Chapter s 26-28 The Oracles Against Tyre and Zidon.
Oracles against Tyre continue throughout the next three Chapter s in some detail. Tyre seems to have exalted itself to godlike status, its kings making huge claims, and it exulted in the destruction of Jerusalem because Jerusalem was a trade rival. It was indeed so strong that it took Nebuchadnezzar the next thirteen years to subdue it. But it had to recognise that it had no hope. It was under the sentence of Yahweh.
Tyre was a famous seaport divided into island and mainland harbours, and protected by mountains. Its merchant seamen roved widely throughout the ancient world, and it was renowned for its glassware and dyed materials. The island and mainland were connected by a causeway built by Hiram I in the tenth century BC, and the island provided a perfect and strong refuge in times of invasion. It was mentioned in the Amarna letters, at times maintained close relations with Israel and Judah, and was very prosperous. It was, however, regularly subjugated by the Assyrians, who captured the mainland city, and as a wealthy seaport it had had to pay high tribute. It was about a hundred miles from Jerusalem, a journey of a few days by camel. No worthwhile empire was going to leave it alone for long. It was a source of great riches, famed for its imports and exports in a world where sea-going was seen as exceptional.
The oracles can be divided into five, the oracle of her destruction (Ezekiel 26:1-21), an oracle likening her to a foundering sea-vessel (Ezekiel 27:1-36), an oracle about the self-exaltation and downfall of her king as ‘nagid' (prince) (Ezekiel 28:1-10), a lament over the fate of the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:11-19), and an oracle against Zidon (Ezekiel 28:20-26). The number of the oracles and their content reveal the important position that Tyre held in the ancient Near Eastern world, and the status that she accorded herself.