Ezekiel 27:4-14

4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders made perfect your beauty.

5 They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

6 From oaks of Bashan they made your oars; they made your deck of pines from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.

7 Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your ensign; blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was your awning.

8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; skilled men of Zemer were within you, they were your pilots.

9 The elders of Gebal and its artisans were within you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were within you, to barter for your wares.

10 Paras and Lud and Put were in your army, your mighty warriors; they hung shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor.

11 Men of Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around; men of Gamad were at your towers. They hung their quivers all around your walls; they made perfect your beauty.

12 Tarshish did business with you out of the abundance of your great wealth; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares.

13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

14 Beth-togarmah exchanged for your wares horses, war horses, and mules.

Ezekiel 27:4-14 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or [boxwood]
• [b]. Cn Compare Gen 10.18: Heb [your skilled men, O Tyre]
• [c]. Or [Persia]
• [d]. Or [and your army]