Joshua 19:29

Verse 29. Horma. Hebrew Septuagint and so forth Rama, “a height.”—Of Tyre. When this city was founded, is wrapped up in obscurity. The Tyrian priests claim a very high antiquity; whereas Josephus (Ant. viii. 2,) allows that the city was founded only 200 years after Josue, on which supposition this name must have been added by a subsequent writer. The matter, however, is so uncertain, that nothing can be concluded. It was a colony of Sidon. Isaiah 23:12. Old Tyre was on the continent; the new city was built in an island, where the temple of Jupiter Olympius formerly stood. Alexander made a road between the two cities, when he besieged New Tyre: which, on that account, may be considered either as an island, or as part of the continent. He used for this purpose the ruins of the old city, which he threw into the sea. Hiram had formed a similar road to the temple of Jupiter. Dius. ap. Joseph. c. p. 1. Whether Nebuchodonosor besieged the Old or the New Tyre, soon after he had taken Jerusalem, authors are not agreed. S. Jerom (in Ezec. xxviii. Amos i. and so forth) seems to think that he attacked the new city; whereas Marsham believes that it was built only after the other had fallen a prey to the arms of the Chaldees. It was only five or 700 paces from the continent. Tyrus quondam insula præalto mari septingentis passibus divisa, nunc vero Alexandri oppugnantis operibu continens. Plin. verse 19.—Portion. Hebrew “from the coast of Achzib,” which is the same town as Ecdippe, south of Tyre, and nine miles from Ptolemais. Calmet.