Ezekiel Chapter 27, Part 3

VERSE 4 “Your borders are in the midst of the seas. Your builders have perfected your beauty.”

I believe the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary states it well.

“Tyre itself, in consonance with her sea girt position (i.e. being surrounded by the sea), separated by a strait of half a mile from the mainland, is described as a ship built of the best material, and manned with the best mariners and skillful pilots, but at last wrecked in tempestuous seas (Ezek 27:26).

“Your home is the sea. Your builders made you like a beautiful ship.” (Good News Translation)

Keep in mind what a “ship” symbolizes:

“…Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships (business, commerce, specifically religious commerce, individual religious groups, denominations and etc.) on the sea, became rich by her wealth! …” (Rev 18:19)

“In the spiritual picture, Tyre represents Papacy, the leading power in Christendom (the biggest and oldest “ship”), Satan’s masterpiece of deception and counterfeiting. Proof of this representation is as follows: Tyre (1) had a boastful attitude, (2) derived its revenues from the seas (waters/ peoples), and (3) was an international city with goods coming from all nations. Babylon and the river Euphrates in Revelation Chapter 16 correspond to Tyre and the seas. Both cities were situated on the waters (peoples), having control and acquiring wealth thereby.”

“Your builders have perfected your beauty.”

Notice HOW the builders perfected her beauty the builders of Papacy used the resources of all the other nations.

That is to say Papacy acquired its wealth, talent, and man power from the surrounding nations, much of which was donated (?) by its loyal subjects and or seized and confiscated from any whom the church deemed heretics throughout the age.

VERSE 5 and 6 “They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast. Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; the company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks with ivory from the coasts of Cyprus.”

Tyre was world-renowned for its ships. Chapter 27 tells the origin of the various raw materials needed to construct the ships. Incidentally, the residents of Tyre were sometimes called Phoenicians depending on the period of history.

The “boards” or “planks” of which the hull of the ship, its deck and etc. was constructed came from Senir (Mount Hermon). The cedars of Lebanon, noted for their stature, were used for ship masts. The ships oars were made of oak from Bashan (“Bashan” was across the Jordan River to the north), and the Ashurites—the most skillful workmen summoned from Assyria constructed the (rowing) benches of ivory inlaid in the best boxwood from Cyprus and Macedonia.

Tyre was like the capital of a mariner people. The materials and craftsmen came from many locations; hence Tyre was an international power.

VERSE 7 “Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail; Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.”

The ancients embroidered their sails often at great expense, especially the Egyptians. “Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah (Greece) was (the awning) which covered you.”

VERSE 8 “Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your wise men, O Tyre, were in you; they became your pilots.”

Tyre afforded employment to neighboring peoples. Sidon and Arvad provided mariners; that is, they were the crew. But those who steered and guided the ships and made decisions (the “pilots”) were from Tyre itself.

The correspondences to Papacy are remarkable, for orders (direction) comes from Rome, the centralized authority, and decisions are made in Rome, whereas cardinals, priests, etc., (“oarsmen”) are scattered around the world and help propel the ship, propagate its doctrines.

Oarsmen: There was a time before the art of sailing was perfectly understood when oarsmen were the primary means by which vessels were propelled. In type these “oarsmen” would represent those who help propel the ship (the church), who propagate and teach its doctrines.

VERSE 9 “Elders of Gebal and its wise men were in you to caulk your seams; all the ships of the sea and their oarsmen were in you to market your merchandise.”

“The Book of Genesis gives the origin, the progenitors, of some of the peoples listed in Verses 9–15. However, we should keep in mind that Ezekiel, in speaking of these various parties, was talking of contemporaneous peoples. And we should not confuse Ezekiel 27 with Ezekiel 38 and 39. The latter are prophecies of conditions thousands of years hence. Some of the nations referred to in Ezekiel 38 and 39 were not in existence at the time Ezekiel wrote. In speaking of things way future, Ezekiel was limited to using the peoples of his time.

These verses paint a picture of a great power, just as the wealth of the nations was brought to Tyre, so Papacy has been given great gifts of lands, buildings, art, jewels, etc.”

The “Elders of Gebal and its wise men”, represent the older leaders, men of experience and wisdom, these were appointed as “caulkers” to make the ship watertight, to keep the sea out, or as the old saying goes, “a ship is safe as long as the ship is upon the sea, but not if the sea is in the ship.”

The antitypical “caulkers” (cardinals, priests, theologians) were appointed by the “shipmasters” (the heads or leaders of the church, specifically the Pope) to keep the “sea” (the unrestrained masses, the non-believing or heathen world, undesirables) out of the ship, to prevent leaks (so-called doctrinal heresies) from entering the ship.

“All the ships (sects, denominations) of the sea (waters, peoples, nations) and their oarsmen (ministers, preachers, supporters) were in you to market (to trade or sell, propagate) your merchandise (wares, doctrines, teachings).”

VERSE 10 “Those from Persia, Lydia, and Libya Were in your army as men of war; they hung shield and helmet in you; they gave splendor to you.”

“They of Persia, and of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine army, thy men of war”. As the Tryrians were a trading people, they hired foreign troops into their service, to fill their garrisons, defend their city, and fight for them in time of war; and these were of various nations, and the most famous for military skill and valour; as the Persians, a people well known, and famous for war in the times of Cyrus, and before, and well skilled in shooting arrows; and they of Lud, or the Lydians, a people in Greece, renowned for war before the times of Croesus their king, as well as in his time; and they of Phut, the Lybians, a people in Africa, skilful in drawing the bow (Isa 66:19).

“…they hanged the shield and helmet in thee”; in their garrisons and towers, or places of armory; which were defensive weapons, the one for the body, the other for the head; this they did in times of peace, when there was no occasion to use them, or when they were off their guard, and not on duty; see Sol 4:4, “they set forth thy comeliness”; it being an honor to the Tyrians to have such soldiers in their service. The Targum is, “they increased thy splendor;” added to their glory.” (Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Papacy likewise hired (i.e. conscripted) the armies of the various Kings of Europe to protect and fight its battles during the inquisitions.

VERSE 11 “Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around, and the men of Gammad were in your towers; they hung their shields on your walls all around; they made your beauty perfect.”

The term “Gammadims” is used only once in Scripture and its meaning is uncertain. Young’s Concordance defines the term as meaning pygmies, warriors, giants, etc., but the definitions are just a guess. How well built this ship was! Tyre’s very wise ambassadors and pilots correspond to St. Jerome, Ignatius, and others of Papacy. By reason of its riches, Papacy has attracted many great minds.

“The Gammadims were in thy towers”.–No people of this name is known, and it is extremely unlikely that the responsible posts upon the watch-towers would have been entrusted to foreigners. The word occurs only here, and is probably not a proper name, but should be translated brave men.” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers)

These probably relate antitypically to the Swiss Guards of Papacy (an especially elite guard for the pope) to protect him and it.

 We will continue with our next post.