Tyrus. Tyre was the greatest city of the Phoenicians, who were the preeminent maritime people of the ancient world. This was a small coastal nation, now more or less the region occupied by Lebanon, especially noted for its cedar forests, and other trees. King Hiram of Tyre had assisted David and Solomon in building the temple (1 Kings 5:1-12) and Hiram himself acknowledged that the God of Israel had made heaven and earth (2 Chronicles 2:12). Nevertheless, the Phoenicians as a whole were licentious idolaters. Jezebel, a princess of the Phoenicians, married King Ahab of Judah and introduced Baal worship into Judah (1 Kings 16:31-33).

break down her towers. Nebuchadnezzar, as here prophesied, did destroy the walls and towers of Tyre when he invaded her during the period 585-572 b.c. However, many of her people escaped to an island near the coast, where their city continued strong and prosperous for another 250 years.

top of a rock. Alexander the Great, in expanding his Greek empire, was able finally to reach and conquer the island city of Tyre in 332 b.c., by building a causeway to it out of the ruins of the old mainland city, literally “scraping the dust” from her, leaving it “like the top of a rock.”

spreading of nets. The island city seems to survive even today, but as a poor village. Because of the causeway built by Alexander, it has long been part of the mainland. The original mainland city, however, is still barren, its rocky shores used only for the spreading of fishermen’s nets to dry. See also Ezekiel 26:14.

thy timber and thy dust. See notes on Ezekiel 26:4, 5. This remarkable prophecy was literally fulfilled over 250 years later when Alexander built his causeway to the island out of the “stones” and “timber” and “dust” of the old city, leaving it as bare as the top of a rock. The prophecies of God’s Word may be given far in advance of their fulfillment, but are always fulfilled eventually, literally and completely. There are no prophecies in the whole sphere of occult religion like these.

low parts of the earth. The “low parts of the earth” are in the great pit of sheol (or hades), where the imprisoned spirits of the evil “people of old time” are awaiting the great judgment (Revelation 20:12-14).