John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 27:15

John Gill Commentary

Ezekiel 27:15

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Ezekiel 27:15

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"The men of Dedan were thy traffickers; many isles were the mart of thy hand: they brought thee in exchange horns of ivory and ebony." — Ezekiel 27:15 (ASV)

The men of Dedan were your merchants
Not Dedan in Idumea or Edom, but in Arabia, from Dedan the son of Raamah, (Genesis 10:7) : many isles were the merchandise of your hands ;
that is, many isles took off their manufactures from them, in lieu of what they brought them, which were as follow:

they brought you for a present ;
that they might have the liberty of trading in their fairs and markets; or rather for a reward, or as a price, for the goods they had of them: horns of ivory and ebony ;
Kimchi reads them as separate things; and which the Targum confirms, "horns, ivory, and ebony"; elks' horns, or horns of goats, as the Targum; and "ivory", or the teeth of elephants; and "ebony", which is a wood of a very black colour, hard and heavy, and of which many things are made. The Targum takes it for the name of a fowl, and renders it peacocks; so Jarchi; see (2 Chronicles 9:21) , but Ben Melech much better interprets it of a tree, called in Arabia "ebenus". Solinus makes it peculiar to India F4 ; and so Virgil F5 .


FOOTNOTES:

  • F4: Polyhistor. c. 65.
  • F5: "----Sola India nigrum fert ebenum.----" Virgil. Georgic. 1. 2.