Ezekiel 27:1-25

A Lament for Tyre

1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Now you, 1son of man, 2raise a lamentation over Tyre,
3 and say to Tyre, who dwells at 3the entrances to the sea, 4merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord GOD: "O Tyre, you have said, 'I am 5perfect in beauty.'
4 Your borders are 6in the heart of the seas; your builders made perfect your beauty.
5 They made all your planks of fir trees from 7Senir; they took 8a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
6 Of 9oaks of Bashan they made your oars; they made your deck of pines from 10the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.
7 11Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your banner; blue and purple from 12the coasts of Elishah was your awning.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and 13Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you; they were 14your pilots.
9 The elders of 15Gebal and her skilled men were in you, 16caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to barter for your wares.
10 17"Persia and 18Lud and 19Put were in your army as your men of war. 20They hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor.
11 Men of 21Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made 22perfect your beauty.
12 23"Tarshish did 24business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your 25wares.
13 26Javan, 27Tubal, and 28Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
14 From 29Beth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules 30for your wares.
15 The men of 31Dedan[a] traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony.
16 Syria 32did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares 33emeralds, 34purple, 35embroidered work, 36fine linen, coral, and 37ruby.
17 Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise 38wheat of 39Minnith, meal,[b] honey, oil, and 40balm.
18 41Damascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and 42wool of Sahar
19 and casks of wine[c] from Uzal they exchanged for your wares; wrought iron, 43cassia, and 44calamus were bartered for your merchandise.
20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding.
21 Arabia and all the princes of 45Kedar were your favored dealers 46in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you.
22 The traders of 47Sheba and 48Raamah traded with you; they exchanged 49for your wares 50the best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold.
23 51Haran, Canneh, 52Eden, traders of Sheba, 53Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you.
24 In your market these traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of 54blue and 55embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure.
25 56The ships of 57Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden 58in the heart of the seas.

Ezekiel 27:1-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 27

This chapter contains a lamentation on Tyre; setting forth her former grandeur, riches, and commerce; her ruin and destruction; and the concern of others on that account. The prophet is bid to take up his lamentation concerning it, Eze 27:1,2, observing her situation and magnificence, of which she boasted, Eze 27:3,4, describing the excellency of her shipping and naval stores, Eze 27:5-7, declaring who were her mariners, pilots, and caulkers, Eze 27:8,9, her military men, Eze 27:10,11 her several merchants, and the things they traded in with her in her fairs and markets, Eze 27:12-25, then follows an account of her destruction, Eze 27:26,27, the lamentation of pilots and mariners because of it, Eze 27:28-32, and of the kings and inhabitants of the isles, and merchants of the people, Eze 27:33-36.

Cross References 58

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Hebrew; Septuagint Rhodes
  • [b]. The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown
  • [c]. Probable reading; Hebrew wool of Sahar, Vedan, and Javan
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.