Gebal - i. e., Byblos (modern Gebeil) in Phoenicia, the chief seat of the worship of Adonis, and situated on an eminence over-looking the river Adonis, north of Beirut, not far from the Mediterranean sea. The “ancients” is a term for the council that presided over maritime cities. read more
Ezekiel 27:8-11. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners So great was the opulence and pride of the Tyrians, that they hired foreigners to do the more laborious and menial employments, and would do nothing else themselves than steer the vessels, priding themselves on being the most able pilots. Of Zidon, see note on Isaiah 23:4, and of Arvad, on Jeremiah 49:23. The ancients of Gebal, &c., were thy calkers Thou employedst the inhabitants of Gebal for calking thy ships,... read more
Mourning for Tyre (27:1-36)This chapter continues the theme of Tyre’s overthrow. It is in the form of a funeral song that Tyre’s trading partners sing as they mourn the city’s death (27:1-2).The song begins by recalling the glory of Tyre’s past. The prosperous commercial city is likened to a magnificent merchant ship, beautifully made from best quality materials taken from all parts of the trading world. Her planks, masts, oars and decking were made of the best timbers, her sails from the... read more
Arvad. Now the island Er Ruad. Mentioned in 1 Macc 15:23. mariners = rowers. that were = they [were]. read more
ancients = elders. Gebal. Now Jebeil, on the coast between Beirut and Tripolis. occupy = barter, or trade. read more
8. Arvad—a small island and city near Phoelignicia, now Ruad: its inhabitants are still noted for seafaring habits. thy wise men, O Tyrus . . . thy pilots—While the men of Arvad, once thy equals ( :-), and the Sidonians, once thy superiors, were employed by thee in subordinate positions as "mariners," thou madest thine own skilled men alone to be commanders and pilots. Implying the political and mercantile superiority of Tyre. read more
9. Gebal—a Phoelignician city and region between Beirut and Tripolis, famed for skilled workmen (1 Kings 5:18, Margin; 1 Kings 5:18- :). calkers—stoppers of chinks in a vessel: carrying on the metaphor as to Tyre. occupy thy merchandise—that is, to exchange merchandise with thee. read more
The great ship Tyre 27:1-11 read more
Strong men from Sidon and Arvad, other neighboring Phoenician towns, were this ship’s rowers, and its pilots were wise men. The Phoenicians were peerless in their seamanship in antiquity. The repairmen on board were also wise men from the famous elders of Gebal (Byblos in Lebanon). All other trading peoples cooperated with Tyre because it was the leading merchant marine power of its day."The description of every lavish detail of the trading vessel that represents the city of Tyre is expressed... read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ezekiel 27:8
Arvad - See Genesis 10:18. An island off the coast of Sidon, now called Ruad. read more