King James Version
Ezekiel 27
36 verses with commentary
A Lament for Tyre
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
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<strong>The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying</strong>—The Hebrew prophetic formula <em>vayehi davar-YHWH elay</em> (וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי) marks divine initiative. The word "again" (Hebrew <em>od</em>, עוֹד) indicates continuation of the Tyre oracle from chapter 26. God hasn't finished addressing Tyre's judgment. This introductory verse signals that what follows isn't Ezekiel's lit...
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**23. on a side--**literally, (on the side) towards the air or wind, that is, the outside of the capitals of the pillars conspicuous to the eye, opposed to the four remaining pomegranates which were not seen from the outside. The pomegranates here are ninety-six; but in 1Ki 7:20 they are two hundred on each chapiter, and four hundred on the two (2Ch 4:13). It seems there were two rows of them, one...
Read full commentary →Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
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<strong>Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus</strong>—God commands Ezekiel to sing a funeral dirge (<em>qinah</em>, קִינָה) for a city not yet destroyed. The prophetic perfect tense treats future judgment as already accomplished—from God's perspective, Tyre is already fallen. The title <strong>"son of man"</strong> (Hebrew <em>ben-adam</em>, בֶּן־אָדָם) appears 93 times in Ezekiel...
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**24. Seraiah--**different from the Seraiah (Jr 51:59), son of Neriah; probably son of Azariah (1Ch 6:14).
**Zephaniah--**son of Maaseiah (see on Jr 21:1; Jr 29:25).
And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. of perfect: Heb. perfect of beauty
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And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea describes Tyre's geographic position—controlling Mediterranean access from the Levantine coast. Which art a merchant of the people for many isles identifies Tyre's commercial role as middleman for island and coastal trade. Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty quotes Tyre's self-assessment. Perfe...
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(3) **At the entry of the sea.**—The word for “entry” in the original is plural, and means the approaches to the sea, or harbours. Tyre had two of these, both remarkably good: the “Egyptian,” facing the south, and the “Sidonian,” facing the north, the latter having also an outer harbour or roadstead, formed by a ledge off the north-west extremity of the island. The former is now completely, and th...
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**25. seven men--**but in 2Ki 25:19 it is "five." Perhaps two were less illustrious persons and are therefore omitted.
**principal scribe of the host--**(Is 33:18). His office was to preside over the levy and enroll recruits. Rawlinson observes that the Assyrian records are free from the exaggerated expressions found in the Egyptian. A minute account was taken of the spoil. Two "scribes of the h...
Read full commentary →Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. midst: Heb. heart
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Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty continues Tyre's self-description. Borders in the seas emphasizes maritime identity—Tyre's dominion was the Mediterranean. Thy builders have perfected thy beauty credits human skill and artistry for Tyre's magnificence. This represents humanistic self-glorification—we built this, we perfected this. No acknowledgment o...
Read full commentary →They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. made: Heb. built
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They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir begins cataloging Tyre's shipbuilding materials. Senir was another name for Mount Hermon, source of quality timber. They have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee continues listing materials—cedars from Lebanon were prized for shipbuilding. The detailed catalog demonstrates God's intimate knowledge of Tyre's economy and the care ...
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(5) **Ship boards.**—Planking for the sides of the ship. The word in the original is in the dual, with reference to its two sides. Senir was the Amorite name of Hermon, or Antilebanon, called by the Sido-nians Sirion (Deuteronomy 3:9). Ezekiel wished to use a foreign name, and the latter may at this time have become obsolete. The timber brought thence for the ship’s planking, and called *fir, *was...
Read full commentary →Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim. the company: or, they have made thy hatches of ivory well trodden company: Heb. daughter
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<strong>Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim</strong>—Ezekiel describes Tyre as a magnificent ship, using the extended ship metaphor (verses 5-11) to depict the city's commercial glory. The Hebrew <em>allonim miBashan</em> (אַלּוֹנִים מִבָּשָׁן, "oaks of Bashan") refers to the strongest tim...
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(6) **The company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory.**—The literal rendering of this clause (with two words of doubtful meaning left blank) is, *they made thy . . .* *of tooth *(*ivory*)*, daughter of . . . *The sense will depend upon the filling up of these blanks. For the first there need be no difficulty. The word is used in Exodus 26:16 of the boards of the tabernacle, and here i...
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**28. seventh year--**in 2Ki 24:12, 14, 16, it is said "the eighth year" of Nebuchadnezzar. No doubt it was in part about the end of the seventh year, in part about the beginning of the eighth. Also in 2Ki 24:1-20, ten thousand (Jr 52:14), and seven thousand men of might, and a thousand craftsmen (Jr 52:16), are said to have been carried away, But here three thousand twenty-three. Probably the lat...
Read full commentary →Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. blue: or, purple and scarlet
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<strong>Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee</strong>—The ship metaphor continues with Tyre's sails and awnings. The Hebrew <em>shesh berikmah miMitzrayim</em> (שֵׁשׁ בְּרִקְמָה מִמִּצְרַיִם, "fine linen with embroidery from Egypt") describes expensive fabric. Egyptian lin...
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(7) **Fine linen with broidered work.—**To a modern sailor “fine linen “may seem both an extravagant and an insufficient material for a ship’s sails, but the State ships of antiquity were often fitted out in this way, and the sails embroidered in colours in place of a pennon. The clause literally is, *Linen with embroidery from Egypt was for thy spreading out *(*sail*)*, to be to thee for a sign.*...
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**29. eighteenth year--**when Jerusalem was taken. But in Jr 52:15, and 2Ki 25:8, "the nineteenth year." Probably it was at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth [Lyra].
**eight hundred and thirty and two--**The most illustrious persons are meant, who no doubt were carried away first, at the end of the eighteenth year.
The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.
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<strong>The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners</strong> (מַלָּחַיִךְ מַלָּחִים, mallachayikh)—the Hebrew <em>mallach</em> means "sailor" or "mariner," emphasizing Tyre's dependence on foreign expertise. Zidon (Sidon) was Tyre's sister Phoenician city-state, while Arvad was a northern Phoenician island fortress. Yet Tyre employed these rivals as mere <em>oarsmen</em>, reserving <stron...
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(8) **Arvad.**—The description now turns to the sailors. The Arvadite is mentioned among the family of Canaan in Genesis 10:18, and corresponds to the Greek Aradus. There were two islands of this name: one in the Persian Gulf, the other (the one here intended) a rocky island north of the coast of Tripoli, on which a city was built like Tyre. The Phœnician cities of Zidon and Arvad furnished the oa...
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30. Not recorded in Kings or Chronicles. Probably it took place during the commotions that followed the death of Gedaliah (Jr 41:18; 2Ki 25:26).
**four thousand and six hundred--**The exact sum-total of the numbers specified here, namely, three thousand twenty-three, eight hundred thirty-two, seven hundred forty-five, not including the general multitude and the women and children (Jr 52:15; Jr 3...
Read full commentary →The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers : all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. calkers: or, stoppers of chinks: Heb. strengtheners, etc
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<strong>The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers</strong> (זִקְנֵי גְבַל וַחֲכָמֶיהָ, ziqnei Geval wachakameiha)—Gebal (Greek Byblos, modern Jbeil, Lebanon) provided <em>calkers</em> (מַחֲזִיקֵי בִדְקֵךְ, machaziqi vidqekh), literally "strengtheners of your cracks," the shipwrights who sealed hull seams with pitch and oakum. The "ancients" (<em>ziqnei</em>) suggests ...
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(9) **The ancients of Gebal.**—“The ancients” is a thoroughly Semitic expression for the prominent men of a city. Gebal, the ancient Byblos, the modern Gébeil, and the Gu-ba-lu of the Assyrian inscriptions, was a famous Phœnician town just north of Beirût. Its site is still rich in ruins. Its people were famous builders, and according to the margin of 1Kings 5:18 (so also the Septuagint and Vulgat...
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31. (2Ki 25:27-30).
**five and twentieth day--**but in 2Ki 25:27, it is "the twenty-seventh day." Probably on the twenty-fifth the decree for his elevation was given, and the preparations for it made by releasing him from prison; and on the twenty-seventh day it was carried into effect.
**Evil-merodach--**son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar [Lyra]; and the Hebrew writers say that during Nebuch...
Read full commentary →They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.
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<strong>They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war</strong> (אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחַמְתֵּךְ, anshei milchamtekh)—Tyre hired <em>mercenaries</em> from vast geographic extremes: Persia (modern Iran, far east), Lud (Lydia in Asia Minor, northeast), and Phut (Libya/North Africa, southwest). These weren't allies but paid soldiers (<em>anshei milchamah</em>, "men of war"), revealin...
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(10) **Of Persia and of Lud and of Phut.**—Tyre, like most commercial nations, depended chiefly on mercenaries for the rank and file of its army. Persia, more anciently called Elam, was just now rising into prominence. Its soldiers were probably obtained by the Tyrians from their commerce in the Persian Gulf. Lud is not the one mentioned among the children of Shem (Genesis 10:22), but the Ludim (L...
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**32. set his throne above--**a mark of respect.
**the kings--**The Hebrew text reads (the other) "kings." "The kings" is a Masoretic correction.
The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.
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<strong>The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers</strong> (וְגַמָּדִים בְּמִגְדְּלוֹתַיִךְ הָיוּ, vegammadim bemigdelotayikh hayu)—the mysterious <em>Gammadim</em> (גַּמָּדִים) likely derives from <em>gammad</em> ("warrior/valiant man") or possibly "Cappadocians," though some suggest "short-statured" guards. Regardless, they manned Tyre...
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(11) **The Gammadims were in thy towers.**—No people of this name is known, and it is extremely unlikely that the responsible posts upon the watch-towers would have been entrusted to foreigners. The word occurs only here, and is probably not a proper name, but should be translated *brave men.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33. changed ... garments--**gave him garments suitable to a king.
**did ... eat bread before him--**(2Sa 9:13).
Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.
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<strong>Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches</strong> (מֵרֹב כָּל־הוֹן, merov kol-hon)—<em>Tarshish</em> (likely Tartessos in southern Spain, the ancient world's western extremity) traded <em>hon</em> ("wealth/riches"), emphasizing abundance. <strong>With silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs</strong> (בְּכֶסֶף בַּרְזֶל בְּדִיל וְעוֹפֶרֶת, bekh...
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(12) **Traded in** **thy** **fairs.**—Tarshish, Tartessus in Spain, was famous in antiquity for the metals enumerated, especially silver. The word for “fairs” occurs only in this chapter (Ezekiel 27:14; Ezekiel 27:16; Ezekiel 27:19; Ezekiel 27:22; Ezekiel 27:33). In the last case it is translated *wares,* as it should be throughout. The idea of the word is “something left with another in place of ...
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**34. every day a portion--**rather, "its portion," (compare 1Ki 8:59, Margin).
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. market: or, merchandise
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<strong>Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass</strong> (בְּנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם וּכְלֵי נְחֹשֶׁת, benefesh adam ukheli nechoshet)—the horror: <em>nefesh adam</em> ("souls of men") were <em>merchandise</em>, traded alongside bronze vessels! Javan (Ionia/Greece), Tubal and Meshech (regions in Asia Minor, modern Turkey) supplied the slave trad...
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(13) **Javan, Tubal, and Meshech.—**Javan is strictly Ionia, more generally Greece. Tubal and Meshech are the classic *Tibareni* and *Moschi,* between the Black and Caspian Seas. They were famous for dealing in slaves and in brass, or rather copper, of which their mountains still contain abundant supplies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH
They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
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<strong>They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules</strong> (בְּסוּסִים וּפָרָשִׁים וּפְרָדִים, besusim ufarashim ufradim)—Togarmah (likely Armenia or eastern Asia Minor, descended from Japheth, Genesis 10:3) specialized in equestrian trade: <em>susim</em> (horses for chariots/cavalry), <em>farashim</em> (war-horses or horsemen), and <em>peradim</em> (mule...
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(14) **Togarmah.**—A name for the Armenians, a race of Japhetic descent (Genesis 10:3). They dealt from most ancient times in horses and asses.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
INTRODUCTION
In the Hebrew Bible these Elegies of Jeremiah, five in number, are placed among the Chetuvim, or "Holy Writings" ("the Psalms," &c., Lu 24:44), between Ruth and Ecclesiastes. But though in classification of compositions it belongs to the Chetuvim, it probably followed the prophecies of Jeremiah originally. For thus alone can we account for the prophetical books being enumerated ...
Read full commentary →The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony.
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<strong>The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand</strong> (אִיִּים רַבִּים סֹחֲרֵי יָדֵךְ, iyyim rabbim socharei yadekh)—Dedan (northwest Arabia, descended from Abraham through Keturah, Genesis 25:3) controlled Arabian trade routes. The phrase "many isles" (<em>iyyim rabbim</em>) likely means "coastlands" or "distant shores" rather than literal islands, em...
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(15) **Dedan.**—This Dedan is a descendant of Ham through Cush (Genesis 10:7). The tribe was located in Arabia, probably upon the shores of the Persian Gulf (Isaiah 21:13). The Dedan of Ezekiel 27:20, on the other hand, is a Semitic tribe, spoken of also in Ezekiel 25:13; Jeremiah 49:8. The “many isles” of this Dedan were the islands in the Persian Gulf, on the Arabian coast, and they were “mercha...
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CHAPTER (ELEGY) 1
La 1:1-22.
Aleph.
**1. how is she ... widow! she that was great, &c.--**English Version is according to the accents. But the members of each sentence are better balanced in antithesis, thus, "how is she that was great among the nations become as a widow! (how) she who was princess among the provinces (that is, she who ruled over the surrounding provinces from the Nile ...
Read full commentary →Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. the wares: Heb. thy works agate: or, chrysoprase
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<strong>Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making</strong> (מֵרֹב מַעֲשָׂיִךְ, merov ma'asayikh)—Aram (Syria) purchased Tyre's <em>manufactured goods</em> (<em>ma'asayikh</em>, "your works/productions"), showing Tyre wasn't merely a trading hub but a production center. <strong>They occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, a...
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(16) **Emeralds.**—The precious stone intended here, and in Exodus 28:18, is now generally understood to be the carbuncle. The word for “fine linen” is not that of Ezekiel 27:7, but a Phœnician word, occurring only in the books written in the time of the captivity. It is thought to mean *cotton,* for the woven fabrics of which Babylon was famous. Agate (marg., *chrysoprase*) is probably the ruby, ...
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**2. in the night--**even in the night, the period of rest and oblivion of griefs (Job 7:3).
**lovers ... friends--**the heathen states allied to Judah, and their idols. The idols whom she "loved" (Jr 2:20-25) could not comfort her. Her former allies would not: nay, some "treacherously" joined her enemies against her (2Ki 24:2, 7; Psa 137:7).
Gimel.
Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. balm: or, rosin
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<strong>Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.</strong> This verse appears in Ezekiel's extended lament over Tyre (Ezekiel 27:1-36), cataloging the city's vast trading network. The Hebrew <em>pannag</em> (פַּנַּג) is a rare word appearing only here, possibly referring to confections, millet cakes...
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(17) **Minnith, and Pannag.—**Minnith was in Ammon (Judges 11:33), rich in wheat (2Chronicles 27:5), and the Tyrians obtained its products through the Israelites. Pannag is unknown; it is even uncertain whether it is a proper name at all, or some sweet confection, as grape syrup.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. (Jr 52:27).
**because of great servitude--**that is, in a state "of great servitude," endured from the Chaldeans. "Because" is made by Vatablus indicative of the cause of her captivity; namely, her having "afflicted" and unjustly brought into "servitude" the manumitted bond-servants (Jr 34:8-22). Maurer explains it, "Judah has left her land (not literally 'gone into captivity') because of the...
Read full commentary →Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
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<strong>Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches</strong> (מֵרֹב כָּל־הוֹן, merov kol-hon)—Damascus, Aram's capital and one of the ancient world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, traded with Tyre due to the abundance (<em>rov</em>) of <em>both</em> Tyre's manufactured goods (<em>ma'asayikh</em>) and Damascus's own wealth (<em>hon<...
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(18) **Wine of Helbon.—**Helbon is identified with a village of the same name, three and a half hours north of Damascus, rich in ruins, and still devoted to the culture of the vine, from which the costliest wine of the country was made. It was probably the same with the wine of Chalybon, so much prized in Persia.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. feasts--**the passover, pentecost (or the feast of weeks), and the feast of tabernacles.
**gates--**once the place of concourse.
He.
Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. going: or, Meuzal
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs</strong>—The Hebrew <em>me'uzal</em> (מְאוּזָל) means "from Uzal," likely modern Sana'a in Yemen, indicating South Arabian trade routes. <strong>Bright iron, cassia, and calamus</strong> (בַּרְזֶל עָשׁוֹת קִדָּה וְקָנֶה, <em>barzel ashot qiddah veqaneh</em>) represents luxury trade goods: wrought iron (possibly Damascus steel), cass...
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(19) **Dan also and Javan.—**This is the only instance in this enumeration in which the name of a people is introduced with a conjunction. Besides this structural difficulty, there seems no appropriateness in the name Dan, a tribe of Israel long since carried into captivity. The city Dan was of quite too little prominence to be mentioned here. It is probable, therefore, that what our translators h...
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**5. the chief--**rule her (De 28:43, 44).
**adversaries ... prosper; for the Lord--**All the foes' attempts would have failed, had not God delivered His people into their hands (Jr 30:15).
Vau.
Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. precious: Heb. clothes of freedom
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots</strong> (בִּגְדֵי־חֹפֶשׁ לְרִכְבָּה, <em>bigdei-chofesh lerikbah</em>)—Dedan (modern Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia) was an Arabian trading tribe descended from Abraham through Keturah (Genesis 25:3). The phrase "precious clothes for chariots" likely refers to saddle blankets or riding cloths for horses and chariots, luxury items for military ...
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(20) **Dedan.**—See note on Ezekiel 27:15. “Precious clothes,” literally, *clothes of spreading,* by which saddlecloths are probably meant.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. beauty ... departed--**her temple, throne, and priesthood.
**harts that find no pasture--**an animal timid and fleet, especially when seeking and not able to "find pasture."
Zain.
Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. they occupied: Heb. they were the merchants of thy hand
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<strong>Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats</strong> (כָּרִים וְאֵילִים וְעַתּוּדִים, <em>karim ve'elim ve'attudim</em>)—Kedar was a powerful Bedouin confederation descended from Ishmael (Genesis 25:13), controlling the Arabian desert trade routes. The three categories of livestock represent graduated quality and value: <em>karim</em> (young ...
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(21) **Arabia . . . Kedar.—**Arabia is never used in the Old Testament for the whole of the country now called by that name, but only for the desert part of it occupied by nomadic tribes. Kedar is the name of a nomadic pastoral race descended from Ishmael (Genesis 25:13; comp. Isaiah 60:7).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. remembered--**rather, "remembers," now, in her afflicted state. In the days of her prosperity she did not appreciate, as she ought, the favors of God to her. Now, awakening out of her past lethargy, she feels from what high privileges she has fallen.
**when her people fell, &c.--**that is, after which days of prosperity "her people fell."
**mock at her sabbaths--**The heathen used to ...
Read full commentary →The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
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<strong>The merchants of Sheba and Raamah... occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold</strong> (רֹאשׁ כָּל־בֹּשֶׂם וּבְכָל־אֶבֶן יְקָרָה וְזָהָב, <em>rosh kol-bosem uvekol-even yeqarah vezahav</em>)—Sheba (modern Yemen) and Raamah (possibly near modern Najran, Saudi Arabia) controlled the fabled incense route. The Hebrew <em>rosh kol-bosem</em> means "...
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(22) **Sheba and Raamah** were both Hamites, descended from Cush (Genesis 10:7). They occupied that part of Arabia in the south-east which lies on the Bay of Oman, in the Persian Gulf, and were famous in antiquity for the products mentioned in the text, and which, with the exception of gold, are still found there.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. (1Ki 8:46).
**is removed--**as a woman separated from the congregation of God for legal impurity, which is a type of moral impurity. So La 1:17; Le 12:2; 15:19, &c.
**her nakedness--**They have treated her as contumeliously as courtesans from whom their clothes are stripped.
**turneth backward--**as modest women do from shame, that is, she is cast down from all hope of restoration [Ca...
Read full commentary →Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants.
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<strong>Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad</strong>—This verse lists Mesopotamian trading centers: Haran (Abraham's family city, Genesis 11:31-32), Canneh (possibly Calneh, Genesis 10:10), and Eden (likely Bit-Adini, an Aramean kingdom). The repetition of Sheba emphasizes Arabia's commercial dominance. <em>Asshur</em> (Assyria) represents the great empire that...
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(23) **Haran, and Canneh, and Eden.—**The description now turns from Arabia to the Tyrian trade with Mesopotamia. Haran, important in the story of Abraham (Genesis 11:31-32; Genesis 12:4), the Charræ of the Romans, was in north-western Mesopotamia, at the junction of two great caravan routes, the one along the Tigris, the other along the Euphrates. Canneh, a contraction for the Calneh of Genesis 1...
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9. Continuation of the image in La 1:8. Her ignominy and misery cannot be concealed but are apparent to all, as if a woman were suffering under such a flow as to reach the end of her skirts.
**remembereth not ... last end--**(De 32:29; Is 47:7). She forgot how fatal must be the end of her iniquity. Or, as the words following imply: She, in despair, cannot lift herself up to lay hold of God's pro...
Read full commentary →These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. all: or, excellent things clothes: Heb. foldings
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar</strong> (בִּגְלוֹמֵי תְכֵלֶת וְרִקְמָה וּבְגִנְזֵי בְּרֹמִים, <em>biglomei tekhelet veriqmah uvginzei beromim</em>)—The <em>tekhelet</em> (purple-blue dye) came from murex shellfish, requiring thousands of mollusks for a single garment, m...
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(24) **All sorts of things.—**The margin, *excellent things,* is better. The word means “that which is perfect.” In Ezekiel 23:12 it is “most gorgeously,” and in Ezekiel 38:4, as here, “all sorts.” In all “excellent” or “excellently” is the true sense. “Clothes”—literally, *foldings*—refers to the purple embroidered cloaks for which Babylonia was famous.
**Chests of rich apparel.—**Rather, *treasu...
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**10. for--**surely she hath seen, &c.
**heathen ... command ... not enter ... congregation--**for instance, the Ammonites and Moabites (De 23:3; Ne 13:1, 2). If the heathen, as such, were not allowed to enter the sanctuary for worship, much less were they allowed to enter in order to rob and destroy.
Caph.
The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.
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The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market refers to Tarshish ships (large merchant vessels capable of long voyages) trading at Tyre and celebrating the city's wealth. Thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas summarizes Tyre's peak prosperity and fame. The irony: this glory is past tense from God's perspective—already finished, already fallen. God speaks of ...
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(25) **Ships of Tarshish** means simply, *ships of the largest size,* such as were fitted for the voyage to Tarshish: as we now say, “East Indiaman.” (Comp. 1Kings 22:48; Psalm 48:7.) “Did sing of thee in thy market” is, literally, *thy—, thy trade,* the blank being an uncertain word, supposed by our translators to mean *singers.* Opinion is now divided as to whether the meaning is *bulwarks* or *...
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11. (Jr 37:21; 38:9; 52:6).
**given ... pleasant things for meat--**(2Ki 6:25; Job 2:4).
**relieve ... soul--**literally, "to cause the soul or life to return."
**for I am become vile--**Her sins and consequent sorrows are made the plea in craving God's mercy. Compare the like plea in Psa 25:11.
Lamed.
Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. midst: Heb. heart
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Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters shifts from celebration to judgment. The east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas introduces catastrophe. East wind represents divine judgment (compare Exodus 14:21; Jonah 4:8). Great waters that seemed to provide security now become the context for destruction. The sea that made Tyre rich will destroy her. Our strengths become our weakness...
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(26) **Thy rowers.**—As the chief means of propelling vessels when the art of sailing was imperfectly understood. The figure of the ship is here resumed. “The east wind” is powerful, gusty, and dangerous in the Levant. (Comp. Psalm 48:7 : “Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.”)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. The pathetic appeal of Jerusalem, not only to her neighbors, but even to the strangers "passing by," as her sorrow is such as should excite the compassion even of those unconnected with her. She here prefigures Christ, whom the language is prophetically made to suit, more than Jerusalem. Compare Israel, that is, Messiah, Is 49:3. Compare with "pass by," Mt 27:39; Mr 15:29. As to Jerusalem, Da ...
Read full commentary →Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers , and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. and in: or, even with all midst of the seas: Heb. heart, etc
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Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise catalogs everything Tyre will lose. The detailed list emphasizes totality—every aspect of commercial life will end. And all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee means military power also falls. Shall fall into the midst of the...
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(27) **And in all.**—Better, as in the margin, *with all.* The thought is that all that went to make up the strength and the glory of Tyre perished in one great catastrophe. Many classes are enumerated, and the statement is made general by adding “with all thy company.” All are represented as going down together with the ship. (Comp. Ezekiel 27:34.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. bones--**a fire which not only consumes the skin and flesh, but penetrates even to my "bones" (that is, my vital powers).
**prevaileth against--**not as Rosenmuller, "He (Jehovah) hath broken them"; a sense not in the Hebrew.
**net--**(Eze 12:13); image from hunting wild beasts. He has so entangled me in His judgments that I cannot escape.
**turned me back--**so that I cannot go forwar...
Read full commentary →The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. suburbs: or, waves
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<strong>Maritime Imagery of Collapse:</strong> The Hebrew word for "suburbs" (<em>migrash</em>) can also mean "common lands" or "pasture lands" surrounding a city, here representing Tyre's dependent territories, satellite settlements, and trading partners along the Mediterranean coast. The "shake" (<em>ra'ash</em>) is a trembling or quaking, suggesting earthquake-like devastation spreading from th...
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(28) **Suburbs.—**This word means *an open place* around a building or city. There was no land around Tyre, and it is here used, therefore, in a general sense—all thy surroundings.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. yoke ... is bound by his hand--**(De 28:48). Metaphor from husbandmen, who, after they have bound the yoke to the neck of oxen, hold the rein firmly twisted round the hand. Thus the translation will be, "in His hand." Or else, "the yoke of my transgressions" (that is, of punishment for my transgressions) is held so fast fixed on me "by" God, that there is no loosening of it; thus English Ver...
Read full commentary →And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land;
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<strong>And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships</strong>—The lament for Tyre continues from verse 1. Those who תֹּפְשֵׂי מָשׁוֹט (tōphĕśê māshôṭ, 'handle the oar'), the חֹבְלִים (ḥōbĕlîm, 'sailors'), and כֹּל חֹבְלֵי הַיָּם (kōl ḥōbĕlê hayyām, 'all pilots of the sea') abandon ship.<br><br>This vivid imagery depicts maritime profess...
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(29) **Shall come down from their ships.—**The colonies and dependencies of Tyre are, in keeping with the figure, the smaller craft which escape to the shore, and there lament the fall of their mistress.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. trodden, &c.--**Maurer, from Syriac root, translates, "cast away"; so 2Ki 23:27. But Psa 119:118, supports English Version.
**in ... midst of me--**They fell not on the battlefield, but in the heart of the city; a sign of the divine wrath.
**assembly--**the collected forces of Babylon; a very different "assembly" from the solemn ones which once met at Jerusalem on the great feasts. T...
Read full commentary →And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
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<strong>They shall stand upon the land; and shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly</strong>—The maritime workers stand on אֶל־הָאָרֶץ (ʾel-hāʾāreṣ, 'on the land'), displaced from their natural element. They וְהִשְׁמִיעוּ עָלַיִךְ בְּקוֹלָם (wĕhishmîʿû ʿālayik bĕqôlām, 'cause to be heard upon you with their voice').<br><br>וְיִזְעֲקוּ מָרָה (wĕyizʿăqû mārāh, 'and t...
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(30) **Against thee.**—Rather, *over thee.* The commercial nations were not inimical to Tyre, but rather caused their wail for her to be heard over the seas where she had been engulphed. The usual signs of mourning are poetically attributed to them (Ezekiel 27:30-31), and then a dirge is put in their mouths (Ezekiel 27:32-34).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. (Jr 13:17; 14:17). Jerusalem is the speaker.
**mine eye, mine eye--**so La 4:18, "our end ... our end"; repetition for emphasis.
Pe.
And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
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<strong>And they shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes</strong>—Ancient Near Eastern mourning rituals: וְהֶעֱלוּ עָפָר עַל־רָאשֵׁיהֶם (wĕheʿĕlû ʿāphār ʿal-rāshêhem, 'cast up dust upon their heads') and בָּאֵפֶר יִתְפַּלָּשׁוּ (bāʾēpher yitpallāshû, 'in ashes they shall wallow'). The verb פָּלַשׁ (pālash, 'to roll/wallow') suggests desperate, unrestrained gr...
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17. Like a woman in labor-throes (Jr 4:31).
**menstruous woman--**held unclean, and shunned by all; separated from her husband and from the temple (compare La 1:8; Le 14:19, &c.).
Tzaddi.
And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?
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<strong>And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee</strong>—The Hebrew נָשָׂא קִינָה (nāsāʾ qînāh, 'lift up a lament/dirge') refers to formal funeral songs. וְקוֹנְנוּ עָלַיִךְ (wĕqônĕnû ʿālayik, 'and they shall lament over you') uses the verb קוּן (qûn), meaning ritualized mourning.<br><br>This introduces the actual funeral dirge for Tyre (verses 32b-36),...
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18. The sure sign of repentance; justifying God, condemning herself (Ne 9:33; Psa 51:4; Da 9:7-14).
**his commandment--**literally, "mouth"; His word in the mouth of the prophets.
Koph.
When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.
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<strong>Saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?</strong>—The rhetorical question מִי כְצוֹר כַּדּוּמָה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם (mî khĕṣôr kaddûmāh bĕthôkh hayyām, 'who is like Tyre, like the silenced in the midst of the sea?') uses דּוּמָה (dûmāh, 'silence/desolation'), suggesting Tyre's voice is stilled forever.<br><br>This echoes laments over Babylon ('who is like Ba...
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**19. lovers--**(La 1:2; Jr 30:14).
**elders--**in dignity, not merely age.
**sought ... meat--**Their dignity did not exempt them from having to go and seek bread (La 1:11).
Resh.
In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.
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<strong>When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people</strong>—Tyre's commercial reach: עִזְבוֹנַיִךְ (ʿizbônayik, 'your merchandise') מִיַּמִּים (miyyammîm, 'from the seas') הִשְׂבַּעַתְּ עַמִּים רַבִּים (hisbaʿat ʿammîm rabbîm, 'satisfied many peoples'). The verb שָׂבַע (sābaʿ, 'to be satisfied/filled') suggests Tyre provided abundance.<br><br><strong>Thou didst enrich the...
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**20. bowels ... troubled--**(Job 30:27; Is 16:11; Jr 4:19; 31:20). Extreme mental distress affects the bowels and the whole internal frame.
**heart ... turned--**(Ho 11:8); is agitated or fluttered.
**abroad ... sword ... at home ... as death--**(De 32:25; Eze 7:15). The "as" does not modify, but intensifies. "Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home as it were death itself" (personified), in the ...
Read full commentary →All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.
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<strong>In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters</strong>—The metaphor shifts: Tyre the magnificent ship is נִשְׁבַּרְתְּ מִיַּמִּים (nishbartĕ miyyammîm, 'broken by the seas') בְּמַעֲמַקֵּי־מָיִם (bĕmaʿămaqê-māyim, 'in the depths of waters'). The very element that enabled Tyre's prosperity—the sea—becomes her destroyer.<br><br><strong>Thy merchandise and all t...
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**21. they are glad that thou hast done it--**because they thought that therefore Judah is irretrievably ruined (Jr 40:3).
**the day ... called--**(but) thou wilt bring on them the day of calamity which thou hast announced, namely, by the prophets (Jr 50:1-46; 48:27).
**like ... me--**in calamities (Psa 137:8, 9; Jr 51:25, &c.).
Tau.
The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more . a terror: Heb. terrors never: Heb. shalt not be for ever
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<strong>The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more</strong>—The final verse: סֹחֲרִים בָּעַמִּים (sōḥărîm bāʿammîm, 'traders among the peoples') שָׁרְקוּ עָלָיִךְ (shārĕqû ʿālayik, 'hiss at you'). The verb שָׁרַק (shāraq) indicates shocked derision, a hissing sound expressing horror and contempt (1 Kings 9:8, Jeremiah 19:8).<br><br><stron...
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(36) **Shall hiss at thee.**—In Ezekiel 27:35 the prophet again drops the figure of the ship, and looking forward (as in Ezekiel 26:4-6; Ezekiel 26:12-14) to the end, speaks of the final and utter overthrow which shall come upon Tyre. The word *hiss* is used, as in Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 7:18; Zechariah 10:8, &c., in the sense of *calling for.* The prophet tells us that the people who have had commer...
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22. Such prayers against foes are lawful, if the foe be an enemy of God, and if our concern be not for our own personal feeling, but for the glory of God and the welfare of His people.
**come before thee--**so Re 16:19, "Babylon came in remembrance before God" (compare Psa 109:15).