Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 27:15
The men of Dedan [were] thy merchants; many isles [were] the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee [for] a present horns of ivory and ebony.
15. men of Dedan ] lit. sons of Dedan; LXX. sons of the Rhodians ( r being read for d, as often). Dedan occurs again Eze 27:20, in connexion with Arabian tribes, and in Eze 25:13 it appears to be placed S. of Edom, being either part of that country or bordering on it (cf. Jer 49:8; Jer 25:23; Isa 21:13). Here, however, Dedan is connected with coast lands and must be another. Hence it has usually been placed on the Persian Gulf. Ivory and ebony, the articles in which it traded, might be Indian products. On the other hand the Phnicians certainly had colonies in Rhodes; and if Rhodians were the true reading the “isles” would be the coasts of the Mediterranean.
merchandise of thine hand ] If “merchandise” be the right reading the abstract term is used for “merchants.” The phrase “of thy hand” means under thee, doing thy service, cf. Eze 27:21.
horns of ivory ] Tusks of elephants, so called from their resemblance to horns. Ebony, the other article referred to, was brought from India and Ethiopia. The African ebony was most esteemed. If Rhodians be read reference would be to the traffic between Phnicia and the interior of Africa, the intermediaries of which were Rhodes and the sea-coasts of the Mediterranean. Rawlin. ( Phnicia, p. 287) mentions that many objects in ivory have been found in Cyprus.
brought thee for a present. Rather: horns of ivory they rendered to thee as tribute, lit. rendered as thy tribute. Tyre is the mistress to whom the nations are subject, and the merchandise they bring is a tribute which they render to her.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 15. The men of Dedan] Dedan was one of the descendants of Abraham by Keturah, and dwelt in Arabia, Ge 25:3. Ivory and ebony might come from that quarter. By way of distinction ivory is called both in Hebrew shen, and in Arabic [Arabic] shen, the TOOTH, as that beautiful substance is the tooth of the elephant.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Dedan: see Eze 25:13. This Dedan was in Arabia, built by Dedan the son of Regina, not far from the Persian Gulf, and now called Daden, whence through the Red Sea they might convey their own merchandise.
Many isles, in the Indian Seas and in the Red Sea, traded with thee.
For a present; knowing how acceptable they were to get thy favour, they either made presents, and gave these things, or brought them to sell. Horns; elks horns, or wild goats; some think it is meant of the unicorn, but the first is likeliest.
Ivory; ivory, not
of, the Hebrew is not in
regimen, but in
apposition, and should be read, They brought thee presents, horns, ivory, and ebony, which is a very solid, heavy, shining, and black wood, fit for many choice works.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Dedannear the PersianSea: thus an avenue to the commerce of India. Not the Dedan in Arabia(Eze 27:20), as the names inthe context here prove, but the Dedan sprung from Cush [BOCHART],(Ge 10:7).
merchandise of thinehandthat is, were dependent on thee for trade [FAIRBAIRN];came to buy the produce of thy hands [GROTIUS].
a presentliterally, “areward in return”; a price paid for merchandise.
horns of ivoryIvory isso termed from its resemblance to horns. The Hebrewword for “ivory” means “tooth”; so that theycannot have mistaken ivory as if coming from the horns ofcertain animals, instead of from the tusks of the elephant.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The men of Dedan were thy merchants,…. Not Dedan in Idumea or Edom, but in Arabia, from Dedan the son of Raamah, Ge 10:7:
many isles were the merchandise of thine hands; that is, many isles took off their manufactures from them, in lieu of what they brought them, which were as follow:
they brought thee for a present; that they might have the liberty of trading in their fairs and markets; or rather for a reward, or as a price, for the goods they had of them:
horns of ivory and ebony; Kimchi reads them as separate things; and which the Targum confirms, “horns, ivory, and ebony”; elks’ horns, or horns of goats, as the Targum; and “ivory”, or the teeth of elephants; and “ebony”, which is a wood of a very black colour, hard and heavy, and of which many things are made. The Targum takes it for the name of a fowl, and renders it peacocks; so Jarchi; see 2Ch 9:21, but Ben Melech much better interprets it of a tree, called in Arabia “ebenus”. Solinus makes it peculiar to India d; and so Virgil e.
d Polyhistor. c. 65. e “—-Sola India nigrum fert ebenum.—-” Virgil. Georgic. 1. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(15) Dedan.This Dedan is a descendant of Ham through Cush (Gen. 10:7). The tribe was located in Arabia, probably upon the shores of the Persian Gulf (Isa. 21:13). The Dedan of Eze. 27:20, on the other hand, is a Semitic tribe, spoken of also in Eze. 25:13; Jer. 49:8. The many isles of this Dedan were the islands in the Persian Gulf, on the Arabian coast, and they were merchandise in the sense of supplying material for the commerce of Tyre. Brought thee for a present might seem to imply tribute, but the original rather conveys the idea of return payment. Horns of ivory is, literally, horns of teeth; the name horn being simply a commercial term derived from the shape of the elephants tusk. Ebony is a word used only here. It was brought both from India and Ethiopia, the wood from the latter being preferred.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Dedan This Dedan is perhaps different from the one mentioned in connection with Edom. (See note Eze 25:13). Here Dedan appears not with Edom, but with the “isles,” or “coasts,” and it is, perhaps, better to read, with the Greek version, “Rhoda.” A famous colony of the Phoenicians existed at Rhodes. The people named seem to have brought to Tyre for a present (literally, for payment, or tribute) elephant tusks and ebony, which they doubtless had obtained from Ethiopia or India.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“The men of Dedan (LXX and some MSS have Rhodes, very similar in Hebrew, and see Eze 27:20) traded with you, many coastlands were your markets (‘the market of your hand’),
They brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony.”
The placing here among northern nations may suggest that we should read the island of Rhodes which was in an important position on the sea trade routes. In Eze 27:20 Dedan is rightly placed in Arabia. In Hebrew r and d are easily confused, being almost identical. The Hebrew texts used by LXX may well have read an r. Or there may have been a Dedan in that area.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 27:15 The men of Dedan [were] thy merchants; many isles [were] the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee [for] a present horns of ivory and ebony.
Ver. 15. The men of Dedan. ] Arabians. Gen 10:7 The Septuagint render them Rhodians.
Horns of ivory.
And ebony.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
men = sons.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dedan: Eze 27:20, Gen 10:7, Gen 25:3, 1Ch 1:9, 1Ch 1:32, Jer 25:23, Jer 49:8
of ivory: 1Ki 10:22, Rev 18:12
Reciprocal: Gen 43:11 – a little balm 1Ki 22:39 – the ivory house Isa 21:13 – O ye Eze 38:13 – Sheba
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 27:15. Men of Dedan means the group of people who descended from that man, who traded in the markets of Tyrus. Isles is defined in t.he lexicon as a habitable spot.” A great many places or groups have been and still will be specified as those dealing in the markets of Tyrus. The prophet interrupts that line to make a general statement concerning the extensive commerce of the city in the words. inany isles were the merchandise of thine hand. Present is used in the sense of a return payment for value received. Horns is said of the ivory because the shape of the elephant’s tusk resembles a horn, and the article was evidently transported in its natural form.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
27:15 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.