Topical Bible: Tyre: City of Merchants of

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Topical Encyclopedia

Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city, is frequently mentioned in the Bible as a significant center of commerce and trade. Located on the Mediterranean coast in what is now modern-day Lebanon, Tyre was renowned for its wealth, maritime prowess, and skilled artisans. The city played a crucial role in the economic and cultural exchanges of the ancient Near East.

Biblical References and Historical Context

Tyre's prominence is highlighted in several biblical passages, where it is often referred to as a "city of merchants." In Isaiah 23:8, the prophet asks, "Who has planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth?" . This verse underscores Tyre's influence and the high status of its merchants, who were regarded as nobility due to their wealth and connections.

The city's strategic location and its harbors made it a hub for trade across the Mediterranean. Tyre was famous for its production of purple dye, known as Tyrian purple, which was highly prized in antiquity. The city's artisans were also skilled in metalwork, glassmaking, and shipbuilding, contributing to its reputation as a center of craftsmanship.

Relations with Israel

Tyre maintained complex relations with the Israelites. During the reign of King David and King Solomon, Tyre was an ally of Israel. Hiram, the king of Tyre, provided materials and skilled labor for the construction of Solomon's Temple, as recorded in 1 Kings 5:1-12. This alliance facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas, benefiting both kingdoms.

However, Tyre's relationship with Israel was not always amicable. The prophets often condemned Tyre for its pride and idolatry. Ezekiel 28:2-5 portrays the city as arrogant, saying, "In the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the sea.’ But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god" . This passage reflects the biblical view of Tyre's hubris and its eventual downfall.

Prophecies and Destruction

The Bible contains several prophecies concerning the destruction of Tyre. Ezekiel 26:3-5 prophesies, "Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock" . These prophecies were fulfilled through various historical events, including the sieges by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon and later by Alexander the Great.

Symbolism and Legacy

In biblical literature, Tyre often symbolizes human pride and the fleeting nature of earthly wealth. The city's eventual downfall serves as a reminder of the consequences of arrogance and the importance of humility before God. Despite its destruction, Tyre's legacy as a city of merchants endures, illustrating the dynamic interplay between commerce, culture, and faith in the ancient world.

Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 23:8
Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Book 8 Footnotes
... a hundredth part of the first island and city is now ... observes, these poor remains
of Old Tyre are now ... of balm or balsam, as carried by merchants, and sent as a ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 8 footnotes.htm

Sabbath Observance
... There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and ... bring all this evil
upon us, and upon this city? ... So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/sabbath observance.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... and burn them together' (Isaiah 27:4). Jerusalem also, this beloved city, it will
be ... with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices[5] of the merchants' (Cant 3:6 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

Reformation
... There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought ... all this evil upon us, and upon
this city? ... inclined to abandon their purpose, "the merchants and sellers ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 57 reformation.htm

Constantine the Great (Ad 313-337)
... name of Constantinople, which means the City of Constantine ... There was a rich Christian
of Tyre, named Meropius ... for any Christian sailors or merchants who visited ...
/.../chapter x constantine the great.htm

Conversion of the Indians .
... the true religion, they exhorted the merchants who visited ... ??desius directed his course
towards Tyre, but Frumentius ... informed the bishop of that city that the ...
/.../chapter xxii conversion of the indians.htm

Canaan
... The wealth of the Canaanitish merchants was great ... of Melkarth or Melek-Kiryath,
"the King of the City," the name under which the Baal of Tyre was worshipped ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter ii canaan.htm

Herodotus and Xenophon.
... Caria, in Asia Minor, and in the city of Halicarnassus ... form, than the reports of
the merchants, though the ... He visited Tyre, and the cities of Phoenicia, on the ...
/.../abbott/cyrus the great/chapter i herodotus and xenophon.htm

In Jerusalem when Herod Reigned
... Descending from the Temple into the city, there was ... rose stately mansions of wealthy
merchants, and palaces ... the ancient Phoenician maritime towns (Tyre and Acco ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter i in jerusalem when.htm

The Travelers
... Ptolemais and Anthedon, from Caesarea and Tyre and Sidon ... of an approaching army upon
the city in which ... farmers, tradesmen, servants and small merchants, but the ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the city of delight/chapter iv the travelers.htm