“I [Jehovah] am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up against you many nations, just as the sea brings up its waves.

Ezek. 26:3

Nebuchadnezzar’s Siege

The city experienced the first major blow at the hands of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century B.C.E. The siege of Tyre, according to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, lasted 13 years. (Against Apion, Book I, par. 21) The toll in lives and property must have been tremendous.

Also, Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers were put under a great strain. Their heads were “made bald” from the chafing of their helmets, and their shoulders “rubbed bare” from carrying materials used in the construction of siegeworks.

Alexander the Great’s Siege

The year 332 B.C.E. witnessed the fulfillment of these and earlier prophecies regarding Tyre. Alexander the Great had launched his campaign of conquest in the Middle East.

After Sidon surrendered to him, Alexander led his army toward Tyre. A delegation of leading Tyrians, including the son of its King Azemilcus, met him and declared a willingness to comply with his requests. Alexander expressed the desire to be admitted into the city, to present an offering to Heracles (not Hercules, the mighty hero of Greek mythology, but the god Melkarth or Baal). Apprised of this by the delegation, the Tyrians adamantly turned down the request.

Since the outcome of Alexander’s conflict with the Persian King Darius was still in question, the Tyrians thought it in their best interests to deny entry to any Macedonian or Persian.a Their action prompted Alexander to act without delay.

Addressing his men, he said: “Friends and fellow soldiers, I do not see how we can safely advance upon Egypt, so long as Persia controls the sea; and to pursue Darius with the neutral city of Tyre in our rear and Egypt and Cyprus still in enemy hands would be a serious risk, especially in view of the situation in Greece. . . . But with Tyre destroyed, all Phoenicia would be ours, and the Phoenician fleet, which both in numbers and quality is the predominant element in the sea-power of Persia, would very likely come over to us.”​—Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander, Penguin Classics, pp. 131, 132.

Alexander’s officers were convinced, and Tyre came under siege.