Ezekiel 27:12

"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. Javan, Tubal, and Mesheck, they were thy traffickers; they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass for thy merchandise. They of the house of Togarmah traded for thy wares with horses and war-horses and mules. The men of Dedan were thy traffickers; many isles were the mart of thy land: they brought thee in exchange horns of ivory and ebony,"

MERCHANDISE AND SUPPLIES TRADED IN BY TYRE (Ezekiel 27:12-25)

"Tarshish ..." (Ezekiel 27:12). This is the same city to which Jonah intended to flee "from the presence of Jehovah." It is thought to have been located upon the southern coast of Spain.

"Javan, Tubal, and Mesheck ..." (Ezekiel 27:13). "'Javan' refers to the Ionian Greeks; `Tubal and Mesheck' are the names used by the Assyrians and Greeks for the nations dwelling in Cappadocia between the Black Sea and the Taurus mountains."[18]

This verse is important as the confirmation of the charge by Amos against Tyre (Amos 1:9) that these heartless old slave-traders had even sold Israelites to Edom; and also as the confirmation of the fact of the Greeks themselves having been involved in this contemptible "trading in the persons of men," as Joel charged in Joel 3:6.

The extent of the Tyrian commercial empire should be noted. From Tarshish on the south coast of Spain to the area eastward from the Black Sea and beyond just about covers the entire Mediterranean world of that era.

"The house of Togarmah ..." (Ezekiel 27:14). "This is the same as Armenia."[19] Work animals (horses and mules), saddle-horses, and war-horses were extremely valuable commodities in the ancient world; and it continued to be so for many centuries.

"The men of Dedan ..." (Ezekiel 27:15). "This is the same as `the men of Rhodes'; they were the merchants who traded in ivory and ebony with the North African tribes,"[20] much of which merchandise would also have passed through the hands of Tyrian merchants.