Tyre and Sidon

Tyre and Sidon were famous cities in the ancient Near East and are significant in both the Old and New Testaments. Tyre was a Phoenician seaport on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel; Sidon was another important Phoenician seaport, the oldest Phoenician city, located twenty kilometers north of Tyre. Both cities are now in modern-day Lebanon.

Tyre and Sidon have a long history. Ancient Tyre was founded by immigrants from Sidon, so its residents referred to themselves as “Sidonians.” The Bible calls Tyre the “virgin daughter of Sidon” and its merchants “the merchants of Sidon” (Isaiah 23:12, 2). Coins from ancient Sidon bear the slogan “Mother of Tyre,” while Tyre’s silver coins referred to it as the “Metropolis of the Sidonians.” In Isaiah’s time, the two city-states competed peacefully, both claiming to be the representative of Phoenicia (the Mother City of Phoenicia). The Phoenicians were skilled in navigation, trade, architecture, and craftsmanship, famous for their cedar wood. The Phoenician alphabet is the ancestor of all modern alphabets.

 Sidon, today called Saida (Arabic for “fishing”), was named after Canaan’s firstborn son (Genesis 10:15) and was likely settled by his descendants. The northern border of ancient Canaan extended to Sidon (Genesis 10:19). Later, Jacob said it was the border of Zebulun (Genesis 49:13); Joshua included it as part of the promised land of Israel (Joshua 13:6); and Sidon was included in the northern border of Asher’s inheritance (Joshua 19:28). However, during the conquest of Canaan, the twelve tribes did not capture it (Judges 1:31, 3:3). From its beginning, Sidon was a port city built on a promontory with offshore islands that offered shelter from storms.

Twenty miles south of Sidon, on a rocky island a few hundred yards from the central coastal plain, lay Tyre. In fact, the city’s name comes from this rocky island. Tyre is from a Semitic word meaning “rock.” It was located at the foot of the southwestern ridge of a chain of Lebanese mountains, near the ancient Leontes River valley, with a fertile and well-watered plain that served as the primary source of food, water, timber, and other necessities for the island fortress.

Historical and archaeological evidence indicates that both cities were settled as early as the beginning of the second millennium BC and were important seaports long before the Israelites settled in Canaan. Although the Bible mentions Sidon multiple times in its references to the Canaanites and early Israelite history, Tyre first appears in the Bible as a part of the western border of Asher’s territory (Joshua 19:29). In this passage, it is specifically called a “fortified city,” so Tyre was considered an important landmark. Furthermore, extrabiblical documents from the second millennium BC mention both cities. The most interesting records come from the Amarna letters (c. 1350 BC), which contain authentic letters from the kings of both cities. King Zimrida of Sidon wrote one or two of the Amarna letters, while King Abimilku of Tyre sent ten letters to the Egyptian pharaoh.

Tyre

The connection between the Israelites and Tyre became evident starting with David. King Hiram of Tyre supplied cedar wood, carpenters, and stonemasons to build the palaces of King David and King Solomon and to construct the Temple. The cedar wood was brought down from the mountains, floated along the Mediterranean coast to Joppa, and then transported inland. In the time of Ezra and Zerubbabel, the returning exiles also sent Sidonians and Tyrians to bring cedar wood for the construction of the Second Temple (Ezra 3:7).

Before gaining independence in the 11th century BC, Tyre was under Egyptian control for 500 years and was heavily influenced by Egypt. During the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Tyre nominally submitted to Assyria (868–612 BC) but often rebelled and allied with Egypt. In the 6th century BC, it was besieged for 13 years by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon (585-572 BC), but the precise historical outcome remains unclear. The events are mentioned in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 27:3-11) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 26:7-14). In an archaeological discovery of a Babylonian administrative text, the kings of Tyre and Sidon are mentioned as receiving royal rations, suggesting that both Tyre and Sidon had surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar.

In 333 BC, King Alexander the Great of Macedon besieged Tyre but found the mainland city empty. The residents had moved to a small island about a mile offshore. In response, Alexander completely dismantled the mainland city of Tyre and used the rubble to build a causeway to the island, fulfilling the prophecy, “they shall lay your stones and your timber and your soil in the midst of the water” (Ezekiel 26:12). Alexander’s siege of the island city was successful. After occupying the city, Alexander responded with bloody brutality. The people of Tyre were either captured or killed, and the city was destroyed. In 126 BC, Tyre gained independence from the Seleucid dynasty. In 64 BC, it was annexed by Rome and became a Roman province, but it retained its status as a free city. Subsequently, Tyre was occupied by Muslims, became a target of the Crusaders, and was severely ravaged until it became a ruin. In the 7th century, Tyre was captured by the Arabs. In 1291, it was destroyed by Muslims and has never fully recovered. Today’s city of Tyre is a small town next to ancient Tyre. As the Bible foretold, the former Tyre remains a “bare rock” (Ezekiel 26:14), a place where fishermen spread their nets.

Sidon

Sidon was under Egyptian control in the 15th century BC. Between the 11th and 8th centuries BC, Sidon became the capital of Phoenicia. The port city reached the peak of its power through global trade in murex dyes and glass. At the same time, it became a leader in shipbuilding and shipping in the eastern Mediterranean.

Historically, Sidon was destroyed twice: once by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (880-869 BC) and again in 531 BC by the Persian king Artaxerxes. Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and other peoples all left their marks on Sidon. It was captured by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. Sidon’s initial rebellion was successful, but later the king of Sidon sold out his city to the enemy to save his own life. It was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 64 BC. Centuries later, during the Crusades, Sidon was repeatedly captured. It was taken by the Crusaders three times and lost to Muslim forces three times. Afterward, many Middle Eastern wars were fought in Sidon. In 1840, Sidon was bombarded by British, French, and Ottoman fleets. However, despite numerous bloody battles, Sidon was never completely annihilated, just as the Bible prophesied.

During the Lebanese Civil War from 1975–1990, Sidon became a battlefield for intense fighting, and the situation worsened during the subsequent 22-year Israeli occupation. Even today, there is only one hotel and a few restaurants. With its many Turkish baths, souks, and mosques, it feels like a city from the ancient world. There is almost no industry or port service, only a handful of local fishing boats. On a small hill south of the port lies the ruins of the St. Louis Castle, which is believed to be built on the ancient acropolis of Sidon. South of the castle was the ancient Sidonian garbage dump. The city’s famous purple dye industry generated mounds of discarded murex shells, which accumulated over time to form a hill. Because this ancient port area has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years, archaeological excavations have been extremely difficult. There are almost no archaeological finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages in Sidon, and scholars have been unable to further verify its ancient history.

Tyre and Sidon were cursed cities in the Old Testament and gradually declined in history, but this did not prevent God’s love from unfolding there. Where there is faith, Jesus will meet it. When the Messiah began to preach the gospel on earth, people from Tyre and Sidon would come to seek the Lord (Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17), and Jesus Himself brought the gospel to Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24). In the future Kingdom of the Messiah, we will be amazed to see that many people who seemed unlikely to believe will, like the people of Tyre and Sidon, become residents of Zion: “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who know me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion'” (Psalm 87:4)!