Ezekiel 27 23

Ezekiel 27:23 kjv

Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants.

Ezekiel 27:23 nkjv

Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were your merchants.

Ezekiel 27:23 niv

"?'Harran, Kanneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Ashur and Kilmad traded with you.

Ezekiel 27:23 esv

Haran, Canneh, Eden, traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you.

Ezekiel 27:23 nlt

"Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad came with their merchandise, too.

Ezekiel 27 verses

Ezekiel 27 23 Meaning

Ezekiel 27:23 details some of Tyre's extensive trade partners, listing specific cities and regions—Haran, Canneh, Eden, Asshur, and Chilmad—along with the prominent merchants from Sheba. This verse vividly illustrates Tyre's remarkable economic reach and the vast network of commerce that contributed to its immense wealth and global significance in the ancient world, a glory that is foretold to be destroyed.

Ezekiel 27 23 Context

Ezekiel chapter 27 is a prophetic lament, or dirge (qînāh), concerning the city of Tyre. It personifies Tyre as a magnificent ship, built of the finest materials and manned by expert crews, symbolizing its vast wealth, widespread influence, and unrivaled maritime power. The chapter meticulously details the various regions that supplied Tyre with resources for its construction, goods for its cargo, and people for its diverse workforce, underscoring its pivotal role as a commercial hub linking the East and the West. Verse 23 specifically contributes to this detailed catalog by listing key trading partners and the extent of its merchant network, primarily focusing on those to Tyre's north and east in Mesopotamia and the Arabian peninsula. This extensive portrayal of Tyre's grandeur serves to heighten the tragic impact of its inevitable and catastrophic downfall, as predicted in chapters 26 and 28, illustrating God's judgment against pride and self-sufficiency.

Ezekiel 27 23 Word analysis

• Haran (חָרָן, Charan): A significant ancient city located in Upper Mesopotamia (modern-day southeastern Turkey). It features prominently in the book of Genesis as a stopping point for Terah and Abraham's family (Gen 11:31). Its strategic position made it a crucial hub on major East-West trade routes, connecting Mesopotamia with the Mediterranean. Haran likely supplied Tyre with agricultural products, textiles, and other finished goods, benefiting from its fertile hinterlands and status as a caravanserai.

• Canneh (כַּנֵּה, Kanneh): The precise identification of Canneh is debated among scholars. It is often linked to Kalneh (כַּלְנֵה, Kalneh) mentioned in Gen 10:10 as one of Nimrod's cities in Shinar, and also in Isa 10:9 and Amos 6:2. This would place it in Babylonia (e.g., perhaps Nippur or Ctesiphon), indicating a deep Mesopotamian trade connection. Alternatively, some propose a corruption of "Carchemish" or another northern Syrian location. Regardless, its inclusion signifies a major trading partner in Mesopotamia or Northern Syria.

• Eden (עֵדֶן, ʻEden): This is not the primeval Garden of Eden from Genesis, but rather a specific location or region, likely "Bet-Eden" (House of Eden), mentioned in Amos 1:5, often identified with Til Barsip (modern Tell Ahmar) on the Euphrates River in northern Syria. This region was known for its fertile lands, possibly providing grains, fruits, wine, or perhaps fine textiles and dyes. Its name may also denote a pleasant, rich area.

• the merchants of Sheba (סוֹחֲרֵי שְׁבָא, Sokharey Shevaʼ):

  • merchants (sokharey): This plural noun denotes professional traders, highlighting their commercial expertise and active participation in Tyre's vast market.
  • Sheba (Shevaʼ): Refers to the renowned kingdom in South Arabia (modern Yemen/Ethiopia), famous for its immense wealth derived from the trade of precious goods like gold, frankincense, myrrh, spices, and precious stones (1 Ki 10:2; Ps 72:10; Isa 60:6). The "merchants of Sheba" imply either direct trade of their unique commodities to Tyre or, more likely given the geography, acting as crucial intermediaries in a luxury trade network that spanned from the East through the Arabian peninsula to the Mediterranean via Tyre.

• Asshur (אַשּׁוּר, ʼAshshur): This name refers to the powerful Assyrian Empire, with its capital city Assur and later Nineveh. Although known for its military might and conquest, it was also a significant economic entity and a center for various goods, including textiles, horses, and metals from the vast territories it controlled or traded with. Tyre would have traded extensively with the Assyrians for access to these goods and broader Mesopotamian markets.

• Chilmad (כִּלְמָד, Kilmad): This location is highly problematic and unique to this verse in the Bible. No definitive ancient extra-biblical text clearly identifies Chilmad. Speculative identifications range from a city near Asshur, a distorted spelling of another known city like Carchemish, or the name of a people or region whose exact location has been lost. Its inclusion underscores the immense, yet sometimes obscure, scope of Tyre's trade relationships, emphasizing that Tyre had partners whose significance was localized but critical.

• traded with you (הֵם רָכְל֥וּ בַעֲרוֹכֹתָ֑יִךְ, hem rakhelu baʻǎrōkōtayik):

  • traded (rakhelu): From the root rakhal (רָכַל), meaning "to trade, traffic, go about as a merchant." This signifies active, reciprocal commerce, not just receiving tribute.
  • with you (baʻǎrōkōtayik): Literally "in your goods/merchandise" or "in your markets." It indicates these groups conducted trade specifically in Tyre's commercial sphere, exchanging their products for what Tyre had to offer (e.g., manufactured goods, luxury items, access to the Mediterranean market). This phrasing solidifies Tyre's role as a major entrepôt, a central clearinghouse for regional and intercontinental trade.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Haran, Canneh, Eden": These three locations collectively represent Tyre's significant overland trade connections stretching across Northern Syria and into Upper Mesopotamia (or Babylonia). This region was a source of vital agricultural goods, raw materials, textiles, and served as a land bridge for goods coming from further East, channeled into Tyre's maritime network. This segment of trade illustrates Tyre's ability to tap into the produce and craftsmanship of the fertile crescent hinterlands.

• "the merchants of Sheba": This specific group signifies Tyre's far-reaching connection to the lucrative luxury trade originating from South Arabia and possibly beyond (like East Africa or India). Through these merchants, Tyre acquired high-value goods such as spices, perfumes (frankincense, myrrh), precious metals, and exotic stones, solidifying its reputation as a global distributor of exclusive commodities. This highlights the diversity and immense profitability of Tyre's trade.

• "Asshur, and Chilmad": This grouping, similar to Haran, Canneh, Eden, reinforces Tyre's robust connections to the broader Mesopotamian and Northern Syrian regions. Asshur represents the established political and economic powerhouse of the Assyrian Empire, a source of various commodities and manufactured goods. Chilmad, though obscure, confirms that Tyre's trading tentacles extended even to lesser-known, yet significant, partners, indicating a truly comprehensive trade network that explored every accessible commercial opportunity in the Near East.

Ezekiel 27 23 Bonus section

• The meticulous cataloging of trade goods, partners, and suppliers throughout Ezekiel 27 is a feature characteristic of ancient Near Eastern commercial records and administrative texts, lending the prophetic word a compelling realism and authenticity from the perspective of the original audience. It underscored that God saw every detail of Tyre's opulence.
• The rhetorical power of lists, particularly in laments, enhances the sense of loss and the scope of destruction. Each name adds another layer to the tragedy of what will be utterly lost.
• Tyre, with its blend of commercial success, pride, and eventual destruction, often serves as a significant prophetic archetype in biblical literature. Its portrayal here finds striking echoes in the book of Revelation, particularly in chapter 18, which describes the downfall of a great, wealthy commercial city (often identified with Babylon or a future global economic system). Both narratives emphasize the seductive power of wealth and the inevitable judgment awaiting those systems that place profit and self-exaltation above righteousness and humility before God. The fate of Tyre is a perpetual warning.

Ezekiel 27 23 Commentary

Ezekiel 27:23 is a specific component within a comprehensive prophetic lament detailing the splendor and subsequent fall of Tyre. The verse, by cataloging these trading partners—Haran, Canneh, Eden, merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad—serves to paint a vivid picture of Tyre's incredible commercial grandeur. It highlights Tyre as a strategic intersection for goods and cultures from distant lands, a powerhouse whose economic reach spanned from the fertile crescent into Arabia and beyond. This meticulous listing is not merely an inventory but a rhetorical device. It amplifies the scale of Tyre's wealth and influence, laying the groundwork for the tragic reversal detailed in the later parts of the chapter. The divine revelation of Tyre's intricate trade web demonstrates God's intimate knowledge of human enterprise and His ultimate sovereignty over all earthly empires, no matter how vast or self-sufficient they may appear. Tyre's fall thus serves as a timeless theological statement: immense material prosperity, especially when it breeds pride and self-reliance apart from God, is ultimately transient and subject to divine judgment.