In his booklet Prophecies: Imaginary and Unfulfilled, Farrell Till claims that Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre failed to materialize. In truth, the "failure" that has taken place is Till's failure to distinguish between plural pronouns and singular pronouns -- among other things, but more on that later.
Briefly, here are a few facts concerning Tyre. Tyre (Hebrew, Sor) was a dual-city. Part lay on the coast, and part lay offshore on an island. Tyre still exists today but is a minor port, and its wealth is gone.
In the year of Jerusalem's fall, God gave Ezekiel the following information concerning Tyre's future:
For thus says Yahweh God: "Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people. He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will heap a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a defense against you. He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached. With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water. I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more. I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, you shall never be rebuilt, for I Yahweh have spoken" (26:3-14).
At this point, it is important that the reader carefully note chapter 26:7-11, where God says that he would bring upon Tyre King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who would bring horses and "(come) with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army," and so forth. Here is where Till commits a major blooper. Verse 11 ends the prophecy about Nebuchadnezzar's siege against Tyre! Up until verse 11, the singular forms he and his are used. In verse 12, the prophecy shifts to the plural form they.
Why the sudden change in pronouns -- from he and his to they? Because it is not Nebuchadnezzar who is to fulfill verse 12. The they in verse 12 refers to the "many nations" of verse 3, where it is mentioned that God would bring "many nations against (Tyre)."
Nebuchadnezzar didn't destroy Tyre because he wasn't the one prophesied to do so. Indeed, Ezekiel mentions (29:18-19) that the Babylonian king would receive "wages from Tyre." The they of verse 12, or the "many nations" of verse 3, were the ones prophesied to lay siege against Tyre -- and not in one generation. Remember, verses 7-11 refer to Nebuchadnezzar's siege -- not permanent destruction -- of Tyre.
The plural pronoun they, used in verse 12, refers to Alexander the Great and his army, and numerous others: Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, the Mamelukes from Egypt, and so forth. All of the armies above made a "plunder" of Tyre's riches -- gradually -- and not in one generation, thus fulfilling verse 12.
Now notice that in Ezekiel 26:13-14 the pronouns shift again, this time from they to I. The singular pronouns in verses 13-14 refer to God. Tyre will finally and totally be destroyed when Christ returns.
In summary, Farrell misinterpreted Ezekiel's prophecy about Tyre in a number of ways: (1) He failed to note the changes in pronouns, from he and his (Nebuchadnezzar) to they in verse 12 (Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, etc.) and then to I (God) in verses 13-14. (2) Verse 11 ends the prophecy about Nebuchadnezzar. Also, verses 7-11 refer to a siege -- not to the destruction of Tyre. (3) The they in verse 12 refers to various countries, including Romans, Crusaders, the Mamelukes of Egypt, Alexander the Great and his army, etc. These nations would make a "plunder" of Tyre's riches, thus fulfilling verse 12. (4) The singular pronoun I, in verses 13-14, refers to God himself. Final and total destruction awaits Tyre at the hands of Christ when he returns!
(Matthew Hogan, 177 Salisbury Street, Rochester, NY
14609-4137.)
