Ezekiel 27 Study Notes

27:1-3 Ezekiel portrayed Tyre as a well-built ship. This symbolizes the way Tyre achieved wealth through maritime trade. The inhabitants of Tyre thought the city was indestructible. The warning here is that such pride is the prelude to destruction (Pr 6:17; 8:13; 16:18).

27:4-6 Cedar from Lebanon was prized for its height and strength (1Kg 4:33; 5:6; 1Ch 17:1-6; Ezr 3:7; Is 2:13). The material was often imported into Israel from Lebanon for building projects.

27:7 Egypt was known for its fine linen cloth (Gn 41:42; Pr 7:16).

27:8-11 These verses point to the greatness of Tyre. Note it was perfected in beauty, repeated from v. 3.

27:12-25 Some of these places that traded with Tyre still exist, but many have changed their names or no longer exist.

27:12 There is much debate about the exact location of Tarshish. While the place cannot be identified with certainty, it has often been linked with Tartessus—a Phoenician colony in western Spain. The nation of Spain was a source of metals in the ancient world.

27:16 Phoenicia was known for trade in purple dye derived from shellfish. Both names for the country, Phoenicia (Gk Phoinikos) and Canaan, mean “purple.”

27:23 In ancient Near Eastern sources, Eden was considered to be a district south of Haran, mentioned in connection with Haran in 2Kg 19:12. See Beth-eden in Am 1:5.

27:26 Tyre’s ruin came in the very element where she was most at home—the open seas.

27:27 The demise of another world system, Babylon the Great, is described in the book of Revelation. The articles of Babylon’s worldwide commerce (Rv 18:12-13) are similar to what is mentioned here in the description of Tyre’s fall.

27:28-36 The sailors and all the captains of the sea would weep bitterly at Tyre’s downfall.