Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 27:10
They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.
10. Her men of war.
Her mercenaries were drawn from all quarters of the world. The people called here “they of Persia” appears along with Cush and Phut, African peoples, in the army of Gog, ch. Eze 38:5, in which, however, northern nations as Gomer and Togarmah are also mustered. The host of Gog includes the nations lying on the outskirts of the known world, and Persia might be named among them, though the first certain mention of that country is in Ezr 4:5; Ezr 9:9, &c. Others have thought here of some African people. Lud is named, ch. Eze 30:5, along with Cush and Phut, as allies of Egypt (Jer 46:9); and in Gen 10:13 Ludim is the firstborn of Mizraim (Egypt). In Isa 66:19 Lud is named after Tarshish, and probably some people lying on the African coast, W. of Egypt, is referred to. Phut (Gen 10:6) is son of Ham, and brother of Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt) and Canaan (Phnicia). In Eze 30:5 (Jer 46:9; Nah 3:9) the people is an ally of Egypt. LXX. renders Lybians. The inhabitants of western Egypt, or those on its western border may be referred to.
they hanged the shield ] The great ship is still spoken of. A figure of a ship so adorned and dressed with weapons hung on its sides is given in Layard, Nineveh, ii. p. 388. The practice of hanging weapons on buildings was not unknown in Israel, Son 4:4 ( 1Ma 4:57 ).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The prophet here leaves the allegory of the ship to describe the armies of the Tyrians composed of mercenary soldiers.
Eze 27:10
Persia – The name of this people does not occur in the more ancient books of the Old Testament; but in the books of the exile and after the exile it is frequent. This exactly corresponds with the record of history. It was just at the time that Ezekiel wrote that the rude and warlike people of Persia were rising into notice, soon about to seize, under Cyrus, the empire of the Asiatic world.
Lud – See Gen 10:13. The union here of Lud with Phut, an undoubtedly African tribe (compare Eze 30:5; Isa 66:19) seems to indicate Lud to be of Hamitic race, not the Semitic race. Both names occur repeatedly on Egyptian inscriptions, especially as supplying mercenary soldiers.
Phut – Libyans (see Gen 10:6).
Eze 27:11
Gammadims – Rendered by Septuagint watchmen; by others, brave warriors; but more probably the name of some nation of which we have no record. The custom of hanging shields upon the walls of a town by way of ornament seems to have been of purely Phoenician origin, and thence introduced by Solomon into Jerusalem 1Ki 10:16.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. They of Persia] Lud, the Lydians; Phut, a people of Africa, see Ge 10:6. From these places they had auxiliary troops; for as they traded with the then known world, were rich, and could afford to give good pay, they no doubt had soldiers and sailors from every part. Skilful and desperate men will go any where after their price.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They of Persia; Persians, excellent archers.
Of Lud; Lydians; not those Croesus was king over, but those that dwelt in Egypt about the lake Marcotis, or higher towards Ethiopia, if they were not of that country, Ethiopians themselves.
Of Phut; Libyans, a people of Africa; these were the hired soldiers, and ever served in their army under Tyrian commanders.
Men of war; stationary soldiers in time of peace, and who were sent out by sea or land as occasion required in a time of war.
They hanged the shield, in time of peace; or might they not, so often as they came off the guard, bring each man his armour, and hang it up in the public armoury?
The shield, which defended the body, and helmet, which covered the head.
They set forth thy comeliness; these stout, expert, well-armed guards were an honour to the state they served, and their arsenal especially did prove the gallantry of this Tyrian state.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. Persia . . . Phutwarriorsfrom the extreme east and west.
Ludthe Lydians of AsiaMinor, near the Meander, famed for archery (Isa66:19); rather than those of Ethiopia, as the Lydians of AsiaMinor form a kind of intermediate step between Persia and Phut (theLibyans about Cyrene, shielded warriors, Jer46:9, descended from Phut, son of Ham).
hanged . . . shield . . .comelinessWarriors hanged their accoutrements on the walls forornament. Divested of the metaphor, it means that it was an honor tothee to have so many nations supplying thee with hired soldiers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They of Persia, and of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine army, thy men of war,…. As the Tryrians were a trading people, they hired foreign troops into their service, to fill their garrisons, defend their city, and fight for them in time of war; and these were of various nations, and the most famous for military skill and valour; as the Persians, a people well known, and famous for war in the times of Cyrus, and before, and well skilled in shooting arrows; and they of Lud, or the Lydians, a people in Greece, renowned for war before the times of Croesus their king, as well as in his time; and they of Phut, the Lybians, a people in Africa, skilful in drawing the bow,
Isa 66:19:
they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; in their garrisons and towers, or places of armoury; which were defensive weapons, the one for the body, the other for the head; this they did in times of peace, when there was no occasion to use them, or when they were off their guard, and not on duty; see So 4:4:
they set forth thy comeliness; it being an honour to the Tyrians to have such soldiers in their service. The Targum is,
“they increased thy splendour;”
added to their glory.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(10) Of Persia and of Lud and of Phut.Tyre, like most commercial nations, depended chiefly on mercenaries for the rank and file of its army. Persia, more anciently called Elam, was just now rising into prominence. Its soldiers were probably obtained by the Tyrians from their commerce in the Persian Gulf. Lud is not the one mentioned among the children of Shem (Gen. 10:22), but the Ludim (Lydians) of Hamite family, descended from Mizraim (Gen. 10:13). Phut was also an African tribe (Gen. 10:6). Both are repeatedly mentioned on the Egyptian monuments as furnishing mercenaries to the army.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. Persia Lud Phut The Persians appear for the first time in Ezekiel’s century as a national power (Toy). (See notes Dan 5:28.) They were probably near relatives of the Medes, with whom they had a close alliance, and were at this time the enemies of Assyria. Toy, because of the parallel list (Eze 30:5), changes Persia (Paras) to Cush. Lud originally came from Egypt (Gen 10:13), and was her warm ally (Jer 46:9) and suffered in her downfall (Eze 30:5), though Gen 10:22, points to a Semitic origin. A prehistoric migration into the Nile Delta might account for this divergence of statement. Jensen believes the people referred to are not the Lydians (Assyrian, Lu-ud-di) as has been commonly assumed, but some nomadic tribe of the Syrian desert living between Aram and Uz on one side and Babylonia on the other ( Sunday School Times, February 11, 1899). George Adam Smith and many others believe them to have been Libyans (as LXX.). Put, or Phut, was of Hamitic origin and a close relative of the Ethiopians, Egyptians, and Canaanites (Phoenicians, Gen 10:6). The nation appears in many places as a close ally of Egypt (Eze 30:5; Jer 46:9; Nah 3:9). It also appears in the army of Gog (Eze 38:5). Scholars have generally identified these people with various African nations, as the Nubians or Libyans. A text of Nebuchadnezzar states that in his thirty-seventh year in a campaign against Egypt he defeated “the soldiers of the city of Pudhu-yavan, a distant land which is within the sea,” from which Sayce draws the conclusion that “Phut of the Ionians” may have been Kyrene, or Pelusium, or some other settlement of the Greek mercenaries in Egypt. However, the names of towns migrate rapidly, and the use of the “yavan” as a descriptive term may indicate that there was an original Phut which was not “Phut of the Ionians.” Edward Glaser believes that he has found a Phut ( Puta) in Southwest Arabia ( Acad., 40:76), at which place, close to the base of the Gala Mountains, Mr. W. Bent has found an ancient harbor resembling closely that which is pictured on the Egyptian monuments as that of Punt, the land of incense. (See note Eze 27:21.) Naville, however, is sure that Punt was on the African coast of the Red Sea (Deir el Bahari, 3:1898). It is at any rate plain that Tyre formed her army largely of mercenaries, and it is very natural that she should choose allies of Egypt in her defense against the aggressions of Assyria.
Hanged the shield and helmet in thee So the walls were adorned (See Eze 27:11 and Son 4:4).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Tyre’s Mercenaries.
Tyre was wealthy and could pay for her own defence by hiring mercenaries from distant places.
“Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war,
They hung the shield and helmet in you. They set forth your splendour.
The men of Arvad with your army were on your walls round about, and the Gammadim were in your towers,
They hung their shields on your walls round about, they have perfected your beauty.”
These were mercenaries from places as widespread as Persia, Lydia in Anatolia (eastern Turkey) and Put in North Africa (part of Libya? – the Babylonian for Libya is puta, and see Nah 3:9), from Arvad to the north (see above) and from Gamad, possibly the Kumidi of the Amarna letters between Byblos and Arvad. ‘With your army’ should possibly be repointed as Helech (Cilicia). These all protected Tyre and contributed to her fearsomeness and splendour.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 27:10. Of Lud, and of Phut Or, Of Ethopia, and of Mauritania, or Africa. Houbigant renders the latter part of the verse, They hanged the shield and the helmet upon thy walls, and added to thy comeliness. See the next verse.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 27:10 They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.
Ver. 10. They set forth thy comeliness. ] They were to thee both for muniment and for ornament.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 27:10-11
10Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung shield and helmet in you; they set forth your splendor. 11The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.
Eze 27:10-25 This section lists many nations. It is similar to Genesis 10. Some nations are listed as part of Tyre’s military and some as her trading partners. It is somewhat hyperbolic to demonstrate Tyre’s influence, power, and commercial reach.
A. military
1. Persia
2. Lud
3. Put
4. Arvad
5. Gammad
B. trading partners
1. Tarshish
a. silver
b. iron
c. tin
d. lead
2. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech
a. slaves
b. bronze vessels
3. Beth-togarmah
a. horses
b. mules
4. Dedan and coastlands
a. ivory
b. ebony
5. Syria (Aram)
a. emeralds
b. purple dye
c. embroidered cloth
d. fine linen
e. coral
f. rubies
6. Judah and Israel
a. wheat
b. pannag (BDB 815, only here, some kind of food)
c. honey
d. olive oil
e. balm/balsam resin
7. Damascus
a. wine
b. white or reddish gray (BDB 856 construct 850) wool
8. Vedan and Javan (spelled different from Eze 27:13)
a. iron
b. cassia spice
c. calamus, aromatic reed (sweet cane)
9. Arabia and Kedar
a. lambs
b. rams
c. goats
10. Sheba and Raamah
a. spices
b. jewels
c. gold
11. Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, Chilmad
a. blue cloths
b. embroidered cloth
c. carpets in many colors
d. ropes
Eze 27:10 Persia and Lud and Put These same countries had mercenaries in many armies (cf. Eze 30:5; Eze 38:5; Jer 46:9). Lud, in some translations, refers to North Africa and in others, to Asia Minor. Put, in the Septuagint, refers to the Libyans (i.e., North Africa), but from Gen 10:6 it seems to be on the coast of Africa by the Red Sea. Some of these geographical sites can be identified with people from Genesis 10 who later become tribes, localities, and countries.
They hung shield and helmet in you This was a type of standard decoration for military installations. Tyre used mercenaries who displayed their national military insignias (e.g., 1Ki 10:16-17).
Eze 27:11 Arvad The place name Arvad (BDB 71) is mentioned in Gen 10:18 (from Canaanite line, cf. 1Ch 1:16). It is a city located (as Tyre is) just off the coast on a small island in the northern area of Phoenician territory.
NASBGammadim
NKJV, JPSOAGammad
NRSV, TEVGamad
NJBGammadians
PESHITTAyour army
Targum of
JonathanCappodocia
This term (BDB 167, KB 196) is found only here. BDB assumes it means valorous men, but the LXX and Peshitta assume guardians or wall soldiers. It may be a place name referring to another coastal city near Arvad (NIV Study Bible, p. 1263). The thrust of the phrase is that although Tyre had numerous mercenaries, she trusted the defense of her protective walls to her own soldiers.
they perfected your beauty This is a repeated phrase. See note at Eze 27:4. It is significant because of its use in chapter 28.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Lud . . . Phut. Compare Gen 10:6, Gen 10:13,
men. Hebrew, plural of ‘enosh. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Persia: Eze 38:5, Dan 5:28
of Lud: Eze 30:5, Gen 10:6, Gen 10:13, Gen 10:22, 1Ch 1:8, 1Ch 1:11, 1Ch 1:17, Isa 66:19, Jer 46:9, Nah 3:9
they hanged: Eze 27:11, Son 4:4
Reciprocal: Gen 48:19 – I know it Jer 46:21 – her hired Eze 27:3 – I am
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 27:10. The significance of naming these places in the several verses is to show the extensive resources of man power which Tyrus possessed. These men referred to in this verse took personal interest in the security and also the attractiveness of the chief city of Phoenicia.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Famous mercenaries from distant lands were on board; Tyre was able to attract warriors to fight for her because she was strong. But the outstanding men of Tyre itself were traders, not soldiers. These foreign soldiers came from as far away as Persia, Lud (Lydia in Anatolia, modern eastern Turkey), and Put (on the African coast of the southern Red Sea). Some authorities equate Put with Libya, but 30:5 treats them as two separate places. These soldiers contributed to the glory of Tyre’s reputation as a mighty city-state. Likewise the men of Arvad and the Gammadim (men of Gammad, places unknown) were part of her fighting force. They hung their shields on Tyre’s walls identifying themselves with her and pledging to defend her. The NIV translators believed Helech was the name of a place, namely, a region in southeast Anatolia (the later Roman province of Cilicia where the Apostle Paul grew up). The NASB editors preferred to translate this word as "your army."