27:1 The word of the Lord came to me:
Jehovah gave another prophetic message to Ezekiel.
27:2 “You, son of man, sing a lament for Tyre.
Ezekiel was a “son of man,” meaning that he was given human birth through the genealogy of Adam. He was to sing a funeral song to Tyre.
27:3 Say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance of the sea, merchant to the peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “ ‘O Tyre, you have said, “I am perfectly beautiful.”
Tyre controlled the shipping industry of the Mediterranean Sea. She was next door to Israel geographically, so she was given more light than other nations. She should have used her ships to take the message of Jehovah to other Gentle nations of the Mediterranean Sea. Instead, she used her ships to acquire wealth and spread satanic pagan religions. Jehovah is sovereign over all nations and cities, including Tyre. Tyre was prideful. She thought that she had gained all of her wealth from her own beauty.
27:4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.
Tyre was not limited to geographical land borders like many of the other nations. Her geographical borders extended to her many colonies and trading partners through the Mediterranean Sea.
27:5 They crafted all your planks out of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make your mast.
Tyre’s customers built the planks of their ships out of fir trees from Senir. Senir was the Amorite name for Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon was later renamed the Sea of Galilee.
The masts of the Tyre ships were made of cedar from Lebanon. These trees were prized for their height and strength. King Solomon built the Jewish Temple and his palace from this same type of cedar.
27:6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan; they made your deck with cypresses from the Kittean isles.
The oars were made from oak trees of Bashan. Bashan was world famous for her oak trees.
The deck of the ship was made from cypress wood from the Kittean islands. Therefore, Tyre used four kinds of wood from all parts of the world to build her beautiful city. These four types of wood were pine, cedar, oak, and cypress.
27:7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail to serve as your banner; blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah was used for your deck’s awning.
Egypt was well know for her linen cloth. The sail of the Phoenician vessels were sewn from the finest embroidered linen of Egypt.
The blue and purple dyes from the coasts of Elishah were possibly used to protect the sailors from bad weather. No one knows the location of Elishah. Scholars speculate it may have been Cypress, Greece, Italy, or Syria.
27:8 The leaders of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were your captains.
The sailors of Tyre consisted of the best seamen in the world. Sidon was the sister city of Tyre. Arvad was an island off of the coast of Syria. Both cities were known for their experienced naval skilled sailors. The captains of the ships came from Tyre itself.
27:9 The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; all the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your merchandise.
Gebal was the name of the modern city of Jebeil, which was located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. They were famous builders. They repaired any damages to the ships quickly and efficiently. The ships of Tyre were equipped with the best crews and the best material.
27:10 Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, men of war. They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.
Tyre hired the very best mercenary soldiers from Persia, Lud, and Put. The Persians would later defeat the Babylonians. Lud was the powerful Lydian army. Put was possibly the strong and powerful Somalia army from West Africa. Tyre possessed the strongest navy and the best land soldiers in the world. They did not think that they could be defeated.
27:11 The Arvadites joined your army on your walls all around, and the Gammadites were in your towers. They hung their quivers on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.
These mercenary soldiers were joined by other mercenary archers from Arvad and Gammad. The location of Gammad is unknown.
27:12 “ ‘Tarshish was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.
Tyre traded silver, iron, tin, and lead with Spain.
27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise.
Tyre traded slaves and bronze items with Greece, Tobolsk, and Moscow.
27:14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, and mules for your products.
Tyre traded horses, chargers, and mules with the Phrygians.
27:15 The Dedanites were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.
Tyre traded ivory tusks and ebony with the Arabians.
27:16 Edom was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products.
Tyre traded turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies with Edom.
27:17 Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from Minnith, millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise.
Tyre traded wheat, millet, honey, olive oil, and balm with Judah.
27:18 Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar,
Tyre traded wine and wool with Syria.
27:19 and casks of wine from Izal they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise.
Tyre traded wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane with Greece.
27:20 Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding.
Tyre traded saddlecloths with the Arabians (possibly the Rhodians).
27:21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs, rams, and goats they traded with you.
Tyre traded lambs, rams, and goats with Arabia.
27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products.
Tyre traded spices, stones, and gold with the Sabeans and Persians.
27:23 Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your clients.
Tyre traded with several Syrian and Assyrian cities. Haran was the city of Nahor (the brother of Abraham), Rebekah, Uncle Laban, Rachel, and Leah.
27:24 They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise.
Tyre traded choice garments, purple clothes, embroidered work, multicolored carpets, and bound cords with many other various Gentile nations.
27:25 The ships of Tarshish were the transports for your merchandise. “ ‘So you were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.
The ships of Tyre were built in Spain. These ships were filled with expensive merchandise which made the city of Tyre the wealthiest and most powerful city in the world.
27:26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters. The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.
Ezekiel used divine symbolism to compare the ships of Tyre metaphorically to the actual city itself. The rowers of Tyre were her customers and allies. They brought her into unsafe deep waters, away from the coast. The “east wind” was Babylon.
27:27 Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains, your ship’s carpenters, your merchants, and all your fighting men within you, along with all your crew who are in you, will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.
Babylon would metaphorically sink the ship which carried all of the citizens and all of the commerce of Tyre.
27:28 At the sound of your captains’ cry the waves will surge;
Just as the ships of Tyre sank, so the city of Tyre would be sank (or destroyed) by the Babylonians.
27:29 They will descend from their ships—all who handle the oar, the sailors and all the sea captains—they will stand on the land.
Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the old inland city of Tyre. 250 years later, Alexander the Great would destroy the new island city of Tyre.
27:30 They will lament loudly over you and cry bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes;
All of the merchants of Tyre would sing funeral songs for her. The Greeks and then the Romans would eventually take over the Mediterranean Sea trade. During the Golden Age of the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean Sea would be called “the Roman Lake.” The tribute nations of Rome existed to provide nature resources to Rome.
27:31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth, and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning.
The other Gentile nations would mourn the destruction of Tyre, because it would wreck their economies. Foreign goods would become scarce and expensive.
27:32 As they wail they will lament over you, chanting: “Who was like Tyre, like a tower in the midst of the sea?”
The other Gentile nations would sing funeral songs for Tyre. Their main chorus would emphasize the great naval and economic power which Tyre once possessed.
27:33 When your products went out from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth.
The products of Tyre’s shipping business enriched other Gentile kings and kept them in power.
27:34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and all your company have sunk along with you.
The economy of the Gentile merchants sank on the same ship with Tyre.
27:35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you, and their kings are horribly afraid—their faces are troubled.
All of Tyre’s Gentile customers were totally shocked and surprised that such a powerful naval empire could fall so quickly and so easily. The Gentile kings feared the economic depression that would come upon them. They also feared Jehovah’s judgment. If Jehovah can destroy Tyre so quickly and easily, then what chance do the other Gentile nations possess against Him? Maybe they should listen to these Jewish prophets from Jehovah?
27:36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you; you have become a horror, and will be no more.’ ”
The traders were not hissing in scorn, but in unbelief. The destruction of Tyre was horrible for the other Gentile nation’s economies. Tyre existed no more. The other Gentile nations would now have to deal with the Greeks and Romans.