Bible Commentaries

And say to Tyre, O thou that dwelleth at the entrance of the sea, [which art] a merchant ^a of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyre, thou hast said, I [am] of perfect beauty.

(a) Which serves all the world with your merchandise.

They have made all thy [ship] planks of fir trees of ^b Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.

(b) This mountain was called Hermon but the Amorites called it Shenir, (Deuteronomy 3:9).

[Of] the oaks of Bashan have they made thy oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches [of] ivory, [brought] out of the isles of ^c Chittim.

(c) Which is taken for Greece and Italy.

The ancients of Gebal and its wise [men] were in thee thy ^d calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to exchange thy merchandise.

(d) Meaning, that they built the walls of the city, which is here meant by the ship: and of these were the builders of Solomon's temple, (1 Kings 5:18).

The men of Arvad with thy army [were] upon thy walls on all sides, and the ^e Gammadims were in thy towers: they hung their shields upon thy walls on every side; they have made thy beauty perfect.

(e) That is they of Cappadocia, or pygmies and dwarfs which were called because from the high towers they seemed little.

^f Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants: they traded ^g in the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.

(f) Of Greece, Italy and Cappadocia.

(g) By selling slaves.

They of the house of ^h Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.

(h) Which are taken for a people of Asia minor.

The men of Dedan [were] thy merchants; many isles [were] the merchandise of thy hand: they brought thee [for] a present ⁱ horns of ivory and ebony.

(i) Meaning, unicorn's horns and elephant's teeth.

Judah, and the land of Israel, they [were] thy merchants: they traded in thy market in wheat of ^k Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.

(k) Where the best wheat grew.

Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the ^l east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

(l) That is, Nebuchadnezzar.

The ^m common lands shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.

(m) That is, the cities near you, as Zidon, Arund and others.

The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt be] ⁿ any more.

(n) By which is meant a long time: for it was prophesied to be destroyed but seventy years, (Isaiah 23:15).