, glass, Ac, into various lands, and so made large profits, iviai-t—(K/ekiel 27. 3.) No city was more favourably situated for commerce. 4. Zidon—called on, as being the parent country of Tyre (v. 12), and here equi>4alent to Phceniciain general, to feel the shame (as it was esteemed in the East) of being now as childless as. if she never had any. "I (no more now) travail, nor bring forth," &c. " strength of the sea," i. e., stronghold, viz.. New Tyre, on a ivck (us " Tyre " means) surrounded by the sea (Ezekiel 2(>. 4; 15. 17; so Venice was called "Bride of the
(so in Psalm 104. 8). [Maurer.] It was the Assyrian policy to infuse into their own population of the plain the fresh blood of hardy mountaineers, for the sake of recruiting their armies. Ultimately the Chaldees, by their powerful priest-caste, gained tlie supremacy, .and established the later or Chaldean empire. Horsi.ey refers it to Tyre, founded by an Assyrian race, towci-s thereof— sea,'" Zechariah 9. :^). 5. As, &c.—rattier, "When the report (shall reacli) the people of Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the n-port concerning Tyre " (viz., its overthrow). So Jekome, "When the Egyptians shall hear that so powviz., of Babylon, wliose towers, Herouotus says, were " set np" by the Assyrians. [Barnes.] Rather, "The Chaldees set up their siege-totcers " against Tyre, made for the attack of high walls, from which the besiegers hurled misjrful a neighbouring nation has been destroj'ed, tliey must know their own end is near." [Lowth, &c.] 6. Pass . . . over—Escape from Tyre to your colonies as Taisliish (cf. v. 12). The Tyrians fled to Carthage and elsewhere, l)otli at tlie siege under Neliucliadnezzar and that under Alexander. 7. 7.s Z7ii\s silent ruin all that is left of siles, as depicted in the Assyrian sculptures. [G. V. Smith.] raised up—rather, "They lay bare," viz., the foundations of ?ier (Tyre's) palaces, i. e., utterly overthrow them (Psalm
1/ovr once joyoii.f city {v. 12)? antiquity—The Tyrian priests boasted in Herodotus' time tliat tlieir city had already existed 2300 years : an exaggeration, but still implying that it was ancient even then. Iier own feet— walliing on foot as captives to an enemy's land. 8. AVlko
137.7). 14. strengtii—4-i!?-07i(7;io?rf (cf. Ezekiel 26. 15-18). 15. forgotten—Having lost its former renown, Tyre sliall be in obscurity, seventy years—(so Jeremiah 25. 11, 12; 29.
10). days of one king i. e., a dynasty. The Babylonian monarchy lasted properly but seventy years. From the ans\ver,.'d in v. 9, "The Lord of hosts." crowning—crowngiving: i. e., the city from which dependent kingdoms had arisen, as Tartessus in Spain, Citium in Cyprus, and Carthage in Africa (Ezekiel 27. 33). traffic Uers lit., Canaanfirst j'ear of Nebuchadnezzar to the taking of Babylon, by Cyrus, was seventy years ; then the subjected nations would be restored to liberty. Tyre was taken in tlie middle of that period, but it is classed in common witli the ites, who were famed for commerce (cf. Hosea 12. 7, Margin).
rest, some conquered sooner and others la ter, all, however,
9. Whoever be the instruments in overtlirowing haughty sinners, God, who has all hosts at His command, is the First Cause (cli. 10. 5-7). stain-rather, to jwo/ajie .• as in Exodus 31. 14, the Sabbath, and other objects of religious reverence; so here, "the pride of all glory" may refer to alilte about to be delivered at the end of the period. So " king " is used for dyrtasty (Daniel 7. 17; 8. 20) : Nebuchadnezzar, his son Evil-merodach, and his grandson, Belshazzar, formed the whole dynasty (Jeremiah 25. 11, 12; 27
7; 29. 10). shall Tyre sing as . . . ItarlotIt shall be to Tyre as the song of the liarlot, iiz., a harlot that has been forgotten, but who attracts notice again by her song. Large marts of comukerce are often compared to harlots seeking many lovers, i. e., they court mercliants of all nat.tie Tifrian temple of Hercules, the oldest in the world, according to Arrian (cli. 2. IG): the prophet of the true God would naturally single out for notice the idol of Tyre. [G. v. SMiTir.] It may, hovs'ever, be a general proposition; the destruction of Tyre will exliibit to all liow God mars the lustre of whatever is haughty (ch. 2. 11). 10. a river— tions, and admit any one for the sake of gain (Nahum 3.
Jlehrexv, the river, viz., Nile, daughter of Tarslilsli7)y?-e and its Inhabitrmts (ch. 1. 8), aliout henceforth, owing to the ruin of Tyre, to become inhabitants of its colony, TartesBus: they would pour forth i'rorci Tyre, as waters flow on when tlie barriers are removed. [LoWTH.] Rather, Tar-
4; Revelation 18. 3). Covetousness is closcl.y akin to idolatry and licentiousness, as the connection (lOphesians 5.5; Colossians 5) proves (cf. ch. 2. (i-8, 16). 16. Same figure to express thatTj're woulii again prosperand attractcommercial intercourse of nations to her, and be the same Joyous, self-indulging city as before. 17. visit—not in wrath, but mercy, hire—imag<? from a harlot: her gains by eotnmerce. After tlie Babylonian dynasty was i>jid«l. Tyre was rebuilt; also, again, after the lU'struclion under Alexander. IS. merchandise . . . holiness—Her traffic and gains shall at last (long after the restoration mentioned in V. 17) be consecrated to Jehovah. Jesus Christ visited the neighbo'n'iorvi o*" Tvre (Matthew 15. 21); Paul found disciples there (Acta 21. 3-6); it early became a Christiiui shish, or Tartessns and its inhabitants, as the phrase usually means: they had been kept in hard bondage, working in silver and lead mines near Tarshish, by the parent city (Ezekiel 26. 17): l)Ut now the bond of restraint (lor so "strength," Margin, girdle, i. e., bond, Psalin 2. 3, ouglit to be trniuilated) is removed, since Tyre is no more. 11. He— Jehovali. Ulngdoms—the Phoenician cities and colonies, tintiiercliant city -ratlier, Canaan, meaning the north of il, i'72 , riuenicia. On their coins, they call their couu-
4">G
PLAINS OF BABYLON.
BANKS OF THE Nlt.E.