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Tyre


Tir

The leading city of Phoenicia during much of the first millennium BCE. Tyre is located off the coast of southern Lebanon on a small island that has been connected to the mainland since the construction of a siege ramp to it by Alexander the Great (late fourth century BCE). King Hiram of Tyre supplied David with cedars and craftsmen (2Sam 5:11; 1Chr 14:1; 1Chr 22:4) and assisted Solomon in building the Temple in Jerusalem (1Kgs 7:13-46; 2Chr 2:13-15; 2Chr 4:11-18). His daughter Jezebel married King Ahab, ruler of the Northern Kingdom, leading to an increase of Baal worship in Samaria. Tyre’s close relations with Samaria continued until Jehu put Jezebel to death (2Kgs 9:30-37). The full extent of Tyrian commerce is described in the oracles of the prophets (Ezek 27; Isa 23; Amos 1:9-10; Joel 3:4-8; Zech 9:2-4). The Gospels record that Jesus attracted followers from as far away as Tyre and Sidon (Mark 3:8) and once visited that area (Mark 7:24). A saying of Jesus that used Tyre as an example of a gentile city that will fare better in the last judgment than Palestinian cities that rejected him is also recorded (Matt 11:21-22). According to Acts, Herod (Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea 41–44 CE) was struck dead because of blasphemous speech after winning a victory over Tyre (Acts 12:20-23), and the apostle Paul landed at Tyre on one of his sea voyages (Acts 21:3).

  • Powell, Mark Allan, ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Abridged Edition. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009.