He extended His hand over the sea and brought the kingdoms into turmoil. Who was it that extended His hand? From the context, it is clearly God, of whom it is said, the Lord of Hosts has decreed this to humble the pride of all glory. Thus, He stretched His hand over the seas, symbolizing all people and nations, and caused confusion among them, including you, Tyre, which is included in this chaos, or over the sea where you are situated. The Lord commanded against Canaan, to bring down its mighty ones. It signifies the sea over which the Lord stretched out His hand, as He commanded against Canaan. For Tyre is established in the land of Canaan. Consider the Scriptures, particularly the Gospel (Mark 7), where the Syrophoenician woman, referred to as the woman of Canaan, comes forth from Canaan to seek aid for her daughter. However, since it states, "He stretched out His hand," it should not imply that the Lord operates through physical members and organs; thus, it adds, "He gave a command," indicating that for God, to act is to command.
Cultivate your land: for the ships from Carthage no longer arrive, and your hand that calls kings from the sea lacks strength. The LXX version diverges significantly from other translations and from the Hebrew text itself; nonetheless, let us proceed. Previously, it was said, "Go to Carthage, cry out to those who dwell in the island." Now, since no ships come from Carthage, the opposite counsel is given: cultivate your land. This transition was necessary for Tyre, which needed to relinquish foreign vessels to be motivated to tend to its own land, of which it is stated in Proverbs, "He that cultivates his own land shall be filled with bread," enabling sustenance derived not from the perilous dangers of the sea but from the fruits of one's labor, of which the Psalms sing, "The labor of his hands thou shalt eat" (Psalms 127:2). Hosea declares that the paths of the harlot are hedged with thorns by the Lord to prevent her from pursuing her lovers, so that, driven by necessity, she may return to her former husband. We often observe in worldly matters that many who did not know the Lord due to their happiness and affluence come to understand Him through adversity, turning to righteousness when they can no longer enjoy worldly delights, the hand that once ruled over kings at sea, or, as Symmachus states, agitated kings, whose hearts are in the Lord's grasp. Oh that we, too, had abandoned the pursuits of this sea and had cultivated our land, not waiting for the ships from Carthage or Tyre that journeyed to Carthage, lest we fall under the dominion of the serpent that reigns over the waters! Would that we firmly planted our feet on the earth, or better yet, striving for heavenly treasures, cultivate our land so that what we sow in this life we may reap in the next! Oh, that our hands, once engaged in worldly affairs and able to influence even saints with power and prosperity, might grow weak in matters of the sea, so that they may instead grow strong in the cultivation of our land!
THEOSIS