Behind | Workbook: Tyre’s International Trade Record, Part 2

The costly items being provided by the trading partners are not matched by the cheap essentials provided by Tyre. Tyre is a superpower, getting the best end of every deal. They have economic rights on everyone and are able to exploit their neighbors in trade. They’re able to enrich themselves at the expense of their weaker nations, and what we see in this table may look like a collection of mutual exchanges, but it’s basically a sophisticated form of piracy. This kind of exploitation would have made Tyre a necessary but resented trading partner for smaller states who were dependent on it to trade with global markets. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder the God of Israel “calls them out.”