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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 27:12 - 27:25
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Description of the Commerce of Tyre
v. 12. Tarshish, or Tartessus in Spain, known for the wealth of its silver and other metals, was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches, for which they exchanged their wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they traded in thy fairs, for the wares which Tyre had to offer.
v. 13. Javan, the Ionians of Asia Minor, Tubal, and Meshech, the latter two being countries or states between the Black and the Caspian Sea, they were thy merchants; they traded the persons of men, in the traffic in slaves then practiced, and vessels of brass in thy market, for the copper-mines of eastern Asia Minor were renowned.
v. 14. They of the house of Togarmah, namely, Armenia, traded in thy fairs, in exchanging wares, with horses and horsemen and mules, for Armenia was known in ancient times for its wealth in these products.
v. 15. The men of Dedan, near the Persian Sea, Isa_21:13, were thy merchants, for the location of their country placed them on the great highway between the East and the West; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand, acting as agents in promoting the commerce of Tyre; they brought thee for a present, literally, "to thee as exchange in value," that is, in payment by barter or trade, horns of ivory and ebony.
v. 16. Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making, the manufacturing industry of Tyre being a very important item in its wealth; they occupied in thy fairs, paying for the wares which they bought in the markets of Tyre, with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, the rich byssus fabric of the Orient, and coral, and agate, or rubies, for Syria was rich in precious stones.
v. 17. Judah and the land of Israel, the entire country of Palestine, they were thy merchants; they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, a city in the Ammonitish district east of Jordan, and Pannag, which has been defined as a balsam or honey-product, and honey, and oil, and balm, for all of which the country of the Jews was famed.
v. 18. Damascus, the metropolis of Northern Syria, was thy merchant In the multitude of the wares of thy making, that is, also an important customer in buying Tyrian manufactures, for the multitude of all riches, on account of the abundance of the wealth offered, in the wine of Helbon, of Aleppo, famed for its wines, and white wool, of the richest and finest kind.
v. 19. Dan also, or Wedan, probably a district in Arabia, and Javan, in this instance a settlement in Arabia, going to and fro occupied in thy fairs, taking part likewise in the Tyrian trade; bright iron, wrought iron used for sword blades, cassia, a kind of cinnamon, and calamus, likewise an Arabian spice, were in thy market.
v. 20. Dedan, a district in Northern Arabia, was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots, either the fine tapestries or other ornamental accouterments used on riding-horses and on battle-wagons.
v. 21. Arabia, the entire country as such, and all the princes of Kedar, the sheiks of the interior of Arabia, they occupied with thee, being engaged in trade with Tyre, in lambs and rams and goats; in these were they thy merchants, for as nomadic tribes they depended upon the products of their herds and flocks.
v. 22. The merchants of Sheba, in Arabia Felix, and Raamah, on the Persian Gulf, they were thy merchants; they occupied in thy fairs, in exchanging wares, with chief of all spices, with most excellent perfumes, and with all precious stones and gold, for which the mountains of Yemen were known.
v. 23. Haran, in Mesopotamia, and Canneh, the later Ctesiphon, a commercial center on the Tigris, and Eden, in Mesopotamia, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, or Assyria, and Chilmad, west of the Euphrates, were thy merchants.
v. 24. These, namely, the entire list as enumerated, were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, fine wrappings or mantles, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, used for storing, bound with cords and made of cedar, among thy merchandise, the value of cedar for this purpose having been known since early days.
v. 25. The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market, literally, "were thy caravans," thy traffic, for they performed on the sea what caravans did on land in conveying goods; and thou wast replenished, always richly stocked with goods, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. Note how vivid the prophet's description of the commerce of Tyre is, how it presents a full, concrete picture of the great trade routes and of the chief articles of manufacture in those days. The description of Tyre's grandeur, however, serves but as a foil in making her fall stand out all the more glaringly.