יחזקאל, פרק כ״ו, פסוק ב׳

The ancient world was a landscape of fierce economic and political rivalry, where the destruction of one great nation was often viewed as a golden opportunity for another. As Jerusalem faced its darkest hour, the neighboring city of Tyre watched with keen interest. Unlike nations such as Ammon and Moab, whose celebration over Jerusalem's downfall was fueled by cruelty and blind hatred, Tyre's reaction was driven by cold economic and strategic calculations. This was especially striking given that the two cities had previously shared an alliance [מלבי״ם, חומת אנך].

Even while Jerusalem was still under siege, the people of Tyre recognized that its fate was sealed. They began cheering and treating the city as if it were already in ruins long before its final collapse [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their joy stemmed from the removal of a massive competitor. The primary approach among commentators is that Jerusalem had served as a bustling international trade hub and a formidable political and military power, drawing merchants from all corners of the earth. Alternatively, Jerusalem functioned as a geographic barrier that separated Tyre from the nations to the south, east, and north [מלבי״ם]. With Jerusalem broken, that obstacle was finally gone.

Tyre anticipated a massive economic windfall. The expectation was that all global trade, regional influence, and power would immediately shift in their direction, leaving Tyre as the undisputed center of the region [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They believed they would become wealthy as a direct result of Jerusalem's devastation [מצודת דוד]. This newfound prosperity would not only come from monopolizing international commerce but also from active looting—plundering silver and gold, and taking captives as slaves straight from the rubble of the fallen city [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].