The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: You shall die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners, for I have spoken. Ezekiel is part of tradition where the prophets of Israel issue pronouncements about the fate of their neighbors. Almost all of the Old Testament prophets issue “oracles against the nations.” The prophets want the Chosen People to understand that God is not just their national god but in charge of the entire universe. Earlier Biblical traditions said things like “what god is great as our God” which tended to localize God in the Promised Land (Psalm 77:13). The prophetic insight: only God is God for everyone anywhere.
