Ezekiel 27:2-12

2 Therefore thou, son of man, take wailing on Tyre. (And so thou, son of man, take up a wailing for Tyre.)
3 And thou shalt say to Tyre, that dwelleth in the entering of the sea, to the (selling of) merchandise of peoples to many isles, The Lord God saith these things, O! Tyre, thou saidest, I am of perfect fairness, (And thou shalt say to Tyre, that dwelleth at the entrance to the sea, for the selling of the merchandise of the nations to many islands, The Lord God saith these things, O! Tyre, thou saidest, I am of great beauty,)
4 and I am set in the heart of the sea. They that be in thy coasts that builded thee, [ful]filled thy fairness;
5 they builded thee with fir trees of Senir, with all works of boards of the sea; they took a cedar of the Lebanon, to make a mast to thee (they took a cedar from Lebanon, to make a mast for thee).
6 They hewed oaks of Bashan into thine oars, they made to thee thy seats of (the) rowers of (the) ivory of India, and (thy) cabins (of the wood) of the isles of Italy. (They cut oaks of Bashan into thy oars, they made the seats for thy rowers out of the ivory of the Ashurites, and thy cabins out of the wood from the islands of Chittim, or of Cyprus.)
7 Diverse bis, either white silk, of Egypt, was woven to thee into a veil, that it should be set in the mast (Diverse bis, or white silk, from Egypt, was woven for thee into a sail, so that it could be set on the mast); jacinth and purple of the isles of Elishah were made thy covering.
8 The dwellers of Sidon and Arvadians were thy rowers (The inhabitants of Sidon and the Arvadians were thy rowers); Tyre, thy wise men were made thy governors.
9 The old men of Byblos, and the prudent men thereof, had shipmen to the service of thy diverse array of household; all the ships of the sea, and the shipmen of these, were in the people of thy merchandise (all the ships of the sea, and the shipmen from these, were of the people of thy merchandise).
10 Persians, and Ludians, and Libyans were in thine host, (Persians, and Ludians, and Libyans were in thy army); thy men warriors hanged in thee a shield and helmet, for thine adorning.
11 Sons (of) Arvadians with thine host were on thy walls in thy compass; but also Gammadims, that were in thy towers, hanged their arrow cases on thy walls by compass; they [ful]filled thy fairness. (The sons of the Arvadians were with thy army upon thy walls all around; and also the Gammadims, who were in thy towers, hung up their arrow cases on thy walls all around; they fulfilled, or made perfect, thy beauty.)
12 Carthaginians, thy merchants, of the multitude of all (kind of) riches filled thy fairs, with silver, and iron, with tin, and lead. (Tarshish, thy merchants, filled thy fairs with the multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, and iron, and tin, and lead.)

Ezekiel 27:2-12 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.