THEOSISJerome of Stridon
In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, declaring, Son of man, because Tyre has spoken against Jerusalem saying, the gates of the nations are shattered; it has turned to me; I shall be filled; it is desolate. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the tumultuous waves of the sea. They will demolish your walls and ruin your towers; I will sweep away its remnants and lay it bare like a rock. It shall become a site for drying nets amidst the sea, for I have spoken it, declares the Lord God, and it will be a spoil for the nations. Also, the daughters in the plains shall fall by the sword, and they will know that I am the Lord.
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The prophet’s address follows a clear order. He spoke against the sons of Ammon, Moab, Seir (Idumeans), and the Philistines along the coast, who inhabit the region. Following Palestine, one finds the land of the Phoenicians, with Tyre as its principal city, known in Hebrew and Syriac as Sor. Tyre rejoiced and celebrated after the fall of Jerusalem, claiming the gates of the nations are shattered, I have a secure refuge, and when it was laid waste, all its inhabitants turned to me, saying, I shall be filled, or, what was once plentiful shall become a wasteland. Therefore, in light of these statements and your joy over Jerusalem’s ruin—brought about by God’s decree due to its sins—know that I will come against you, O Tyre. I will send the Babylonians and many nations against you, as formidable as the ocean’s tide. Their assault will devastate your walls and towers, reducing them to rubble, and scattering the remnants far and wide, leaving you as a bare rock. There shall be such desolation in a once-thriving city that fishermen will spread their nets to dry in the midst of it. This I, the Lord, whose words are certain to be fulfilled, have proclaimed, and I will give it to the nations for plunder. The daughters in the region—towns and strongholds—shall face destruction by the sword. This metaphor of daughters signifies their impending demise, so that, by the outcome of these events, they may know that I am the Lord, who commands these actions.
Just as the Hebrew term sor connotes tightness, it can also symbolically represent a soul in distress. Those who observe the downfall of Jerusalem, the temple's location and a vision of peace, and celebrate its ruin due to its vices and sins—as determined by God—miscalculate, believing they will inherit its strength. This can apply to opposing beliefs and figures of the time who take delight in the missteps of a holy person, as if rejoicing in the downfall of others serves their own cause. Therefore, the Lord warns that He will directly confront such individuals, summoning many nations, like the roaring sea, to annihilate all they deem fortified and strong, bringing down their arguments to rubble. He will also compel them to abandon the nets they used to ensnare the deceived, replacing them with new fishermen sent by the Lord to catch them. Additionally, the daughters, once thought to be hidden away in peace and safeguarded by secretive teachings, will be brought forth for all to see, slain by the sword of the Church, enabling them to recognize that He is the Lord, who has gradually turned away from Jerusalem due to its sins and has dismantled Tyre’s defenses because of its delight in the fall of others.