(Verse 4, 5.) Your neighbors who built you have filled your beauty. They built you with Sanir fir trees and all the planks of the sea. They brought cedar from Lebanon to make harm to you. For what reason, I do not know, they translated it thus in the Septuagint: The sons of Beelim surrounded your beauty; the cedar of Sanir was built for you; they brought thin cypress planks from Lebanon to make harm to you with fir. For the sermon of Beelim is not found at all in this place among the Hebrews, but it is written in Gebulaic, which means 'your boundaries'. Also, in what they said, your sons were deceived by the ambiguity of the word and the similarity in the scripture, as the same letters are read differently, 'of masons' and 'of sons', Bonaich and Benaich. Therefore, O Tyre, you who said out of arrogance, 'I am of perfect beauty' or 'I have adorned myself with beauty', since you are situated in the midst of the sea, hear how great things have been bestowed upon you by the generosity of God. Your neighbors and bordering people, who are not from distant regions but from neighboring ones, have filled your decoration, and do you think that what is alien is yours? And he speaks as if tropically to a ship, signifying the beauty of the city and the abundance of all things, so that after he has described all the furniture of the ship, the mast, the masts, the oars, the sails, the prow, the keel, the ropes, the covers, the skins, and other things that the use of the best-equipped ships needs: then he announces that a storm and a south wind, by which the largest waves will be stirred up, will come to it, and it will be subject to shipwreck. Through these things, the destruction of the city of Tyre is signified by King Nebuchadnezzar, or, as many believe, by Alexander, the king of Macedon, who is said to have besieged and captured the city itself for six months after defeating Darius in Lycia. According to mystical interpretations, the planks of the Tyrian ship are cut from the fir or cedar trees of Sanir, from which it is woven and constructed, and its mast is made of cedar or cypress from Lebanon: fir or cedar, because of their lightness and the softness of the joints between the planks that hold and bite each other; or cedar, because it is a wood that does not rot. But Sanir is said to mean 'way of the torch'; or as we think more accurately, the tooth of the watchmen, because all the prosperity and illumination of a ship comes from true light. But Sanir is also the mountain itself which is called Hermon, which others call Sanior. Read the history. Lebanon means whiteness or whitening, which also contributes to grace coming from elsewhere.
27:6
(Vers. 6.) They have fashioned oars for your ship from the oak trees of Bashan: they have made your benches out of Indian ivory, and your decks out of the islands of Italy. LXX: They have made your oars and your temples out of the oak trees of Bashan, and they have made for you wild houses out of ivory from the islands of the Kittim. What a beautiful ship it is, and its furnishings, that it has cedar oars, not just any, but from Bashan, and ivory benches, and precious goods are stored in the cellars or warehouses, from the islands of the Kittim, which we refer to as Italy: from that region which is closer to Greece, understanding all the parts of the Western islands. Let us therefore say, according to the spiritual interpretation, that the oars of the Tyrian ship are made from Bazan, of which it is also written in the Psalms: 'The Lord said, I will turn Bazan from the depths of the sea' (Ps. 68:23). Bazan in our language is interpreted as ignominy. Therefore, God converts those who were in the depths of the sea, and the ignominy of sins, and converts them into oars, so that they may navigate with the Apostles and reach the land and the shores; and they become benches of ivory when they mortify their bodies, or when they use their teeth for the praises of God, and storerooms or cellars of the islands of Kittim, which, according to the etymology of the Hebrew language, is translated as 'struck,' so that it may not be so much killed by the blows of the devil as approved. We can speak about the ivory and wild houses of the islands of the Chettiim, which the heretics try to build not in the house of God, but on a Tyrian ship. And they, having their own ivory of language, build temples of God that are contrary to the temple, and wild houses, dwellings of beasts, even though the Scripture says that groves, and woods, and forests should not be planted in the house of God (Deut. XII).
27:7
(Verse 7.) Fine linen woven from Egypt was made into a veil for you, to be placed in a chest. Hyacinth and purple from the isles of Elisha became your covering. LXX: Fine linen woven with variety from Egypt was made into a bedspread for you, to surround you with glory, and to cover you with hyacinth and purple. Your coverings were made from the isles of Elisha. Because Tyre had said, 'I am perfect in beauty,' she is accused of receiving things from various regions, according to the Scripture: 'What do you have that you did not receive?' But if you have received it, why do you boast as if you have not received it? Therefore, it is described what each province should send, according to that passage from Virgil's Georgics, book I.
India sends ivory: the soft Sabaeans their frankincense: hard iron from the Chalybes, and men from Pontus skilled in beaver-traps, etc. In Egypt, linen is produced in great abundance, from which the sail of the Tyrian ship is woven, which is hung from the mast, and its covering, which provides shade for sailors and passengers in the heat and calm of the sun, is made of hyacinth and purple; these are from the Elisa Islands, which are so called from the Ionian Sea. Furthermore, next to the Septuagint, they weave in layers of linen, and they cover the Tyrian ship with veils, so that it may be more glorious with these coverings, and it may have a more beautiful appearance being surrounded by a garment. But linen is made from the earth, because it originates from the earth, and the hyacinth from the air, the purple from the sea from which it is produced, with the addition of double-dyed scarlet, with which the vestments of the Pontiff are woven, we often remind that they signify the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water, from which all things consist, which Tyre assumes for itself, not using them with gratitude as creatures of God, but saying: I am the perfect beauty: or, I have surrounded myself with beauty.
27:8-9
(Vers. 8, 9.) The inhabitants of Sidon and Arad were your sailors. Your wise men, Tyre, became your captains. The elders of Biblos and their wise men provided sailors for the service of your various goods. All the ships of the sea and their sailors were in the service of your commerce. LXX: Your princes dwelled in Sidon and the men of Arad were your sailors. Your wise men, Sora, who were in you, they were your captains. The elders of Tyre and its wise men were in you: they strengthened your counsel, and all the ships of the sea, and their sailors became your servants in the west of the west. It was said above: Your neighbors who built you, have filled your beauty: before those who live far away come to them, he describes the aid of neighboring provinces. Your inhabitants, he says, or the princes of Sidon and Arad, which is a nearby island, your sailors. Your wise men, O Tyre, have become your governors. For the governing properly belongs to the wise, as Scripture says: 'Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.' (Proverbs 11:14) The elders or senior men of the Bible, and its wise men, provided sailors for your service, strengthened the counsel of Tyre, and provided various merchandise. And all the ships of the sea, with their sailors, were part of the trading people of Tyre, or in the far west. This, meanwhile, according to the letter. But according to mystical understanding, because Sidonians are interpreted as hunters, and Aradians, who lay down: we will say that Tyre is a glorious and most proud city, which, with the wind blowing, is to be destroyed afterwards, has citizens, or rather hunter princes, about whom it is written: Our soul has been taken like a sparrow from the trap of the hunters. For where we read hunters, in Hebrew it is written, of the Sidonians. These people come to the unwary souls, who are placed in high positions, in order to lead them to earthly things, and they become the steersmen, leading them to shipwrecks. But the wise men of Tyre, who are received in a bad way, through which they are wiser than the sons of light, themselves guide Tyre prepared for shipwreck. The elders of the Bible and its wise men provided sailors to Tyre for service, or they strengthened its counsel. The holy history tells that there were many seniors rejected by the Lord, and the juniors chosen as the symbol of the Synagogue and the Church. Senior Cain is added, and junior Abel is chosen (Genesis IV): Ishmael, the son of Abraham, is estranged from his father, and junior Isaac receives the inheritance (Genesis XXI). Among the sons of Isaac, senior Esau is a hunter and wanders in the forests, while junior Jacob simply dwells at home (Genesis XXV). And it is written in Malachi: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated (Mal. I, 2). And rightly, according to the Apostle (Rom. IX, 13), they had done neither good nor evil in their mother's womb, so that one would be chosen and the other rejected, except that in the type, as we have said, the elder is repelled, and the younger assumed. All, he says, the ships of the sea and their sailors were in the people of the trading of Tyre, or in the furthest west. How is the Song of Songs called, and the age of ages, and the work of works; so that the greater song is compared to other songs, and the longer age to other ages, and the more useful work to other works: thus the West of the West is called, to signify the magnitude of the Western parts. And beautifully do the ships of the sea, and their sailors, and the rowers who assist the ship of Tyre, not go towards the East, nor towards the rising of the light, where the sun of justice is born, but towards the West of the West, where the light sets, and where the beginning of darkness is.
27:10
(Verse 10) The Persians, Lydians (commonly known as Lydia), and Libyans were in your army, your mighty warriors. They hung their shields and helmets on you for your adornment (or they themselves hung up their shields and helmets, giving glory to you). The Persians were the bravest, of whom Cyrus, their king, as prophesied by Isaiah (Isa. XLV), conquered Babylon after overthrowing Astyages, the king of the Medes. This is narrated in both sacred and secular history. Moreover, at that time, they were considered among the strongest nations, of whom King Croesus was captured by Cyrus himself, as Xenophon writes in great detail. And we read in the book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 12) that Libya, along with the Troglodytes and Ethiopians, came against Jerusalem: because they were flourishing in those times, they are remembered as famous warriors, defenders of the city of Tyre, and they hung shields and helmets on the defenses of the walls to terrify the enemies. But spiritual understanding signifies that the Persians, who are interpreted as 'those who try' or 'those who have been tried'; and the Lydians, whom we understand to be 'those who are born'; and the Libyans, who are called Phut in Hebrew, and are translated as 'from the mouth' (from speech, not from bone); in vain they strive to defend Tyre with temptation, and are overcome, and serve the generation and lust, and only multiply empty words, not having the helmet of salvation, nor the shield of faith (Ephesians 6); but they only pretend glory and noise of words to adorn it.
27:11
(Verse 11.) The sons of Aradius with their army (or their own) were on your walls all around. But also the Pygmies who were in your towers hung their quivers (or your quivers) on your walls in a circle, they completed your beauty. LXX: The sons of Aradius, and your strength on your walls, were guardians all around in your towers. They hung their quivers on your battlements in a circle. They have completed your adornment. --The Word Gamadim (), the first edition of the Eagle, the Pygmies: Symmachus, the Medes: the Septuagint, the Guardians: Theodotus Gamadim, the Hebrew itself, have translated. We still see the island of Aradus, which is entirely a city, and the opposite town of Antaradus, which is adjacent to Tyre, and stretches along the coast of Phoenicia on the mainland up to this day: these are the guards of the city of Tyre and the custodians of its towers, and they have placed their quivers around them and filled their beauty, so that they are taught to be archers, whether they are pygmies, that is, warriors, and very ready for war, ἀπὸ τῆς πυγμῆς, which is translated into Greek as a contest. But if, on the other hand, they are called the deceitful ones of Aradius, everyone who claims to have knowledge of false names and carries in the quiver of his heart the fiery darts of the devil, with which he wounds and inflames the hearts of those who are deceived, should be called Aradius. For he desires to cast down those who strive to ascend to heights, and he completes the beauty of Tyre, of which it is written in Proverbs: Let not the desire for beauty deceive you, nor be captivated by your eyes (Prov. VI, 25). And again: Just as earrings in a pig's snout, so is beauty to a woman who is ill-tempered. (Ibid. XI, 22).
27:12
(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. However, we should not understand the explorers here in a positive sense, like the ones Moses sent to explore the promised land (Numbers 13), but rather in a negative sense, like the ones the Apostle says to avoid: because of false brothers brought in, who came in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ (Galatians 2, 4): and of whom Joseph speaks: You are spies: you have come to see the nakedness of the land (Genesis 42, 9). And understanding that their crime was not small, they began to investigate the matter through treacherous methods, they replied: 'Your slaves are not spies.' Therefore, these individuals multiply the markets of Tyre not with gold or precious stones, but with silver, iron, tin, and lead, possessing the elegance of speech and weapons for attack; and in tin, they counterfeit the appearance of silver; and in lead, they commit the most grave impiety, as described in the Book of Zechariah (Zech. 5), where a woman sits on a lead talent, and the Egyptians sink into the depths like lead. The discussion of each metal is long, but brevity must be studied.
27:13-14
(Vers. 13, 14.) Greece, Tubal, and Meshech themselves brought slaves and bronze vessels to your people. From the house of Togarmah they brought horses and horsemen, and mules to your market. Also, Greece and its surroundings, your merchants brought souls of men and bronze vessels to your market. From the house of Togarmah, they brought horses, horsemen, and mules to your trading post. Jones says that the Hebrews called Javan, and Tubal, that is, the Eastern Iberians, or those from the Western part of Hispania, who are called by this name from the river Iberus, and Meshech, whom we understand to be the Cappadocians, of which their metropolis, which later was named Caesarea by Augustus Caesar, is still called in their language Mazaca. They made valuable trade for Tyre, bringing slaves and bronze vessels from Corinth to Tyre, and horses, horsemen, and mules from the house of Togarmah, that is, from Phrygia, which once had a great abundance of those. The Hebrews say that Greece, that is, Javan, means both 'is' and 'is not', which properly refers to secular wisdom. If they find something right, they call it 'is'; if they find it to be in the opposite direction, they call it 'is not'. They discuss many things themselves about the blessings of nature and about duties, self-control, and the despising of riches, which the Stoics properly claim for themselves. And they seem to make the souls of the people whom they deceive profitable. They have bronze vessels, which they present to the people of Tyre, that they may supplant them with the opinion of false teaching. Also, from the house of Thogorma, which means stranger and foreigner, horses will be brought to the market and fair, and both horsemen and mules, of which it is written: A deceitful horse for safety (Ps. 32:17). And in another place: All who mount horses have slumbered (Ps. 76:7). And in the Psalms: Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding (Ps. 32:9). Therefore, Doeg the accuser and slayer of the priests was the chief of many (2 Sam. 22), and these are from the house of foreigners and strangers, who do not eat the flesh of lambs, of which it is written: A stranger and a hired servant shall not eat of it (Exod. 12:43); so that all the markets of Tyre may be filled with these goods.
Your sons, O Dadan, are your merchants. For some, interpreting the Seventy, have translated the sons of the Rhodians as, perhaps, by a similarity of the first letters, instead of Dadan, they read Radan, which is itself the largest of the Cyclades, and once was a most powerful city in the Ionian Sea, glorious in naval warfare, and the safest harbor for all merchants. And because the Rhodians are turned into our language, it is now said tropologically of those who perceive the truth of judgment but do not do it, as the apostle said: Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are that judges. For in judging another, you condemn yourself. For you do the same things that you judge (Rom. II, 1). But it is better to give the name of Dadan to another place, as it is in Hebrew and among other interpreters.
27:15-16
(Vers. 15, 16.) Many islands have traded with your merchandise: they have exchanged ivory and ebony for your price. Your merchant, Syrus, because of the multitude of your works, has presented pearls, purple, embroidered garments, fine linen, silk, and scarlet in your market. LXX: They have multiplied your merchandise with islands: you were repaying your wages with elephant tusks and those who were being brought in. Your business has been purchased by many of your customers: They traded in aphec, stacten, and polymita from Tharsis and Ramoth and Chodchod in your market. The Hebrew text differs greatly from the Septuagint edition in this particular passage; therefore, a few things must be said according to each. So that we don't get too caught up in Tyrian merchandise, let's move on to the remaining prophecies. The sons of Dadan, Tyrian merchants, have multiplied their business in many islands, so that they traded elephant tusks with those who came for their commerce, and they had men in the markets because of the multitude of trade. But they had in Aphech what is added in Theodotion's edition to the Seventy: for which Symmachus translates, 'polymita.' Also, Stacte, for which all others interpret 'purple,' which is called Argaman in Hebrew: and varieties from Tharsis, for which in Hebrew it is called Bus, which is translated by all as 'byssus.' However, Tharsis is not found anywhere in this place. And they gave 'ramoth' and 'chodchod' in your markets; which is found thus in Hebrew, except that instead of 'ramoth,' Aquila interprets it as 'silk,' or 'fine.' All the interpreters indeed have accurately translated it in the way it is placed in Hebrew (). Therefore, according to the Septuagint, the sons of the Rhodians, the merchants of Tyre, increased his trade from many islands: according to the Hebrew (text), after the sons of Dadan, his merchants also enlarged their trade with the islands of various nations, bringing ivory from India and precious black lignum vitae, and exchanged (them) with other Tyrian goods. Syrus was also a Tyrian trader: for which reason in Hebrew it is written Aram (), in place of which the Seventy interpreters have rendered it Adam, and Res and Daleth, as above, being deceived by the similarity. However, to this day the innate ardor for trading remains in the Syrians, who with a desire for profit travel throughout the world, and have such a madness for commerce that, now that the Roman world has been conquered, they seek riches among swords and the deaths of the unfortunate, and flee poverty with dangers. There are such types of men in Tyre who trade in multicolored fabrics, purple, and embroidered cloth. They also offer linen and silk, and present precious goods in their market. Regarding purple, which everyone has interpreted, the Septuagint translates it as 'stacten,' which means 'drop.' However, I have not been able to find the meaning of 'chodchod' up until now. The Hebrews say that all precious goods are signified by this name, or that it is a certain type of precious merchandise that the Roman language does not mention, or simply a common term used by sellers. But from many islands, to move on to the mystical sense, which are beaten by the salty and bitter waves of this world, merchants of Dedan bring ivory teeth, promising the whiteness of eloquence; about whom it is written: Out of ivory palaces, from which the daughters of kings have delighted you in your glory (Ps. LIV, 9). But they are not white, nor do they imitate the bride, of whom it is said: Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved (Cant. VIII, 5)? But the Ethiopians of black color, who cannot change their blackness, as Jeremiah says: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? (Jer. XIII, 21) . And also the Syrian, that is, Aram, which means high, and swells with pride, is a merchant of Tyre, and in the multitude of the works of the Tyrians carries the knowledge of false names, promising many varieties, and the sweet smell of the best ointment, and the purple of royal dignity, and the chequered work of dialectic art, and fine linen, for which the Septuagint have rendered Tharsis, being devoted to the works of the earth: and silk, for which in Hebrew it is written, Ramoth, which means vision of death. For all earthly works hasten towards destruction; and chodchod, whatever that is which is understood, proposing it in the markets of Tyre. But among these goods which are said to be brought by its merchants and islands, either the region of India should be understood, or that of the Idumaeans and vast solitude, as some estimate, and it signifies a connection, so that we may recognize the likeness of divine teachings in heretics.
27:17
(Verse 17.) Judah and the land of Israel themselves, your merchants, offered to you in your markets, as the first fruits: balsam and honey, and oil, and resin. LXX: Judah and the sons of Israel, these are your merchants in the wheat trade and in ointments: they gave you first honey and oil, and resin in your markets. The Hebrew word 'Phanag' (פַּנַּג) was translated by Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion in the way that it is written in Hebrew: for which the LXX translated 'ointment', we translate 'balsam'. It is said, however, that the land of Judaea, which is now called Palestine, abounds in provisions, such as grain, balsam, honey, oil, and resin, which are carried from Judaea and Israel to the market of Tyre. And when the literal meaning is clear, according to the spiritual sense, we say that the land of confession, and the understanding of God that pertains to the Church, should not carry to Tyre the first wheat, which, when it falls to the ground, multiplies and is taken as the word of God: For man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3). Then the balsam that grows in the vineyards of En-gedi, or the ointment, of which it is written: 'Like the ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron.' (Psalm 133:2). And the honey about which Solomon speaks: 'Thou hast found honey, eat what is sufficient for thee; lest thou be filled therewith and vomit it.' (Proverbs 25:16), for excessive satisfaction turns honey into wormwood. Also the oil with which the lamp in the tabernacle of God is lit, lest that prophetic saying be applied to us: 'Thou didst sell the oil in Egypt.' (Hosea 12:1). But if it is in Egypt and in Tyre, it will turn to the opposite, and it will be said of it, 'The oil of the sinner will not anoint my head' (Ps. CXL, 5). But resin is also gentle, suitable for bodies, and is taken as medicine. Hence it is written in Jeremiah: Is there not resin in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the healing of the daughter of my people not gone up? (Jer. VIII, 22). Jacob also had this resin, which he sent to his son Joseph with honey, balm, nuts, and frankincense (Gen. XLIII). The Ishmaelites who bought Joseph from the land of Israel were carrying these things to Egypt: resin, balm, honey, and oil, as well as frankincense from Gilead (Genesis 37). To better understand what wheat, balsam, honey, and oil, as well as resin, were used for in the market of Tyre, let us listen to the words of the Lord, who said: Do not give what is holy to the dogs; do not cast your pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). And to the Canaanite woman who was praying for her daughter, saying: My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon, the Lord replied: It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs (Matthew 15:22, 26). But because it had gone out from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and was approaching the land of Israel, that which she had requested was obtained.
27:18
(Verse 18.) Your Damascene merchant in the multitude of your works: in the abundance of different goods: in rich wine, in the finest wool. LXX: Your Damascene merchant in the multitude of your works, from the abundance of all your strength: wine from Helbon, and wool from Miletus. Regarding the rich wine, which Symmachus, Aquila, and Theodotion interpreted, and in the Hebrew text itself, it says, wine from Helbon. And again, when we settled ourselves in the best colored wool, both the Eagle and Theodotius transferred to the wool market of Soor. And it is significant that among the other trade of Tyre, the finest wine and the best wool were brought to its market from Damascus, which we still see today. But if Damascus is interpreted as drinking blood, and the true tradition of the Hebrews is that the field where Abel was killed by the fratricide Cain (Gen. IV) was in Damascus, from which the place derives its notable name, then rightly Paul went to Damascus after the killing of Stephen, the first martyr in Christ, in order to lead the believers in Christ as prisoners to Jerusalem. And by the mercy of God, who made the blind see and the sighted blind, he lost the eyes of the flesh so that he could receive the eyes of the mind. And scales fell from his eyes, with which he had lost the light of truth, so that he could go to the street that is called Straight and find Ananias, which is interpreted in our language as obedient (Acts IX). Therefore, from this land, which is called 'Cursed is the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood' (Gen. IV, 11), the Tyrians gather at the market, and there is rich wine and shining wool: either wine from Chelbon, which means milky. Seventy are for the best-colored wool, from Miletus, or Tyre, they say. Miletus is not found in Hebrew, but because the finest wool is brought from there, they have interpreted 'Soor' as Miletus. From this it is clear that Tyre feeds on the milk of infancy and does not have its own clothing, but rather obtains it from elsewhere and from various provinces. The interpretation of Damascus as 'the blood of Cilicia' and 'the blood of a kiss' does not fit the current context. Frequently, Hebrew names are interpreted in various ways due to the diversity of accents and the change of letters and vowels, especially those that have their own peculiarities among them.
27:19
(Verse 19.) Both Greece and Mozel (also known as Moscow) have put forward wrought iron during your markets. Stacte and calamus are in your business dealings. The Septuagint version adds the following about Dan, Javan, and Mozel in your markets. Wrought iron is made by skilled craftsmen, and the wheel is part of your trade. The name Dan was taken from the patriarch and the tribe, and it refers to the place where the tribe lived. Today, that place is called Paneas, which was once known as Caesarea Philippi. And so the Jordan River obtained its name, from Jor, which means 'river', and Dan, which flows from Lebanon. Javan, on the other hand, represents Greece, which as we have said, both is and is not. Symmachus also translates Mozel as carrying, so the meaning is: Dan and Greece have brought iron goods to your markets, and so on. Aquila, however, translates Mozel as Uzal. From these regions, it is believed that iron, stacte, and reed are exported to the Tyrian markets. Let us declare that Greece, that is, Javan, possesses expertly crafted iron and is very ready for war, boasting that it can express everything with judgment and reason through the art of dialectic. It promises a vocal sound that can be interpreted on paper and the pure scent of stacte, whether it be the crafted iron or the wheel that turns with the arrangement of words, and it possesses the flow of speech.