Ezekiel 27:7 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 27:7
Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.
bleached stuff · noun, common masculine singular absolute
work
בְּרִקְמָ֤הbe.rik.Mah
H7553
variegation of color · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Egypt
מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙mi.mitz.Ra.yim
H4714
Mitsrajim · preposition + proper noun, a place name
forth
מִפְרָשֵׂ֔ךְmif.ra.Sekh
H4666
an expansion · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
sail
לְנֵ֑סle.Nes
H5251
a flag · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
blue
תְּכֵ֧לֶתte.Khe.let
H8504
the cerulean mussel · noun, common feminine singular absolute
purple
וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ןve.'ar.ga.Man
H713
purple (the color or the dyed stuff) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
isles
מֵאִיֵּ֥יme.'i.Yei
H339
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
Elishah
אֱלִישָׁ֖ה'e.li.Shah
H473
Elishah · proper noun, a man's name
covered
מְכַסֵּֽךְme.kha.Sekh
H4374
a covering · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
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
Exodus 25:4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Jeremiah 10:9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and…
Genesis 10:4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Isaiah 19:9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
1 Kings 10:28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
1 Chronicles 1:7 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Proverbs 7:16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
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…
broidered . . . sail--The ancients embroidered their sails often at great expense, especially the Egyptians, whose linen, still preserved in mummies, is of the finest texture.
Elishah--Greece; so called from Elis, a large and ancient division of Peloponnesus. Pausanias says that the best of linen was produced in it, and in no other part of Greece; called by HOMER, Alisium.
that which covered thee--thy awning.
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 27:7
Fine linen - שש shesh, cotton cloth. In this sense the word is generally to be understood.
To be thy sail - Probably the flag - ensign or pennant, is meant.
Blue and purple from the isles of Elishah - Elis, a part of the Peloponnesus.
John Gill on Ezekiel 27:7
Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt,.... From whence came the finest and whitest linen; and which they embroidered with needlework, which looked very beautiful. Pliny (x) says there were four sorts of linen in Egypt, called Tanitic, Pelusiac, Butic, and Tentyritic, from the names and provinces where they were produced; of the second sort the garments of the high priest among the Jews were made; for they say (y), on the day of atonement he was in the morning clothed with Pelusiac garments; that is, with garments made of linen which came from Pelusium, a well known city in Egypt; and which Jarchi (z) says was the best, and in the greatest esteem; and one of the Misnic commentators says (…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 7.) Fine linen woven from Egypt was made into a veil for you, to be placed in a chest. Hyacinth and purple from the isles of Elisha became your covering. LXX: Fine linen woven with variety from Egypt was made into a bedspread for you, to surround you with glory, and to cover you with hyacinth and purple. Your coverings were made from the isles of Elisha. Because Tyre had said, 'I am perfect in beauty,' she is accused of receiving things from various regions, according to the Scripture: 'What do you have that you did not receive?' But if you have received it, why do you boast as if you have not received it? Therefore, it is described what each province should send, according to that passage from Virgil's Georgics, book I. India sends ivory: the soft Sabaeans their frankincense: hard iron from the Chalybes, and men from Pontus skilled in beaver-traps, etc. In Egypt, linen is produced in great abundance, from which the sail of the Tyrian ship is woven, which is hung from the mast, and its covering, which provides shade for sailors and passengers in the heat and calm of the sun, is made of hyacinth and purple; these are from the Elisa Islands, which are so called from the Ionian Sea. Furthermore, next to the Septuagint, they weave in layers of linen, and they cover the Tyrian ship with veils, so that it may be more glorious with these coverings, and it may have a more beautiful appearance being surrounded by a garment. But linen is made from the earth, because it originates from the earth, and the hyacinth from the air, the purple from the sea from which it is produced, with the addition of double-dyed scarlet, with which the vestments of the Pontiff are woven, we often remind that they signify the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water, from which all things consist, which Tyre assumes for itself, not using them with gratitude as creatures of God, but saying: I am the perfect beauty: or, I have surrounded myself with beauty.
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
Banner — (1.) The flag or banner of the larger kind, serving for three tribes marching together. These standards, of which there were four, were worked with embroidery and beautifully ornamented (Num. 1:52;…
Colour — The subject of colours holds an important place in the Scriptures. White occurs as the translation of various Hebrew words. It is applied to milk (Gen. 49:12), manna (Ex. 16:31), snow (Isa. 1:18),…
Elishah — The oldest of the four sons of Javan (Gen. 10:4), whose descendants peopled Greece. It has been supposed that Elishah’s descendants peopled the Peloponnesus, which was known by the name of Elis. This…
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,…
Isle — The radical sense of the Hebrew word seems to be “habitable places,” as opposed to water, and in this sense it occurs in (Isaiah 42:15) Hence it means secondarily any maritime district, whether…
Weaving, weavers — Weaving was an art practised in very early times (Ex. 35:35). The Egyptians were specially skilled in it (Isa. 19:9; Ezek. 27:7), and some have regarded them as its inventors. In the wilderness, the…
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…
Linen with embroidery linen cloth made with pictures and embroideries.
your sail [Heb. מִפְרָשֵּׂךּ,] that which is called voile in French, a sail.
to be to you for a staff to spread it on the pole of cedar and to raise it on the mast. נֵס is in the language of the Mishnah כְּלוֹנֵס, and in French perche, pole, rod.
was your covering as a tent and a roof over the entire surface of the ship.
Elishah · Islands of the Mediterranean bear the name of — Islands of the Mediterranean bear the name of
Linen · .From Egypt — .From Egypt
Ship · Sails embroi — Sails embroi
Ships · Parts of mentioned: The sails — Parts of mentioned: The sails
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).
