Proleptic Fulfillment of the Prophetic Word: Ezekiel's Dirges over Tyre and Its Ruler

Abstract

Debates about Ezek. 28.1–19 have long centered on textual difficulties and cryptic mythological language. While these issues remain intractable, the overall structure and rhetorical strategy of the oracles concerning Tyre's ruler can be perceived by analyzing Ezek. 26.1–28.19 as a whole. Specifically, the larger passage evinces a repeated pattern of judgment oracle followed by funeral dirge. The dirges, which contain elements of parody, proleptically eulogize Tyre and its ruler before they have perished. In this way, they communicate the irreversibility of Yhwh's judgments against Tyre. Such a study suggests that rhetorical considerations ought to be considered when examining the redactional artistry of larger literary units.