1Babel
Chemah
…Venomous
1
Tsowr | Tyre
Upon this Rock I Crumble…
We are not the first to conclude that the Lord of Babel was a sexual predator based upon his degradation of Jewish women in Ezekiel 16 and 23. But otherwise, our journey up to this point has been through uncharted waters. That is about to change – at least somewhat. Scholars have long been aware that the predictions regarding Tyre were invalid. They even acknowledge that “Ezekiel” later apologizes for his mistake, affording Nebuchadnezzar Egypt as a consolation prize.
What theologians have all missed, however, is that the stories about Tyre do not belong. In the city’s actual history, there is nothing to tell which has any bearing on God’s people. So why destroy Tyre and then rebuild it? Why damn it and then praise it? Why is every aspect of both portrayals wrong? How is that even possible without errant intent? Why is Tyre’s annihilation at the hands of the Lord presented prior to the Lord’s lavish praise of the edifice he claims to have destroyed?
To provide a thoughtful answer to those questions, I am going to propose a novel solution. Now that the Lord of Babel has effectively demonized Jews, destroying their credibility while undermining their right to exist, he is ready to change people’s perceptions of him. And that is the role Tyre plays in Satan’s story.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why the tyrant’s tirade against Tyre is followed by the Devil’s 2glowing praise of the city. And yet, when viewed from the perspective of the Adversary, every misleading word serves a purpose, advancing the Lord’s ultimate agenda. The edifice Satan must destroy such that it is possible for him to be perceived as the ‘Lord God’ is his designation as ha Satan | the Adversary. The hideousness of Tyre is, therefore, obliterated by Satan so that rising from its place is the most beautiful creature on Earth. This is a self-portrait of the author.
Without this unique perspective, the 26th and 27th chapters of Ezekiel are much ado about nothing. They are entirely invalid portrayals of an insignificant city isolated on a tiny rock with no meaningful interactions with Yisra’el after Dowd and Shalomoh. Without addressing why the damnation and resurrection of Tyre stain these pages, we are left with nothing more than a long errant rant and a systematic rebuke which is historically invalid.
Since the meaningless and maligned portrait of Tyre is followed by the superfluous and aggrandized depictions of the city on a rock, the story serves to flesh out Satan’s intent. The Devil must shed his Adversary title to be perceived as God. And so, the fantastical fantasy portraying his obliteration of Tyre, literally wiping it off the face of the Earth, never to be seen again, represents what he must accomplish for ha Satan to be perceived as the Lord God of religion. This is why a picture emerges of an absurdly arrogant and gloriously beautiful city after its demise. This explains why the new Tyre is shown as universally adored and successful, as rich and powerful, pulling the strings which make the world go around.
Rising out of the heart of the sea, Tyre affords the Adversary a rock upon which to propose a reimagined identity. It is upon this rock that he will build his church. And while long-lived, surviving just as he intended for a score of centuries, the fable must fade for his ascension to occur. Satan knows that he is playing a losing hand, which 3is why he has the world’s leaders expressing such grief over his ultimate demise.
I must admit, this interpretation of Ezekiel 26 and 27 was not fully developed until the Lord of Babel overtly casts Tyre as himself in the 28th chapter. And since that profound revelation is nearly 50 pages hence, I wanted to share this insight with you, making what you are about to read relevant.
As we proceed, if one were inclined to believe Ezekiel and buy into the notion that this was the eleventh year of exile, why was there no mention of the influx of Jewish exiles the previous year? There would have been thousands of recent arrivals, many reunions, and stories to share and tell.
The reason that they were not included is because Ezekiel was a literary device, created by the author, and not an actual person. He was as much a slave in Babylon as Ahab was the captain of the Pequod chasing the White Whale.
It is in the eleventh year (wa hayah ba ‘ashtey ‘asar shanah) in first of the month (ba ‘echad la ha chodesh) a word (dabar) was (hayah) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me to say (‘el ‘any la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:1) son of Adam (ben ‘adam), because (ya’an) of that which (‘asher) Tyre (Tsor – Rock) had said (‘amar) over Jerusalem (‘al Yaruwshalaim), aha (he’ach), the door (deleth) was broken (shabar) of the people (ha ‘am). She was surrounded (sabab – gone around to encircle) for me (‘el ‘any). I will fill (male’) she was dried (chareb – she became parched). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:2)
This is not a stellar start to the Devil’s depiction of Tyre. Cities do not speak and, therefore, this is a contrived declaration. The door to Jerusalem was not broken. The walls had been breached during the previous year. And while the city had been surrounded, the author meant to say 4that “the gates had been opened for me.” He just chose the wrong words for his imaginary conversation. This problem is exacerbated by male’ | filled and chareb | dried.
The implication was that Tyre was planning to get rich, cleaning up by looting Jerusalem following the Babylonian siege. However, Nebuchadnezzar had already stolen everything of value and burned the rest. And the Babylonians were a lingering threat to Tyre, so leaving the city undefended would have been suicidal. And had they foolishly pursued plunder, the attempted robbery of a previously looted and demolished bank wouldn’t have been a crime.
The Lord’s hysterical reaction to such contrived nonsense is embarrassing. This is especially true considering he threatened to stone the women of Jerusalem after raping them, then burn their homes before tossing them all into a pot to boil. If there is someone deserving of righteous indignation, it is the Lord God of religion.
Therefore (la ken), thus said (kol ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), behold, I’m above you (hineh ‘any ‘al ‘ath), Tyre (Tsor – Rock). So I have lifted up (wa ‘alah – I have raised (hifil perfect)) over you (‘al ‘ath) many gentiles and large nations (gowym rab) as the sea (ka ha yam) lifts up (‘alah) for its rolling in a bowl (la gal huw’ – for that which heaps, ?, only used in Ezekiel in this form). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:3)
“Above you,” indeed. That is the point. The Lord of Babel needs the faithful to believe that he has risen beyond Babylon and now stands above the edifice he wants to destroy.
Since explaining away the Lord’s propensity to brag about Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of the city has proven embarrassing, Christian apologists use this verse to suggest that the demise of Tyre would be an ongoing event since 5there was but one man who can claim Tyre as a trophy – Alexander of Macedon in 332 BCE.
But what the Christian apologists fail to acknowledge is that ‘alah | I have lifted up was written using the perfect conjugation. This means that it was a completed action rather than one which would play out gradually over the centuries. Further, the reference to the city’s vulnerability to the sea strongly suggests that the Lord was bragging about bringing down the city surrounded by water, not the coastal suburb.
Also, since we have been regaled with errant terminology, gol does not mean “waves.” Recognizing this form is unique to Ezekiel, since it appears to be based upon gal and the actionable root, galal, our choices are – “heap, bowl, roll, or dung.” In ancient Hebrew letters, it was scribed to show a foot walking away from the shepherd.
Still speaking of either the gol or gowym…
They will have destroyed (wa shachath – they will have devastated and rendered useless (piel perfect)) the walls (chomah) of Tsor | Rock | Tyre (Tsor) and will have demolished and torn down (wa haras) her towers (migdal hy’). And then, I will have scraped away (sachah) her dirt, dust, and rubble (‘aphar hy’) from her (min hy’). I will have given her the gift (wa nathan ‘eth hy’) of a barren (tsachyach) rock (sela’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:4)
Nebuchadnezzar II’s siege of Tyre was waged from 586 to 573 BCE, which means that it would have been ongoing at the time of the Lord’s threat. Contrary to Ezekiel’s assessment, after 13 years of trying, the Babylonian king failed. He was not only unable to destroy the city’s walls, his attempt at building a causeway across the sea was so unsuccessful he never reached them. Even Alexander, in his successful campaign, did not destroy the 6walls – making only a small dent at the south end of the island.
There is only one extant historical record of the Babylonian engagement touted by Ezekiel. In it, the historian mentions provisions for “the king and his soldiers for their march against Tyre.” The reason nothing more is said is because kings don’t gloat over their failures.
Tyre was not destroyed. The Babylonians found the city’s defenses impenetrable. They did not tear the walls down because they never reached them.
The only notable towers pursuant to Tyre were siege towers constructed by Alexander. And even then, it was the defenders of Tyre who burned them both – not the other way around.
The city was never scraped clean and the dirt upon which the island was constructed has never been removed. Tyre is anything but barren. Every word of this is false – not just some of it – all of it.
The strong salt-laden winds, menacing currents, treacherous waves, and imposing walls adjacent to the sea make Tyre the last place a fisherman is going to clean, dry, or cast nets.
A ? (mishtowach – used only in Ezekiel, likely meaning to wash, rinse, overflow, or flood) of nets (cherem) it will continue to be (hayah – it is and will remain) in the midst of the sea (ba tawek ha yam) because (ky) I, myself, had spoken (‘any dabar), prophetically declares (na’um) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!).
And she will have been (wa hayah) for plunder (baz) for the gentiles (la ha gowy). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:5)
Tyre was never renowned for fishing or washing nets. And while the city is on a small island, less than 35 acres in size, and thus surrounded by water, it was not in the 7middle of the sea. In fact, it is less than 300 strides from shore.
Further, Tyre was plundered, and even then, partially so, by one man, and his name was not Nebuchadnezzar. And even with Alexander, the cost of the siege in time, men, and material greatly exceeded the dwindling wealth of the city or the value of its residents when sold into slavery.
There is no indication that the Babylonians killed anyone during the 13-year siege. Tyre was resupplied by sea rather than over land. And as it would transpire, when the Greeks prevailed, they found that almost all of the women and children had been evacuated to Carthage. And, therefore, this is not accurate, either…
So, her daughters (wa bath hy’), who, in the field (‘asher ba ha sadeh), by the sword (ba ha chereb), will be killed (harag). Then they will have come to acknowledge (wa yada’) I am (‘any) This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:6)
Tyre’s daughters were not killed by either Nebuchadnezzar or Alexander. The former never breached the walls and the women had been evacuated by Carthage prior to Alexander summoning a navy. Moreover, during the successful Macedonian attack, the report from the most credible resource, the Greco-Roman historian, Flavius Arrianus, suggests that of the remaining adult male residents, 30,000 were sold into slavery with 10,000 remaining in the city. Killing them would have been a waste of resources and defeated the purpose. Further, there wasn’t a single person on either occasion who came to know or acknowledge Yahowah.
The standard for a prophet is no mistakes. Ezekiel is, therefore, the perfect false prophet.
8The reason that I have scolded the Lord of Babel for crediting Nebuchadnezzar for the sack of Tyre should now be obvious…
Indeed, truthfully (ky), thus said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), behold, pay attention and notice that I will come (hineh ‘any bow’ – I will arrive and enter, returning (hifil participle)) to Tyre (‘el Tsor – to the Rock), Nebuchadnezzar (Nabuwkadre’tsar), Melek Babel | King of Confusion With the Lord (melek Babel – ruler of Babylon) from the north (min tsaphown), King of Kings (melek melek), with horse (ba suws) and with riders on chariots (wa ba rekeb), and with horsemen (wa ba parash), and a mob, a community (qahal – an assembly, throng, or horde), and many important people (wa ‘am rab). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:7)
God was not there. He had no interest in this fight. Nebuchadnezzar had already arrived, and he came from the opposite direction. The ‘King of Kings’ title was first used by Cyrus who conquered Babylon. And someone speaking for Yahowah would only use this title when referring to Dowd | David.
Unless chariots float and horses turn their tails into propellers, they’d be as useless in attacking an island city like Tyre as would be feet on fish. There is a reason that navies avoid putting screen doors on submarines. Tactics which may prevail on land do not work at sea. So, Ezekiel is maintaining his perfect score. Or as Christian apologists would say: “Prophecy fulfilled.”
Tyre was the mother of Carthage, the undisputed sovereign of the Mediterranean Sea. Since the island city was easier to resupply and defend without women and children, the Phoenicians would have done the same with Nebuchadnezzar as they did when facing Alexander. The women and children would have been evacuated. 9Therefore, by repeating the mistake, the Lord is not helping his cause.
Your daughters (bath ‘ath) in the pastures and fields (ba ha sadeh) with the sword (ba ha chereb) he will kill (harag). He will offer (wa nathan) over you (‘al ‘ath) siege works (dayeq – bulwarks and siege mounds) and he will have poured out (shapak) a siege ramp and elevated mound (solalah – an inclined and elevated ramp) over you (‘al ‘ath). And he will have stood up and established, raising up (wa quwm) over you (‘al ‘ath) shields (tsinah – a piercing hook, a barb, refreshing coolness, and a buckler). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:8)
Tyre was an impenetrable island fortress. There were no daughters in the fields. The little girls of Tyre were not struck down and killed by Babylonian swords. There were no siege works – no mounds or inclined ramps. Nothing was poured out. And there were no shields, hooks, barbs, cold air, or bucklers placed over the city. This is not just wrong, considering the object, it is moronic. Those who defend this lunacy should be embarrassed and held accountable. Ezekiel isn’t just a false prophet, he is insane.
Neither Nebuchadnezzar nor Alexander was able to position battering rams anywhere near striking distance of the city’s walls. And yet, the Lord of Babel pretends otherwise. (I wonder if he was a Progressive?)
And the blows, the physical impact (wa mechy – ?, only used in Ezekiel, thought to be from machah – to wipeout) of his battering ram (qobel huw’– ?, only used this once in Ezekiel, and odd because the verb qabal means to choose and accept) he will offer as a gift (nathan) to your walls (ba chowmah ‘ath). And your towers (migdal ‘ath) he will tear down (nathats) with his swords (ba chereb huw’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:9)
The author of this ‘prediction’ is a complete ignoramus. There were no battering rams, no impact, and 10no gifts. The walls which towered around the city were made of stone. Even if the chariots were boats and the horses were fish, and swords were wielded against the walls, all one would have heard is “clank” followed by an expletive.
And just when I was convinced that it couldn’t get worse…
From the multitude (min shipha’ah) of his horses (suws huw’), he will cover you (kasah ‘ath) their soot (‘abaq hem – their dust would be the secondary meaning) from the noise (min qowl) of the horseman (parash – war steed or rider, singular) and vehicle wheel (galgal – wagon wheel, singular), and chariot rider (wa rekeb – charioteer, singular), they will shake (ra’ash – they will sway) your walls (chomah ‘ath) in entering (ba bow’) him in your gates (huw’ ba sa’ar) in the manner (ka) entrance (mabow’ – entryway, a noun not a verb) a city (‘iyr) being divided (baqa’ – being split). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:10)
“His” is still addressing King Nebuchadnezzar, the only assailant named within this errant prophecy. He was attempting to besiege an island citadel which was only accessible by small craft through a protected harbor. Until horses learn to walk on water and chariots fly, they would have been a liability. There is no chance whatsoever that Nebuchadnezzar would have squandered the resources needed to support useless weapons.
There is no soot from horses nor dust from noisy riders. The prevailing wind is south to north, and the island is west of the shore, such that neither would have been a concern.
The multitude was comprised of three vehicles, all singular apparatus. Had they done wheelies or dressage, they wouldn’t have shaken anything, including the defenders’ confidence because no one brought horses into Tyre. Even Alexander failed to complete his causeway due 11to the water depth approaching the city. And Tyre was not divided. So, Ezekiel is still running a perfect score: 0.
With the hoofs (ba parsah) of his stallions (suws huw’), he will trample (ramas) all of your streets (‘eth kol chuwts ‘ath – every one of your public places). Your people (‘am ‘ath) with the sword (ba ha chereb) he will kill (harag). And your mighty memorial stones (matsebah ‘oz ‘ath) to the ground (la ha ‘erets) will descend (yarad). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:11)
Having failed miserably, all Nebuchadnezzar got for his siege was some money from King Ba’al of Tyre to go away and leave them alone. Otherwise, they may have laughed themselves to death watching the boys teach their horses to swim.
There were no horses dancing in the streets, no swordplay, and no fallen memorial stones. To which the Christian apologists proclaimed, “Prophecy fulfilled.”
They will plunder your riches (wa shalal) your wealth (chayl ‘ath – your physical strength, ability, troops, and noble character) and they will have looted, carrying off (wa bazaz) your trading (rakulah ‘ath – your exchanging money and merchandise). And they will have broken down and destroyed, demolishing (haras) your walls (chomah ‘ath). Then your desire and treasure (chemdah ‘ath – your hope, scribed as a noun rather than an adjective) houses (beythy) they will break and tear down (natats). And your stones (wa ‘eben ‘ath) and your trees (wa ‘ets ‘ath), even your dusty dirt (wa ‘aphar ‘ath) into the midst of the waters (ba tawek maym), they will place (sym). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:12)
Nebuchadnezzar and his men left without loot, trades, exchanges, or merchandise. And for the fourth time, the walls were not breached. The island houses may have been expensive, but they were not torn down. The stones 12remained in place, no trees were uprooted, and dirt is no longer dust when placed in water.
My only question thus far is to wonder what someone in Tyre may have said or done to the author of Ezekiel to motivate him to squander his fledgling credibility on this stunningly stupid rampage. With Yisra’el long lost, with almost every Jew enslaved, and with Jerusalem in ashes, why is he so distraught over Tyre?
While Hezbollah may soon cripple all of Lebanon, until recently, Tyre was a vibrant city. And with Dowd being Yahowah’s favored singer and lyricist, the Lord of Babel is like Allah when it comes to music and merriment.
So, I will have put an end to (wa shabath) roar and richness, the abundance and commotion, the bustle and noise (hamown) of your songs and singing (shyry ‘ath), and the sound (wa qowl) of your zithers and lyres (kinowr ‘ath – your stringed instruments) will not be heard ever again (lo’ shama’ ‘owd). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:13)
Even with the love of his life, the ultimate Babylonian enslaver and city wrecker, his King of Kings, the Lord of Babel was as impotent as he would later be with Paul and then Muhammad. And the music played on.
In his next errant statement, using nathan | giving a gift to describe the intended annihilation of a city is macabre. Creating a made-up word, tsachach, to depict his desired result – which was for everything, including the people, to be scraped into the sea such that the rock beneath the city glowed – is psychotic. And to have repeated the delusion of the nets with another contrived word, mishtowach, is just as weird.
However, it’s what follows that I find intriguing. After deliberately using ‘ath, feminine singular for you throughout this rant, including twice at the beginning of the 13verse, the verb hayah was written as masculine singular, which means that the Lord is now speaking to the rock. Further, in the imperative conjugation, the verb speaks of ongoing existence. But then, immediately following the verb, the Lord negated banah, to say: she will not build or rebuild.
And I will have given the gift (wa nathan) for you of ? (‘ath la tsachach – perhaps aglow, a noun used only this once in Ezekiel) rock (tsela’) of ? (mishtowach – used only in Ezekiel, likely from a root meaning to wash, rinse, overflow, or flood) of nets (cherem).
You will be (hayah – you (masculine singular) will exist (qal imperfect second-person masculine singular – you, sir, will actually and continually be)), she will not build (lo’ banah – she will not rebuild or develop (nifal imperfect third-person feminine singular – she will not carry out construction nor will she benefit from building for an ongoing basis)) going forward ever again (‘owd), because, indeed (ky), I (‘any), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), I had spoken (dabar – I had expressed in words (piel perfect first-person singular)) utterance (na’um – announcement, written as a noun), my Lord (‘adony – my master and owner, the one who possesses and controls me), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:14)
Tabling the deplorable writing quality for a moment, the island upon which Tyre resides has never been scraped clean down to the barren rock. It is not conducive to net play. And while it was not damaged during Nebuchadnezzar’s failed siege, the relatively small portion of the city Alexander razed in rage was restored and exists today. This, by itself, is absolute proof that the Book of Ezekiel was not inspired by Yahowah, no matter how desperate the Lord is to claim otherwise.
Thus said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony – my master and owner, the one who possesses and controls me), This 14Is Not Him (#^^#!), to Tyre (Tsor – Rock) will not (ha lo’) from the sound (min qowl) of your downfall (mapleth ‘ath – of your destruction and fall) with groaning in pain (ba ‘anaq – with crying) of the pierced and fatally wounded (chalal – of the slain who are dead and have been defiled) in being killed (ba harag), slaughtered (hareg) in your midst (ba tawek ‘ath) shake (ra’ash – quake, tremble, and sway (qal imperfect third-person masculine plural)) the islands (ha ‘iyym). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:15)
The Lord is mistaken. There was no downfall. No one was pierced with his sword. The dead make no sound. There was no slaughter. There is only one island. And it did not shake. And the Christians declared, ‘Prophecy fulfilled.’
These are very peculiar, very personal, and factually inaccurate statements. There was only one king residing over Tyre during the siege, Ithobaal III. He died either of old age or boredom and was succeeded by King Baal II. He paid the Babylonians to go away and leave him alone, and they did.
And then will have descended (wa yarad) from upon their thrones (min ‘al kise’owthm hem) all of the elevated rulers (kol nasy’) of the sea (ha yam) and have removed (wa suwr) their robes (ma’yl hem) and their garments (wa ‘eth beged hem) associated with human trafficking (riqmah – used elsewhere to speak of captive virgins destined to being raped by their abductors), being stripped (pashat) trembling in fear (charadah).
They will dress (labash) on the ground (‘al ha ‘erets), they will sit and dwell (yashab), and they will tremble in fear, shuddering and shaking (wa charad), instantly and continually (la rega’ – in the moment and for the duration). And they would have been devastated and desolated (wa shamem – they were destitute and 15ravaged (qal perfect third-person masculine plural)) over you (‘al ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:16)
There was one throne and one leader over Tyre, not many. The ruler of the sea did not make a surprise appearance unless Poseidon (Yamm to the Phoenicians) and the Lord were on speaking terms. There was no disrobing, no matter how much Satan seems to enjoy stripping. It was a strikeout on human trafficking, wallowing in the dirt, trembling in fear, and devastation and desolation.
While Nebuchadnezzar is the only perpetrator listed in Ezekiel’s crusade against Tyre, 250 years thereafter when Alexander succeeded, he pardoned King Azemilcus and the city’s nobility, as well as all of the priests. Therefore, no matter how one reads or reinterprets this text such that it includes the Greeks, the prophecy is still wrong.
So, how many lies must the god of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam tell before believers realize that he has disqualified himself as God? How many psychotic and sadistic statements does the god of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have to make before the faithful correctly identify the speaker as Satan? And how many tortured interpretations of this text will theologians have to make before the religious recognize that they are being played for fools?
While the most demonic and sadistic chapters of Ezekiel are now past, this is the most deceitful. And it continues…
They will have lifted up (wa nasa’) over you (‘al ‘ath) a funeral dirge (qynah) and will have said (wa ‘amar) to you (la ‘ath), how were you destroyed and exterminated (‘ek ‘abad – why were you annihilated) inhabited (yashab – sitting down, dwelling, and remaining) out of the sea (min yam) the city (ha ‘iyr), the praised and extolled (ha halal – the foolish and boastful) 16who were (‘asher hayah) militarily strong, vocally loud, especially powerful, and exceedingly harsh (chazaq) in the sea (ba ha yam), she (hy’), and those dwelling (wa yashab) of her (hy’) who (‘asher) had given (nathan) their terror (chithyth hem) to all of those inhabiting her (la kol yashab hy’)? (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:17)
Since the dead do not talk, and the sane do not question them, we can safely conclude that this question was falsely projected on the Tyrians. However, history is clear – few if any died during the failed Babylonian siege. And if we believe the most credible source of information regarding Alexander’s conquests, some 80% of the city’s population survived such that there was no annihilation or extermination of the inhabitants.
The Tyrians did not come from the sea, they were not particularly boastful, and they were neither militarily strong nor particularly loud. And terror was not the favored tactic, nor were the majority of inhabitants, much less all, terrorized.
Although the numbers were typically exaggerated to make kings appear grand, it was said by Lucius Flavius Arrianus that the military garrison of 6,000 men who had so effectively thwarted the Macedonian general’s intentions were killed. In addition, Alexander’s most famed historian would have us believe that, after pardoning all of the leadership, 2,000 Tyrians were crucified on the beach for their role in having killed Greek POWs on the walls of the city in front of the attackers. Again, while likely exaggerated by Arrianus, 10,000 civilians were left in the city while 30,000 were taken as slaves. The latter assessment is particularly incredulous since Alexander was headed south and would not have had a market for them. Moreover, Carthage took credit for having evacuated all of the women and children.
17Our resource, the aforementioned Greek historian, philosopher, politician, and general during the Roman period, Flavius Arrianus, was born around 90 CE and died sometime after 150 CE. His Anabasis of Alexander is considered the best resource on the campaigns of Alexander the Great, even though their lives were separated by over 400 years. His tutelage in military tactics endeared him to one of the vilest men in human history – Emperor Hadrian. They bonded in 126 CE, immediately prior to his destruction of Judea. The Emperor of Death appointed Arrianus to the Roman Senate and afforded him the command of a Legion, which he deployed in the aftermath of quelling the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
Now, at this moment (‘atah), be terrorized (chithyth) of the islands (ha ‘iyym – the isles) day (yowm) of your downfall (maphleth ‘ath – of your carcass overthrown). So, they having been terrified and bewildered in agony (wa bahal) the islands (ha ‘iyym) which in the sea (‘asher ba ha yam) from coming out of you (min yatsa’ ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:18)
There were no terrorists. There was only one island. It did not fall. No one apart from the Lord and his prophet was bewildered, although we are in agony reading this.
But let’s be clear – no one is this unlucky. In playing truth or dare, eventually someone is going to provide an accurate response. A tossed coin will not go from shekel to slug while midair a hundred times in succession. This long list of false claims cannot be perchance. It is deliberate. Satan is proving his point, that religious humans are so gullible, so ignorant and irrational, they are not only beneath him, they are not worthy of a relationship with God. And that is the lesson being proclaimed to deaf ears in Ezekiel 26.
Staying on script, the Lord opines…
18Indeed, thus said (ky koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony – my master and owner, the one who possesses and controls me), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), by a gift of mine (ba nathan ‘any) with you (‘eth ‘ath) a city (‘iyr) dried up and desolate (chareb – devastated and lifeless), like the cities (ka ha ‘iyrym) which (‘asher) are not inhabited (lo’ yashab) in going over and above you (ba ‘alah ‘al ‘ath) with a deep deluge of dark, inaccessible, and inexhaustible ocean water (tahowm – the primeval ocean and abyss of the depth of the sea) and cover you to conceal you (wa kasah ‘ath), the waters (ha maym) of the many (ha rab – of the great multitudes and abundance). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:19)
This is contradictory. Tyre could not have been both chareb | dry and also be tahowm | swallowed by the sea. And in reality, it was neither. Moreover, it was not and is not uninhabited. So, unless to claim credit for the notion of a lost city swallowed by the ocean like Atlantis, why make such an inaccurate statement?
To his credit, Satan has returned to his wheelhouse for this next little ditty, so he’ll either get this one right or prove my previous point.
Then, I will have descended, coming down for you (yarad ‘ath – I will have gone down to you, doing what was required to have brought you down (hifil perfect first-person singular)) with those who will descend (‘eth yarad – with those who come down (qal participle masculine plural construct)) to the pit (bowr – to the prison and abode of those who have passed away), to the people who live forever (‘el ‘am ‘owlam – to the family of old who exist eternally).
I have caused you to dwell and remain (yashab ‘ath) in the deepest depths of realm below (ba ‘erets tachthy – in the lowest region), like the destroyed and depopulated desolation (ka charbah) of old and forevermore (min 19‘owlam) with those who descend, going down (‘eth yarad) to the pit (bowr – to the dungeon and prison) so that (la ma’an) you will not be inhabited (lo’ yashab).
Then I will have given (wa nathan) something beautiful, that which is valuable and glorious (tsaby) to the realm of the living (ba ‘erets chayym). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:20)
This is better, but still not accurate. The pit has a name, one of which Satan is well aware. He is not only the Lord of She’owl, he uses the title in the 31st chapter of Ezekiel, proving that he knows the name. And while he will be incarcerated there, the Lord does not have discretion over who will join him. Also, while incarceration is eternal, there would be no correlation between souls in She’owl and Tyre being forever uninhabited – of which he was obviously wrong.
While the Lord did not make Tyre uninhabitable, when the overtly religious and political are finally quarantined, the land of the living will be more attractive. However, very few of Tyre’s 40,000 residents back in the day, or even the 60,000 who call the city home today, will have punched their tickets to She’owl. It requires a special kind of bad, similar to the Lord of Babel and his associate, Ezekiel, to earn and deserve eternal incarceration away from God’s people.
Should you be curious, Flavius Arrianus would have us believe that Alexander attacked Tyre rather than bypassing it en route to Egypt because they wouldn’t let him worship Hercules in the Temple of Melqart. The Greeks considered them to be the same god under different names.
Melqart was part of the Phoenician and, thus, Punic trinity. He was the Son of ‘El | God and revered as Ba’al | Lord. And as would be the case with Christianity, he was 20the child of Astarte, the basis of Easter, the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God.
Melqart, which means “King of the City,” was the Ruler of the Underworld and Protector of the Universe. He was similar to Jesus with his annual death and resurrection projected upon the winter solstice and vernal equinox. He is even shown holding an Ankh, which is a cross. It is Melqart as Ba’al whom ‘ElYah exposed and condemned.
The Greek historian, Herodotus, circa 484 to 425 BCE, spoke of visiting the Temple of Ba’al / Melqart, whom he refers to as Hercules, and he waxes poetic about its extravagance. Upon his inquiry regarding the city’s age, the residents attested that it dated back to 2700 BCE and had been occupied consistently over that time. As such, the Lord’s claims are refuted by the “Father of History.”
In the concluding line of the 26th chapter, the Lord of Babel continued to lie to the Devil’s Advocate…
Calamitous terror and sudden destruction (ballahah) I will give (nathan) to you (‘ath). So, you will be negated, no longer existing (wa ‘ayin ‘ath).
You will be sought (wa baqash – you will be investigated and searched (pual imperfect second-person feminine singular)) and never found, ever again throughout eternity (wa lo’ matsa’ ‘owd la ‘owlam – and not ever discovered, remaining unknown forevermore), declaration (na’um) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 26:21)
That which began dishonestly ended the same way. Nebuchadnezzar’s siege lasted 13 years. There was nothing sudden about it. Tyre was not negated. The city endures. It is not sought because its existence and location are well-known. The absurd notion that Tyre cannot be found is so ridiculous that it takes a person of faith to believe that this was spoken by God.
21Contrary to the testimony of the Lord of Babel, Tyre is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. And while no one is going to accuse Christian apologists of making informed and rational arguments, the Lord’s claim of Tyre’s demise and eternal disappearance is undermined in their own book. While the assertion was obviously false, Matthew 15:21 reads, “Then Jesus went thence, and departed to the coast of Tyre and Sidon.” Oops.
Not one single statement in the whole of Ezekiel 26 was true. It is less credible than the Quran – and that is saying something. I think we can end all speculation on Ezekiel’s prophetic credentials. And so, the Christians proclaimed, “And it was fulfilled.”
In the first nine verses of the 27th chapter, the Lord of Babel tries his hand at poetry, gushing over Tyre, not remembering that he obliterated the city and promised that it would never be found in his just-concluded rant. It is all fluff and no substance – although, it is all fairly remarkable for a city now lost under the sea.
The bare rock of the supposedly submerged and never rebuilt city continued to draw Satan’s attention.
And is a word (wa hayah dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me to say (‘el ‘any la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:1) and you, son of man (wa ‘atah ben ‘adam), you must lift up over Tyre (nasa’ ‘al Tsor) a funeral dirge (qyrah), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:2) and have said to Tyre (wa ‘amar la Tsowr (spelled differently)), the one inhabiting (ha yashab) on the entrances (‘al mabow’) to sea (yam), merchant trader (rokel) of the peoples (ha ‘amym) to many islands (‘el ‘iyym rab), thus said my Lord (koh ‘amar ‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), Tyre 22(Tsowr), you, yourself, have said (‘ath ‘amar), I am perfect, totally and entirely beautiful (‘any kalyl yophy). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:3)
The ten tribes comprising Yisra’el are lost in the outback of what was the periphery of Assyria. The surviving remnant of Yahuwdah is now enslaved in Babylon. Israel has been destroyed, as have Judah and Jerusalem. The Chosen People are within a breath of extinction. And yet, the Lord of Babel remains preoccupied with a tiny island off the coast of southern Lebanon.
Tyre was of no value to anyone. It was not a port city or a major trading partner with Mediterranean nations. The city had a tiny harbor which was inconveniently located offshore. If not for their enormous egos, and a chance to prove that their swords were longer than others, Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander would have passed it by.
When dialogue such as this is projected upon a group of people, it is never true. It is a rhetorical device designed to suggest that the Lord was right in wanting to destroy them. But in this case, there was no one in Tyre who was waltzing around the island claiming that it was perfect – the paradigm of beauty. There were many far more attractive places. Life on the rock would have been difficult. And that is why the most adventurous of the Tyrians found more fertile ground along the Mediterranean coast of northern Africa and founded Carthage. And it was Carthage that served as the merchant of the world – not unlike America.
The rock did not have borders and it was not in the heart of the sea but, instead, just offshore. No one is going to mistake Tyre for Crete or Phoenicians for the Minoans.
In the heart of the seas (ba leb yamym), your territorial borders (gebuwl ‘ath), your builders (banah ‘ath) perfected (kalal) your beauty (yophy). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:4)
23First (barowsh) from Senir (Shaniyr – the Amorite name of a barren, treeless mountain near Mt. Hermon at the extreme northern border of Lebanon), they had built (banah) for you (la ‘ath) all of the glistening stone and metal tablets, shining tables, and shimmering boards (‘eth kol luwach). Cedar (‘erez) from Lebanon (Labanown) they had taken (laqach) for making a mast (la ‘asah toren) on you (‘al ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:5)
We were introduced to luwach in the Towrah. Yahowah etched the Ten Statements on luwach | stone tablets. So, it’s an odd choice used in reference to builders, firs, cedars, and faraway mountains. Even stranger, most of Senir is above the tree line, and at the far extreme of the country, it would be of last resort. And since there was only one of them, it must have been a really big mast.
Even if we were to accept this nonsense as credible, what’s the point? Since it was allegedly destroyed in the previous chapter, why is the Lord waxing poetic about such things?
Large trees (‘alownym) from Bashan (Bashan) they had made (‘asah) your oars ? (mashowt ‘ath – used only in Ezekiel, to question going to and fro). Your frames and planks (qeresh ‘ath) they had made (‘asah) of tooth (shen – of ivory), daughter (bath) of Ashers (‘Ashurym – Ashurites ?, used only this once in Ezekiel) from the islands (min ‘iyym) of Cyprus (Kityym). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:6)
Ancient Bashan is bordered on the west by the Golan Heights. It was part of the Amorite kingdom and then conquered by Moses during the Yatsa’ | Exodus when their king, Og, came out against God’s people. It was later given to Manasseh. In the 9th century, it was captured by King Hazael of Syria, but then reclaimed by Jehoash of Israel.
24While too insignificant to warrant a mention, the area was absorbed by the Assyrians and then claimed by the Babylonians. So, while there were some oaks in her forests, the region known for its grain would not have been able to supply Tyre at this time because the territory was controlled by their foes. But that’s not a problem since no one knows what a mashowt might be. Most guess oars, but it could be anything that moves.
Continuing to mumble rather than impress, planks and frames are not made from a tooth. I rather doubt that the daughters of Ashers, should such ladies exist, are gumming their food. And if by ‘Ashurym, Ezekiel was addressing the tribe of Asher, then they were not in Cyprus.
Linen (shesh) with ? (ba riqmah – used outside of Ezekiel when men are engaged in sexually exploiting enslaved women, sometimes rendered embroidered in variegated colors) from Egypt (min Mitsraym) was (hayah) your ? (miphras ‘ath – only used in Ezekiel, possibly questionable spreading) to be (la hayah) for you for a bluish banner (la ‘ath la nes takelet) and purple (wa ‘argaman) from the islands (min ‘iyym) of Elishah ? (‘Elyshah – of foreign origin only used in Ezekiel) was (hayah) your awning (makaseh ‘ath – your covering or layer of fat). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:7)
Since the Phoenicians were master weavers, the linen thread may have come from Egypt, but not the cloth. This renders riqmah impossible to translate since it would not apply to thread. Should miphras have been intended to mean “sails,” they would never have been embroidered. And if the intent were to say “variegated colors,” the dyes would not have come from Egypt but, instead, from the sea around Tyre.
There are no islands of Elishah. Moreover, the colors of banners or awnings are not relevant. And the propensity of Ezekiel’s Lord to make up words demonstrates that he 25does not have command of the Hebrew language. As such, he is not Yahowah.
In reality, nothing the Lord of Babel has conveyed in this chapter has been of value. Blabbering for the sake of blabbering does not a God make.
Inhabiting (yashab) Sidon (Tsydown) and Arvad (wa ‘Arwad – ?, only used in Ezekiel and scarcely known otherwise) were wandering roamers (shuwth – malicious maligners and random movers) for you (la ‘ath). Your wise and shrewd (chakam ‘ath – your skilled and learned), Tyre (Tsowr), they were in you (hayah ba ‘ath), they your seamen (hem chobel ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:8)
Since yashab was written as a verb, those inhabiting Sidon or Arvad would be neither wandering roamers nor in Tyre. And speaking of Arvad, should it have existed as a tiny rock island, it would have been 30 miles up the coast of Tripolis. It had no relevance to Yisra’el, and it would have been too small to supply roamers or maligners. Regarding the wise and shrewd in you as your seamen, I’m not learned enough to render a sensible conclusion.
Elders (zaqen) of Gebal (Gabal – ?, only used in Ezekiel) and her shrewd and skilled (wa chakam hy’) were in you (hayah ba ‘ath) harshly hardening (chazaq) your breaches and seams (bedeq ‘ath – your fissures and leaks).
All of the ships (kol ‘onyah) of the sea (ha yam) and their vanishing salts (wa melach hem – only used once apart from Ezekiel with the implication of a mariner, also known as an old salt) were in you (hayah ba ‘ath) to make a pledge, put up a mortgage, or make a bargain (‘arab – to barter and mingle) for your wares (ma’arab ‘ath – merchandise; from mah – to question and ‘arab – a pledge). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:9)
26Since no one has ever heard of Gebal, the apologists tell us that Ezekiel was confused and meant to say Biblos. If so, the residents were experts in papyrus, not leak prevention. But no matter because no one messed with the seams of Phoenician ships. They were uniquely skilled in using tenons to join planks together. Their system of hammering dowels through drilled holes is known as pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery today. And since this was the most valued and protected Phoenician specialty, the seams were not hardened by the elders of Gebal. The Lord should have known better.
The harbor in Tyre was tiny, and the navy of Carthage was much larger. So, all of the ships of the sea were not in Tyre. Further, the old salts knew how to sail, not bargain or mingle.
Therefore, over the course of three chapters, we have gone from sadistically boiling Jews alive to being wrong about every prophecy pursuant to Tyre and now to pure absurdity. So, we should not be surprised that the Lord of Babel trips on his tongue yet again. Evidently forgetting that Tyre was Phoenician, and that the Persian Empire would not exist until Cyrus conquered Babylon in October 539 BCE, now, in what was purported to be 586 BCE, the Lord jumps the gun…
Persia (Paras) and Ludim (wa Luwd) and Libya (wa Puwt) were in your army (hayah ba chayl ‘ath), your men of war (‘iysh milchamah ‘ath). They hung (thalah) shield and helmet (magen wa kowba’) with you (ba ‘ath). They, themselves, provided your splendor, glory, and adornment (hem nathan ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:10)
Tyre employed a protective garrison of seamen who were Phoenician and Carthaginian sailors, not an army. Behind the sheer walls along the sea and in their boats, helmets and shields would have been liabilities. And 27obviously, circa 585 BCE, there were no Persians among her defenders.
As for Luwds, virtually nothing is known of them. It is assumed that they may have been Africans, but that is just a guess.
Libyans would also be unlikely, since Carthage was in the vicinity and would have been the best choice. Having been founded by Tyre, and now the Mediterranean’s leading superpower, Carthage’s navy was just what the island city needed for resupply and protection.
Calling soldiers ornaments is tripe. In fact, this entire conversation is inappropriate and petty.
Sons (ben) of Arvad (‘Arwad – ?, only used in Ezekiel) and Helech (Chayil – ?, only used in Ezekiel as a name) on your walls (‘al chowmah ‘ath) all around, surrounding on all sides (sabyb), and (wa) Gamad (Gamadym – ?, only used in Ezekiel as a name) were (hayah) in your towers (ba Migdal ‘ath). Their shields they hung (shelet talah) on your walls (‘al chowmah ‘ath) surrounding them (sabyb hem). They bring to perfection and complete (kalal – only used this once in Ezekiel) your beauty (yophy ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:11)
There were no towns or regions named Chayil or Gamad. And while there is the possibility that an island called Arada may have existed, as it is mentioned in passing in the Tell-el-Amarna tablets, nothing is known of it, making the mention superfluous. If true, it is meaningless. If not, then it is also irrelevant because it pales in comparison to the grotesque inaccuracies found throughout the previous chapter.
The issue here is that, while the entire 26th chapter was errant prophetically, the introductory statements found within the 27th chapter are wrong because they are not prophetic. There is no reason to lie about the town or its 28fate. Tyre was irrelevant to Yahuwdym, and it would remain so. The Lord’s fixation on it serves only as a window into the demons which haunt the author.
In the writings of actual prophets, Yisra’el is all that really matters. They are admonished and encouraged as a Father would raise a son. Gowym enter the conversation only when supporting, misleading, or abusing Yisra’el – or influencing the circumstances around them during the Last Days. And in this light, prophecy is always painted to draw our attention to the reconciliation, not the obliteration, of God’s people.
The best example of this is in the Book of Isaiah. The influence of the modern manifestations of Babylon, Philistia, Moab, and Edom are discussed along with how the events each influence play out in Syria, Egypt, Arabia, and Lebanon. Tyre, which is in Lebanon, is then mentioned in association with the ships of Tarshish in Yasha’yah | Isaiah 23. These ships represent the US Navy – a conclusion drawn from the similarity between ancient Carthage and the United States militarily and economically. The mercantile nature of America’s economic prowess, particularly the nation’s business dealings with Egypt, Sidon (representing Lebanon), and Cypress are mentioned in the prophecy. This is because of the influence each will have on Israel as a result of the shared and disputed offshore gas fields which overlap their international boundaries. Then Yasha’yah proclaims Yisra’el’s deliverance.
That is the proper way to present prophecy. Lamenting on Tyre’s beauty, borders, and builders, or the composition of her planks, masts, oars, sails, and awnings is not. Nor is addressing the origin of her rowers, shrewd fellows, seamen, planksters, or bargainers.
Stupid is as stupid says…
29Tarshish (Tarshysh) merchant (socher – traffic, using the noun form of the verb sachar – to go around) of you (‘ath) from (min) many or great (rab) every (kol) wealth (hown) in (ba) silver (keseph), iron ore (barzel), tin (badyl), and lead (‘opereth) they had offered (nathan) of your goods (‘izbownym ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:12)
Tyre was too tiny and isolated to mine, refine, or trade in iron, tin, or lead. Those were the specialties of the Carthaginians who had become masters of the Mediterranean by this time. Further, the Carthaginians traded with Tyre, not because of her wealth, but because they were both Punic people.
Since so much has been said of Tyre by Ezekiel’s Lord which is incorrect, let’s pause a moment to consider the history of the island. Tyre, alongside her larger and more prosperous neighbor, Sidon, was Phoenician. They were noted for innovations in shipbuilding, navigation, and trade. Due to the limited space on the island, Tyrians became skilled in constructing multi-level buildings using wood and stone – which is why Kings Dowd and Shalomoh solicited their help in sourcing craftsmen and materials for Yahowah’s Temple.
During the 11th and 10th centuries BCE, King Hiram of Tyre was also effective in squelching Philistine pirates and was noted for building secure warehouses for the storage of valuable goods. And it was during this time that Tyre is said to have founded Carthage.
Tyre is mentioned by Yahowah’s prophets for a couple of reasons. In the beginning, and during Dowd’s day, they were helpful, providing access to the resources and engineering expertise needed for Yisra’el to construct Yahowah’s Home. Then during the 9th century BCE, they were notoriously destructive with the marriage of Jezebel, from the royal Tyrian family, with Yisra’elite King ‘Ahab. 30As a result, Ba’al and ‘Asherah, as the Lord God and Queen of Heaven and Mother of God, became the favored deities of Israel. This would antagonize Yahowah, causing His disdain for ‘Ahab and the Northern Kingdom of Yisra’el, their capital in Samaria, along with the Jezreel Valley. And this is what led to the showdown between the 850 pagan prophets and ‘ElYah.
During the rise of the Assyrian Empire, tiny Tyre survived, and even thrived, by paying what amounted to an administrative tax to the Assyrians as they developed their sovereignty over Phoenicia. As an island dependent upon access to food and trade, Tyre benefited by doing business with Asia Minor’s tyrannical overlord. However, since tyrants don’t like sharing, circa 730 BCE, the infamous Tiglath-Pileser III demanded far greater tribute from King Hiram II while also prohibiting trade to the south, thus excluding Israel and Egypt. Demanding even more, his successor, Shalmaneser V, besieged Tyre with the cooperation of fellow Phoenicians. His five-year campaign from 725 to 720 BCE failed.
Not learning the lesson history was teaching, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria from 705 to 681 BCE, was also thwarted in his attempts at taking Tyre. Although, he was successful in isolating Tyre such that its sovereignty ended at the island’s walls.
Not very neighborly, Tyrian King Ba’al I betrayed Sidon and suppressed a revolt circa 675 BCE on behalf of the Assyrian Empire. As a reward, Tyre, which is just 15 miles north of Israel, was given temporary custodianship over the coast of what had been the Northern Kingdom of Israel. However, the Assyrian King Esarhaddon revoked the privilege when Tyre formed an alliance with Egypt. Then his successor, Asurbanipal, completely curtailed all claims Tyre had to the mainland, leaving the island isolated by 650 BCE.
31In the vacuum of power fostered by the fall of the Assyrian Empire in 612 BCE, Tyre became independent and prospered. The respite was brief, however, because the aforementioned Nebuchadnezzar II began his military conquests of the Levant in 605 BCE. It was then that the Tyrians allied with Egypt, Judah, Edom, and Moab. However, by 597, the alliance failed as Nebuchadnezzar attacked each of Tyre’s allies.
Following the ransacking and enslavement of Judah in 586 BCE, the Babylonians began their failed siege against Tyre. And while the city on the rock survived the assault, contrary to the claims made by Ezekiel’s Lord, Tyre lost its luster and shriveled economically with its ability to trade severely constrained. Tyre of this era bore no resemblance to the perfect beauty Ezekiel’s Lord is now describing.
As a result, neighboring sister city and rival, Sidon, gained the upper hand in trade and prospered at Tyre’s expense. Thereupon, the city was relegated to harvesting purple dye from murex shellfish to eke out a living over the next two, very quiet and subdued centuries.
The next we hear of Tyre, we discover that the Prince of Cyprus, Evagoras, while leading a revolt against the Persians, came to occupy Tyre in their joint defense. However, with the city on a rock no longer sufficiently prosperous to warrant the cost of occupation, after ten years, the Cypriots left Tyre which returned to Persian control.
Whether powerless, spineless, or just greedy, Tyre abstained during Sidon’s insurgency against Persia in 352 BCE. And with the larger, superior, port city destroyed, having burned itself to the ground rather than serve as a tool for the occupation, Tyre benefited somewhat from increased trade. The uptick in prosperity was short-lived. After his victory over Persian King Darius III in 333 BCE at the Granicus and Issus rivers, Alexander the Great 32moved his armies south. And even while extracting tribute from the coastal Phoenician city-states along the way, most welcomed him with open arms. They had grown weary of Assyrian, Babylonian, and now Persian domination. All but one city genuflected, showering praise on the man who had bested the Persians. It was Tyre which adamantly refused. And this was the actual reason the egomaniacal Alexander couldn’t just walk away and get on with the business of pursuing his white whale.
The Macedonian’s siege of Tyre was personal and the justifications were mere excuses. Tyre offered Alexander nothing other than the satisfaction of accomplishing what others, including the legendary Shalmaneser and Nebuchadnezzar, had failed to achieve.
As legend has it, Tyre’s King Azemilcus was at sea with the Persian fleet when Alexander arrived in 332 BCE. Miffed by the alliance with his adversary, and likely distraught over the size of the Persian fleet when he had none, Alexander sought entry into the city under the ruse of offering a sacrifice to Hercules in the Temple of Melqart. With his intentions obvious, the Tyrians directed him to Melqart’s other temple in Old Tyre on the coast, which is where the Greek troops were currently garrisoned. Rebuked, the self-adulating one systematically dismantled coastal Tyre and used the stones extracted from its buildings to construct a causeway toward the island. In so doing, Alexander destroyed the myth that Christian apologists use to suggest that Nebuchadnezzar dismantled the coastal suburb of Tyre.
Ultimately, Alexander ran out of building blocks and the water became too deep, rendering the causeway a failure. The problem was exacerbated when the siege towers, which were acclaimed to be the highest ever made, were burnt by Tyre’s defenders, killing many of Alexander’s men in the process.
33With a break in the action, and the Macedonian’s plans going down in flames, the Tyrians evacuated most of the city’s civilian population to Carthage. Witnessing this, the landlocked Greek cobbled together a fleet from the places he had recently deposed the Persians. And while we do not know why the Persian fleet didn’t respond and protect Tyre, the end result was that Alexander’s men, jumping off of the newly acquired ships, were able to scale the southern wall and enter the city. And in actuality, not much appears to have happened thereafter because the conquering general spared King Azemilcus and all of his priests and magistrates – which was exceedingly odd for the time.
Alexander simply moved on, having taken a number of lives and slaves in retribution, but the city was spared. And interestingly, just eight years after Alexander’s death, his former General Antigonus began his own siege of Tyre in 315 BCE. Thereafter, control of the city on a rock was passed to Ptolemy until the Seleucids, under Antiochus III, invaded Phoenicia in 198 BCE.
But evidently, without access to the internet or a qualified fact-checker, even an editor, the Lord of Babel and the Devil’s Advocate rambled on, piling one mistake on top of another. In this regard, Ezekiel is less historically accurate than Homer’s Odyssey.
That said, we are moving into the portion of Ezekiel filled with half-truths and misperceptions. After laying a completely faulty foundation, Satan is ready to build his edifice upon misappropriated and misconstrued reports from prior prophets. He will do what he does best, which is to corrupt the truth to make his deceptions appear more credible. For example, the following list of names was purloined from the Towrah, where Magog, Javen, Tubal, and Meshech are listed among the sons of Japheth, Noach’s son (Genesis 10:2). These names are then repeated at the conclusion of Yasha’yah / Isaiah 66 to affirm that 34Yahowah’s Covenant family would survive the Time of Ya’aqob’s Troubles.
Javan (Yawan – from yayin – to effervesce, enthusiastically sparkling and bubbling), Tubal (Tubal – identical to tebel – the inhabited world), Meshech (wa Meshech – identical to mashak – to seize and draw upon), merchant trader (rokel – barterer, scribed as a noun) of you (‘ath) with souls of man (ba nepesh ‘adam) and objects (wa kaly – utensils, vessels, and weapons) of copper or bronze (nachosheth), they had given (nathan) for your wares (ma’arab ‘ath – from mah – to question and ‘arab – pledges). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:13)
Based upon the obscurity of these three names, and the fact that they are written at the commencement of the genealogies following the flood in Bare’syth 10 and at the conclusion of the prophetic witness after the Time of Trouble in Yasha’yah 66, they were ignorantly misappropriated by Ezekiel. Moreover, by listing the souls of men as their primary commodity followed by implements of bronze, the Lord or Babel is depicting them as slave traders and warmongers.
Should you be curious, at this time, the Ionian Islands were suffering under the rule of tyrants during the archaic period. They would not have been very good trading partners. Moreover, they were not known to barter in weapons or people.
Tubal is only mentioned twice outside of Ezekiel, those being Bare’syth | Genesis and in the last chapter of Yasha’yah | Isaiah. There it is presented along with the others who have escaped the tyranny of nations and survived the Time of Troubles, to serve as witnesses to those these names represent…
And I will set (wa sym) a sign among them (ba hem ‘owth). Then I will send out (wa shalach) from them (min hem) those who have escaped (palyth – who left and have 35been saved) to the gowym (‘el ha gowym) – the precious gems (Tarshysh), the distinguished firebrands (Puwl wa Luwd) who have seized and drawn upon (masak) the rainbow (qesheth – the sign of the Covenant) in the world of the living (Tubal), the effervescent and enthusiastically sparkling (Yawan) of the islands and coastal regions (ha ‘iy) far away (rachowq), who (‘asher) have not heard (lo’ shama’) My message (‘eth shema’ ‘any) and who have not witnessed My significance and rewarding gift (wa lo’ ra’ah ‘eth kabowd ‘any). And they will conspicuously inform and openly report (wa nagad) My glorious and rewarding presence and abundant riches (‘eth kabowd ‘any) throughout the gowym (ba ha gowym).” (Yasha’yah / Isaiah 66:18-19)
The parallels between the first generation to have survived the flood and the last generation to have escaped the Time of Ya’aqob’s troubles are brilliant in the context of Yasha’yah’s declaration, and hideous in Yachezq’el’s enslavement of souls and weapons of war.
Returning to Bare’syth | Genesis 10 for usable material, just as Muhammad mined the Talmud to make the Quran appear suitably religious, we find one of Gomer’s sons…
From (min) Beth-Togarmah (Beyth Towgarmah – grandson of Noach’s son, Japheth, only appears here in Ezekiel as a nation, people, or place), stallions (suws – swift swallows), and horses and horsemen (parash) and mules (pered), they offered and gave (nathan) for your forsaken and damned who come and go as merchandise (‘azabownym ‘ath – the plural of a compound of ‘azab – to forsake and damn and bow’ – to come and go). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:14)
One of the many reasons that no one has been able to determine the location and nature of the “places” listed throughout Ezekiel is that they do not actually exist. The 36author of this abominable text misappropriated them from the names of people listed within the Towrah. And then he projected all manner of peculiar things upon them. Previously, we read that they were supplying human souls. And now, Noach’s great-grandson is supplying war horses and receiving the damned and forsaken in return.
The rock upon which Tyre was built and named averaged 500 paces wide, it was 1,500 strides long, and it sat some 800 yards from shore. Perched upon a pebble, the Tyrians needed stallions and horsemen like the sea needs farmers. And the Christian apologists exclaimed in unison, “Prophecy fulfilled.”
The notion of Dedan representing an important nation is found only in Ezekiel. We first encounter the name, Dedan, in Bare’syth / Genesis 10, where we are told that he was Noach’s great-grandson through Ham and Cush. Either his descendants, or ‘Abraham’s non-Yisra’elite offspring, are mentioned poetically in Yasha’yah / Isaiah 21, where they are depicted running caravans through Arabia. They were likely the distant relatives of ‘Abraham’s grandson with his concubine Keturah because he is mentioned in connection with Midian which is located in northwestern Arabia. Midian is associated with Moseh and Choreb.
Ezekiel’s Dedan was introduced in the midst of the mountain of lies as the Lord of Babel floundered while predicting Tyre’s fate in the 25th chapter. There, Dedan was paired with Teman and, collectively, presented as causing Edom to fall with their swords. Now in the 27th chapter, the claim is that they brought the Tyrians “horns of tooth” and hobenym. And since there were no elephants, whales, or tooth fairies in Midian, that is unlikely. It would otherwise be irrelevant if not for the fuss the Lord of Babel will make of Dedan’s role in the Magog episode in Ezekiel 38 in conjunction with Noach’s other grandchildren.
37The sons of Dedan (beny Dedan) merchants of you (rokel ‘ath – a noun suggesting traders or barterers as extrapolated from the verbal root which speaks of moving about as a trafficker) of many islands and coastlands (rab ‘iyym), a trader or trafficker going around and traveling about (sachorah – ?, only used this once in Ezekiel, perhaps derived from the verb sachar – to traffic and go about traveling) your hand (yad ‘ath) horns (qeren) of tooth (shen) and ? (wa hobenym – used only this once in Ezekiel, possibly from an unused root meaning to be hard) they returned (shuwb) exchange for you (‘eshkar ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:15)
“Horn of tooth” could be rendered as “ivory” and hobenym as the hardwood, “ebony,” if the Dedanites were whalers or elephant hunters and could be placed in Africa or India where one might find both the tree and the beast. However, with a ready supply of cedar and oak nearby, what would the Tyrians have done with scraps of ebony hauled from afar? And being expert seafarers, why would they need to buy ivory?
Although, this would be the Lord’s first accurate prophecy if predicting the advent of the piano, where, to quote Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder: “Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony, side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why don’t we?”
Returning to fun-with-names using Bare’syth / Genesis 10 and the descendants of Noach | Noah, we find ‘Aram’s name popping up next. He was Shem’s son. While theologians have afforded the title, Table of Nations, to the list of Noach’s descendants, the Towrah does not describe it as such. Furthermore, since the flood was regional, there were millions of people already living in the places that were said to have been populated by Noah’s children – Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
38The mistranslated statement giving rise to “Table of Nations” actually reads: “From these (min ‘eleh), they had spread out and dispersed (parad) to the coastlands and islands (‘iyym) of the gentiles (gowym) within their lands (‘erets hem), an individual (‘iysh) for his tongue (la lashown huw’) with their extended family (mishphachah hem – their family groups) with their peoples (ba gowym hem – with their fellow gentiles). (Bare’syth / Genesis 10:5) This means that Japheth’s extended family dispersed toward the coastal regions of nearby areas, and that they communicated with family members.
To claim, as the defenders of Ezekiel must do, that Magog, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Dedan, and now ‘Aram are nations which existed circa 585 BCE, and that they have survived unto the Last Days to participate in the Magog War is a fool’s folly. It is not true. There is no nation of Magog, Meshach, and Tubal, or of Dedan and ‘Aram. They are at best symbolic, because the prophetic rhetoric requires us to identify the most comparable modern manifestations of Tarshish, Edom, Mow’ab, and particularly, Babylon – which we have done.
What is true is that the successive generations of Noach’s sons lived together as extended families and they settled in places within walking distance of upper Mesopotamia, with some spreading out farther over time. But in time, even the most notorious of them either blended in with surrounding peoples or were overcome by more substantial kingdoms.
By the 6th century BCE and beyond, they are used as poetic license. That is how Yasha’yah incorporated them into the conclusion of his prophetic portrayal of God’s interactions throughout human history. The generation that emerged from the flood would symbolically represent those who will have escaped the Time of Trouble before Yahowah’s return.
39To complete this thought, there are places in the Towrah dating to the 20th century BCE, which suggest that there may have still been some relative cohesiveness among Noah’s extended family. For example, Bare’syth / Genesis 25:20 reads: “When Yitschaq was (wa hayah Yitschaq) forty years old (ben ‘arba’ym shanah) he selected and obtained for himself (ba laqach huw’), Rebekah (Ribqah – of unknown origin and meaning), the daughter (bath) of Bethuel (Bathuw’el – of uncertain origin because bathah – destructive end of ‘el – god is inappropriate), the ‘Aramy (ha ‘Aramy – My Citadel or I am of ‘Aram; from ‘armown – elevated fortress and ‘any – my) from Paddanaram (Phadn’aram – the Extent of ‘Aram; phadan is either of foreign origin or from an unused root meaning to extend), the sister (‘achowth) of Laban | White (Laban – White), the ‘Aramy (ha ‘Aramy) for him for his wife (la huw’ la ‘ishah). (Bare’syth / Genesis 25:20)
‘Aramy is not a kingdom, a nation, or even a race. It identifies family lineage. And in this case, we do not even know if ‘Aram refers to the ‘Aram of Bare’syth / Genesis 10, or the more recently listed ‘Aram of Bare’syth / Genesis 22 – which is actually more likely. The latter ‘Aram was the grandson of Nahor, ‘Abraham’s brother. His name was offered during the confirmation of the Covenant, at the conclusion of the story where we are told that Yitschaq’s life would be spared. And it is there that we are told that Yitschaq’s wife, Rebekah, would be of Nahor’s line, and thus be related to ‘Abraham. So, it is about families and their descendants, not nations.
In this regard, Laban is named “White.” And since his character and demeanor were decidedly black, his name means that he was a white person, whom we’d call a Caucasian today. And having come from Ur of the Chaldeans, ‘Abraham, Sarah, and his brother, and thus their sons and daughters, would also have been Caucasians 40– which puts a major dent in the myth of Black Hebrew Israelites.
Aram (‘Aram) merchant (socher – trader or customer) of you (‘ath) from (min) abundance (rob) of your works (ma’aseh ‘ath – of your labors) with emeralds (ba nophek – perhaps turquoise, derived from an unused root meaning to glisten), purple (‘argaman), and embroidered and variegated colors and patterns associated with human trafficking (wa riqmah), and fine linen (wa bowts), and corals (ra’mowth), and a ruby (wa kadkod – in the sense of a fiery light from a forge) they had given (nathan) for your damned and forsaken (ba ‘azabown ‘ath – your leftovers, abandoned and deserted who are bought and sold). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:16)
This seems to be saying that the mythical ‘Aram was trading emeralds, purple dye, embroidery, linen, corals, and a ruby for the damned and forsaken who were bought and sold in Tyre. This would make the Tyrians slave traders, which was not among their specialties. The only thing on this list which was actually identified with Tyre was purple dye, but even if we eliminate the rest and attribute it to them, why would it be considered ‘azabown | damned and forsaken when it was their most valuable commodity?
By this time, there was no Yisra’el or Yahuwdah. And even if they had previously traded agricultural products for whatever Tyre may have been offering, there is no moral lesson or Divine insight associated with the statement, making it superfluous.
Yahuwdah (Yahuwdah) and the Land of Israel (wa ‘erets Yisra’el), they trader of you (hem rokel ‘ath) in wheat (chitah) of Minyth (Minyth – where the Ammonites were slaughtered east of the Yarden | Jordan in Shaphat / Judges 11:33), and ? (wa panag – of uncertain derivation used only in Ezekiel), and honey (dabash), and oil (wa 41shemen), and an herbal balm (wa tsory – only used one other time in Bare’syth / Genesis 37:25 whereupon it is listed among spices and myrrh among things Ishmaelites were carrying to Egypt on camels) they gave (nathan) for your questionable pledge (ma’arab ‘ath – from mah – to question and ‘arab – a mortgage or undertaking). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:17)
Based upon the description provided in Shaphat / Judges 11:33, Minyth would be near Amman, Jordan. This was not part of Judah or even Israel, and it was way too mountainous, rocky, and barren to grow wheat. Further, since chitah | wheat was written in the construct form, it is possessive of Minyth. One lie simply led to another as is the nature of religion.
Moreover, Yahuwdah was not engaged in the caravan trade of spices and balms with the Ishmaelites. It was yet another odd reference.
However, by specifically mentioning Yahuwdah in this otherwise meaningless statement, and contrasting it with the Land of Yisra’el, it becomes obvious that the Lord of Babel recognized the distinction between Judah and Israel. And yet, he chose to deliberately err and use Yisra’el throughout this diatribe when speaking of Yahuwdah.
This is all so delusional and utterly useless; it is a wonder that this nonsense was incorporated into the Bible as if it were the word of God. This entire rant has but one purpose – to artificially elevate the status of Tyre such that the Lord’s obliteration of it would be seen as a mighty miracle. But the business and benefactors of Tyre are as fictitious as was the city’s demise.
Damascus (Dameseq) went around (sachar) you (‘ath) with an abundance of your work (ba rob ma’aseh ‘ath) out of the large amount (min rob) of every wealth (kol hown), effervescent wine (yayn) of Helbon (Helbown – ?, only used this once in Ezekiel) and wool (wa tsemer) 42of Sahar (Tsachar – ?, only used this once in Ezekiel). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:18)
? (Wedan – only used in Ezekiel) and Javan (Yawan – Noach’s grandson through Japheth, extrapolated to mean Ionia) from Uzal (min ‘Uwzal – of unknown derivation and of unknown place) for your damned and forsaken (ba ‘azabown ‘ath – your leftovers, abandoned and deserted who are bought and sold) they gave (nathan) iron ore (barzel), ? (‘ashowth – used only this once in Ezekiel), ? (‘qidah – used only this once in Ezekiel), and acquire reed or branch (wa qanah) with your questionable pledge (ma’arab ‘ath – from mah – to question and ‘arab – a mortgage or undertaking), it existed (hayah – he was). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:19)
There is no record of Helbon or Sahar. Damascus would have preferred doing business with Sidon because their harbor would have been better suited for trading with a large city. No one knows anything about “Wedan.” And should the writer have meant wa Dan | and Dan, it does not fit the context with Javan or Uzal. Over time, Ezekiel’s apologists have rendered weden as everything from a “cask” or “container” to ‘Eden, as in the Garden. However, there is no basis among words beginning with a Wah for a “cask or container” and ‘Eden begins with an ‘Ayin and does not include a Wah.
Further, the Ezekiel apologists will argue that Yawan is not a people or place as it was previously presented but, now, means “wine.” But wine is written yayn with two Yods and without a Wah.
‘Uzal is back to fun-with-names and Bare’syth 10. He is the first son of ‘Aram. And since there is no known place called ‘Uzal, it’s hard to fathom from whence the Wedan and Javan may have come. Nonetheless, they exchanged the damned for iron ore, as if Tyre was equipped with smelting furnaces. And for good measure, they brought 43along ? and ?, in addition to reeds and / or branches. And all we really want to know is who was dispensing the ergot.
This is now our third encounter with Dedan. Initially, they were said to have wielded the swords which caused Edom to fall. Then they were listed as the folks of many isles who brought the “horn or tooth” and ebony. So now in what may be a sign of Alzheimer’s, we read…
Dedan (Dadan) trader you (rokel ‘ath) with garments (ba beged) of ? (chophesh – only used in Ezekiel, perhaps meaning free) for ? (la rikbah – only used in Ezekiel, perhaps the female of a chariot team). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:20)
We have moved beyond fun-with-names to inventing words. The apparent strategy is to make them up such that they cannot be translated or understood. That way, who is to say the Lord is wrong?
Finally, we come upon the name of a place that actually exists. Unfortunately, ‘arab has a wide variety of definitions…
Arab (‘Arab – Arabian, desert-plateau, crow, noxious flies, foreign people, fabric, evening, ensuing darkness, mingling, and making a pledge as in a mortgage guarantee) and all of the elevated leaders (wa kol nasy’) of Kedar (Qedar – son of Ishmael, to mourn in darkness, likely a nomadic tribe), they (hem), moved about to traffic (sachar) your hand (yad ‘ath) in howdah and palanquin (kar – camel saddles), rams (‘ayil – male sheep, leaders, large trees, or door jambs) and rams (wa ‘athuwd – the ready and prepared) with them (ba hem) going about as traffickers (sachar) for you (‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:21)
To his credit, the author of Ezekiel may have read from the actual prophets and discovered that there was an affinity of sorts between Dedan, Arab, and Kedar in that 44they all appear to move through and about Arabia. And no doubt some of these folks would have been skilled at making camel saddles, but what one would do with a camel saddle on a 35-acre island is another matter. And as for rams and rams, and their connection to saddles, I’ll let you be the judge.
Wouldn’t it have been more efficient to replace this entire chapter with: “The Tyrians were Phoenician sailors living on an island so they became proficient traders?” And even then, since the Lord swears that he swallowed them in the sea, why bother?
This verbose list of real and imaginary people and products is so inappropriate, particularly pertaining to an otherwise meaningless town on a rock, that it speaks to the author’s insanity.
The traders going about (sachar) of Sheba (Shaba’ – son of Joktan, a descendant of Seth, son of Raamah and brother of Dedan, grandson of Cush, a descendant of Ham, and son of ‘Abraham by Keturah) and Raamah (wa Ra’mah – son of Cush and father of Sheba and Dedan) they trader (hem rokel) of you (‘ath) with the finest of all balsam (ba ro’sh kol bosem) and in every stone (wa ba kol ‘eben – and with all rocks) of value (yaqar) and gold (wa zahab) they had given (nathan) for your damned and forsaken (‘azabown ‘ath – for your estranged who are bought, sold, and traded). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:22)
Haran (Charan – son of Caleb and city to which ‘Abraham migrated after leaving Ur in Sumer) and Canneh (Kaneh – unknown apart from this use in Ezekiel), and Eden (wa ‘Eden – other than the name of the Garden, and this odd mention, there are two references to the children of ‘Eden which are allegorical), going about trafficking (rokel) of Sheba (Shaba’), Asshur (‘Ashuwr – second son of Shem or now extinct empire of Assyria), Chilmad (Kilmad – unknown apart from this use in 45Ezekiel) traders of you (rokel ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:23)
They traded for you (hem rokel ‘ath) with ? (ba makluwl – used only once in Ezekiel), with ? (ba galowm – used only once in Ezekiel), blue thread (takelet), and variegated embroidery used in association with human trafficking (riqmah), and in treasuries (wa ba genez – used elsewhere only in Esther to describe the king’s treasuries) of ? (barowm – of foreign origin and used only once in Ezekiel) with rope (chebel) saddled (chabash) and ? (‘araz – only used once in Ezekiel) in your ? (ba markoleth ‘ath – only used in Ezekiel, perhaps from mah – to question and rakal – to go about as a trafficker). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:24)
How many more exploits in unknown places must we endure? Are we being hypnotized by this rhetoric to the point we emerge dumbfounded and no brighter than Ezekiel?
Returning to fun-with-names, Tarshish was Noah’s grandson by Japheth and Javan.
Ships (‘oniyah) of Tarshish (Tarshysh) come and go (shuwb) for you (‘ath) with bartered and pledged wares (ma’arab ‘ath – your questionable pledges). So, you are filling (wa male’) and you are weighing down (wa kabed) tremendously (ma’od) in the heart of the seas (ba leb yamym). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:25)
We strove to identify the modern manifestation of Tarshish because of the way it was deployed in Melekym / Kings in the past and throughout Yasha’yah / Isaiah in our future. After the aforementioned introduction in Bare’syth 10, the next mention of Tarshish is in 1 Kings 10:22 where Solomon is shown benefiting from the ships of Tarshish in conjunction with Lebanon while trading in Africa. With Tyre and Sidon located just up the coast from Israel in Lebanon and notably trading with Dowd and Shalomoh, 46we see them expanding westward along the African coast to found Carthage as a Phoenician outpost.
From this, the Punic empire would grow to become the obvious model for Tarshish. They boasted the largest and most far-reaching navy in the ancient world, traveling from the Black Sea to Britain. They were also the undisputed economic superpower of their day through technological advancements in metallurgy and by developing the world’s first reserve currency and internationally accepted coinage. They then went about controlling trade in wheat, wine, fabrics, metals, and weapons by establishing military bases throughout the region. They were what the United States would become.
In great water (ba maym rab), they came for you (bow’ ‘ath), the roving about (ha shuwth) with you (‘eth ‘ath). Wind (ruwach) of the east (ha qadym) has broken and destroyed you (shabar) in the heart of the seas (ba leb yam). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:26)
This is wrong twice over. I checked five highly regarded weather sites, and they all affirm the same thing: The prevailing and strongest winds in Tyre are out of the west and southwest. Even light breezes seldom emerge off of the coast on the east. Further, an offshore wind would be meaningless as close as Tyre sits to the mainland, while a wind from the west would churn up waves all the way from Gibraltar. So once again, I must say that it simply isn’t possible to be this consistently wrong without deliberately trying to do so. Therefore, the Lord of Religion is mocking the faithful – particularly Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Your wealth (hown ‘ath) and your forsaken and damned (wa ‘azabown ‘ath), your pledges (ma’arab ‘ath), your salts (melach ‘ath), and you binders (chobel ‘ath – your rope handlers), your breach hardeners and gap fixers (chazaq bedeq ‘ath), and your mortgage traders (‘arab ma’arab ‘ath), in addition to all of your 47men of war (wa kol ‘iysh milchamah ‘ath) who (‘asher), in you (ba ‘ath) and with all of your community (wa ba kol qahal ‘ath), who in your midst (‘asher ba tawek ‘ath), drop into the heart of the sea (naphal ba leb yam) in the day (ba yowm) of your downfall (mapheleth ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:27)
All of that for nothing. It did not happen, ever. Tyre has not fallen into the heart of the sea. The mortgage traders and gap fixers have lived to pledge and harden another day. And all of the Lord’s people proclaimed, “Prophecy fulfilled.”
For the sound and voice (la qowl) of the distressful outcry (za’aq – the call for help) of your binders (chobel ‘ath – your rope-handling mortgage brokers), the pastureland (migrash) shakes and quakes (ra’ash). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:28)
And they descend (wa yarad) from their ships (min ‘oniyah hem), all who take hold of (kol taphas) ? (mashuwt – only used in Ezekiel, possibly: to question roving about), salts (melach – only used in Ezekiel to convey seamen from the normal association with salt), all of the rope-handling mortgage brokers (chobel) of the sea (ha yam) to the land (‘el ha ‘erets), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:29) and they listen (wa shama’) over you (‘al ‘ath) with their voice (ba qowl) and they cry out (wa za’aq) bitterly in despairing anguish (mar) and they lift up (wa ‘alah) dust (‘aphar) on their heads (‘al ro’sh hem) in the ashes (ba ha ‘epher), rolling and wallowing about (palash). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:30)
Let me get this straight. They are old salts and professional riggers, and as a result of an offshore breeze, they have fallen into the sea. Those on land are enduring an earthquake. It was derived from their voices, as they were bitterly despairing while tossing dust on their heads. They were also rolling in ashes in the heart of the sea. Why 48not? And the faithful exclaimed, “Isn’t Scripture wonderful?”
Then they make themselves bald (wa qarach) for you (‘el ‘ath), bald (qarchah), and they tie (wa chagar) mesh (saq – sackcloth) and they weep toward you (wa bakah ‘el ‘ath) in bitterness (ba mar) of soul (nepesh), wailing and howling (misphed) bitterly (mar). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:31)
And they lift up (wa nasa’) toward you (‘el ‘ath) in their ? (ba ny hem – a doubtful term only used this once in Ezekiel), a funeral dirge (qiynah) and they chant rhythmically (qyn) over you (‘al ‘ath): What is like Tyre (my ka Tsowr), like the destroyed and desolated (ka dumah) in the midst of the sea (ba tawek ha yam)? (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:32)
Who doesn’t appreciate a bald chorus adorned in mesh, howling bitterly, rhythmically chanting a funeral dirge as a city sinks into the sea? The Lord is such a ‘babel-icous’ storyteller.
In going out (ba yatsa’), your forsaken and damned who were bought and sold (‘azabown ‘ath) from the seas (min yamym), you satisfied (saba’) many people (‘am rab). In your abundance of your wealth (ba rob hown ‘ath) and your questionable pledges (wa ma’arab ‘ath), you enriched (‘ashar) the kings (melek) of the Earth (‘erets). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:33)
Little ‘ole Tyre, all 35 acres of her, by the slave trade, they satisfied many. And while that screeches immorality, as bankers with their wealth and pledges, they somehow enriched the rulers of the world. If true, they were more accomplished than the Lord of Babel. Considering all of this, why isn’t there a conspiracy proclaiming that Tyrians are the secret bankers who are controlling the world? Oh, I know, it isn’t true.
49The good news is that we are nearing the end of the chapter. The bad news is that the Lord of Babel is not done twisting the tale of two cities.
Time (‘eth) breaking and shattering (shabar) out of the seas (min yamym), in the questionable depths (ba ma’amaq – by pondering the profound and deep) of the waters (maym), your dubious mortgages and debatable pledges (ma’arab ‘ath) and your entire community (wa kol qahal ‘ath) in your midst (ba tawek ‘ath), they have fallen and been cast down (naphal). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:34)
Breaking time – now that’s impressive. Pondering the depths of water sounds profound. So why are they all under the sea?
Logic aside, the Lord of Babel reigns supreme in desolation and devastation. As proof, even kings bristle in horror as they distort their faces in an annoying way.
All of the inhabitants (kol yashab) of the islands and coastline (ha ‘iyym) are desolate and devastated, appalled and dismayed (shamem) over you (‘al ‘ath) and their kings (wa melek hem) they bristle in horror (sa’ar sa’ar). They distort faces and irritate and annoy appearances (ra’am paneh). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:35)
The traffickers who go about (sachar) with the people (ba ha ‘am) whistle and hiss over you (sharaq ‘al ‘ath). A dreadful and destroyed calamity, troubled and terrorized (ballahah) you have become (hayah).
So, you are no more forevermore (wa ‘ayin ‘ath ‘owd ‘owlam – you cannot exist at any time in the future, indeed, for all eternity). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 27:36)
The Lord be Almighty who brought down the jewel of the sea as the people whistled. And the mighty Tyre would 50be no more. And so, just yesterday, the Tyrians broke out in song and sang, “Prophecy fulfilled.”
