EZEKIEL LESSON 29


     We will begin this lesson in Ezekiel 27:1 "The word of the LORD
came again unto me, saying," Ezekiel 27:2 "Now, thou son of man, take
up a lamentation for Tyrus;"

     We ended the last lesson with lamentations for Tyrus, now we see
they are continuing here. In this lesson, we will see the details of
the destruction of Tyre, or Tyrus.

     Ezekiel 27:3 "And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the
entry of the sea, [which art] a merchant of the people for many isles,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I [am] of perfect
beauty."

     This speaks of the city, before the destruction. This city,
actually, was on an island just off the coast. It was supposed to have
been the great city of that day for merchants of the sea. It was very
wealthy and very beautiful. One of their problems, however, was their
great pride. They felt in their own hearts they were perfect, and had
the most beautiful city.

     Ezekiel 27:4 "Thy borders [are] in the midst of the seas, thy
builders have perfected thy beauty."

     They were an island of magnificence. They built right up to the
edge of the sea on every side.

     Ezekiel 27:5 "They have made all thy [ship] boards of fir trees
of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee."

     Their ships were made to last. They were made of some of the most
expensive wood around. We remember from earlier lessons, that the king
of Tyre had furnished Solomon with fir and cedar lumber.

     Ezekiel 27:6 "[Of] the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars;
the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches [of] ivory,
[brought] out of the isles of Chittim."

     Ivory, generally, comes from Africa. All this is reminding us of
their great trading ability. Even the ships were made from materials
of many countries. The ivory benches show the splendor with which they
were furnished.

     Ezekiel 27:7 "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."

     They were so wealthy, they had bought the very best from other
countries to build their ships. The linen from Egypt shows their trade
with them. The sails on this ship were not just common canvas, but of
beautiful linen. The blue and purple had to do with the embroidered
work on the sail. Blue and purple were not native of Egypt, or Tyre.
They came from isles of Elishah. The isle of Elishah took its name
from the oldest son of Javan. The isle was known for its sale of
purple and scarlet fabric to Tyre.

     Ezekiel 27:8 "The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy
mariners: thy wise [men], O Tyrus, [that] were in thee, were thy
pilots."

     The cities of Zidon and Arvad were, actually, suburbs of Tyre.
Tyre and Zidon are, many times, spoken of together.

     Ezekiel 27:9 "The ancients of Gebal and the wise [men] thereof
were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners
were in thee to occupy thy merchandise."

     This Gebal is located about 25 miles out of Beirut. The Greeks
called this city Byblos, which means book, because they produced paper
from paprus reeds from Egypt. These were very skilled people in
masonry, as well. They were stonecutters. They were, also, famous for
their boat building and cauking. This city of craftsmen had caulked
the ships for Tyre.

     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."

     This is just saying, they hired mercenaries to fight their
battles for them. They thought themselves above being soldiers. Lud is
spoken of as an African nation. Their ancestry goes back to the son of
Ham.  Phut were the Lybians. They were, also, descended from Ham. The
mercenaries were from Persia, Lud, and Phut.

     Ezekiel 27:11 "The men of Arvad with thine army [were] 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."

     Arvad was a city of the Arvadites, who were descendent of Canaan.
Arvad was a suburb of Tyre. They were about two miles apart.  It
appears, that Tyre had hired the soldiers of Arvad to defend her.
Gammadim is, probably, speaking of the brave native troops. They were
few in number, because Tyre had hired outsiders to protect them.

     Ezekiel 27:12 "Tarshish [was] thy merchant by reason of the
multitude of all [kind of] riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead,
they traded in thy fairs."

     Tarshish was one of the main countries Tyre traded with. This
was, probably, located on the coast of Spain, and was sending the
metals mentioned here to the other countries. We remember, from the
beginning of this letter, that Tyre did not really produce anything to
sell. All of the things they sold to a country, they had purchased
from another country. Tyre's wealth came from buying and selling, not
from producing. Tyre bought silver, iron, tin, and lead from Tarshish,
and sold it to other countries.

     Ezekiel 27:13 "Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy
merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy
market."

     These seemed to deal primarily in slaves. These are primarily
Greek. Tubal and Mesheck are, sometimes, thought of as a Scythian
tribe. They sometimes were representative of eastern Asia Minor. The
"persons of men" mean slaves. Brass was common to this area.

     Ezekiel 27:14 "They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs
with horses and horsemen and mules."

     Togarmah was a son of Gomer, and this place was named for him. It
appears, their specialty was horses. They are spoken of later as
followers of Gog.

     Ezekiel 27:15 "The men of Dedan [were] thy merchants; many isles
[were] the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee [for] a
present horns of ivory and ebony."

     Dedan, here, is, probably, speaking of coastal people on  the
Persian Gulf. They were caravan merchants. They had traded for the
horns of ivory and ebony, and brought it to trade to Tyre.

     Ezekiel 27:16 "Syria [was] 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."

     Syria is thought to be Aram, or Mesopotamia. It really does not
matter for this study. What matters are the materials they traded in
with Tyre. We see in all of this, that Tyre sold and bought everything
from the basest substance to precious jewels. The linen, here, is not
the same as the fine linen earlier in the lesson. This linen starts
with cotton, and the other mentioned linen began with flax.

     Ezekiel 27:17 "Judah, and the land of Israel, they [were] thy
merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and
honey, and oil, and balm."

     Before the destruction of Judah and Israel, they had been
merchants for the products Tyre had to sell, and they in turn had sold
their excess honey, balm, and oil to Tyre for other countries. Minnith
was an Ammonite village. This is the only mention in the Bible of
Pannag. We can assume that Israel was in charge of their trade, as
well as their own.

     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."

     The chief export of Damascus was the wine of Helbon. Damascus was
supposed to be the oldest city in the east. They had fertile land, and
grew grapes. This is just another of the list of items that Tyre
traded for other items they needed. Tyre took the profit in between.

     Ezekiel 27:19 "Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in
thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market."

     Each land had something to sell Tyre and bought other things from
Tyre. Javan and Dan sold Iron, Cassia {a type of cinnamon}, calamus
{cane}.

     Ezekiel 27:20 "Dedan [was] thy merchant in precious clothes for
chariots."

     These clothes are, probably, speaking of rugs used for saddle
blankets.

     Ezekiel 27:21 "Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they
occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these [were they]
thy merchants."

     Arabia is speaking, probably, of the same people as Dedan. Kedar
was the second son of Ishmael. The word "Kedar" means dusky as a tent,
or black skinned. I do not believe this to be a Negroid, but rather a
dark skinned Arab. Their skin was dark, because they lived in a desert
area, and hearded animals in the sun. Their merchandise shows that;
lambs, rams, and goats.

     Ezekiel 27:22 "The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they [were] thy
merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and
with all precious stones, and gold."

     This Sheba is, probably, the same as where the queen of Sheba
came from. Raamah was the father of the Cushite Sheba. The essence,
here, is the fact they traded in spices, precious stones, and gold.

     Ezekiel 27:23 "Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of
Sheba, Asshur, [and] Chilmad, [were] thy merchants."

     Haran, here, is the same as Charran in the New Testament. It was
a North Mesopotamian commercial city on the Belikh river. It was
located in Padam-Aram. It was on a busy caravan road leading to
Ninevah, Ashur, Babylon, and Damascus. All of these names are just
showing us in detail the vastness of the trade that Tyre did. Canneh
is the same as Calneh, which is a city built by Nimrod. This Eden is
different to the garden of Eden in Genesis. The merchants of Sheba,
Asshur, and Chilmad were the ones who carried the trade overland for
Tyre.

     Ezekiel 27:24 "These [were] thy merchants in all sorts [of
things], in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich
apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise."

     These were items carried on the backs of camels, and were traded
for Tyre. These people are noted for rugs and fine woven items. This
just tells us, over again, of the vast kinds of things Tyre traded
with various countries. Their trade was widespread. Their destruction
will hurt all of these people, we have been reading about, who traded
with them.

     Ezekiel 27:25 "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."

     All of the merchants who dealt with Tyre had profited in some
way. They all sang her praises, because she helped them in their
trade. Her ships were glorious, carrying everything from spices, to
animals, to jewels. They were praised by all their trading partners.

     Ezekiel 27:26  "Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters:
the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas."

     The east wind is speaking of the dangerous Euroclydon of the
Mediterranean Sea. This wind has destroyed many a ship. They were
powered by sails, and by many rowers. They had good trips and bad
trips, as all seamen will tell you.

     Ezekiel 27:27 "Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy
mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy
merchandise, and all thy men of war, that [are] in thee, and in all
thy company which [is] in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst
of the seas in the day of thy ruin."

     When Tyrus falls, they all fall. They were depending heavily on
Tyrus. This destruction of Tyre reminds me of the following
Scriptures. Revelation 18:17 "For in one hour so great riches is come
to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and
sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,"  Revelation
18:18 "And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What
[city is] like unto this great city!" Revelation 18:19 "And they cast
dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas,
alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in
the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made
desolate."

     Ezekiel 27:28 "The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of
thy pilots."

     "Suburbs" is speaking of all people who are affected by the fall
of Tyre.

     Ezekiel 27:29 "And all that handle the oar, the mariners, [and]
all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they
shall stand upon the land;"

     All of these people have lost their jobs. There will be no need
for the ships to go. There is no one to trade with.
     Ezekiel 27:30 "And shall cause their voice to be heard against
thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads,
they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:"

     This is describing extreme mourning. They are mourning, because
their livelihood is gone.

     Ezekiel 27:31 "And they shall make themselves utterly bald for
thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with
bitterness of heart [and] bitter wailing."

     All of these outward shows of mourning in the extreme, will be to
no avail. This judgement is from God, and all the mourning will not be
able to stop it.

     Ezekiel 27:32 "And in their wailing they shall take up a
lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, [saying], What [city is]
like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?"

     This lamentation is like a funeral dirge. This is the correct
thing to do. As great as Tyre had been in earthly terms, they are now
dead.

     Ezekiel 27:33 "When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou
filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with
the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise."

     The wealth of Tyre, actually, made the people who traded with
them a living. The wealth of these kings came indirectly from Tyre.

     Ezekiel 27:34 "In the time [when] thou shalt be broken by the
seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company
in the midst of thee shall fall."

     This judgement of God was not just on the city, but on everything
they had, including their ships of trade, and their merchandise.

     Ezekiel 27:35 "All the inhabitants of the isles shall be
astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall
be troubled in [their] countenance."

     All of the people, near and far, will be astonished at the
terrible calamity that came upon so great an earthly power. The fall
of this great Tyre, will put fear of God in the hearts of all of the
people.

     Ezekiel 27:36 "The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee;
thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt be] any more."

     These merchants will, now, hate the failure of Tyre. The main
reason is, because they were terribly affected by the fall of Tyre.




                         Ezekiel 29 Questions


1.  Who did the Lord tell Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for?
2.  Where was this city located?
3.  What had they said, that showed their great self-pride?
4.  They made their ship boards of ___ trees.
5.  What were the masts made of?
6.  What were their oars made of?
7.  What were their benches made of?
8.  ________, generally, comes from Africa.
9.  What were their sails made of?
10. Who did Elishah take its name from?
11. What other name was Gebal known by, in the Greek?
12. Why did they call them by that name?
13. What were these people skilled in?
14. These people from Persia, Lud, and Phut were ___________ in the
    army of Tyre.
15. Who were the brave native troops?
16. Who was Tarshish?
17. Tyre's wealth came from ________ and __________.
18. Who were the slave traders?
19. Togarmah is later spoken of as followers of _____.
20. Syria, in verse 16, is, probably, speaking of whom?
21. What is different about the linen in verse 16, and the linen
    earlier in the lesson?
22. What had Judah traded with Tyre?
23. What was the chief export of Damascus?
24. Damascus was thought to be the ___________ city in the east.
25. What is Cassia?
26. What is Calamus?
27. The precious clothes for chariots were probably what?
28. Haran was on the caravan route to what cities?
29. All the merchants, who had traded with Tyre, had ___________ in
    some way.
30. What is the east wind speaking of in verse 26?
31. When Tyrus falls, they all _______.
32. What is "suburbs", in verse 28, speaking of?
33. What happens to all of Tyre's seamen?
34. What is meant by them wallowing in the ashes?
35. All of the things in verse 31 are outward shows of __________.
36. What is "lamentation" in verse 32?
37. Who had been enriched by trading with Tyre?
38. What will this fall of Tyre do for all those who see it?