Ezequiel 27:9

9 Los ancianos de Gebal y sus sabios repararon tus hendiduras; todas las galeras del mar y los remeros de ellas fueron en ti para negociar tus negocios

Ezequiel 27:9 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 27:9

The ancients of Gebal
A promontory of the Phoenicians, the same with the Gabale of Pliny ^F14, and with the land of the Giblites, ( Joshua 13:5 ) ( 1 Kings 5:18 ) ( Psalms 83:7 ) . It was by the Greeks called Byblus; and so the Septuagint here render the words, the elders of Bybli or Byblus, a place once famous for the birth and temple of Adonis; it is now called Gibyle. Mr. Maundrell ^F15 says it is pleasantly situated by the seaside, and that at present it contains but a little extent of ground, yet more than enough for the small number of its inhabitants; it is compassed with a dry ditch, and a wall with square towers in it, at about every forty yards' distance; on its south side it has an old castle; within it is a church; besides which it has nothing remarkable; though anciently it was a place of no mean extent, as well as beauty, as may appear from the many heaps of ruins, and the fine pillars that are scattered up and down in the gardens near the town. The old experienced workmen of this place were employed by the Tyrians in mending and refitting their ships, and in the caulking of them, as follows: the wise men thereof were in thee thy caulkers;
or, "the strengtheners of thy breaches" ^F16, or "chinks"; the seams and commissures of the planks; which they stopped with tow, oakum, or such like stuff; at least this is what is used now, whatever might be by those wise men; and it seems by this that it was reckoned a very great art and mystery, and which only wise men were masters of, at least such the Tyrians employed. The Targum renders it,

``providing thy necessaries;''

as if they were the ships' husbands: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy
merchandise;
ships from all parts were in her harbours, which brought goods into her, and carried goods out of her, by way of merchandise. So the Targum,

``all that go down into the sea, and the ships; they were rowers, and they brought merchandise into the midst of thee;''

the goods of merchants from divers places; and carried back commodities again they traded for at Tyre; see ( Revelation 18:19 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 20.
F15 Journey &c. p. 33, 34.
F16 (Kqdb yqyzxm) "roborantes scissuram tuam", Montanus; "instaurantes fissuras tuas", Munster, Tigurine version; "rimas tuas", Vatablus; "instauratores rupturaram tuarum", Piscator.

Ezequiel 27:9 In-Context

7 De fino lino bordado de Egipto fue tu cortina, para que te sirviera de vela; {Heb. bandera} de cárdeno y grana de las islas de Elisa fue tu pabellón

8 Los moradores de Sidón y de Arvad fueron tus remeros; tus sabios, oh Tiro, estaban en ti; ellos fueron tus pilotos

9 Los ancianos de Gebal y sus sabios repararon tus hendiduras; todas las galeras del mar y los remeros de ellas fueron en ti para negociar tus negocios

10 Persas y lidios, y africanos, fueron en tu ejército tus hombres de guerra; escudos y capacetes colgaron en ti; ellos te alabaron tu hermosura

11 Y los hijos de Arvad con tu ejército estuvieron sobre tus muros alrededor, y los pigmeos en tus torres, sus escudos colgaron sobre tus muros alrededor; ellos completaron tu hermosura