Ezekiel 27 13

Ezekiel 27:13 kjv

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.

Ezekiel 27:13 nkjv

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

Ezekiel 27:13 niv

"?'Greece, Tubal and Meshek did business with you; they traded human beings and articles of bronze for your wares.

Ezekiel 27:13 esv

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

Ezekiel 27:13 nlt

Merchants from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and articles of bronze to trade with you.

Ezekiel 27 verses

Ezekiel 27 13 Meaning

Ezekiel 27:13 reveals specific facets of Tyre's vast commercial empire. It identifies Javan (referring to Ionia or Greece), Tubal, and Meshech (regions in modern-day Turkey) as key trading partners. These nations provided Tyre with two significant commodities: human beings, traded as slaves, and articles made of bronze, in exchange for the various goods and products that Tyre had to offer from its own manufactures or broader trade network. This verse highlights the broad geographical reach of Tyre's commerce and the specific, sometimes ethically complex, nature of the goods that fueled its immense wealth and power.

Ezekiel 27 13 Context

Ezekiel chapter 27 functions as a poignant lament or dirge for Tyre, depicting its ultimate destruction. Coming after Ezekiel 26's pronouncement of judgment against Tyre for its arrogant pride and exultation over Jerusalem's ruin, this chapter elaborately portrays Tyre as a magnificent, perfectly crafted merchant ship. This grand vessel symbolizes Tyre's immense commercial enterprise, listing its intricate global trading routes, the diverse array of luxurious and essential goods it dealt in, and the many nations and peoples who contributed to its wealth and operations. Verse 13 specifically integrates into this comprehensive catalog of Tyre's trading partners, showcasing the extensive scope of its commerce, including the procurement of crucial resources like human labor and vital metals. This specific detail reinforces Tyre's global influence but also subtly hints at the unsustainable foundations—including human trafficking—upon which its power was built, thus setting the stage for the prophet's declaration of its catastrophic shipwreck. Historically, Tyre was a dominant Phoenician city-state, celebrated for its vast maritime trade and fortifications, leading to self-sufficiency and eventual judgment from God.

Ezekiel 27 13 Word analysis

• Javan (יָוָן, Yāvān): Refers to Ionia, encompassing the Greek world. Known in antiquity for seafaring, diverse crafts, and philosophical advancements, Javan represents the western extent of Tyre's trade routes. Biblically, Javan is listed as one of the sons of Japheth in Genesis 10:2 and 4, establishing a significant historical and ethnographic lineage.
• Tubal (תֻּבַל, Tūḇal): An ancient kingdom located in eastern Anatolia, often identified with the Tibareni, a people known for their mining and metalworking industries. Like Javan, Tubal is a descendant of Japheth (Genesis 10:2). Tubal is frequently linked with Meshech in prophetic texts, indicating their consistent importance as a source of metals.
• Meshech (מֶשֶׁךְ, Meshekh): Another ancient kingdom situated in eastern Anatolia, commonly associated with the Mushki. Also a descendant of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), Meshech was noted for its martial prowess and metals. The pairing of Meshech and Tubal is crucial, especially in prophecies like Ezekiel 38 and 39 concerning Gog, signifying their geopolitical relevance in ancient near-eastern perceptions.
• traded (סָחָר, sāḥar): Implies active commercial dealing, journeying to buy and sell. It highlights Tyre's central role as a commercial hub facilitating transactions across different regions. This word emphasizes the ongoing, dynamic nature of their business relationships.
• slaves (נֶפֶשׁ אָדָם, nephesh ’ādām): Literally translating to "soul of man" or "person of man." This is a profoundly significant phrase, highlighting that human beings were the commodities exchanged. While tragically commonplace in the ancient world, its literal translation underscores the dehumanizing aspect of this trade, implicitly inviting ethical reflection within a biblical worldview, which later explicitly condemns man-stealing (Exodus 21:16, 1 Timothy 1:10).
• bronze articles (כְּלִי נְחֹשֶׁת, kĕlî nəḥōšhet): Literally "vessels/utensils of bronze/copper." This signifies items such as tools, weapons, armor, or artistic and utilitarian vessels. The specification of bronze highlights the known metallurgical expertise of regions like Tubal and Meshech, whose raw materials and skilled craftsmanship were vital to ancient economies for both daily life and warfare.
• merchandise (מַעֲרָבָם, maʿărāḇām): Refers to the diverse goods, finished products, textiles, and other commodities that Tyre itself manufactured, processed, or acquired through its extensive trading network and then offered in exchange. This term conveys the richness and variety of Tyre's exports.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you": This segment establishes Tyre's geographically diverse trading partners from the northern and western periphery, emphasizing its wide economic reach. It sets the stage for a detailed accounting of how Tyre sustained its opulence through active and mutual exchange with specific, known historical entities.
• "they exchanged slaves and bronze articles for your merchandise": This phrase details the specific transactional relationship. "Slaves and bronze articles" pinpoint the core commodities provided by these northern entities, highlighting Tyre's need for human labor and critical raw/finished metals. Conversely, "for your merchandise" indicates Tyre's powerful reciprocal ability to offer a range of coveted goods, thereby illustrating its position at the nexus of ancient global trade, even with its darker implications concerning the trade in people.

Ezekiel 27 13 Bonus section

The detailed and precise naming of trading partners and their specific commodities throughout Ezekiel 27 speaks volumes about the factual basis of the prophet's indictment against Tyre. It suggests a thorough divine understanding of Tyre's real-world operations, adding weight and authority to the prophecy. The consistent mention of Tubal and Meshech as sources of metal, even linking to the figure of Tubal-Cain in Genesis as a forge of metal tools, connects Tyre's contemporary trade to ancient historical records of metallurgical excellence. Furthermore, the economic model illustrated in verse 13—where a central powerful state relies on a network of diverse regional suppliers for both raw materials and human labor—provides insight into the complexities of ancient imperial economies and offers a parallel for understanding later prophecies concerning commercial centers. This economic interconnectedness, while enabling immense wealth, simultaneously exposed Tyre to vulnerabilities when any part of the network collapsed or came under divine judgment.

Ezekiel 27 13 Commentary

Ezekiel 27:13 offers a penetrating glimpse into the operational realities of Tyre's commercial might. By precisely naming Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, the prophet demonstrates an intimate knowledge of ancient trade routes and commodities. It is more than just a list; it paints a picture of a bustling, interdependent economy where Tyre, the central hub, relied on both essential metals (bronze) from the metal-rich northern lands of Tubal and Meshech, and regrettably, human beings (slaves) from these regions, including Greece. This ethical nuance in "human souls" (nephesh adam) underlines the darker aspect of ancient trade, where human lives were a tradable commodity—a practice starkly at odds with the later explicit condemnations of "man-stealing" found in God's Law. This verse, therefore, contributes to the overall dirge by establishing the extensive and sometimes morally compromised foundations of Tyre's prosperity, a prosperity that God ultimately judged because it led to unbridled pride and self-sufficiency, turning away from the Creator to created wealth. The subsequent destruction of this mighty trading network served as a vivid object lesson that earthly riches and human connections, however vast, cannot withstand divine judgment.