Yechezkel 26

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Tzuris for Tzor

G-d spoke to Ezekiel regarding the nation of Tzor (Tyre). Even Tzor, which had always been a friend of Jerusalem, rejoiced in the destruction of the Holy City, not out of animosity but out of the promise of material gain; the traders who had formerly gone to Jerusalem were now expected to bring their business to Tzor. Therefore, G-d says, He will bring invaders upon them, who will destroy their walls and towers and raze the land until it is like a smooth rock. The place will be so wide open that that’s where fishermen will go to spread out their nets. Not only the cities, but also the suburbs will be destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar is coming with his armies. His troops will strike down the girls who are working in the fields and they will attack the cities with siege engine and catapults. The people of Tzor will be covered with the dust kicked up by his horses and the walls of the city will shake from the noise of his chariots. They will slaughter the people and tear down the towers. They will plunder all of the possessions of Tzor and demolish their houses, casting the building materials into the water. No longer will songs and music be heard in Tzor. It will become a place for spreading out nets, never to be built up again; this G-d has decreed.

G-d says, is it not true that many islands will moan when they hear what has happened to Tzor, out of fear that the same thing will happen to them? Princes of the islands will get off their thrones and remove their royal clothes because their fear and trembling will surround them like garments. They will sit on the ground in their great fear of destruction when they hear what has happened to Tzor. They will mourn what has happened to a city that was considered one of the strongest and most praiseworthy in the sea. G-d says that He will make them like Tzor, ruined like a city that was never settled and overrun by invaders like the waters of a flood. They will be lost like those who have died, like nations that were destroyed long ago. G-d will make them a land of the dead rather than a land of the living. They will be as nothing. They will be sought but never found.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz