Tyre and Zebulun. Evidences: Prophecies #3

The first Bible prediction of the Phoenicians was the recording of Jacob's predictive blessings to Zebulun, his child by Leah, in Genesis 49:13.

“Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon” (Genesis 49:13). Was this fulfilled?

UNTO ZIDON [SIDON]. Zebulun's blessing included a border "unto" Sidon. But this literally would mean that Tyre was included since it is south of Sidon and we know that Asher received the city of Tyre along with Sidon and not Zebulun. The sea coast with Tyre and Sidon was given to Asher and not Zebulun (Joshua 19:24f).

ZEBULUN'S HERITAGE: “And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun … and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid: And their border went up toward the sea [west], … to the river Jokneam [Joshua 12:22: near to Mount Carmel at the Great Sea] … And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chislothtabor, … goeth up to Japhia (at Sea of Galilee or Tiberias) … etc.” (Joshua 19:10-15).

WHAT SIDON MEANS IN GENESIS. When the Bible initially speaks of the Phoeniciansⁱ it refers to them as Sidon because Sidonⁱⁱ was their major city-state. The people were descendants of Ham's grandson Sidon. In Homer's Iliad and Odysseyⁱⁱⁱ, only Sidon and Sidonians are mentioned^iv. According to the historian Herodutus a monument existed in his day in Tyre (c. 484 – c. 425 BC) that claimed that Tyre had existed since about 2000 B.C. (era of Abraham). But if this was so, it apparently was an insignificant settlement for Tyre is said to have been colonized from the greater city Sidon; one source says it was populated following an attack by the Philistines upon Sidon.^v At any rate, Tyre did not replace Sidon's prominence and leadership role among the Phoenicians until about the 10^th century B.C. 700 years after Jacob and around 400 years after Joshua.^vi

SIDON IN JACOB'S PREDICTION. Jacob predicted that his son Zebulun would have access to the sea "stretched" (parateinō^G3905) unto Sidon (Genesis 49:13, LXX). This prediction would have been around 2000 BC when the Phoenicians would have been referred to jointly as "Sidon" the son of Canaan. The book of Joshua states that when the tribes arrived in the promised land, Canaan was divided among them by lot (Joshua 18:10). Joshua's third casting of lot fell upon Zebulun's inheritance: “And their border went up toward the sea” just south of Asher's portion where Sidon was located (Joshua 19:11). Zebulun's lot included Mount Carmel at the Great Sea and extended to the east to the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias). This area included what would eventually be Nazareth where Jesus would grow up 1500 years later. So, Jacob's "Sidon" simply meant Phoenicia (Tyre and Sidon, etc.).

DID ZEBULUN ACTUALLY POSSESS THIS LAND? After the initial successes of combined forces of Israel under Joshua against the chief Canaan combatants, the remaining cities of Canaan was left to be possessed by the individual tribes. “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?” (Joshua 18:3). But what did the tribes do? "And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out” (Judges 1:28). They became "landlords" and profited off of Canaan without removing them. This included the tribe of Zebulun. “Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries” (Judges 1:30). Sadly, Zebulun (like Asher^vii) did not obey the Lord to fully conquer Canaan and forfeited this window of opportunity for the Lord.

So someone might argue that since Zebulun did not completely possess the land so that Jacob's prediction failed.

"When Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute.” There are at least two mentions of dedicated forces of Zebulun in the fight against Canaan during the period of the Judges; i.e., (1) with Barak against Jabin and Sisera (Judges 4:10) and (2) with Gideon against Midian (Judges 6:35). Later, during the monarchy there were 50,000 fully armed men of Zebulun who followed David to Hebron to make him king (1 Chronicles 12:33). So God wanted Zebulun and Asher to succeed. Zebulun was able. But their choice for failure won out.

GOD VERSUS MAN. The point should be made here that God's promises and predictions of blessings and/or punishment are conditional. It is the same answer given in Numbers 11:23: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” It doesn't mean that God's predictions are incapable of being realized but are made pursuant upon man's choices and behaviors.

PREDICTION FOR NINEVEH. Nineveh's prediction through Jonah was "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). But the ruler and the people repented in sackcloth and ashes. The prediction did not occur. Someone might say, "Aha. God's prophet was a liar; Nineveh was not destroyed. But as Jonah said later when God relented, “For I was certain that you were a loving God, full of pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, and ready to be turned from your purpose of evil” (4:2, BBE).

TWO PREDICTIONS TO ABRAHAM. Firstly, Jehovah successfully predicted Isaac's birth to Abraham “according to the time of life” (Genesis 18:10). Secondly, Abraham upon seeing that the Lord Jehovah was intended to destroy Sodom, asked the Lord not to destroy Sodom if He could find 50 righteous in the city (Genesis 18:26). But God could not even find ten righteous souls. So the prediction of destruction was fulfilled. Is this not the reason why the Lord Jesus said the disciples were "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). God's destroyed Sodom as predicted because its city was void of any righteous to preserve it.^viii

PREDICTION DEFERRED: AHAB. When the individual King Ahab took possession of Naboth's garden, God sent Elijah to predict that at the place where the dogs licked the blood of murdered Naboth, dogs would lick even Ahab's blood. Someone might say that this was not fulfilled. And they would be technically right if we ignore God's mercy. But Ahab chose to humble himself before man and God. Ahab "rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly [bare footed]” (1 Kings 21:27b). Since Ahab so humbled himself before man and God, Elijah was directed to promise that the prediction of the dogs licking his blood was delayed and would occur with his son, Jehoram, his child by Jezebel (1 Kings 21:29; 2 Kings 9:25, 26).

Bible predictions of blessings or judgments imply that God is able to perform them but will bring them to pass based upon the choices and behaviors of the relative subject/s. Zebulun's blessing was predicted with a responsibility of securing and using the land south of Asher for God's glory and not for personal greed. Zebulun is the one that failed in that they failed God's charge.

The prophet Isaiah (2:1b, 2) predicted the Kingdom of God: “ … concerning Judah and Jerusalem: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” ALL NATIONS SHALL FLOW INTO THE LORD'S HOUSE. Jesus commanded, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19, 20). Isaiah's prophecy came true in the first century because of the faithful apostles.

What about you and me? Are nations continuing to flow into the Lord's house because of us?

-- Gaylon West

Editors: Janie Ruth Ward; Mary Lou West

THROW OUT THE LIFELINE

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i Phoenician: “purple people.” (from the Greek Phoinikes for Tyrian Purple) and also accounts for the Phoenicians being known as 'purple people’ by the Greeks (as the Greek historian Herodotus tells us) because the dye would stain the skin of the workers. “Phoenicia was an ancient civilization composed of independent city- states located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea stretching through what is now Syria, Lebanon and northern (modern) Israel.” https://www.ancient.eu/phoenicia/

ii “Homer praised the skill of [Sidon's] craftsmen in producing glass, purple dyes, and its women's skill at the art of embroidery. It was also from here that a colonizing party went to found the city of Tyre.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidon.

iii Homer. Works are thought to have been compiled around 8^th Century B.C. – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet

iv 17 times: Iliad 6.290-91; 23.743-44; Odyssey 4.83, 84, 618; 13.272, 285; 14.288, 291; 15.118, 415, 417, 419, 425, 473. https://biblearchaeology.org/research/divided-kingdom/4180- the-biblical-cities-of-tyre-and-sidon

v Sidon: “Homer praised the skill of its craftsmen in producing glass, purple dyes, and its women's skill at the art of embroidery. It was also from here that a colonizing party went to found the city of Tyre. Tyre also grew into a great city, and in subsequent years there was competition between the two, each claiming to be the metropolis ('Mother City') of Phoenicia. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidon

David Padfield wrote that Tyre was populated from Sidon when the Philistines attacked that city in 1200 BC. – https://www.padfield.com/1994/destruction-of-tyre.html

vi https://www.ancient.eu/sidon/

vii See Evidences: Prophecies #1.

viii “Preserving food with salt is an ancient human practice that dates back before written records” – https://www.verywellhealth.com/eat-it-with-a-grain-of-salt-1958878