Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 27:13
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
13. These three countries, Javan, Tubal and Meshech are usually named together, Gen 10:2; Eze 32:26; Eze 38:2; Eze 39:1; Isa 66:19. The first is the Ionians, the Greeks of Asia Minor, and the two last have usually been identified with the Moschi and Tibareni, lying to the S. and S.E. of the Black Sea. Copper and “souls of men” i.e. slaves, form the contribution of these countries. That Javan traded in slaves appears from Joel 4:6; cf. Amo 1:6; Amo 1:9.
they traded in thy market ] they brought as thy wares souls of men, &c. The nations are the servants of Tyre, and what they bring is her wares.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech] The Ionians, the Tybarenians, and the Cappadocians, or Muscovites.
They traded the persons of men] That is, they trafficked in slaves. The bodies and souls of men were bought and sold in those days, as in our degenerate age. With these also they traded in brazen vessels.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Javan; the Grecians, particularly the Ionians. Tubal; the Asiatic Iberians, &c.; the Albanians toward the Caspian Sea.
Meshech; the Cappadocians, with the Moschi, who dwelt about Cholcis, the country now called Mingrelia.
Traded the persons of men; brought men to sell for slaves, so the Greeks did; the (Mancipia Ionica) Ionian slaves were known and valued in the East, especially the handsome girls to wait on great ladies. The too great desire hereof in Atossa, Dariuss queen, is said to be the chief cause of his war on Greece. And as to the other, beside their senile inclinations, they were so barbarous and inhuman, and had opportunities to seize men, women, and children to sell them, that no doubt the market of Tyre was full of them.
Brass; of which metal there was great store, they say, in Cappadocia and Iberia, which they brought with them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. Javanthe Ionians orGreeks: for the Ionians of Asia Minor were the firstGreeks with whom the Asiatics came in contact.
Tubal . . . MeshechtheTibareni and Moschi, in the mountain region between the Black andCaspian Seas.
persons of menthat is,as slaves. So the Turkish harems are supplied with female slaves fromCircassia and Georgia.
vesselsall kinds ofarticles. Superior weapons are still manufactured in theCaucasus region.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ver. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants,…. Javan designs Greece, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it; especially that part of it called Ionia, from Javan the son of Japheth,
Ge 10:2 and Tubal, and Meshech, were also sons of Japheth; the former are the Iberi and Albanians, as Jerom and others, among whom were a city called Thabilaca, by Ptolemy w; and the latter the Cappadocians, with whom is a city called Mazaca x.
They traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy markets; or, “the souls of men” y; they bought up men and women in the several countries to which they belonged, or where they traded, and brought them to Tyre, and sold them for slaves; and the Ionian and Grecian slaves were had in great esteem: and the best brass, of which vessels were made, was had from Corinth, Delus, and Aeginetus; according to Pliny z, Cappadocia was famous for it also: in the first of these merchandises Tyrus was remarkably a type of antichrist, who is said to deal in such wares, the souls of men, Re 18:13. The word here rendered “markets”, Gussetius a also observes, does not design the place of commerce, but the act of negotiation or trade; and so it is rendered by many b.
w Geograph. l. 5. c. 12. x Joseph. Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 1. y “animabus hominum”, Pagninus, Vatablus, Cocceius, Starckius. z Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 2. a Ebr. Comment. p. 642. b , Sept.; “negotiationem tuam”, Tigurine version; “in commercio tuo”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus “mercaturam tuam”, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(13) Javan, Tubal, and Meshech.Javan is strictly Ionia, more generally Greece. Tubal and Meshech are the classic Tibareni and Moschi, between the Black and Caspian Seas. They were famous for dealing in slaves and in brass, or rather copper, of which their mountains still contain abundant supplies.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech Javan, brother of Tarshish (Gen 10:2), is the well-known name for Ionian or Greek. The Tel-el-Amarna tablets, 1400 B.C., mention a Yivana who had been sent on a mission to Tyre by the Egyptian king. Cyprus was called the “island of the Ionians” by the Assyrians, and Sayce thinks Cyprus is meant when Javan is referred to by Ezekiel ( Races, p. 46. For extent and character of the early Greek commerce see Introduction to Daniel, III, 2.) It is possible, however, that at this period the name had a wider application, being perhaps a racial term, which was beginning to be specifically used of the Greeks of the mainland. Tubal and Meshech are generally mentioned together in the Scriptures (Eze 32:26; Eze 38:2; Eze 39:1), and appear in the Assyrian inscriptions as Tabali, Tubla, and Muska. They were famous as archers and were probably located in the interior of Asia Minor on the coast of the Black Sea. Professor Smith says: “Beyond Yavan were the coasts of Elisha, that was perhaps Sicily, and Tarshish, the great Phoenician colony in Spain. To all of these ships traded from Tyre and Sidon and Accho and Joppa. Their outward cargoes were Syrian wheat, oil, balm, with oriental wares, and they brought back cloth, purple and scarlet, silver, iron, tin, lead, and brass. Sometimes they carried west Hebrew slaves (Amo 1:9; Joel 4:6) and outlaws (Jon 1:3), forerunners of the great Dispersion” ( Historical Geography, p. 136).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Javan, Tubal and Meshech, they traded with you,
They exchanged the persons of men and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.”
Javan (compare Isa 66:19) originally indicated the Ionians (Assyrian Iamanu), but came to refer to the Grecian empire as a whole (Dan 8:20; Dan 10:20; Dan 11:2). The three names mentioned are fairly closely connected, especially the last two ( Gen 10:2 ; 1Ch 1:5; Isa 66:19). Tubal and Meshech (Eze 32:26; Eze 38:2-3; Eze 39:1) were a warlike people, named in Assyrian inscriptions as Tabal and Musku. They probably came from south east of the Black Sea, establishing themselves in Anatolia. They traded in slaves and bronze. (Any connection with Moscow and Tobolsk is extremely tenuous).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 27:13. Javan, Tubal, and Mesech Greece, the Tibareni, and Moschi, [situated near the Euxine sea] the associates of thy merchandize, bring to thy marts slaves and brazen vessels. Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
Ver. 13. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, ] i.e., Grecians, Spaniards, and Muscovites or Cappadocians, who were naturally of a servile disposition: they were anciently called Meschines, saith Josephus, a of Meshech, the son of Japhet. Gen 10:2
They traded the persons of men,
a Lib. i. cap. 6.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Javan = Ionia. Compare Gen 10:4. These are named together in Gen 10:2.
persons = souls. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13. Referring to the slave trade. See Rev 18:13.
men = mankind. Hebrew ‘adam. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Javan: Gen 10:2, Gen 10:4, 1Ch 1:5, 1Ch 1:7, Isa 66:19, Dan 8:21, Dan 10:20, Dan 11:2
Tubal: Eze 32:26, Eze 38:2, Eze 38:3, Eze 39:1, Gen 10:2, 1Ch 1:5
the persons: Joe 3:3, Rev 18:13
market: or, merchandise
Reciprocal: Gen 36:6 – persons Deu 24:7 – found 1Ch 5:21 – men Psa 120:5 – Mesech Joe 3:6 – have ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 27:13. Javan, Tubal and Meshech were originally the names of men. but at the time of our verse the names stand for the groups of descendants coming down from them. Those groups supplied Tyrus with slaves, and material or inanimate articles.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
27:13 {f} Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants: they traded {g} in the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
(f) Of Greece, Italy and Cappadocia.
(g) By selling slaves.