Ezekiel 27:22

22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices, and all precious stones, and gold.

Ezekiel 27:22 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 27:22

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants,
&c.] This Sheba was the son of Raamah, ( Genesis 10:7 ) who settled in Arabia Felix; where, according to Ptolemy F24, is a city called Rhegma; and so Raamah is pronounced in the Septuagint version of ( Genesis 10:7 ) : they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices;
as with myrrh and frankincense, with which they abounded: Pliny F25 says that the Arabians paid annually to the kings of Persia a thousand talents of frankincense; and that the Sabaeans F26 boiled their food, some with wood of frankincense, and others with wood of myrrh: and with all precious stones, and gold;
as jaspers, emeralds, carbuncles, and others, which Pliny F1 says are found in Arabia; and mention is made of the gold of Sheba, ( Psalms 72:15 ) and Bochart thinks that Ophir, from whence the famous gold of that name was fetched, was in Arabia Felix; and it may be observed, that the queen of Sheba gave great quantities of gold, of spices, and of precious stones, to Solomon; and that he had much of these kinds yearly from the spice merchants, and kings of Arabia, ( 1 Kings 10:10 1 Kings 10:14 1 Kings 10:15 ) , (See Gill on Isaiah 60:6).


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Geograph. l. 6. c. 7.
F25 Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 17.
F26 "----Solis est thurea virga Sabaeis". Virgil. Georgic. l. 2.
F1 Nat. Hist. l. 37.

Ezekiel 27:22 In-Context

20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding.
21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your favored dealers in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you.
22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices, and all precious stones, and gold.
23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you.
24 These traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure; in these they traded with you.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.