Ezekiel 26 as a Case Study for Interpreting Problematic Prophecy
type: CreativeWork
description: This dissertation argues that rather than describing Tyre’s literal destruction, Ezekiel employs formulaic language to stylize Tyre’s judgment after the pattern of YHWH’s judgment against Israel and those who opposed it. To defend this thesis, I present an overview of how various scholars have interpreted the oracles against foreign nations in the Hebrew Bible. Next, I catalogue various solutions which scholars have presented to reconcile the discrepancy between what Ezekiel prophesies in chapter 26 and his concession in chapter 29. Third, I examine key texts in the oracles against the nations in the Hebrew Bible. After making conclusions concerning the nature of prophetic oracles against the nations, I provide a detailed examination of the language which Ezekiel utilizes to foretell Tyre’s destruction and compared this language to the actual events that occurred. In light of the disparity between Ezekiel’s language and its historical fulfillment, as well as the shared descriptions of judgment which the prophet pronounces against Tyre when compared with other prophetic texts, I suggest that Ezekiel was using formulaic language that did not expect literal fulfillment. I conclude by suggesting that Babylon’s siege against Tyre was successful in reducing Tyre’s economic control over the Levant, thus judging Tyre for its economic exploitation of Israel in the wake of Jerusalem’s destruction, even if Tyre’s destruction did not occur in literal accordance with the prophet’s words. Alternate abstract: Esta tesis sostiene que, en lugar de describir la destrucción literal de Tiro, Ezequiel emplea un lenguaje formulista para estilizar el juicio de Tiro siguiendo el modelo del juicio de YHWH contra Israel y los que se oponían a él. Para defender esta tesis, presento una visión general de cómo diversos estudiosos han interpretado los oráculos contra las naciones extranjeras en la Biblia hebrea. A continuación, enumero diversas soluciones que los eruditos han presentado para rec…
abstract: This dissertation argues that rather than describing Tyre’s literal destruction, Ezekiel employs formulaic language to stylize Tyre’s judgment after the pattern of YHWH’s judgment against Israel and those who opposed it. To defend this thesis, I present an overview of how various scholars have interpreted the oracles against foreign nations in the Hebrew Bible. Next, I catalogue various solutions which scholars have presented to reconcile the discrepancy between what Ezekiel prophesies in chapter 26 and his concession in chapter 29. Third, I examine key texts in the oracles against the nations in the Hebrew Bible. After making conclusions concerning the nature of prophetic oracles against the nations, I provide a detailed examination of the language which Ezekiel utilizes to foretell Tyre’s destruction and compared this language to the actual events that occurred. In light of the disparity between Ezekiel’s language and its historical fulfillment, as well as the shared descriptions of judgment which the prophet pronounces against Tyre when compared with other prophetic texts, I suggest that Ezekiel was using formulaic language that did not expect literal fulfillment. I conclude by suggesting that Babylon’s siege against Tyre was successful in reducing Tyre’s economic control over the Levant, thus judging Tyre for its economic exploitation of Israel in the wake of Jerusalem’s destruction, even if Tyre’s destruction did not occur in literal accordance with the prophet’s words. Alternate abstract: Esta tesis sostiene que, en lugar de describir la destrucción literal de Tiro, Ezequiel emplea un lenguaje formulista para estilizar el juicio de Tiro siguiendo el modelo del juicio de YHWH contra Israel y los que se oponían a él. Para defender esta tesis, presento una visión general de cómo diversos estudiosos han interpretado los oráculos contra las naciones extranjeras en la Biblia hebrea. A continuación, enumero diversas soluciones que los eruditos han presentado para rec…
author: Baker, John James
language: en_US
keywords: Egypt, Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar, Oracles, Prophecy, Tyre
date published: 2024-12
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:06:08Z
provider: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10392/7456