The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:
“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am perfect in beauty.’
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 Of 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 banner;
blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
was your awning.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad
were your rowers;
your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you;
they were your pilots.
9 The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you,
caulking your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
to barter for your wares.
10 “Persia and Lud and Put were in your army as your men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor. 11 Men of Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made perfect your beauty.
12 “Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; 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 From Beth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares. 15 The men of Dedan traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. 16 Syria did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and ruby. 17 Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm. 18 Damascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and wool of Sahar 19 and casks of wine from Uzal they exchanged for your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and calamus were bartered for your merchandise. 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 traders 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, traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 In your market 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. 25 The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden in the heart of the seas.
26 “Your rowers have brought you out
into the high seas.
The east wind has wrecked you
in the heart of the seas.
27 Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,
your mariners and your pilots,
your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,
and all your men of war who are in you,
with all your crew
that is in your midst,
sink into the heart of the seas
on the day of your fall.
28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots
the countryside shakes,
29 and down from their ships
come all who handle the oar.
The mariners and all the pilots of the sea
stand on the land
30 and shout aloud over you
and cry out bitterly.
They cast dust on their heads
and wallow in ashes;
31 they make themselves bald for you
and put sackcloth on their waist,
and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,
with bitter mourning.
32 In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you
and lament over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33 When your wares came from the seas,
you satisfied many peoples;
with your abundant wealth and merchandise
you enriched the kings of the earth.
34 Now you are wrecked by the seas,
in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your crew in your midst
have sunk with you.
35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands
are appalled at you,
and the hair of their kings bristles with horror;
their faces are convulsed.
36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.’” Ezekiel 27 ESV
Ezekiel 27 Lament For Tyre
The prophet is ordered to take up a lamentation for Tyrus, v. 2. It was yet in the height of its prosperity, and there appeared not the least symptom of its decay; yet the prophet must lament it, because its prosperity is its snare, is the cause of its pride and security, which will make its fall the more grievous. Even those that live at ease are to be lamented if they be not preparing for trouble. He must lament it because its ruin is hastening on apace; it is sure, it is near; and though the prophet foretel it, and justify God in it, yet he must lament it. Note, We ought to mourn for the miseries of other nations, as well as for our own, out of an affection for mankind in general; it is a part of the honour we owe to all men to bewail their calamities, even those which they have brought upon themselves by their own folly. - Matthew Henry
1-9 I am perfect in beauty - Tyre will tell us why she sees herself this way, and the prophet will do it by comparing the city to a ship, the building of a great, sea worthy vessel. Beauty is not wicked in itself, God made many things beautiful, and those, even in a fallen world declare His majesty. It is not wrong to work things with your hands, yet it is wrong to make things into idols.
…29Twelve months later, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you.… Daniel 4: 29-31
Your borders are in the heart of the seas - She was a city on the mainland coasts and also on an island, which part was only accessible by boat at that time. This made her a choice harbor for trade.
All your planks of fir trees from Senir - Amorite name for Mt. Hermon or a range of mountains with these trees.
They took cedar from Lebanon - The cedar's of Lebanon were famous, and of a tall variety, so this made the mast of this ship. Lebanon is a historical place which still exists today, and this chapter is an amazing look back at the trade in which Tyre was involved. Of note is that this great city sent David and also his son, Solomon, materials, which included cedars from Lebanon, so she was a brilliantly run port which had worked out the transport of materials and supplies from many places. She was also a draw for craftsmen who sought to work with these materials.
…10And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him. 11Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 2 Samuel 5: 10-11
1Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David. 2And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram: 3“As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.…
…4But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis. 5So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’ 6Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”… 1 Kings 5: 1-6
Of oaks of Bashan - From these great oaks they made the oars of this mighty vessel.
From the coasts of Cyprus - This is an island nation, today existing in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey.
Inlaid with ivory - This expresses her great measures of wealth, for this did not come from Cyprus nor from Tyre, but probably from trade with African nations, and this may not even be direct, but she had skilled craftsmen that could blend these materials, making them something far more extravagant than in their raw form. Tyre seems to have a little something from everywhere, and something for every taste.
Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah - The aforementioned name of Egypt is quite common and much has been written on it's relationship with Israel, even having great conflicts as recent as last century. Elishah is a bit different though, and obviously from the text it is a place where they traded for blue and purple, but where is it? From the commentators I have read this is a difficult question to answer, and not a lot of detail anywhere, but if we look at Genesis 10:4, we will see this name listed in a genealogy, along with Javan and Tarshish, which are men for whom the ancient areas of Greece (Javan) and an area of Spain (Tarshish) were named. If you remember back in Ezekiel 8 we took a long look at the dividing of nations, linking back to Babel, ancestry worship, and interesting fact that many of these places were named after people who were born not long after the flood. These people built the tower of Babel, from which place God dispersed them all over the world. I think that Elishah was a place named after Elishah from Genesis 10:4.
…3The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites. 5From these, the maritime peoples separated into their territories, according to their languages, by clans within their nations.… Genesis 10: 3-5
They hung those rooms on ship-board with blue and purple, the richest cloths and richest colours they could get from the isles they traded with. For though Tyre was itself famous for purple, which is therefore called the Tyrian dye, yet they must have that which was far-fetched. - Matthew Henry
The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers - Sidon, being in Phoenicia, as Tyre also, would be a sister city, not more than 23 miles up the coast from Tyre.
“Sidon, the island city of Arvad, Zemer, and Gebal (known by the Greeks as Biblos), are all Phoenician coastal cities.” (Wright)
“Large numbers of oarsmen were required to operate the merchant ships of the Mediterranean. According to Sennacherib’s reliefs, Phoenician boats were biremes, having one row of oarsmen visible on the lower deck, and a second invisible row who plied the water from holes in the ship’s hull.” (Block)
Elders of Gebal -
9. ancients of Gebal] The elders, a title of honour or office, the magistrates. Probably also the “wise men thereof” is a semi-official title (cf. Ezekiel 27:8). The power of Tyre was exerted over all her dependencies (Ezekiel 26:17), in which men of the highest position entered all ranks of her service. Gebal (the classical Byblos, now Jubeil) is situated not far from the river Adonis (Ibrahim) somewhat over 20 miles N. of Beirut (Joshua 13:5; 1 Kings 5:18, R.V.). The town was devoted to the worship of Beltis (Astarte) and Adonis, cf. on ch. Ezekiel 8:14. The name appears in the Assyrian inscriptions, Del., Parad. p. 283.
thy calkers] Marg. stoppers of chinks, carpenters.
to occupy thy merchandise] to handle thy wares. The representation is that the great ship was attended on by all the ships of the sea with their sailors, who served her and delivered her wares to her, or were occupied about them (Ezekiel 27:27). - Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
10-11 Persia and Lud and Put - So great was the wealth of Tyre that she could afford mercenary armies. It is like the security that you see openly in a city, like police cars and razor wires but to be sure she was also protected by many eyes, dressed to blend in, like the security in casinos or other places where large sums are trading hands. This is already an impressive list, and she has made herself a case study in rising to power. Might does not make right, and is one way to achieve power with force, but this does not seem to be her motive for military presence. If you look, these mercenaries hung shield and helmet, giving her splendor, and these pieces of equipment are more for defense. They give her traders the feeling of security, and she has become a historical blue print for many wanting to rise in power, for this is a mode, have what people want and need and they will come to you. She has made a great enterprise of trade, and ties all the way to Persia, before its eventual rise to power, which will also revive this port city after the devastation of Babylon. China has taken a seat like this in recent decades, becoming listed as a favored nation, a trader, producer, provider of labor, and a mass transporter of goods across the sea. This has seen her rise rapidly into power, grab stakes in technology, advance herself as the dragon of commerce, but also increase her military presence. Like Tyre though, China is so loved for her merchandise that our consumer driven world overlooks her sin. Basket ball players and actors here cow to her, defend her stances, throw insults at their own country, ask to defund the police here, but don't care that China doesn't recognize Taiwan, puts Muslims into concentration camps, has historically forced women to have abortions and imprisons people who don't share their beliefs. Now that's power, money talks, and Tyre has that draw in her day. Everyone involved with her knows where their check comes from.
12-25 Tarshish did business with you - When the prophet Jonah is told to go and preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, he instead goes to Joppa, another coastal city, and hops a boat bound for Tarshish, basically from the far eastern shores of the Mediterranean to its western extremities, the opposite direction of what God had commanded.
Most likely refers to Tarshishah in southern Spain, a Phoenician colony famous for silver. - J Mac Study Bible
…8But they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood! 9Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz— the work of a craftsman from the hands of a goldsmith. Their clothes are blue and purple, all fashioned by skilled workers. 10But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.… Jeremiah 10: 8-10
They exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise - Slave traders, and it is a chilling note that much of what was sold by Tyre was not necessary to life, but humans were traded along with bronze for things that anyone, who knows mankind to be made in the image of God, must consider beneath their worth.
It seems that Tyre was especially guilty and cold-blooded in this practice. Long before Ezekiel’s time, Amos rebuked Tyre for their traffic in slaves as a violation of the covenant of brotherhood (Amos 1:9-10).
ii. “That is, they trafficked in slaves. The bodies and souls of men were bought and sold in those days, as in our degenerate age.” (Clarke)
Your own special markets - Is this the first reference to an "exclusive" contract? Maybe just an example of how well connected an importer/exporter was Tyre.
Minnith, meal and honey - Everybody has to eat, and it says a lot of this area of Judah's agricultural production.
Cassia and Calamus -
22Then the LORD said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 24500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.…
…25Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil. 26Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, 27the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,… Exodus 30: 22-27
“All aromatic wares. Pliny reports of cinnamon that in his time a pound of it was worth a thousand denarii, that is, 150 crowns of our money. Galen writeth that it was hard to be found, except in the storehouses of great princes.” (Trapp)
Kedar - Lambs and goats, brought by shepherds from the Arabia. This is a nice geographical location for Tyre and quite beneficial to have both an island to receive ships and a mainland to receive crops and livestock.
…6Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD. 7All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on My altar with acceptance; I will adorn My glorious house. 8Who are these who fly like clouds, like doves to their shelters?… Isaiah 60: 6-8
26-36 The east wind has wrecked you - This is the very forceful and immense army of Babylon.
Sink into the heart of the seas - Like a ship heavy with merchandise, gold, silver, men of trade and war, everything is lost in that day.
Adam Clarke wrote as one who had experienced the horror of shipwreck: “But what must they have felt who were on board? Reader, wert thou ever shipwrecked? Wert thou ever in a hurricane on a lee rocky shore, where the helm had lost its power, and the sails were rendered useless? Dost thou remember that apparently last moment, when the ship drove up to the tremendous rocks, riding on the back of a mountainous surge? Then what was the universal cry? Hast thou ever heard any thing so terrific? so appalling? so death and judgment-like? No. It is impossible. These are the circumstances, this is the cry, that the prophet describes; disorder, confusion, dismay, and ruin. And this is a scene which the present writer has witnessed, himself a part of the wretched, when all hope of life was taken away, the yawning gulf opened, and nothing presented itself to support body or soul but that GOD who gave to both their being, and ultimately rescued him and his forlorn companions from one of the worst of deaths, by heaving the ship from the rocks by the agency of a tremendous receding wave. My soul hath these things still in remembrance, and therefore is humbled within me.”
Cast dust on their heads - Those that look on at this from the shore or boats at a safe distance from the rocks, these mariners, merchant marines, all mourn the death of their beloved Tyre, for she brought them a good living. I doubt this is the blessed sort of mourning, that of those who knew genuine sorrow for their sin, more likely like that of the kings of the earth in Revelation.
9Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. 10In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” 11And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—…
…12cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men. 14And they will say: “The fruit of your soul’s desire has departed from you; all your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.”…
…15The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, 16saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance…
…18and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim. 19Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.” 20Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.… Revelation 18: 9-20
You satisfied many peoples - People are willing to overlook a lot when their needs are met, throw in their wants and they all go blind.
The merchants among the people hiss at you - Of course some that overlooked your sin at the height of your power will now sling the I told you so's, sighs and shaking heads. If they will do it to a righteous man like Job, then can you really be mad? The crowds are so fickle in every age. Of course with Babylon standing beside you and looking on at their work, or later when Alexander builds his bridge, of course you will act like you approve, just like you said nothing of her slavery, prostitution, and idolatry when she was your neighbor and "friend".
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