Lexical Summary
Tsor: Tyre
Original Word:צֹר
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Tsor
Pronunciation:tsore
Phonetic Spelling:(tsore)
KJV: Tyre, Tyrus
NASB:Tyre
Word Origin:[the same asH6864 (צּוֹר - flint)]
1. a rock
2. Tsor, a place in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Tyre, Tyrus
Or Tsowr {tsore}; the same astsor; a rock; Tsor, a place in Palestine -- Tyre, Tyrus.
see HEBREWtsor
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof foreign origin
Definitiona Phoenician city
NASB TranslationTyre (42).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. , : , famous Phoenician city (Phoenician ; Assyrian
‚urru, so Tel Amarna; Egyptian
Da-(ï)ra, Da-ru WMM
As.u.Eur.185); —
2 Samuel 24:7 32t.,
1 Kings 5:15 8t. (Gi); — city of Hiram, friend of David and Solomon
2 Samuel 5:11;
1 Kings 5:15;
1 Kings 9:11,12;
1 Chronicles 14:1; 2Chron 2:2; 2 Chronicles 2:10; of artif. Hiram
1 Kings 7:13;
Psalm 45:13 of city personified (another view in Che); also in name of Phoenician fotress,
2 Samuel 24:7,
Joshua 19:29 (P); threatened by prophets
Amos 1:9,10 and (with especially reference to commercial greatness)
Isaiah 23:1 (),
Isaiah 23:5;
Isaiah 23:8;
Isaiah 23:15;
Isaiah 23:15;
Isaiah 23:17;
Jeremiah 25:22 (),
Jeremiah 27:3 (),
Jeremiah 47:4;
Ezekiel 26:2,3,4,7,15;
Ezekiel 27:2,3(twice in verse);
Ezekiel 27:8,32;
Ezekiel 28:2 (),
Ezekiel 28:12 (); besieged by Nebuch.
Ezekiel 29:18 (twice in verse); compare
Zechariah 9:2,3; Joel 4:4;
Psalm 83:8 (); of Tyrians as proselytes
Psalm 87:4 (predict.); —
Hosea 9:13 is probably corrupt, read or We GASm, compare Now. — often + q. v.; — see, on Tyre, Pietschm
Phön. 60 ff. Rob
BR ii. 461 ff. de Luynes
Voyage à la Mer Morte (1874) i. 28 ff., and Pl xiii-xviii Bd
Pal. 3 (1898), 307 ff: —
Topical Lexicon
Geographical SettingTyre lay on the Mediterranean coast of Phoenicia, about twenty-five miles south of Sidon and thirty-five miles north of Carmel. In Old Testament times it comprised an original mainland town (often called “Old Tyre”) and, just offshore, a rocky island fortress surrounded by harbors. This dual location helps explain the biblical emphasis on her natural security (Isaiah 23:4;Ezekiel 26:17). Her proximity to Israel made her both a neighbor in trade and, at times, a spiritual snare.
Historical Sketch
1. Patriarchal and Conquest Eras
Tyre is not named in Genesis, but its commerce is already implied in the table of nations (Genesis 10:15–18, “Sidon” and “Heth”). The first explicit mention appears inJoshua 19:29 when Tyre (“the fortified city of Tyre”) becomes the northern limit of Asher’s inheritance. Yet Israel never subdued the Phoenician coast; Tyre remained Gentile throughout the Old Testament.
2. United Monarchy
Hiram king of Tyre forged a warm alliance with David (2 Samuel 5:11) and Solomon (1 Kings 5:1–12). He supplied cedar, cypress, gold, and skilled artisans for the temple and palace. Political friendship, however, did not lead Tyre to embrace the covenant Lord.
3. Divided Monarchy to Exile
Tyre’s mercantile reach expanded vastly (Ezekiel 27 describes commerce with at least thirty nations). Her pride swelled accordingly (Ezekiel 28:2). Meanwhile she committed grievous sins—handing over whole communities to Edom as slaves (Amos 1:9–10;Joel 3:4–6) and gloating at Jerusalem’s downfall (Ezekiel 26:2). Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for thirteen years (Ezekiel 29:18), destroying the mainland portion but failing to capture the island. The city’s ultimate toppling awaited Alexander the Great (332 BC), who scraped her rubble into the sea to build a causeway—fulfillingEzekiel 26:4–12 with striking precision.
Tyre in Israel’s Story
• Provision for the Temple (1 Kings 5) demonstrates God’s use of Gentile wealth for His purposes (compareIsaiah 60:5–9).
• Alliance with Hiram shows the possibility—and limits—of peaceful coexistence with pagan powers.
• Jezebel, though labeled “daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians,” almost certainly carried Tyrian influence into Israel (1 Kings 16:31), illustrating the peril of unequally yoked partnerships.
Prophetic Oracles
Isaiah 23,Jeremiah 25:22; 27:3; 47:4,Ezekiel 26–28,Joel 3:4–8,Amos 1:9–10,Zechariah 9:2–4, andPsalm 83:7 all pronounce judgment upon Tyre. Key emphases:
• Pride in impregnable defenses (Isaiah 23:4;Ezekiel 28:2, “I sit on the throne of a god”).
• Unrighteous merchandising (Ezekiel 27:3, 27:16–24).
• Slave trafficking of Judah (Joel 3:6).
• Rejoicing at Jerusalem’s calamity (Ezekiel 26:2).
• God’s sovereignty over the nations—He raises and removes maritime superpowers.
Representative Quotations
Ezekiel 26:4–5
“I will scrape away her soil from her and make her a bare rock. She will become a place to spread nets in the sea.”
Amos 1:9
“For three transgressions of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back My wrath, because they delivered up a whole community of captives to Edom and failed to keep a covenant of brotherhood.”
Psalm 45:12
“The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; men of wealth will seek your favor.”
Zechariah 9:3–4
“Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust… But behold, the Lord will dispossess her.”
Symbolic and Theological Themes
1. Wealth without worship. Tyre epitomizes material success detached from covenant loyalty.
2. Pride that challenges God. The prince of Tyre inEzekiel 28 stands as a human picture of satanic arrogance.
3. Judgment leading to missionary hope.Isaiah 23:17–18 envisions Tyre’s profits being “set apart to the LORD,” anticipating Gentile inclusion.
Messianic Foreshadowings
Psalm 45:12 andIsaiah 60:9 point to foreign treasure streaming to the Davidic King—the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, to whom men and goods from every nation will willingly come (Revelation 21:24–26).
New Testament Echoes
Jesus ministered in the “region of Tyre and Sidon” (Matthew 15:21;Mark 7:24), where a Syrophoenician woman displayed remarkable faith. The Lord’s remark, “It will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:22), shows that even a city renowned for pride could still repent. Christian believers later heard the testimony of disciples from Tyre (Acts 21:3–6), indicating an early church presence.
Lessons for Ministry
• Proclaim Christ without envy of worldly affluence; God will one day claim every treasure.
• Guard against alliances that dilute devotion (cf. Jezebel’s legacy).
• Trust God’s timetable: seemingly unassailable strongholds fall when the Sovereign decrees.
• Extend the gospel to modern “Tyres”—centers of finance and culture—believing some will respond like the Syrophoenician woman.
Selected Old Testament Occurrences (about forty-two total)
Joshua 19:29
2 Samuel 5:11
1 Kings 5:1,1 Kings 5:7,1 Kings 5:10,1 Kings 5:18;1 Kings 7:13;1 Kings 9:11
2 Chronicles 2:3,2 Chronicles 2:11;2 Chronicles 8:18
Psalm 45:12;Psalm 83:7;Psalm 87:4
Isaiah 23:1, 4, 5, 8, 15, 17
Jeremiah 25:22;Jeremiah 27:3;Jeremiah 47:4
Ezekiel 26:2-21; 27:2-32; 28:2-19; 29:18
Joel 3:4-8
Amos 1:9-10
Zechariah 9:2-4
Forms and Transliterations
וְצ֣וֹר וצור כְצ֔וֹר כצור לְצ֑וֹר לְצ֖וֹר לְצ֗וֹר לְצֹ֔ר לְצֹר֙ לצור לצר מִצֹּ֔ר מִצֹּֽר׃ מצר מצר׃ צ֑וֹר צ֕וֹר צ֤וֹר צֹ֑ר צֹ֔ר צֹ֖ר צֹ֗ר צֹ֛ר צֹ֜ר צֹ֠ר צֹ֣ר צֹ֥ר צֹ֨ר ׀ צֹּ֤ר צֹֽר׃ צֹר֙ צֽוֹר׃ צוֹר֙ צור צור׃ צר צר׃ cheTzor ḵə·ṣō·wr ḵəṣōwr lə·ṣō·wr lə·ṣōr ləṣōr ləṣōwr leTzor miṣ·ṣōr miṣṣōr mitzTzor ṣō·wr ṣōr ṣōwr Tzor veTzor wə·ṣō·wr wəṣōwr
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