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Ezequiel 27

ARC · Chapter 27/48

1E veiu a mim a palavra do Senhor, dizendo:

2Tu pois, ó filho do homem, levanta uma lamentação sobre Tyro.

3E dize a Tyro, que habita nas estradas do mar, e negoceia com os povos em muitas ilhas: Assim diz o Senhor Jehovah: Ó Tyro, tu dizes: Eu sou perfeita em formosura.

4No coração dos mares estão os teus termos; os que te edificaram aperfeiçoaram a tua formosura.

5Fabricaram todos os teus convezes de faias de Senir; trouxeram cedros do Libano para te fazerem mastros.

6Fizeram os teus remos de carvalhos de Basan: a companhia dos assyrios fez os teus bancos de marfim das ilhas dos chitteos.

7Linho fino bordado do Egypto era a tua cortina, para te servir de vela; azul e purpura das ilhas d'Elisa era a tua cobertura.

8Os moradores de Sidon e de Arvad foram os teus remeiros; os teus sabios, ó Tyro, que se achavam em ti, esses foram os teus pilotos.

9Os anciãos de Gebal e seus sabios foram em ti os que concertavam as tuas fendas: todos os navios do mar e os marinheiros se acharam em ti, para negociar os teus negocios.

10Os persas, e os lidios, e os puteos eram no teu exercito os teus soldados: escudos e capacetes penduraram em ti: elles te deram o teu renome.

11Os filhos de Arvad e o teu exercito estavam sobre os teus muros em redor, e os gamaditas sobre as tuas torres: penduravam os seus escudos nos teus muros em redor; elles aperfeiçoavam a tua formosura.

12Tarsis era a que negociava comtigo, por causa da abundancia de toda a casta de fazenda: com prata, ferro, estanho, e chumbo negociavam em tuas feiras.

13Javan, Tubal e Mesech eram teus mercadores: com almas de homens e vasos de bronze fizeram negocios comtigo.

14Da casa de Togarma traziam ás tuas feiras cavallos, e cavalleiros e mulos.

15Os filhos de Dedan eram os teus mercadores; muitas ilhas eram o commercio da tua mão: dentes de marfim e pau preto tornavam a dar-te em presente.

16A Syria negociava comtigo por causa da multidão das tuas boas obras: esmeralda, purpura, e obra bordada, e seda, e coraes e crystal traziam ás tuas feiras.

17Judah e a terra de Israel, elles eram os teus mercadores: com trigo de Minith, e pannagh, e mel, e azeite e balsamo fizeram negocios comtigo.

18Damasco negociava comtigo, por causa da multidão das tuas obras, por causa da multidão de toda a sorte de fazenda, com vinho de Chelbon e lã branca.

19Tambem Dan, e Javan, o caminhante, traficavam nas tuas feiras: ferro polido, casca, e canna aromatica entravam no teu negocio.

20Dedan negociava comtigo com pannos preciosos para carros.

21Arabia, e todos os principes de Kedar, eram elles os mercadores de tua mão, com cordeiros, e carneiros e bodes; n'estas coisas negociavam comtigo.

22Os mercadores de Sheba e Raama eram elles os teus mercadores em todos os mais subidos aromas, e em toda a pedra preciosa e oiro contratavam nas tuas feiras.

23Haran, e Canne e Eden, os mercadores de Sheba, Assur e Kilmad negociavam comtigo.

24Estes eram teus mercadores em toda a sorte de mercadorias, em fardos de cardeo, e bordado, e em cofres de roupas preciosas, amarrados com cordas e mettidos em cofres de cedro, na tua mercadoria.

25Os navios de Tarsis cantavam de ti por causa de teu negocio; e te encheste, e te glorificaste muito no meio dos mares.

26Os teus remeiros te conduziram sobre grandes aguas: o vento oriental te quebrantou no meio dos mares.

27As tuas fazendas e as tuas feiras, o teu negocio, os teus marinheiros, e os teus pilotos, os que concertavam as tuas fendas, e os que faziam os teus negocios, e todos os teus soldados, que estão em ti, juntamente com toda a tua congregação, que está no meio de ti, cairão no meio dos mares no dia da tua queda.

28Ao estrondo da gritaria dos teus pilotos tremerão os arrabaldes.

29E todos os que pegam no remo, os marinheiros, e todos os pilotos do mar descerão de seus navios, e na terra pararão.

30E farão ouvir a sua voz sobre ti, e gritarão amargamente; e lançarão pó sobre as cabeças, e na cinza se revolverão.

31E se farão inteiramente calvos por tua causa, e se cingirão de saccos, e chorarão sobre ti com amargura da alma, e amarga lamentação.

32E levantarão uma lamentação sobre ti no seu pranto, e lamentarão sobre ti, dizendo: Quem foi como Tyro? como a destruida no meio do mar

33Quando as tuas mercadorias procediam dos mares, fartaste a muitos povos; com a multidão da tua fazenda e do teu negocio, enriqueceste os reis da terra.

34No tempo em que foste quebrantada dos mares, nas profundezas das aguas, cairam os teus negocios e toda a tua congregação no meio de ti.

35Todos os moradores das ilhas foram a teu respeito cheios de espanto; e os seus reis tremeram em grande maneira, e foram perturbados nos seus rostos.

36Os mercadores d'entre os povos assobiaram sobre ti: tu te tornaste em grande espanto, e nunca jámais serás para sempre.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A poetic lament details the wealth and international trade of Tyre, comparing the city to a magnificent ship built from the finest materials of the ancient world, which ultimately sinks in the middle of the sea.

Explanation

This chapter reads almost like a trade catalog of antiquity, listing dozens of nations that partnered in commerce with Tyre — from Spain (Tarshish) to Arabia, by way of Damascus, Judah, and Greece (Javan) — showing the impressive reach of Phoenician trade routes. The metaphor of the perfect ship that sinks shows that all human ingenuity, accumulated wealth, and network of alliances cannot guarantee lasting security in the face of God's judgment. The genuine mourning of the other merchants (vv. 29-36) reinforces that Tyre's fall would impact the whole regional economy, showing how one nation's wealth can become a dangerous dependency for many others.

Fun facts

  • The list of goods traded by Tyre — silver, iron, tin, lead, ivory, spices, horses — is confirmed by archaeological records and inscriptions from other ancient peoples, establishing Phoenicia as the greatest maritime trading power of its time.
  • Tarshish, mentioned as a distant trading partner, is generally identified with a region of ancient Spain, showing how surprisingly far Phoenician trade routes reached already in the first millennium before Christ.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezequiel 27:1The standard formula that opens a new message — here, a specific poem about Tyre within the larger oracle against the city that began in chapter 26.
  2. Ezequiel 27:2Ezekiel is ordered to compose a ‘lamentation,’ a formal mourning song — the rest of the chapter is that poem, describing Tyre as a magnificent ship right before it sinks.
  3. Ezequiel 27:3‘I am of perfect beauty’ is Tyre’s own self-description, quoted at the start of the lament — the prophet uses the city’s own proud words as a starting point before describing its fall.
  4. Ezequiel 27:4The poem imagines Tyre as a perfect ship: ‘in the midst of the seas’ describes the city built on an island, surrounded by water, at the height of its architectural beauty.
  5. Ezequiel 27:5The ship metaphor continues: the building materials come from lands famous for quality timber — Senir and Lebanon, a forested mountain region to the north.
  6. Ezequiel 27:6More pieces of the ship-Tyre’s ‘construction’: oaks of Bashan for the oars, imported ivory for the benches — every part made from the finest material available at the time.
  7. Ezequiel 27:7Embroidered Egyptian linen becomes the ship’s sail, and dyed fabrics from the isles of Elishah (a Mediterranean region) cover the deck — imported luxury even down to the decorative details.
  8. Ezequiel 27:8Zidon and Arvad were Phoenician cities neighboring Tyre; here they supply the rowers, while Tyre’s own wise men command the ship as pilots.
  9. Ezequiel 27:9Gebal (also called Byblos) was a Phoenician city famous for its craftsmen; its elders appear repairing the hull — one more piece of the trade network that sustained Tyre.
  10. Ezequiel 27:10Persians, Lydians, and men of Put (in what is now Libya) formed Tyre’s mercenary army — even the city’s military defense depended on outsiders.
  11. Ezequiel 27:11Arvad reappears manning the walls, and the Gammadims (a people of Anatolia) fill out the towers — the image is of a city international even in its own defense.
  12. Ezequiel 27:12The long list of Tyre’s trading partners works as a poetic catalog: the longer the list of routes and goods, the greater the image of wealth and reach about to collapse — this is not a factual trade record, it is a literary device of exaggeration.
  13. Ezequiel 27:13Javan (Greece), Tubal, and Meshech, in what is now Turkey and the Caucasus, traded slaves and bronze vessels with Tyre — commerce that included even people as merchandise.
  14. Ezequiel 27:14Togarmah, to the north near Armenia, supplied horses and mules — a detail showing how far Tyre’s trade network reached, all the way to the Caucasus.
  15. Ezequiel 27:15Dedan and various isles traded ivory and ebony with Tyre; in the Bible, ‘isles’ also describes distant coastal regions, not only islands in the literal sense.
  16. Ezequiel 27:16Syria brought precious stones and luxury fabrics — one more entry in the long list showing the wealth that passed through Tyre’s ports.
  17. Ezequiel 27:17Judah and Israel also appear as trading partners of Tyre, exchanging wheat, honey, oil, and balm — showing that trade connected even the closest neighbors.
  18. Ezequiel 27:18Damascus, the capital of Syria, traded wine and wool with Tyre — another link in the extensive trade network described throughout this chapter.
  19. Ezequiel 27:19Dan, Javan, and other regions rounded out the trade in metal and spices — the whole list serves to show the scale of the wealth Tyre is about to lose.
  20. Ezequiel 27:20Dedan appears again, now supplying fabric used to line chariots — a specific luxury item within the chapter’s long trade list.
  21. Ezequiel 27:21Arabia and the princes of Kedar, nomadic desert tribes, sold livestock to Tyre — the trade ranged from the simplest goods to the most refined.
  22. Ezequiel 27:22Sheba and Raamah, in southern Arabia, supplied rare spices, precious stones, and gold — the most valuable items in this whole trade list.
  23. Ezequiel 27:23Haran, Canneh, Eden, and other cities of Mesopotamia closed the circle of Tyre’s trade, which stretched across almost the entire known world of the time.
  24. Ezequiel 27:24The final entry on the list: bales of fine cloth packed carefully in cedar chests — a summary of the refined merchandise that moved through Tyre’s ports.
  25. Ezequiel 27:25The ships of Tarshish, one of the longest trade routes of the time, celebrate Tyre’s wealth — the highest point of the poem right before everything collapses.
  26. Ezequiel 27:26The final image is of shipwreck: the very sailors who carried Tyre to so many ports are the ones who take it down to the bottom of the sea, when the east wind breaks the ship-city in the midst of the waters.
  27. Ezequiel 27:27After the whole list of wealth and people involved in Tyre’s trade, the poem announces that everything — goods, sailors, soldiers, population — would sink together on the day of its fall.
  28. Ezequiel 27:28The pilots’ cry as they sink is so loud that it shakes even the outskirts of the city — Tyre’s fall is described as a catastrophe felt across the whole region.
  29. Ezequiel 27:29Sailors and pilots abandon their ships and come ashore just to mourn — even those who lived on the sea must come down to weep over the loss of the great port.
  30. Ezequiel 27:30Dust on the head and rolling in ashes were common mourning rituals in the ancient Near East — the same gesture used to grieve a death, here applied to an entire city.
  31. Ezequiel 27:31Shaving the head and putting on sackcloth were visible signs of deep mourning; here they mark the scale of the loss felt by those who depended commercially on Tyre.
  32. Ezequiel 27:32The lament uses a classic rhetorical question of the genre — ‘What city is like Tyrus?’ — to highlight how such a unique and powerful city disappeared.
  33. Ezequiel 27:33It reinforces how much Tyre enriched other peoples: entire kings grew wealthy from the trade passing through its ports, which makes the fall even more shocking.
  34. Ezequiel 27:34The exact moment of the shipwreck is described: everything that made Tyre run — goods and people — sinks together into the depths of the sea.
  35. Ezequiel 27:35The astonishment of the isles and their kings shows the chain reaction of Tyre’s fall across the whole maritime economy of the region, not just on the city itself.
  36. Ezequiel 27:36The chapter ends with Tyre becoming a byword hissed at in astonishment among the merchants — and the confirmation that it would never exist again as it once had.

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