Ezekiel 27:12
in Ezekiel 27Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded for thy wares.
KJV
Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.
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This verse in Ezekiel 27
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Verse 12.) Your Carthaginian merchants have filled your marketplace with a multitude of riches, silver, iron, tin, and lead. Not only in the present place, but also in Isaiah, where it is written: Wail, ships of Carthage (Isaiah 23:14), the other interpreters have translated the Hebrew word as Tharsis, which is undoubtedly a colony of the Tyrians. They themselves from the western parts filled the Tyrian marketplace with silver, iron, tin, and lead. Tarsis in our language sounds like exploration of joy.
This site's exposition
Tarshish was your merchant
on Ezekiel 27:12-15
The trade list turns to Javan, Tubal and Meshech, peoples of Asia Minor, who traded the persons of men and vessels of brass. Clarke reads the human trafficking named at verse 13 without any softening, the same matter-of-fact list format used for iron and ivory applied to men.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches,.... Some understand this of the sea, which is sometimes called Tarshish; so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it here: and the Targum, "from the sea, or they of the sea bring merchandise into the midst of thee:'' that is, those who lived upon the coasts, or on the isles, of the Mediterranean sea.
), which is designed to make its ruin the more lamentable. A prediction of its fall and ruin, and the confusion and consternation which all its neighbours shall thereby be put into,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
), gathered off its surface and dug out of its bowels. The earth is also full of the fruits of men's ingenuity and industry, according as their genius leads them. Now by exchange and barter these are made more extensively useful; thus what can be spared is helped off, and what is wanted is fetched in, in lieu of it, from the most distant countries.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Tarshish was thy merchant - After having given an account of the naval and military equipment of this city, he now speaks of the various places and peoples with whom the Tyrians traded, and the different kinds of merchandise imported from those places. By Tarshish some understand the Carthaginians; some think Tartessus, near the straits of Gibraltar, is meant; others, Tharsis in Cilicia. The place was famous for all the useful metals, silver, iron, tin, and lead. All these they might have had from Britain.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Tarshish--Tartessus in Spain, a country famed for various metals, which were exported to Tyre. Much of the "tin" probably was conveyed by the Phœnicians from Cornwall to Tarshish. traded in thy fairs--"did barter with thee" [FAIRBAIRN]; from a root, "to leave," something left in barter for something else.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-curly-quotes
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The thread broken at Eze 27:8 is taken up, and the various nations are enumerated which traded with Tyre. Eze 27:12 Tarshish - Tartessus in Spain (marginal references). Spain was rich in the metals named. Merchant - Especially applied to those who traveled about with caravans to carry on trade (see Gen 23:16). Fairs - Or, “wares” Eze 27:33. The word occurs only in this chapter. The foreign merchants gave their wares in return for the products delivered to them by Tyre. Eze 27:13 Jaran - Greece (Ion), including the Grecian colonies in Sicily and Italy. Tubal, and Meshech - The Tibareni and Moschi, whose lands were on the Caucasian highlands between the Euxine and Caspian Seas (see the marginal reference), were a fine race of men; from thence slaves have been continually sought. Greece too in ancient times was famous for furnishing slaves. Eze 27:14 Togarmah - Armenia. Eze 27:15 Dedan - There were two tribes (Shemite and Hamite), each bearing the name of “Dedan” (see Gen 10:7). The Hamite (Ethiopian) Dedan may well have supplied for a payment (rather than “for a present”) horns, ivory, and ebony; the Shemite (Arabians), “clothes for chariots” (see Eze 27:20). Eze 27:16 Syria - “Aram” here included Mesopotamia; and Babylon was famous for its precious stones. Many read “Edom.” Emeralds - Rather, carbuncle. Fine linen - The word (בוץ bûts) was used only in the times of the captivity. It is a Phoenician word, which in Greek assumed the form “byssus,” properly “cotton,” as distinguished from “linen;” the Phoenicians spinning their threads from cotton wool, the Egyptians from flax. Eze 27:17 Minnith - A city of the Ammonites, whose country was famous for wheat 2Ch 27:5. The wheat was carried through the land of Israel to Tyre. Pannag - This word occurs nowhere else, and has been very variously explained. […]
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| תַּרְשִׁ֥ישׁ | tarshish | Tarshish | H8659 → | 28 times |
| סֹחַרְתֵּ֖ךְ | sochartekh | [was] trader your | H5503 → | 21 times |
| מֵרֹ֣ב | mero | from [the] abundance of | H7230 → | 149 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| ה֑וֹן | hon | wealth | H1952 → | 26 times |
| בְּכֶ֤סֶף | bekhesef | for silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| בַּרְזֶל֙ | barzel | iron | H1270 → | 76 times |
| בְּדִ֣יל | bedil | tin | H913 → | 6 times |
| וְעוֹפֶ֔רֶת | veoferet | and lead | H5777 → | 9 times |
| נָתְנ֖וּ | natenu | they exchanged | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| עִזְבוֹנָֽיִךְ׃ | izvonayikh | wares your | H5801 → | 7 times |
תַּרְשִׁ֥ישׁTarshish
tarshishH8659 →28 times
סֹחַרְתֵּ֖ךְ[was] trader your
sochartekhH5503 →21 times
מֵרֹ֣בfrom [the] abundance of
meroH7230 →149 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
ה֑וֹןwealth
honH1952 →26 times
בְּכֶ֤סֶףfor silver
bekhesefH3701 →403 times
בַּרְזֶל֙iron
barzelH1270 →76 times
בְּדִ֣ילtin
bedilH913 →6 times
וְעוֹפֶ֔רֶתand lead
veoferetH5777 →9 times
נָתְנ֖וּthey exchanged
natenuH5414 →2011 times
עִזְבוֹנָֽיִךְ׃wares your
izvonayikhH5801 →7 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 60:9Surely the islands will wait for Me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God,…
it leads to
- Isaiah 55:5
Surely you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, has bestowed glory…
- Isaiah 2:16
against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.
- Isaiah 51:5
My righteousness draws near, My salvation is on the way, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look for Me and wait in hope for My arm.
- Isaiah 11:11
On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and…
- Isaiah 55:5
Through
1 Kings 10:22For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 22:48
Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
- 1 Kings 22:48
Through
Ezekiel 38:13Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will ask, ‘Have you come to capture the plunder? Have you assembled your hordes to carry away loot, to make off with…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 27:15
The men of Dedan were your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.
- Ezekiel 27:22–23
The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your wares they exchanged gold, the finest of all spices, and precious stones.
- Ezekiel 32:2
“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash…
- Ezekiel 27:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.