Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 27:18
Damascus [was] thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
18. wares of thy making ] the multitude of thy works, i.e. the works done for Tyre, all of which are hers.
multitude of all riches ] or, because of every kind of riches.
wine of Helbon ] This is repeatedly mentioned as a choice wine in the Assyrian inscriptions (Schrad. KAT. p. 425). The Persian kings also preferred it on their table. Cf. Hos 14:7, Son 8:11. The place is identified with Chalbn, N.E. of Damascus.
white wool ] Possibly, wool of Zachar, though a place of this name is unknown.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 18. Damascus wine of Helbon] Now called by the Turks Haleb, and by us Aleppo.
White wool.] Very fine wool: wool of a fine quality. Some think Milesian wool is meant.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Damascus; a very ancient and wealthy city of Syria, and the royal city.
The wares of thy making; see the phrase Eze 27:16.
For the multitude of all riches: though the Tyrians had many rich and lovely commodities, yet it pleased the Damascenes to bring chiefly two of their commodities in exchange, richest wines to please the palate of the luxurious Tyrians, and finest wool to clothe their pride.
Halbon; this place I meet no where else; Ptolemy hath Chalinonis in Syria, perhaps they may be it. Others, to save trouble, make it a common name; sweet, or smooth, or fat wine; for
Helbon comes from a word that signifies fat.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. Helbonor Chalybon, inSyria, now Aleppo; famed for its wines; the Persian monarchs woulddrink no other.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making,…. Of the many things manufactured at Tyre, the inhabitants of Damascus, once the chief city of Syria, took some:
for the multitude of all riches: in lieu of the vast quantity of rich things there made, they traded with them for them:
in the wine of Helbon, and white wool; Helbon very probably is the same with the Chalybon of Ptolemy p, which he places in Syria; a place famous for wine, as Strabo q reports; the kings of Persia, he says, through riches fell into luxury, so that they would have wheat brought from Assos in Aeolia, and Chalybonian wine out of Syria, and water from Eulaeus (the river Ulai in Da 8:2), which was lightest of all; and so Athenaeus r says, the kings of the Persians drink only Chalybonian wine; which, says Posidonius, was made at Damascus in Syria, from whence the Persians transplant vines: Helbon is thought to be the same with Aleppo; the grapes there are all white, and make a strong wine, as Monsieur Thevenot s relates; and who also observes, that the wines of Damascus are treacherous and strong: and the wool they bought was such as it came off of the backs of the sheep, and the purer and whiter sort of it; which was brought to Tyre, and by them bought, and dyed purple, for which dye the Tyrians were famous.
p Geograph. l. 5. c. 15. q Ibid. l. 12. p. 505. r L. 1. c. 22. s Travels, part 2. B. 1. c. 5. p. 25. & c. 7. p. 33.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(18) Wine of Helbon.Helbon is identified with a village of the same name, three and a half hours north of Damascus, rich in ruins, and still devoted to the culture of the vine, from which the costliest wine of the country was made. It was probably the same with the wine of Chalybon, so much prized in Persia.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. Damascus This city, the wonder of the ancient world, still remains great because of its three highways running to Egypt, Arabia, and Persia. It has been from the dawn of history the capital and chief city of Syria, and celebrated because “of the multitude of all kinds of riches” (R.V.). Schrader gives several texts in which the wine of Helbon is mentioned. Nebuchadnezzar brought his wine from the “country of Helbon” ( Hi-il-bu-nu), and Strabo mentions that this was the favorite wine of the Persian kings. The locality has been identified with Halbun, very near Damascus, a place still celebrated for the finest vineyards in Syria.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 27:18. Wine of Helbon, and white wool Helbon is now Aleppo. Eze 27:19. Cassia and Calamus] Storax, and sweet cane.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27.
Helbon. Now Helbon, in the mountains, thirteen miles north of Damascus.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Damascus: Gen 15:2, 1Ki 11:24, 1Ki 11:25, Isa 7:8, Act 9:2
Helbon: The Chalybon of the Greeks and Romans, now called by the natives Haleb, and by us Aleppo, said to have been so celebrated for its wine, that the Persian kings would drink no other. It was a celebrated city of Syria, situated about 90 miles from the Mediterranean by way of Antioch, and 100 from the Euphrates, in lat. 36 degrees 11 minutes 25 seconds north, long. 37 degrees 9 minutes east; and previous to its destruction by an earthquake in 1822, occupied, including its suburbs, eight small hills, with the intermediate valleys, comprehending a circuit of about seven miles; and its inhabitants were variously estimated at from 100,000 to 258,000 souls.
Reciprocal: Job 3:14 – kings Eze 27:27 – Thy riches
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Verse 18. Damascus was the chief city of Syria which was an important country on the east border of Phoenicia. Helbon was a city near Damascus and Smith’s Bible Dictionary says it was celebrated as producing the finest grapes in the country.” This product as well as a fine quality of wool was taken to Tyrus and exchanged for her wares.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Damascus also found Tyre an attractive trading partner because of her extensive inventory of various products and paid for her purchases with wine from Helbon (Aleppo, northwest of Damascus) and white wool (or wool from Zahar, also northwest of Damascus). Veda (or Danites) and Javan (or Greeks from Uzal, an old capital of Yemen in eastern Arabia) paid for their wares with yarn, wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane.