an oak or other strong tree · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Bashan
מִבָּ֔שָׁןmi.Ba.shon
H1316
Bashan (often with the article) · preposition + proper noun, a place name
made
עָשׂ֖וּ'a.Su
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
oars
מִשּׁוֹטָ֑יִךְmi.sho.Ta.yikh
H4880
an oar · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
company
בַּתbat-
H1323
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms… · noun, common feminine singular construct
Ashurites
אֲשֻׁרִ֔ים'a.shu.Rim
H839
the cedar tree or some other light elastic wood · noun, common masculine plural absolute
made
עָֽשׂוּ'a.su-
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
benches
קַרְשֵׁ֤ךְkar.Shekh
H7175
a slab or plank · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
ivory
שֵׁן֙shen
H8127
a tooth (as sharp) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
isles
מֵאִיֵּ֖יme.'i.Yei
H339
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
Chittim
כִּתִּיִּֽיםki.ti.yim
H3794
a Kittite or Cypriote · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 10:4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Isaiah 2:13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
Zechariah 11:2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come do…
Jeremiah 2:10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
Numbers 21:33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at…
Numbers 24:24 And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.
Isaiah 23:12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have…
Jeremiah 22:20 Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 27:1-25
Here, I. The prophet is ordered to take up a lamentation for Tyrus, Eze 27:2. It was yet in the height of its prosperity, and there appeared not the least symptom of its decay; yet the prophet must lament it, because its prosperity is its snare, is the cause of its pride and security, which will make its fall the more grievous. Even those that live at ease are to be lamented if they be not preparing for trouble. He must lament it because its ruin is hastening on apace; it is sure, it is near; and though the prophet foretel it, and justify God in it, yet he must lament it. Note, We ought to mourn for the miseries of other nations, as well as for our own, out of an affection for mankind in gen…
Bashan--celebrated for its oaks, as Lebanon was for its cedars.
the company of . . . Ashurites--the most skilful workmen summoned from Assyria. Rather, as the Hebrew orthography requires, "They have made thy (rowing) benches of ivory inlaid in the daughter of cedars" [MAURER], or, the best boxwood. FAIRBAIRN, with BOCHART, reads the Hebrew two words as one: "Thy plankwork (deck: instead of 'benches,' as the Hebrew is singular) they made ivory with boxes." English Version, with MAURER'S correction, is simpler.
Chittim--Cyprus and Macedonia, from which, PLINY tells us, the best boxwood came [GROTIUS].
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 27:6
Of the oaks of Bashan - Some translate alder, others the pine.
The company of the Ashurites - The word אשרים asherim is by several translated boxwood. The seats or benches being made of this wood inlaid with ivory.
Isles of Chittim - The Italian islands; the islands of Greece; Cyprus. Calmet says Macedonia is meant.
John Gill on Ezekiel 27:6
Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars,.... To row the ships with; for their ships probably were no other than galleys, which were rowed with oars, as were the ships of first invention. Bashan was a country in Judea where oaks grew; see Isaiah 2:13. The country of Judea in general was famous for oaks; it abounded with them in the times of Homer (t), who speaks of Typho being buried in a country abounding with oaks, among the rich or fat people of Judea; and he seems to design Bashan particularly, of which Og was king, whom he calls Typho, and of whose bed he makes mention in the same place; hence several places in Judea had their names from the oaks which grew, there, as Elonmoreh,…
The Church Fathers
(Vers. 6.) They have fashioned oars for your ship from the oak trees of Bashan: they have made your benches out of Indian ivory, and your decks out of the islands of Italy. LXX: They have made your oars and your temples out of the oak trees of Bashan, and they have made for you wild houses out of ivory from the islands of the Kittim. What a beautiful ship it is, and its furnishings, that it has cedar oars, not just any, but from Bashan, and ivory benches, and precious goods are stored in the cellars or warehouses, from the islands of the Kittim, which we refer to as Italy: from that region which is closer to Greece, understanding all the parts of the Western islands. Let us therefore say, according to the spiritual interpretation, that the oars of the Tyrian ship are made from Bazan, of which it is also written in the Psalms: 'The Lord said, I will turn Bazan from the depths of the sea' (Ps. 68:23). Bazan in our language is interpreted as ignominy. Therefore, God converts those who were in the depths of the sea, and the ignominy of sins, and converts them into oars, so that they may navigate with the Apostles and reach the land and the shores; and they become benches of ivory when they mortify their bodies, or when they use their teeth for the praises of God, and storerooms or cellars of the islands of Kittim, which, according to the etymology of the Hebrew language, is translated as 'struck,' so that it may not be so much killed by the blows of the devil as approved. We can speak about the ivory and wild houses of the islands of the Chettiim, which the heretics try to build not in the house of God, but on a Tyrian ship. And they, having their own ivory of language, build temples of God that are contrary to the temple, and wild houses, dwellings of beasts, even though the Scripture says that groves, and woods, and forests should not be planted in the house of God (Deut. XII).
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Bashan — Light soil, first mentioned in Gen. 14:5, where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates “smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth,” where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of…
Box-tree — (Heb. teashshur), mentioned in Isa. 60:13; 41:19, was, according to some, a species of cedar growing in Lebanon. The words of Ezek. 27:6 literally translated are, “Thy benches they have made of…
Chittim — Or Kittim, a plural form (Gen. 10:4), the name of a branch of the descendants of Javan, the “son” of Japheth. Balaam foretold (Num. 24:24) “that ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and…
Chittim, Kittim — (bruisers), a family or race descended from Javan. (Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7) Authorized Version Kittim. Chittim is frequently noticed in Scripture. (Numbers 24:24; Isaiah 23:1,12; Jeremiah…
Ezekiel, Book of — Consists mainly of three groups of prophecies. After an account of his call to the prophetical office (1-3:21), Ezekiel (1) utters words of denunciation against the Jews (3:22-24), warning them of…
Fairs — (Heb. ‘izabhonim), found seven times in Ezek. 27, and nowhere else. The Authorized Version renders the word thus in all these instances, except in verse 33, where “wares” is used. The Revised Version…
Helbon — Fat; i.e., “fertile”, (Ezek. 27: 18 only), a place whence wine was brought to the great market of Tyre. It has been usually identified with the modern Aleppo, called Haleb by the native Arabs, but is…
Island — (Heb. ‘i, “dry land,” as opposed to water) occurs in its usual signification (Isa. 42:4, 10, 12, 15, comp. Jer. 47:4), but more frequently simply denotes a maritime region or sea-coast (Isa. 20:6,…
Ivory — (Heb. pl. shenhabbim, the “tusks of elephants”) was early used in decorations by the Egyptians, and a great trade in it was carried on by the Assyrians (Ezek. 27:6; Rev. 18:12). It was used by the…
Oak — There are six Hebrew words rendered “oak.” (1.) ‘El occurs only in the word El-paran (Gen. 14:6). The LXX. renders by “terebinth.” In the plural form this word occurs in Isa. 1:29; 57:5 (A.V. marg.…
The lamentation commences with a picture of the glory of the city of Tyre, its situation, its architectural beauty, its military strength and defences (Eze 27:3-11), and its wide-spread commercial relations (Eze 27:12-25); and then passes into mournful lamentation over the ruin of all this glory (Eze 27:26-36).
Introduction and description of the glory and might of Tyre. - Eze 27:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 27:2. And do thou, O son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, Eze 27:3. And say to Tyre, Thou who dwellest at the approaches of the sea, merchant of the nations to many islands, thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Tyre, thou sayest, I am perfect in beauty. Eze 27:4. In t…
Tyre’s past greatness is described in great detail under the metaphor of a mighty sailing ship created out of the very best resources from the surrounding nations.
Rashi on Ezekiel 27:6
oaks [Heb. אַלוֹנִים,] a kind of tree that does not produce fruit, chesne in Old French.
your oars [Heb. מִשּׁוֹטָיִם.] They are the boards that are wide at the end, with which they guide the ship, rames in French.
your rudder [Heb. קַרְשֵּׁך, lit. your board.] This is the wide board at the second end of the ship, opposite the mast at the other end, with which they steer the ship in all directions and direct it on its course, and the captain holds it. In the language of the Mishnah (B. B. 91a) קְבַרְנִיט, and in French gouvernail, rudder.
they made of ivory inlaid in cypresses [Heb. שֵּׁן בַּת-אֵשֻּׁרִים.] It is impossible for it to be of anything but wood, and this is בּתאשּׁרים, as if i…
Forests · Mentioned in scripture: Bashan — Mentioned in scripture: Bashan
Ivory · Chittim — Chittim
Oak Tree, The · The people of Tyre made oars of — The people of Tyre made oars of
Oar · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Ships · Parts of mentioned: The oars — Parts of mentioned: The oars
Tyre · Celebrated for: Strength and beauty of its ships — Celebrated for: Strength and beauty of its ships
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
