The dirge of Tyre written in poetical form. Tyre is compared to a fair vessel, to whose equipment the various nations of the world contribute, launching forth in majesty, to be wrecked and to perish. The nations enumerated point out Tyre as the center of commerce between the eastern and western world. This position, occupied for a short time by Jerusalem, was long maintained by Tyre, until the erection of Alexandria supplanted her in this traffic. Compare the dirge of Babylon Isa. 14:3-23<\/span>; in each case the city named represents the world-power antagonistic to God.<\/P><\/p>\n Eze 27:1-36<\/span><\/p>\n Take up a lamentation for Tyrus.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n A proud city<\/strong><\/p>\n The <\/em>men of the world are wise, choosing the fittest places for their own advantage and interest. Let us learn so much of the men of the world, to be wise for our spiritual interest, and seat ourselves near the waters of the sanctuary, that so, trading with God and Christ, we may abound with spiritual treasure.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Outward excellences lift up mens hearts, beget vain confidences, and cause them to boast. This is the great wickedness of cities enriched by God, that they forget Him, and glory in external excellences.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>No situation, strength, or outward advantage can secure proud cities.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>Artists will put forth themselves to the utmost to show their skill. Thy builders have perfected thy beauty; they concealed not their art; what skill soever they had in architecture, they strove to manifest the same. (W. Greenhill, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The sin of Tyre<\/strong><\/p>\n To Ezekiel, as to the prophets generally, Tyre is the representative of commercial greatness, and the truth which he here seeks to illustrate is that the abnormal development of the mercantile spirit had in her case destroyed the capacity of faith in that which is truly Divine. The real god of Tyre was not Baal nor Melkarth, but the king, or any other object that might serve as a symbol of her civic greatness. Her religion was one that embodied itself in no outward ritual; it was the enthusiasm which was kindled in the heart of every citizen of Tyre by the magnificence of the imperial city to which he belonged. The state of mind which Ezekiel regards as characteristic of Tyre was perhaps the inevitable outcome of a high civilisation informed by no loftier religious conceptions than those common to heathenism. It is the idea which afterwards found expression in the deification of the Roman emperors–the idea that the state is the only power higher than the individual to which he can look for the furtherance of his material and spiritual interests, the only: power, therefore, which rightly claims his homage and his reverence. None the less, it is a state of mind which is destructive of all that is essential to living religion; and Tyre in her proud self-sufficiency was perhaps further from a true knowledge of God than the barbarous tribes who in all sincerity worshipped the rude idols which represented the invisible power that ruled their destinies. And in exposing the irreligious spirit which lay at the heart of the Tyrian civilisation the prophet lays his finger on the spiritual danger which attends the successful pursuit of the finite interests of human life. The thought of God, the sense of an immediate relation of the spirit of man to the Eternal and the Infinite, are easily displaced from mens minds by undue admiration for the achievements of a culture based on material progress, and supplying every need of human nature except the very deepest, the need of God. The commercial spirit is indeed but one of the forms in which men devote themselves to the service of this present world; but in any community where it reigns supreme we may confidently look for the same signs of religious decay which Ezekiel detected in Tyre in his own day. At all events, his message is not superfluous in an age and country where energies are well-nigh exhausted in the accumulation of the means of living, and whose social problems all run up into the great question of the distribution of wealth. (John Skinner, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The fate of Tyre<\/strong><\/p>\n Why was Tyrus rebuked and stripped and humbled? Because it came to pass in the case of Tyrus, as it comes to pass in our case, that too much prosperity begets a spirit of sneering. And God will not have any sneering in His school. How did Tyrus sneer? She sneered religiously, which is the worst kind of sneering. Because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha. That Aha cost Tyrus her life. He who sneers at Jerusalem challenges God; he who mocks the humble poor defies high Heaven. Tyrus versus <\/em>Jerusalem,–the case so limited, Jerusalem might go down; but so long as Jerusalem stands for godliness, the true worship, the right conception of things, he who offends Jerusalem has to fight Omnipotence. Can Tyrus fail? When Tyrus fails all the islands of the sea know of it: Then all the princes of the sea shall come down, etc. Behold them all!–princes of Polynesia coming down from their thrones, stripping themselves, themselves folding up the garments and putting them away, and then replacing the garments embroidered and golden with garments of trembling. Why? Because famed Tyrus has fallen. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen. We should learn from ruins. O vain man, poor boaster, you shall beg tomorrow! You that steep your arms to the elbows in gold shall write a begging letter ere the year closes. Riches make to themselves wings and fly away, and the great Babylon which you have builded is but a bubble in the air. Lay not up for yourselves riches where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: have riches in heaven; have riches in the word of God. See the uselessness of what is called environment. Tyrus had environment enough; her shipboards, trees of cedar; her masts made of the cedars of Lebanon; her oars of the oaks of Bashan; fine linen with broidered work from Egypt, blue and purple from the isles of Elishah; treasure upon treasure. So much for environment! We think if we had more pictures on the walls we should pray more; if we had a larger garden behind the house we should be more spiritually minded. It is not so. A mans heaven is in his heart; a mans hell is within. Moreover, what is environment? Who are we that we should define environment and say, Under such and such circumstances such and such moral issues would take place? Never! unless there be something more. Only the Spirit can make man right, and only Christ, according to the faith, to the Christianity which I solemnly accept, can get at the spirit with renewing and sanctifying energy. All other teachers are reformers. Christ is a Saviour. When Christ gets into a mans heart, all the rest follows–all the cleanliness comes the same day, and on the morrow comes music, and on the third day comes the dawn of heaven. (J. Parker, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The position of Tyre on land and sea<\/strong><\/p>\n Part of the city was on an island, and part on the mainland. Alexander, the conqueror, was much embarrassed when he found so much of the city was on an island, for he had no ships. But his military genius was not to be balked. Having marched his army to the beach, he ordered them to tear up the city on the mainland and throw it into the water, and build a causeway two hundred feet wide to the island. So they took that part of the city which was on the mainland, and with it built a causeway of timber and brick and stone, on which his army marched to the capture of that part of the city which was on the island, as though a hostile army should put Brooklyn into the East River, and over it march to the capture of New York. That Tyrian causeway of ruins which Alexanders army built is still there, and by alluvial deposits has permanently united the island to the mainland, so that it is no longer an island but a promontory. The sand, the greatest of all undertakers for burying cities, having covered up for the most part Baalbec and Palmyra and Thebes and Memphis and Carthage and Babylon and Luxor and Jericho, the sand, so small and yet so mighty, is now gradually giving rites of sepulture to what was left of Tyre. But, oh, what a magnificent city it once was! Mistress of the sea! Queen of international commerce! All nations casting their crowns at her feet! Where we have in our sailing vessels benches of wood, she had benches of ivory. Where we have for our masts of ships sails of coarse canvas, she had sails of richest embroidery. (T. De Witt Talmage.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Responsibility of city rulers<\/strong><\/p>\n Cities are not necessarily evils, as has sometimes been argued. They have been the birthplace of civilisation. In them popular liberty has lifted up its voice. Witness Genoa, Pisa, Venice. The entrance of the representatives of the cities in the legislatures of Europe was the deathblow to feudal kingdoms. Cities are the patronisers of art and literature. Cities hold the worlds sceptre. Africa was Carthage, Greece was Athens, England is London, France is Paris, Italy is Rome.<\/p>\n Gods observation of our business hours<\/strong><\/p>\n Thus said the Lord. This account of the trade of Tyre intimates to us that Gods eye is upon men, and that He takes cognisance of what they do when they are employed in their worldly business, not only when they are at church, praying and hearing, but when they are in their markets and fairs, and upon the exchange, buying and selling, which is a good reason why we should in all our dealings keep a conscience void of offence, and have our eye always upon Him whose eye is always upon us. (M. Henry.<\/em>)<\/p>\n CHAPTER XXVII <\/P> This chapter may be considered as the second part of the<\/I><\/P> prophecy concerning Tyre. The prophet pursues his subject in<\/I><\/P> the manner of those ancient lamentations or funeral songs, in<\/I><\/P> which the<\/I> praeficiae or mourning women first recounted whatever<\/I><\/P> was great or praiseworthy in the deceased, and then mourned his<\/I><\/P> fall. Here the riches, glory, and extensive commerce of Tyre<\/I><\/P> are enlarged upon<\/I>, 1-25.<\/P> Her downfall is then described in a beautiful allegory,<\/I><\/P> executed in a few words, with astonishing brevity, propriety,<\/I><\/P> and perspicuity<\/I>, 26;<\/P> upon which all the maritime and commercial world are<\/I><\/P> represented as grieved and astonished at her fate, and greatly<\/I><\/P> alarmed for their own<\/I>, 27-36.<\/P> Besides the view which this chapter gives of the conduct of<\/I><\/P> Providence, and the example with which it furnishes the critic<\/I><\/P> and men of taste of a very elegant and highly finished piece of<\/I><\/P> composition, it likewise affords the antiquary a very curious<\/I><\/P> and interesting account of the wealth and commerce of ancient<\/I><\/P> times. And to the mind that looks for “a city that hath<\/I><\/P> foundations,” what a picture does the whole present of the<\/I><\/P> mutability and inanity of all earthly things! Many of the<\/I><\/P> places mentioned in ancient history have, like Tyre, long ago<\/I><\/P> lost their political consequence; the geographical situation of<\/I><\/P> others cannot be traced; they have sunk in the<\/I> deep waters of<\/I><\/P> oblivion; the east wind hath carried them away.<\/I> <\/P> NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII<\/P><\/p>\n The word of the Lord came again unto me<\/strong>,…. Upon the same subject, the destruction of Tyre:<\/p>\n saying<\/strong>; as follows:<\/p>\n The lamentation commences with a picture of the glory of the city of Tyre, its situation, its architectural beauty, its military strength and defences (Eze 27:3-11<\/span>), and its wide-spread commercial relations (Eze 27:12-25<\/span>); and then passes into mournful lamentation over the ruin of all this glory (Eze 27:26-36<\/span>).<\/p>\n Introduction and description of the glory and might of Tyre. – Eze 27:1<\/span>. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, <\/em> Eze 27:2<\/span>. And do thou, O son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, <\/em> Eze 27:3<\/span>. And say to Tyre, Thou who dwellest at the approaches of the sea, merchant of the nations to many islands, thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Tyre, thou sayest, I am perfect in beauty. <\/em> Eze 27:4<\/span>. In the heart of the seas is thy territory; thy builders have made thy beauty perfect. <\/em> Eze 27:5<\/span>. Out of cypresses of Senir they built all double-plank-work for thee; they took cedars of Lebanon to make a mast upon thee. <\/em> Eze 27:6<\/span>. They made thine oars of oaks of Bashan, thy benches they made of ivory set in box from the islands of the Chittaeans. <\/em> Eze 27:7<\/span>. Byssus in embroidery from Egypt was thy sail, to serve thee for a banner; blue and red purple from the islands of Elishah was thine awning. <\/em> Eze 27:8<\/span>. The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were thy rowers; thy skilful men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy sailors. <\/em> Eze 27:9<\/span>. The elders of Gebal and its skilful men were with thee to repair thy leaks; all the ships of the sea and their mariners were in thee to barter thy goods. <\/em> Eze 27:10<\/span>. Persian and Lydian and Libyan were in thine army, thy men of war; shield and helmet they hung up in thee; they gave brilliancy to thee. <\/em> Eze 27:11<\/span>. The sons of Arvad and thine army were upon thy walls round about, and brave men were upon they towers; they hung up their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.<\/em> – The lamentation commences with an address to Tyre, in which its favourable situation for purposes of trade, and the perfect beauty of which she was conscious, are placed in the foreground (Eze 27:3<\/span>). Tyre is sitting, or dwelling, at the approaches of the sea. , approaches or entrances of the sea, are harbours into which ships sail and from which they depart, just as s a t , the gate of the city, it both entrance and exit. This description does not point to the city on the mainland, or Old Tyre, but answers exactly to Insular Tyre with its two harbours.<\/p>\n (Note: Insular Tyre possessed two harbours, a northern one called the Sidonian, because it was on the Sidonian side, and one on the opposite or south-eastern side, which was called the Egyptian harbour from the direction in which it pointed. The Sidonian was the more celebrated of the two, and consisted of an inner harbour, situated within the wall of the city, and an outer one, formed by a row of rocks, which lay at a distance of about three hundred paces to the north-west of the island, and ran parallel to the opposite coast of the mainland, so as to form a roadstead in which ships could anchor (vid., Arrian, ii. 20; Strabo, xvi. 2. 23). This northern harbour is still held by the city of Sur<\/em>, whereas the Egyptian harbour with the south-eastern portion of the island has been buried by the sand driven against the coasts by the south winds, so that even the writers of the Middle Ages make no allusion to it. (See Movers, Phnizier<\/em>, II. 1, pp. 214ff.).)<\/p>\n , with the connecting i<\/em>, which is apparently confounded here after the Aramaean fashion with the i<\/em> of the feminine pronoun, and has therefore been marked by the Masora as superfluous (vid., Ewald, 211 b<\/em>). The combination of with ‘ may be accounted for from the primary meaning of , to travel about as a merchant: thou who didst go to the nations on many shores to carry on thy trade. Tyre itself considers that she is perfect in her beauty, partly on account of her strong position in the sea, and partly because of her splendid edifices.<\/p>\n (Note: Curtius, iv. 2: Tyrus et claritate et magnitudine ante omnes urbes Syriae Phoenicesque memorabilis .<\/em> (Cf. Strabo, xvi. 2. 22.))<\/p>\n In the description which follows of this beauty and glory, from Eze 27:4<\/span> onwards, Tyre is depicted allegorically as a beautiful ship, splendidly built and equipped throughout, and its destruction is afterwards represented as a shipwreck occasioned by the east wind (Eze 27:26<\/span>.).<\/p>\n (Note: Jerome recognised this allegory, and has explained it correctly as follows: “He (the prophet) speaks , as though addressing a ship, and points out its beauty and the abundance of everything. Then, after having depicted all its supplies, he announces that a storm will rise, and the south wind ( auster<\/em>) will blow, by which great waves will be gathered up, and the vessel will be wrecked. In all this he is referring to the overthrow of the city by King Nabuchodonosor,” etc. Rashi and others give the same explanation.)<\/p>\n The words, “in the heart of the seas is thy territory” ( Eze 27:4<\/span><\/em>), are equally applicable to the city of Tyre and to a ship, the building of which is described in what follows. The comparison of Tyre to a ship was very naturally suggested by the situation of the city in the midst of the sea, completely surrounded by water. As a ship, it must of necessity be built of wood. The shipbuilders selected the finest kinds of wood for the purpose; cypresses of Antilibanus for double planks, which formed the sides of the vessel, and cedar of Lebanon for the mast. S e nir <\/em>, according to Deu 3:9<\/span>, was the Amoritish name of Hermon<\/em> or Antilibanus<\/em>, whereas the Sidonians called it Sirion<\/em>. On the other hand, S e nir <\/em> occurs in 1Ch 5:23<\/span>, and Sh e <\/em> nir in Son 4:8<\/span>, in connection with Hermon<\/em>, where they are used to denote separate portions of Antilibanus. Ezekiel evidently uses Senir<\/em> as a foreign name, which had been retained to his own time, whereas Sirion<\/em> had possibly become obsolete, as the names had both the same meaning (see the comm. on Deu 3:9<\/span>). The naming of the places from which the several materials were obtained for the fitting out of the ship, serve to heighten the glory of its construction and give an ideal character to the picture. All lands have contributed their productions to complete the glory and might of Tyre. Cypress-wood was frequently used by the ancients for buildings and (according to Virgil, Georg<\/em>. ii. 443) also for ships, because it was exempt from the attacks of worms, and was almost imperishable, and yet very light ( Theophr. Hist.<\/em> plant. v. 8; Plinii Hist. nat.<\/em> xvi. 79). , a dual form, like in 2Ki 25:4<\/span>; Isa 22:11<\/span>, double-planks, used for the two side-walls of the ship. For oars they chose oaks of Bashan ( as well as in Eze 27:29<\/span> from , to row), and the rowing benches (or deck) were of ivory inlaid in box. is used in Exo 26:15<\/span>. for the boards or planks of the wooden walls of the tabernacle; here it is employed in a collective sense, either for the rowing benches, of which there were at least two, and sometimes three rows in a vessel, one above another, or more properly, for the deck of the vessel (Hitzig). This was made of she4n , or ivory, inlaid in wood. The ivory is mentioned first as the most valuable material of the , the object being to picture the ship as possessing all possible splendour. The expression , occasions some difficulty, partly on account of the use of the word , and partly in connection with the meaning of , although so much may be inferred from the context, that the allusion is to some kind of wood inlaid with ivory, and the custom of inlaying wood with ivory for the purpose of decoration is attested by Virgil, Aen<\/em>. x. 137:<\/p>\n “Vel quale per artem<\/p>\n Inclusum buxo, aut Oricia terebintho<\/p>\n Lucet ebur.” <\/em> <\/p>\n But the use of does not harmonize with the relation of the wood to the ivory inserted in wood; nor can it be defended by the fact that in Lam 3:3<\/span> an arrow is designated “the son of the quiver.” According to this analogy, the ivory ought to have been called the son of the Ashurim, because the ivory is inserted in the wood, and not the wood in the ivory.<\/p>\n (Note: The Targum has paraphrased it in this way: , i.e., planks of box or pine inlaid with ivory.)<\/p>\n We must therefore adopt the solution proposed by R. Salomo and others – namely, that the Masoretic division of into two words is founded upon a mistake, and that it should be read as one word , ivory in , i.e., either sherbin-cedar (according to more recent expositors), or box-wood, for which Bochart ( Phal<\/em>. III 5) has decided. The fact that in Isa 60:13<\/span> the is mentioned among the trees growing upon Lebanon, whereas here the are described as coming from the islands of the , does not furnish a decisive argument to the contrary. We cannot determine with certainty what species of tree is referred to, and therefore it cannot be affirmed that the tree grew upon Lebanon alone, and not upon the islands of the Mediterranean. are the , the inhabitants of the port of in Cyprus; then the Cyprians generally; and here, as in Jer 2:10<\/span>, where of the are mentioned, in a still broader sense, inhabitants of Cyprus and other islands and coast-lands of the Mediterranean. In 1 Macc. 1:1 and 8:5, even Macedonia is reckoned as belonging to the or . Consequently the place from which the were brought does not furnish any conclusive proof that the Cyprian pine is referred to, although this was frequently used for ship-building. There is just as much ground for thinking of the box, as Bochart does, and we may appeal in support of this to the fact that, according to Theophrastus, there is no place in which it grows more vigorously than on the island of Corsica. In any case, Ezekiel mentions it as a very valuable kind of wood; though we cannot determine with certainty to what wood he refers, either from the place where it grew or from the accounts of the ancients concerning the kinds of wood that ship-builders used. The reason for this, however, is a very simple one – namely, that the whole description has an ideal character, and, as Hitzig has correctly observed, “the application of the several kinds of wood to the different parts of the ship is evidently only poetical.”<\/p>\n The same may be said of the materials of which, according to Eze 27:7<\/span>, the sails and awning of the ship were made. Byssus<\/em> in party-coloured work ( , see comm. on Exo 26:36<\/span>), i.e., woven in mixed colours, probably not merely in stripes, but woven with figures and flowers.”<\/p>\n (Note: See Wilkinson, Manners and Customs<\/em>, III Pl. xvi., where engravings are given of Egyptian state-ships with embroidered sails. On one ship a large square sail is displayed in purple-red and purple-blue checks, surrounded by a gold border. The vessel of Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium had also purple sails; and in this case the purple sails were the sign of the admiral’s ship, just as in Ezekiel they serve as a mark of distinction ( ). See Movers, II 3, p. 165, where the accounts of ancient writers concerning such state-ships are collected together.)<\/p>\n “From Egypt;” the byssus-weaving of Egypt was celebrated in antiquity, so that byssus-linen formed one of the principal articles of export (vid., Movers, ut supra <\/em>, pp. 317ff.). , literally, spreading out, evidently signifies the sail, which we expect to find mentioned here, and with which the following clause, “to serve thee for a banner,” can be reconciled, inasmuch as it may be assumed either that the sails also served for a banner, because the ships had no actual flag, like those in Wilkinson’s engraving, or that the flag ( ) being also extended is included under the term (Hitzig). The covering of the ship, i.e., the awning which was put up above the deck for protection from the heat of the sun, consisted of purple ( and , see the comm. on Exo 25:4<\/span>) from the islands of Elishah<\/em>, i.e., of the Grecian Peloponesus, which naturally suggests the Laconian purple so highly valued in antiquity on account of its splendid colour (Plin. Hist. nat.<\/em> ix. 36, xxi. 8). The account of the building of the ship is followed by the manning, and the attention paid to its condition. The words of Eze 27:8<\/span><\/em> may be taken as referring quite as much to the ship as to the city, which was in possession of ships, and is mentioned by name in Eze 27:8<\/span><\/em>. The reference to the Sidonians<\/em> and Arvad<\/em>, i.e., to the inhabitants of Aradus<\/em>, a rocky island to the north of Tripolis, as rowers, is not at variance with the latter; since there is no need to understand by the rowers either slaves or servants employed to row, and the Tyrians certainly drew their rowers from the whole of the Phoenician population, whereas the chief men in command of the ships, the captain and pilot ( ), were no doubt as a rule citizens of Tyre. The introduction of the inhabitants of Gebal<\/em>, i.e., the Byblos<\/em> of the Greeks, the present Jebail<\/em>, between Tripolis and Berytus (see the comm. on Jos 13:5<\/span>), who were noted even in Solomon’s time as skilful architects (1 Kings 5:32), as repairers of the leak, decidedly favours the supposition that the idea of the ship is still kept in the foreground; and by the naming of those who took charge of the piloting and condition of the vessel, the thought is expressed that all the cities of Phoenicia assisted to maintain the might and glory of Tyre, since Tyre was supreme in Phoenicia. It is not till Eze 27:9<\/span><\/em> that the allegory falls into the background. Tyre now appears no longer as a ship, but as a maritime city, into which all the ships of the sea sail, to carry on and improve her commerce.<\/p>\n Eze 27:10<\/span>, Eze 27:11<\/span>. Tyre had also made the best provision for its defence. It maintained an army of mercenary troops from foreign countries to protect its colonies and extend its settlements, and entrusted the guarding of the walls of the city to fighting men of Phoenicia. The hired troops specially named in Eze 27:10<\/span> are Pharas<\/em>, Lud<\/em>, and Phut<\/em>. is no doubt an African tribe, in Coptic Phaiat<\/em>, the Libyans of the ancients, who had spread themselves over the whole of North Africa as far as Mauretania (see the comm. on Gen 10:6<\/span>). is not the Semitic people of that name, the Lydians (Gen 10:22<\/span>), but here, as in Eze 30:5<\/span>; Isa 66:19<\/span>, and Jer 46:9<\/span>, the Hamitic people of (Gen 10:13<\/span>), probably a general name for the whole of the Moorish tribes, since (Eze 30:5<\/span>) and (Jer 44:9<\/span>) are mentioned in connection with as auxiliaries in the Egyptian army. There is something striking in the reference to , the Persians. Hvernick points to the early intercourse carried on by the Phoenicians with Persia through the Persian Gulf, through which the former would not doubt be able to obtain mercenary soldiers, for which it was a general rule to select tribes as remote as possible. Hitzig objects to this, on the ground that there is no proof that this intercourse with Persian through the Persian Gulf was carried on in Ezekiel’s time, and that even if it were, it does not follow that there were any Persian mercenaries. He therefore proposes to understand by , Persians who had settled in Africa in the olden time. But this settlement cannot be inferred with sufficient certainty either from Sallust, Jug<\/em>. c. 18, or from the occurrence of the African of Herodotus, iv. 175, along with the Asiatic (Ptol. vi. 7. 14), to take it as an explanation of . If we compare Eze 38:5<\/span>, where Paras <\/em> is mentioned in connection with Cush<\/em> and Phut<\/em>, Gomer<\/em> and Togarmah<\/em>, as auxiliaries in the army of Gog<\/em>, there can be no doubt that Asiatic Persians are intended there. And we have to take the word in the same sense here; for Hitzig’s objections consist of pure conjectures which have no conclusive force. Ezekiel evidently intends to give the names of tribes from the far-off east, west, and south, who were enlisted as mercenaries in the military service of Tyre. Hanging the shields and helmets in the city, to ornament its walls, appears to have been a Phoenician custom, which Solomon also introduced into Judah (1Ki 10:16-17<\/span>, Son 4:4<\/span>), and which is mentioned again in the times of the Maccabees (1 Macc. 4:57). – A distinction is drawn in Eze 27:11<\/span> between the mercenary troops on the one hand, and the Aradians, and , thine army, the military corps consisting of Tyrians, on the other. The latter appears upon the walls of Tyre, because native troops were employed to watch and defend the city, whilst the mercenaries had to march into the field. The . . ( Gammadim <\/em>) signifies brave men, as Roediger has conclusively shown from the Syrian usage, in his Addenda<\/em> to Gesenius’ Thes<\/em>. p. 70f. It is therefore an epitheton<\/em> of the native troops of Tyre. – With the words, “they (the troops) completed thy beauty,” the picture of the glory of Tyre is rounded off, returning to its starting-point in Eze 27:4<\/span> and Eze 27:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n The Prosperity of Tyre.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 588.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 1 The word of the LORD<\/B> came again unto me, saying, 2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art<\/I> a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD<\/B>; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am<\/I> of perfect beauty. 4 Thy borders are<\/I> in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. 5 They have made all thy ship<\/I> boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. 6 Of<\/I> the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of<\/I> ivory, brought<\/I> out of the isles of Chittim. 7 Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. 8 The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men,<\/I> O Tyrus, that<\/I> were in thee, were thy pilots. 9 The ancients of Gebal and the wise men<\/I> thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. 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. 11 The men of Arvad with thine army were<\/I> upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. 12 Tarshish was<\/I> thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of<\/I> riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were<\/I> thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. 14 They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. 15 The men of Dedan were<\/I> thy merchants; many isles were<\/I> the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for<\/I> a present horns of ivory and ebony. 16 Syria was<\/I> thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. 17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were<\/I> thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. 18 Damascus was<\/I> 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. 19 Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 20 Dedan was<\/I> thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 21 Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they<\/I> thy merchants. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were<\/I> thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. 23 Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and<\/I> Chilmad, were<\/I> thy merchants. 24 These were<\/I> thy merchants in all sorts of things,<\/I> in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. 25 The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.<\/P> Here, I. The prophet is ordered to take up a lamentation for Tyrus, v.<\/I><\/span> 2<\/span>. It was yet in the height of its prosperity, and there appeared not the least symptom of its decay; yet the prophet must lament it, because its prosperity is its snare, is the cause of its pride and security, which will make its fall the more grievous. Even those that live at ease are to be lamented if they be not preparing for trouble. He must lament it because its ruin is hastening on apace; it is sure, it is near; and though the prophet foretel it, and justify God in it, yet he must lament it. Note, We ought to mourn for the miseries of other nations, as well as for our own, out of an affection for mankind in general; it is a part of the honour we owe to all men to bewail their calamities, even those which they have brought upon themselves by their own folly.<\/P> II. He is directed what to say, and to say it in the name of the Lord Jehovah,<\/I> a name not unknown in Tyre, and which shall be better known, ch.<\/I><\/span> xxvi. 6<\/span>.<\/P> 1. He must upbraid Tyre with her pride: O Tyrus! thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 3<\/span>), of universal beauty<\/I> (so the word is), every way accomplished, and therefore every where admired. Zion, that had the beauty of holiness,<\/I> is called indeed the perfection of beauty<\/I> (Ps. l. 2<\/span>); that is the beauty of the Lord.<\/I> But Tyre, because well-built and well-filled with money and trade, will set up for a perfect beauty. Note, It is the folly of the children of this world to value themselves on the pomp and pleasure they live in, to call themselves beauties for the sake of them, and, if in these they excel others, to think themselves perfect. But God takes notice of the vain conceits men have of themselves in their prosperity when the mind is lifted up with the condition, and often, for the humbling of the spirit, finds a way to bring down the estate. Let none reckon themselves beautified any further than they are sanctified, nor say that they are of perfect beauty till they come to heaven.<\/P> 2. He must upbraid Tyre with her prosperity, which was the matter of her pride. In elegies it is usual to insert encomiums of those whose fall we lament; the prophet, accordingly, praises Tyre for all that she had that was praiseworthy. He has nothing to say of her religion, her piety, her charity, her being a refuge to the distressed or using her interest to do good offices among her neighbours; but she lived great, and had a great trade, and all the trading part of mankind made court to her. The prophet must describe her height and magnificence, that God may be the more glorified in her fall, as the God who looks upon every one that is proud and abases him, hides the proud in the dust together, and binds their faces in secret,<\/I> Job xl. 12<\/I><\/span>.<\/P> (1.) The city of Tyre was advantageously situated, at the entry of the sea<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 3<\/span>), having many commodious harbours each way, not as cities seated on rivers, which the shipping can come but one way to. It stood at the east end of the Mediterranean, very convenient for trade by land into all the Levant parts; so that she became a merchant of the people for many isles.<\/I> Lying between Greece and Asia, it became the great emporium, or mart-town, the rendezvous of merchants from all parts: They borders are in the heart of the seas,<\/I> v.<\/span> 4<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. It was surrounded with water, which was a great advantage to its trade; it was the darling of the sea, laid in its bosom, in its heart. Note, It is a great convenience, upon many accounts, to live in an island: seas are the most ancient land-mark,<\/I> not which our fathers have set,<\/I> but the God of our fathers, and which cannot be removed as other land-marks may, nor so easily got over. The people so situated may the more easily dwell alone,<\/I> if they please, as not reckoned among the nations,<\/I> and yet, if they please, may the more easily traffic abroad and keep a correspondence with the nations. We therefore of this island must own that he who determines the bounds of men’s habitations has determined well for us.<\/P> (2.) It was curiously built, according as the fashion then was; and, being a city on a hill, it made a glorious show and tempted the ships that sailed by into her ports (v.<\/I><\/span> 4<\/span>): They builders have perfected thy beauty;<\/I> they have so improved in architecture that nothing appears in the buildings of Tyre that can be found fault with; and yet it wants that perfection of beauty into which the Lord does and will build up his Jerusalem.<\/P> (3.) It had its haven replenished with abundance of gallant ships,<\/I> Isa. xxxiii. 21<\/I><\/span>. The ship-carpenters did their part, as well as the house-carpenters theirs. The Tyrians are thought to be the first that invented the art of navigation; at least they improved it, and brought it to as great a perfection perhaps as it could be without the loadstone. [1.] They made the boards,<\/I> or planks, for the hulk of the ship, of fir-trees<\/I> fetched from Senir,<\/I> a mount in the land of Israel, joined with Hermon, Cant. iv. 8<\/span>. Planks of fir were smooth and light, but not so lasting as our English oak. [2.] They had cedars from Lebanon, another mountain of Israel, for their masts, v.<\/I><\/span> 5<\/span>. [3.] They had oaks from Bashan (Isa. ii. 13<\/span>), to make oars of; for it is probable that their ships were mostly galleys, that go with oars. The people of Israel built few ships for themselves, but they furnished the Tyrians with timber for shipping. Thus one country uses what another produced, and so they are serviceable one to another, and cannot say to each other, I have no need of thee.<\/I> [4.] Such magnificence did they affect in building their ships that they made the very benches<\/I> of ivory,<\/I> which they fetched from the isles of Chittim,<\/I> from Italy or Greece, and had workmen from the Ashurites or Assyrians to make them, so rich would they have their state-rooms in their ships to be. [5.] So very prodigal were they that they made their sails<\/I> of fine linen<\/I> fetched from Egypt, and that embroidered<\/I> too, v.<\/I><\/span> 7<\/span>. Or it may be meant of their flags<\/I> (which they hoisted to notify what city they belonged to), which were very costly. The word signifies a Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>Commercial ethics are always affected by the moral or immoral character of those who have principal supremacy. Officials that wink at fraud, and that have neither censure nor arraignment for glittering dishonesties, always weaken the pulse of commercial honour.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>So also of the educational interests of a city. There are cities where educational affairs are settled in the low caucus in the abandoned parts of the cities, by men full of ignorance and rum. It ought not to be so; but in many cities it is so. I hear the tramp of the coming generations. What that great multitude of youth shall be for this world and the next will be affected very much by the character of our public schools. Instead of driving the Bible out, you had better drive the Bible further in.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>The character of officials in a city affects the domestic circle. In a city where grog shops have their own way, and gambling hells are not interfered with, and for fear of losing political influence officials close their eyes to festering abominations–in all those cities the home interests need to make imploration. The family circles of the city must inevitably be affected by the moral character or the immoral character of those who rule over them.<\/p>\n
IV. <\/strong>The religious interests of a city are thus affected. The Church today has to contend with evils that the civil law ought to smite; and while I would not have the civil government in anywise relax its energy in the arrest and punishment of crime, I would have a thousand-fold more energy put forth in the drying up of the fountains of iniquity. The Church of God asks no pecuniary aid from political power; but it does ask that, in addition to all the evils we must necessarily contend against, we shall not have to fight also municipal negligence. (T. De Witt Talmage.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n