Ezekiel 27:23

27:1-25 Those who live at ease are to be lamented, if they are not prepared for trouble. Let none reckon themselves beautified, any further than they are sanctified. The account of the trade of Tyre intimates, that God's eye is upon men when employed in worldly business. Not only when at church, praying and hearing, but when in markets and fairs, buying and selling. In all our dealings we should keep a conscience void of offence. God, as the common Father of mankind, makes one country abound in one commodity, and another in another, serviceable to the necessity or to the comfort and ornament of human life. See what a blessing trade and merchandise are to mankind, when followed in the fear of God. Besides necessaries, an abundance of things are made valuable only by custom; yet God allows us to use them. But when riches increase, men are apt to set their hearts upon them, and forget the Lord, who gives power to get wealth.

Haran, and Canneh, and Eden,.... Haran was a city of Mesopotamia, the same with Haran, where Abraham dwelt awhile, Acts 7:2 , the Charrae of the Parthians, famous for the defeat of Crassus. Canneh is thought to be the same with Calneh, Genesis 10:10 , afterwards called Ctesiphon; and here, by the Targum, Netzibin, a place not far from Tigris; and Eden also was between Tigris and Euphrates. All three places seem to be in Mesopotamia, and not far from each other; the latter is thought by some to be the place where the garden of Eden was. The merchants of Sheba; this was another Sheba, distinct from that in Ezekiel 27:22, this Sheba was the son of Jokshan, a son of Abraham by Keturah, Genesis 25:3, these were the Sabaeans, who were not far from the former, and dwelt near the Persian sea. Ashur and Chilmad were thy merchants; or dealt in "thy merchandise"; took goods of them. Ashur designs the Assyrians, who had their name from Ashur, the builder of Nineveh, Genesis 10:11 and Chilmad is by the Targum rendered Media; and by Grotius thought to be the Gaala of Media in Ptolemy (b); and so Hillerus (c) takes it to be a city of Media. (b) Geograph. l. 6. c. 2.((c) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 108.

(23) Haran, and Canneh, and Eden.— The description now turns from Arabia to the Tyrian trade with Mesopotamia. Haran, important in the story of Abraham ( Genesis 11:31-32 ; Genesis 12:4 ), the Charræ of the Romans, was in north-western Mesopotamia, at the junction of two great caravan routes, the one along the Tigris, the other along the Euphrates. Canneh, a contraction for the Calneh of Genesis 10:10 , was the most important commercial city on the former, and was later known as Ctesiphon. Eden was an unknown town on the Euphrates ( 2Kings 19:12 ; Isaiah 37:12 ), and is to be distinguished from the Syrian Eden. Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad.—Sheba is still the same Sheba before mentioned; for Pliny (Hist. Nat., xii. 40) says that the Sabœans brought their goods from the spice country to Carrhæ, where they held markets, and went thence to Syria and Phœnicia. They were, therefore, traders between Mesopotamia and Phœnicia. Asshur is here not the country of Assyria, but the commercial city Sura (modern Essurieh), on the banks of the Euphrates, above Thapsacus. Chilmad is supposed to be the Charmande of Xenophon (Anab., i. 5, 10), “a great city beyond the Euphrates, in the neighbourhood of the desert.” Others identify it with Kalwada, near Bagdad. It is mentioned only here.

Verse 23. - Haran and Canaeh , etc. From Arabia we pass to Mesopotamia. Haran ( Genesis 11:31 ) stands for the Carrhae of the Romans, situated at the point where the old military and commercial roads bifurcated Cowards Babylon and the Delta of the Persian Gulf in the one direction, and Canaan in the other. It appears in Genesis 24:10 and Genesis 29:4 as the city of Nahor, in Mesopotamia (Aram-Naharaim, equivalent to "Syria of the two rivers"), or, more definitely, in Parian-Atom, which lies below Mount Masius, between the Khabour and the Euphrates. It is famous in Roman history for the defeat of Crassus by the Parthians. Caaneh . The eastern of the two roads just mentioned ran on to Calneh (of which Cauneh is a variant), named in Genesis 10:10 as one of the cities built by Nimrod. It is probably represented by the modern Niffer , about sixty miles southeast of Babylon. It is named in Isaiah 10:9 in connection with Carehemish, in Amos 6:2 with Hamath the great, as conquered by the Assyrians. It has been conjecturally identified by the Targum and other ancient writers with Ctesiphon, but (?). Eden ; spelt differently in the Hebrew from the Eden of Genesis 2:8 . It is probably identical with the Eden near Thelassar ( Td . Assar ) of Isaiah 37:12 and 2 Kings 19:12 , where, as here, it is connected with Haran as among the Assyrian conquests.

Its site has not been determined, and it has been placed by some geographers in the hill-country above the Upper Mesopetamian plains; by others near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. The position of the Eden of Amos 1:5 , near Damascus, points to a Syrian town of the same name. The merchants of Sheba. The recurrence of the name after the full mention of the people in Ver. 22 arises probably from the fact that they were the carriers in the commerce between the Mesopotamian cities just named and Tyre. Asshur . The name may stand (Smend), as it commonly does, for Assyria as a country; but its juxtaposition with the names of cities has led some geographers (Movers, p. 252, in Keil) to identify with a city Sum ( Essurieh ) on the west bank of the Euphrates, above Thapsacus (the Tiphsah of 1 Kings 4:24 ), and on the caravan-route which runs from Palmyra (the Tadmor of 2 Chronicles 8:4 ) to Haran. Chilmad . The name is not found elsewhere. The LXX. gives Charman, a town near the Euphrates, mentioned in Xenophon, 'Anab.,' 1:5. 10, as Charmaude. It can scarcely have been a place of much general note, but may have had some special reputation which made it prominent in Tyrian commerce. Ezekiel 27:23

23 . The places named may be regarded as an extension of the line from S. to N. in Ezekiel 27:19-22 , though the names are given rather in the order W. to E. Harran in Mesopotamia, two days’ journey S.E. of Edessa, on a branch of the Euphrates, was a sacred city and place of pilgrimage, and also an emporium of trade. The defeat of Crassus by the Parthians took place there. Canneh may be Calneh ( Genesis 10:10 ; Amos 6:2 ), otherwise Calno ( Isaiah 10:9 ), a city in Babylonia. Its site has not been identified. Von Gutschmidt ( Ency. Brit ., art. Phœnicia) identifies Canneh with Cænæ. Eden, spelled somewhat differently from the Eden of Paradise, is elsewhere named in connexion with Haran, Isaiah 37:12 ( 2 Kings 19:12 ), and said to be in Telassar (Tel Asshur). the merchants of Sheba ] It is strange that these should be mentioned again ( Ezekiel 27:22 ). For “Eden … Sheba” LXX. reads: these were thy merchants , i.e. Haran and Canneh. It has been supposed that the merchants of Sheba frequented the fairs of Haran and thence made their way westward along the trade route to Phenicia. Asshur and Chilmad ] LXX. reads and between the words. Asshur if taken in its usual sense would be Assyria. Others think of Sura, or Essurieh, on the Euphrates. G. Smith conjectured that Chilmad was Kalwâdha near Bagdad. LXX. renders Charman, which suggests Caramania. The rendering: “Asshur was as thine apprentice in traffic” (Hitz. Corn.), besides being a conceit, misses the whole idea of the chapter.

Haran - Charrae in Mesopotamia. Canneh - "Calneh" Genesis 10:10, probably Ctesiphon on the Tigris. Eden - On the Euphrates Isaiah 37:12. "the merchants of Sheba" Here the towns or tribes that traded with Sheba. Sheba maintained a considerable trade with Mesopotamia. Chilmad - Possibly Kalwada near Bagdad.

Haran; Haran or Charran in Mesopotamia, where Abraham dwelt. Canneh; no where else mentioned, supposed to be the same with Calneh, Genesis 10:10 , afterwards Ctesiphon, a pleasant city on Tigris, some three miles from Seleucia. It was built by the Parthians, whose king resided there in the winter, because of the mildness of the air. Eden; a pleasant country, part of Babylonia. The Chaldee paraphrase calls it Hadiab, and leads us to Adiabene, which Trajan conquered in his expedition against Babylon. Sheba; whether the same mentioned Ezekiel 27:22 , (which see,) or some other, is not certain; perhaps it may be Saba, whence Sabeans. Asshur; Asshur, the name of the father of the nation, for Assyria. Chilmad; a country or part of Media, between Assyria and Parthia, most likely to be Gaala of Media.

23. Haran—the dwelling-place of Abraham in Mesopotamia, after he moved from Ur (Ge 11:31). Canneh—Calneh, an Assyrian city on the Tigris; the Ctesiphon of the Greeks (Ge 10:10). Eden—probably a region in Babylonia (see Ge 2:8). Chilmad—a compound; the place designated by Ptolemy "Gaala of Media." The Chaldee version interprets it of Media. Henderson refers it to Carmanda, which Xenophon describes as a large city beyond the Euphrates.

This is followed by a description of the commerce of Tyre with all nations, who delivered their productions in the market of this metropolis of the commerce of the world, and received the wares and manufactures of this city in return. - Ezekiel 27:12 . Tarshish traded with thee for the multitude of goods of all kinds; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for thy sales. Ezekiel 27:13 . Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants; with souls of men and brazen vessels they made thy barter. Ezekiel 27:14 . From the house of Togarmah they paid horses, riding-horses, and mules for thy sales. Ezekiel 27:15 . The sons of Dedan were thy merchants; many islands were at thy hand for commerce; ivory horns and ebony they brought thee in payment. Ezekiel 27:16 . Aram traded with thee for the multitude of thy productions; with carbuncle, red purple, and embroidery, and byssus, and corals, and rubies they paid for thy sales. Ezekiel 27:17 . Judah and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants; with wheat of Minnith and confectionery, and honey and oil, and balsam they made thy barter. Ezekiel 27:18 . Damascus traded with thee in the multitude of thy productions, for the multitude of goods of all kinds, with wine of Chelbon and white wool. Ezekiel 27:19 . Vedan and Javan from Uzal gave wrought iron for thy salves; cassia and calamus were for thy barter. Ezekiel 27:20 . Vedan was thy merchant in cloths spread for riding. Ezekiel 27:21 .

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were at thy hand for commerce; lambs and rams and he-goats, in these they traded with thee. Ezekiel 27:22 . The merchants of Sheba and Ragmah, they were thy merchants; with all kinds of costly spices and with all kinds of precious stones and gold they paid for thy sales. Ezekiel 27:23 . Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, Chilmad, were they merchants; Ezekiel 27:24 . They were thy merchants in splendid clothes, in purple and embroidered robes, and in treasures of twisted yarn, in wound and strong cords for thy wares. Ezekiel 27:25 . The ships of Tarshish were thy caravans, thy trade, and thou wast filled and glorious in the heart of the seas. - The enumeration of the different peoples, lands, and cities, which carried on trade with Tyre, commences with Tarshish (Tartessus) in the extreme west, then turns to the north, passes through the different lands of Anterior Asia and the Mediterranean to the remotest north-east, and ends by mentioning Tarshish again, to round off the list. But the lands and peoples, which are mentioned in Ezekiel 27:5-11 as furnishing produce and manufactures for the building of Tyre, viz., Egypt and the tribes of Northern Africa, are left out. - To avoid wearisome uniformity in the enumeration, Ezekiel has used interchangeably the synonymous words which the language possessed for trade, besides endeavouring to give life to the description by a variety of turns of expression.