^27:12“ ‘Tarshish²² was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. ^27:13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise. ^27:14Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers,²³ and mules for your products. ^27:15The Dedanites²⁴ were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid²⁵ you with ivory tusks and ebony. ^27:16Edom²⁶ was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products. ^27:17Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from Minnith,²⁷ millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise. ^27:18Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar, ^27:19and casks of wine²⁸ from Izal²⁹ they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise. ^27:20Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding. ^27:21Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs, rams, and goats they traded with you. ^27:22The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products. ^27:23Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your clients. ^27:24They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise. ^27:25The ships of Tarshish³⁰ were the transports for your merchandise.

“ ‘So you were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.

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Footnotes

15 Another Phoenician coastal city located between Sidon and Arvad.
16 Heb “strengthening damages.” Here “to strengthen” means to repair. The word for “damages” occurs several times in 1 Kgs 12 about some type of damage to the temple, which may have referred to or included cracks. Since the context describes Tyre in its glory, we do not expect this reference to damages to be of significant scale, even if there are repairmen. This may refer to using pitch to seal the seams of the ship, which had to be done periodically and could be considered routine maintenance rather than repair of damage.
17 The reference to “all the ships of the sea … within you” suggests that the metaphor is changing; previously Tyre had been described as a magnificent ship, but now the description shifts back to an actual city. The “ships of the sea” were within Tyre’s harbor. Verse 11 refers to “walls” and “towers” of the city.
19 Heb “sons of Arvad.”
20 The identity of the Gammadites is uncertain.
21 See note on “quivers” in on the meaning of Hebrew שֶׁלֶט (shelet) and also M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (), 2:.
22 Tarshish refers to a distant seaport sometimes believed to be located in southern Spain (others identified it as Carthage in North Africa). In any event it represents here a distant, rich, and exotic port which was a trading partner of Tyre.
23 The way in which these horses may have been distinguished from other horses is unknown. Cf. “war-horses” (, , , all similar); “chariot horses.”
24 Heb “sons of Dedan.”
25 Heb “they returned as your gift.”
26 Many Hebrew , Aquila’s Greek translation, and the version read “Edom.” The reads “man,” a translation which assumes the same consonants as Edom. This reading is supported from the context as the text deals with Damascus, the capital of Syria (Aram), later (in v. 18).
27 The location is mentioned in Judg 11:33.
28 The leaves v. 18 as an incomplete sentence and begins v. 19 with “and Dan and Javan (Ionia) from Uzal.” The mentions “wine.” The translation follows an emendation assuming some confusions of vav and yod. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (), 2:.
29 According to L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [], 2:), Izal was located between Haran and the Tigris and was famous for its wine.
30 Or perhaps “Large merchant ships.” The expression “ships of Tarshish” may describe a class of vessel, that is, large oceangoing merchant ships.

Cross references

18 See Gen 10:22.