THEOSISJerome of Stridon
In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the Lord’s word came to me, saying, "Son of man, regarding what Tyre has proclaimed about Jerusalem: the gates of the nations have been breached; they have turned toward me; I will be satisfied; it is now desolate. Therefore, says the Lord God, I am coming against you, Tyre, and I will summon numerous nations against you, akin to the tumultuous sea. They shall dismantle the walls of Tyre and devastate its towers; I will clear it away, transforming it into a smooth rock. It will become a place for drying fishing nets in the heart of the sea; for I have decreed it, says the Lord God, and it shall be a spoil for the nations. Additionally, the daughters in the fields will be slain by the sword, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
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The prophet’s messages unfold in a deliberate order. He addressed the children of Ammon, Moab, Seir, who are also connected to Idumea, and the Philistines along the coast, occupying the same territory. Beyond Palestine lies the land of the Phoenicians, whose principal city is Tyre, known in Hebrew and Syriac as Sor. Because Tyre rejoiced over the capture of Jerusalem, exclaiming that the gates of the nations are shattered and I now have a refuge, they thought they were filled as Jerusalem lay in ruins. However, as it has become desolate, what was once full is now a wasteland.
For this reason, since you have uttered these words and rejoiced in Jerusalem’s downfall, which has been decreed by God due to its sins—not by messengers nor by others, but by My own hand—I will stand against you, O Tyre, and I will send the Babylonians and many nations against you like towering waves from the sea. Their assault will demolish your walls and towers, leading to their downfall and the scattering of their ashes, leaving you as nothing but a bare rock. The desolation shall be so profound in the city, once populous, that nets for fishing will be spread out and dried in its midst.
This is My declaration, says the Lord, whose words are certain to be fulfilled; I will hand it over to the nations for plunder. Also, the daughters located in the Phoenician fields—cities, towns, villages, and fortresses—shall face destruction by the sword. In calling them daughters, He signifies their downfall by the sword, so that through these events they may recognize that I am the Lord, who has commanded these actions.
The Hebrew term sor signifies tightness, which can symbolically refer to any troubled soul, witnessing the ruin of Jerusalem—the site of the temple and the vision of peace—destroyed for its transgressions, and rejoicing, believing the city’s former glory will be theirs. This can also be seen in the context of contemporary false teachings and individuals who delight in the fall of the righteous due to negligence, as if the downfall of others affirms their own positions.
Thus, the Lord warns that He Himself will rise up against such people, calling forth like the waves of the sea numerous nations to dismantle their strongest defenses, reducing their arguments to dust. He will compel them to abandon the nets they once used to ensnare the deceived, laying them out to dry upon the ruins of the once-great city, replacing them with new fishermen sent by the Lord to gather those who are lost. Furthermore, those daughters, who were previously regarded as harmonious due to hidden doctrines, will be revealed and exposed for all to see, facing annihilation by the sword of the Church, so they may understand that He is the Lord, who gradually forsook Jerusalem due to its sins and brought ruin upon Tyre for its jubilant arrogance.