Ezekiel 27:13
Ver. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants,.... Javan designs Greece, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it; especially that part of it called Ionia, from Javan the son of Japheth, Ge 10:2 and Tubal, and Meshech, were also sons of Japheth; the former are the Iberi and Albanians, as Jerom and others, among whom were a city called Thabilaca, by Ptolemy {w}; and the latter the Cappadocians, with whom is a city called Mazaca {x}.They traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy markets; or, "the souls of men" {y}; they bought up men and women in the several countries to which they belonged, or where they traded, and brought them to Tyre, and sold them for slaves; and the Ionian and Grecian slaves were had in great esteem: and the best brass, of which vessels were made, was had from Corinth, Delus, and Aeginetus; according to Pliny {z}, Cappadocia was famous for it also: in the first of these merchandises Tyrus was remarkably a type of antichrist, who is said to deal in such wares, the souls of men, Re 18:13. The word here rendered "markets", Gussetius {a} also observes, does not design the place of commerce, but the act of negotiation or trade; and so it is rendered by many {b}.{w} Geograph. l. 5. c. 12. {x} Joseph. Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 1. {y} Mda vpnb "animabus hominum", Pagninus, Vatablus, Cocceius, Starckius. {z} Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 2. {a} Ebr. Comment. p. 642. {b} Kbrem thn emporian bou, Sept.; "negotiationem tuam", Tigurine version; "in commercio tuo", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus; "mercaturam tuam", Cocceius. Ezekiel 27:14Ver. 14. They of the house of Togarmah,.... The Targum is,"they of the province or country of Germany.''Jerom understands it of Phrygia, near to which was Cappadocia; and perhaps is here meant, since it abounded with what these people are said to trade with Tyre in:these traded in thy fairs with horses, horsemen, and mules; for the Cappadocians paid for their yearly tribute to the Persians fifteen hundred horses, and two thousand mules, as Bochart {c} from Strabo observes; and as they sold horses and mules to the Tyrians, so likewise horsemen, men that were skilled in riding and taking care of horses; and these were sold along with the horses, as servants for that purpose.{c} Phaleg. c. 11. col. 178. Ezekiel 27:15Ver. 15. The men of Dedan were thy merchants,.... Not Dedan in Idumea or Edom, but in Arabia, from Dedan the son of Raamah, Ge 10:7:many isles were the merchandise of thine hands; that is, many isles took off their manufactures from them, in lieu of what they brought them, which were as follow:they brought thee 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 2Ch 9:21, but Ben Melech much better interprets it of a tree, called in Arabia "ebenus". Solinus makes it peculiar to India {d}; and so Virgil {e}.{d} Polyhistor. c. 65. {e} "----Sola India nigrum fert ebenum.----" Virgil. Georgic. 1. 2. Ezekiel 27:16Ver. 16. Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making,.... Which they took off of their hands, and for them brought the following things:they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds; precious stones of a green colour: Jarchi renders it "carbuncles", other precious stones of a different colour; and so the word is translated by Pagninus, Montanus, Grotius, the French, and Diodate; sometimes called "carchedonies", and which the Apostle John calls the "chalcedony", Re 21:19, the same with rubies; and so the word here used is rendered by Luther; and, by Abarbinel, precious stones of great value; see Pr 3:15, from whence the Syrians had these to trade with at Tyre cannot be easily said; the modern rubies, which are thought to be the true and genuine carbuncles of the ancients, seldom exceed the weight of twenty carats; yet some say the Emperor Rudolphus the second had a ruby as big as a little hen's egg, bought at sixty thousand ducats, and supposed to be worth more; and that Regulus Decan had one of thirty four carats, bought at six minas of gold, that is, a hundred and ninety two pounds of gold; and that the great Mogul had one, which cost a million four hundred and twenty five thousand florins; and that there are some which exceed the weight of fifty carats {f}; but there were few, if any of these, that came to the market of Tyre; however, no doubt, some valuable ones were here sold.Purple, and broidered work, and fine linen; cloth of purple colour, raiment of needlework curiously embroidered, and linen of the best sort. So the Targum,"purple clothes, and wrought with a needle, and linen of different colours;''and of such they made their sails, tilts, and tents; see Eze 27:7.And coral, and agate; the first is a sea plant."This opinion is now so well established, that all other sentiments seem almost precluded. P. Kircher supposes entire forests of it at the bottom of the sea; and M. Tournefort, that able botanist, maintains, that it evidently multiplies by seed, though neither its flower nor seed be known. However, the count de Marsigli has discovered some parts therein, which seem to serve the purpose of seeds and flower, it vegetates the contrary way to all other plants; its foot adhering to the top of the grotto, and its branches shooting downwards, there are properly but three kinds of coral, red, white, and black; the white is the rarest and most esteemed; but it is the red that is ordinarily used in medicine; the places for fishing it are the Persian gulf, Red sea, coasts of Africa towards the bastion of France, the isles of Majorca and Corsica, and the coasts of Provence and Catalonia {g}.''Perhaps the Syrians might have theirs from the Red sea, or the Mediterranean. The other, the "agate", is a precious stone, the same with the "achates", first found in Sicily, as Isidore says {h}, by a river of the same name; is of a black colour, according to him, having in the middle black and white circles joined and variegated; but they are of different colours, and of different degrees of transparency. The word is variously rendered; by some the ruby; by others the carbuncle; by others the chalcedony; and by others crystal; it is hard to say what is meant. Now the Phoenicians or Tyrians were so deeply engaged in trade with the Syrians, that it became a common proverb, the Phonicians against the Syrians {i}; when like are set against like, as the Egyptians against the Egyptians, Isa 19:2.{f} Vid. Braunium de Vestitu Sacerdot. Hebr. 1. 2. c. 11. p. 669. {g} Chambers's Cyclopaedia in the word "Coral". {h} Origin, l. 16. c. 11. {i} Vid. Reinesium de Lingua Punic. c. 2. sect. 12. Ezekiel 27:17Ver. 17. Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants,.... The inhabitants of Judah and Israel; the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the other ten tribes of Israel, they all merchandised with the Tyrians, being near unto them:they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith; the name of a place, Jud 11:33, where probably the best wheat grew; so the Targum renders it; the Tyrians were supplied with wheat from the land of Israel, in the times of Solomon, long before this, 1Ki 5:11 as they were in the times of Herod, long after, Ac 12:20, it was four miles from Esbus or Heshbon, in the way to Philadelphia, according to Eusebius:and Pannag; which some take to be the name of a place, where the best wheat also was; which some say was Phoenicia, or the land of Canaan. The Septuagint render it "ointments": and the Latin interpreter of the Targum "balsam"; with which agrees Josephus ben Gorion {k}, who says that at Jericho grew the balsam tree, from whence came a precious oil, which oil is "pannag": and Hillerus {l} translates it balsam: it follows,and honey, and oil: with which the land of Canaan abounded; for it was a land of oil olive and honey, a land that flowed with milk and honey, De 8:8 so that they had enough for themselves, and to spare for their neighbours, and which they carried to the market of Tyre:and balm; or balsam, of which there was plenty at Gilead, and near Jericho, however at the latter; we read of the balm of Gilead, Jer 8:22. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it "rosin"; and so the Targum; and this the Tyrians might make use of in their ships {m}. The balm, or balsam plant, was peculiar to Judea, as Pliny {n}; at least it was the place of it until transplanted into other countries; and so says Solinus {o}.{k} Hist. 1. 4. c. 22. p. 379. {l} Onomastic. Sacr. p. 903. {m} Vid. Scheffer. de Militia Navali, p. 43. 319. {n} Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 25. {o} Polyhistor. c. 48. Ezekiel 27:18Ver. 18. Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making,.... Of the many things manufactured at Tyre, the inhabitants of Damascus, once the chief city of Syria, took some:for the multitude of all riches: in lieu of the vast quantity of rich things there made, they traded with them for them:in the wine of Helbon, and white wool; Helbon very probably is the same with the Chalybon of Ptolemy {p}, which he places in Syria; a place famous for wine, as Strabo {q} reports; the kings of Persia, he says, through riches fell into luxury, so that they would have wheat brought from Assos in Aeolia, and Chalybonian wine out of Syria, and water from Eulaeus (the river Ulai in Da 8:2), which was lightest of all; and so Athenaeus {r} says, the kings of the Persians drink only Chalybonian wine; which, says Posidonius, was made at Damascus in Syria, from whence the Persians transplant vines: Helbon is thought to be the same with Aleppo; the grapes there are all white, and make a strong wine, as Monsieur Thevenot {s} relates; and who also observes, that the wines of Damascus are treacherous and strong: and the wool they bought was such as it came off of the backs of the sheep, and the purer and whiter sort of it; which was brought to Tyre, and by them bought, and dyed purple, for which dye the Tyrians were famous.{p} Geograph. l. 5. c. 15. {q} Ibid. l. 12. p. 505. {r} L. 1. c. 22. {s} Travels, part 2. B. 1. c. 5. p. 25. & c. 7. p. 33. Ezekiel 27:19Ver. 19. Dan also and Javan, going to and fro, occupied in thy fairs,.... Either the inhabitants of the tribe of Dan in general; or of Laish, sometime called Dan, and in later times Caesarea Philippi, which was in that tribe: though Grotius thinks that Taprobane, or the isle of Zeilan, is meant, where, and not in Dan, were the things after mentioned, in plenty; and where also, according to Ptolemy {t}, was a city called Dana or Dagana: and Bochart takes Javan not to be Greece, but a people of a country in Arabia, the metropolis of which was Uzal; and so he renders it, as some of the Greek versions do, Javan of Uzal, or Asel, to distinguish it from the other Javan, Eze 27:13, where also, and not in Greece, the sweet spices grew, which these are said to trade in:bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market; brought from the above places; polished iron or steel, and the sweet spices of cassia and calamus, or the aromatic cane or reed, which came from afar, Jer 6:20.{t} Geograph. l. 7. c. 4. Ezekiel 27:20Ver. 20. Dedan was thy merchant in precious cloths for chariots. Or, "cloths of freedom" {u}; such as freemen and even nobles wore; and yet so extravagant were the Tyrians, that they bought these to line or cover their chariots with; this is different from the Dedan in Eze 27:15, and is either Dedan in Edom or Idumea, Jer 49:8, or in Arabia, the inhabitants of which descended from Dedan, a grandson of Abraham, Ge 25:3, which agrees with the following.{u} vpx ydgbb "pannis libertatis", Vatablus, Piscator; "ingenuorem", Junius & Tremellius. So Ben Melech, and R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 30. 2. Ezekiel 27:21Ver. 21. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar,.... Arabia was a large country, divided into three parts, Arabia Deserts, or the desert; Arabia Petraea, or the rocky; and Arabia Felix, or the happy. Kedar was in Arabia Petrea; its inhabitants were called Kedarenes, descended from Kedar, a son of Ishmael, Ge 25:13, they were chiefly shepherds, and dwelt in tents, to which the allusion is in So 1:5, these princes were the rich and wealthy among them, who bought up the cattle of the meaner sort, and brought them to Tyre. In Jerom's time Kedar was the country of the Saracens. The Targum calls them the princes of Nebat, the same with Nebajoth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and brother of Kedar, Ge 25:13.They occupied with thee: or, "they were the merchants of thine hand {w}"; that took off her manufactures from her, in lieu of "the lambs, and rams, and goats", they brought to market, for her food and sacrifices; keeping of sheep being their chief employment: "in these were they thy merchants": they supplied them with their cattle, and took their wares of them for them.{w} Kdy yrxo "negotiatores manus tuae", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "mercatores manna tuae", Cocceius, Starckius. Ezekiel 27:22Ver. 22. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants,.... This Sheba was the son of Raamah, Ge 10:7 who settled in Arabia Felix; where, according to Ptolemy {x}, is a city called Rhegma; and so Raamah is pronounced in the Septuagint version of Ge 10:7:they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices; as with myrrh and frankincense, with which they abounded: Pliny {y} says that the Arabians paid annually to the kings of Persia a thousand talents of frankincense; and that the Sabaeans {z} boiled their food, some with wood of frankincense, and others with wood of myrrh:and with all precious stones, and gold; as jaspers, emeralds, carbuncles, and others, which Pliny {a} says are found in Arabia; and mention is made of the gold of Sheba, Ps 72:15 and Bochart thinks that Ophir, from whence the famous gold of that name was fetched, was in Arabia Felix; and it may be observed, that the queen of Sheba gave great quantities of gold, of spices, and of precious stones, to Solomon; and that he had much of these kinds yearly from the spice merchants, and kings of Arabia, 1Ki 10:10,See Gill on "Isa 60:6".{x} Geograph. l. 6. c. 7. {y} Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 17. {z} "----Solis est thurea virga Sabaeis". Virgil. Georgic. l. 2. {a} Nat. Hist. l. 37. Ezekiel 27:23Ver. 23. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden,.... Haran was a city of Mesopotamia, the same with Haran, where Abraham dwelt awhile, Ac 7:2, the Charrae of the Parthians, famous for the defeat of Crassus. Canneh is thought to be the same with Calneh, Ge 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 Eze 27:22, this Sheba was the son of Jokshan, a son of Abraham by Keturah, Ge 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, Ge 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. Ezekiel 27:24Ver. 24. These were thy merchants in all sorts of things,.... Either all before mentioned throughout the chapter, or rather those only in the preceding verse; also these were merchants in various things after mentioned, and which were the best and most perfect of the kind, as the word {d} used signifies:in blue cloths, and broidered work; these the Assyrians took of them, a colour in which they much delighted; see Eze 23:6:and in chests of rich apparel bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise; rich apparel, such as scarlet cloaks, as the Targum, and blue cloths as before; these were well packed up in chests made of "cedar", which they had from Lebanon, and so fit to be put on board a ship, and carried into any part of the world. The Targum adds,"and sealed with a signet;''as things well packed up and bound sometimes are, being of worth and value. Some render it, "in chains"; or, "chains were among thy merchandise" {e}; such as chains of gold, wore about the neck; and take the word to be of the sam meaning with that in So 1:10.{d} Myllkmb "rebus perfectissimis", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus, Cocceius, Starckius. {e} Ktlkrmb Myzraw "et torquibus in negotiatione tua", Pagninus; "et torques fuerunt in nundinis tuis", Vatablus. So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 71. 2. Ezekiel 27:25Ver. 25. The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in market,.... The ships of the sea in general; for Tarshish is used for the sea; these from all parts came to Tyre with their several wares, the product of their country from whence they came, and, finding a good market for them at Tyre, spoke greatly in her praise, or, "were thy princes", or "thy chief ones, in thy market" {f}; these brought the principal things into it, and took off the chief that were in it, which were of the produce of Tyre:and thou wast replenished; with goods from all parts, with every thing for their necessity, convenience, pleasure, and delight, and to carry on a traffic with all nations:and made very glorious in the midst of the seas; with great riches, stately towers and buildings. Here ends the account of Tyre's greatness; next follows her ruin and destruction.{f} Kytwrv "principes", V. L. Montanus, Castalio, Starckius; "praecipuae", Tigurine version, Grotius. So some in Vatablus. Ezekiel 27:26Ver. 26. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters,.... Here the city of Tyre is compared to a vessel at sea, with great propriety, it being built in the sea, and its trade chiefly there; and its rulers and governors, or the inhabitants of it, to rowers; literally the men of Zidon and Arvad were her rowers, Eze 27:8, the straits, difficulties, and distresses these brought Tyre into, are compared to great waters; who, by some unadvised step or another, provoked the king of Babylon to come against them with his army, and lay siege unto them:the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas; a wind very fatal to ships and mariners; see Ps 48:7, by it are meant Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army; so called, because of their great force and fury; and because Babylon, from whence they came, lay somewhat to the east of Tyre. So the Targum,"a king who is strong as the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.'' Ezekiel 27:27Ver. 27. Thy riches,.... That vast mass of wealth Tyre had got by her trade and merchandise, were all lost, at once, and came to nought, which had been many years gathering; see Re 18:17:and thy fairs; to which there were such great resorts from all parts, and where such a prodigious traffic was carried on, were now interrupted by the siege, and put to an end upon the ruin of the city:thy merchandise; the goods both imported and exported; the wares that were brought in from foreign parts, and sold in her, and what was taken from her in lieu of them; now nothing more of this kind; and what goods were in her, whether her own or others, were all lost and destroyed:thy mariners; who were the inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad, Eze 27:8, these perished with her:and thy pilots; who were the wisest, most skilful, and best learned in the art of navigation, and who were of the city itself, these were no more, Eze 27:8:thy calkers: the wise and ancient men of Gebal, Eze 27:9:and the occupiers of the merchandise; that traded in her markets and fairs, mentioned from Eze 27:12:and all thy men of war that are in thee: to fight for her and defend her; the Persians, Lydiaus, and Lybians, the men of Arvad, and the Gammadims, Eze 27:10:and in all thy company, which is in the midst of thee; the great concourse of people, whether natives or foreigners:these all shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin: the walls and banks being demolished, the sea broke in upon it, and washed all away in it, and left it a bare rock; see Eze 26:4. Ezekiel 27:28Ver. 28. The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. Or governors, as the Targum; and so the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions: the allegory of a ship wrecked is still continued: the sense is, that such should be the cry of the principal men of the city when it should be taken, that the noise of it would be heard upon the continent, and in the towns and villages belonging to Tyre, which would make the inhabitants of them tremble: or,at the sound of the cry of thy pilots the waves are moved, or "tremble" {g}; which beat very strong at the time of her fall into the sea.{g} twvrgm wvery "commoti sunt fluctus jactni", Junius & Tremellius; "contremiscent fluctus", Piscator. Ezekiel 27:29Ver. 29. And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea,.... Inferior officers, and the common people; though this may be literally understood of all sorts of seafaring people, differently employed in ships; some at the oar; some at the sails; and others at the helm; but all shall quit their posts,and shall come down from their ships; either there being no further business for them, an entire stop being put to trade, through the fall of Tyre; or because of danger, and to save themselves, would leave the ship, and betake to their boats, and make for land: hence it follows,they shall stand upon the land; upon the continent, being safely arrived; looking upon the shipwrecks, and bewailing the loss of Tyre, as in the next verse. Ezekiel 27:30Ver. 30. And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee,.... The rulers and governors of the city, for having taken a false step in provoking the enemy, and then holding out the siege no longer, as it was thought they might and would: or rather "over thee", or, "for thee" {h}; mourning over the city, and lamenting its sad case; see Re 18:9:and shall cry bitterly; with great weeping, howling, and shrieking:and they shall cast dust upon their heads; a custom used in the eastern countries, in time of mourning and sorrow; see Re 18:19:and they shall wallow themselves in ashes: or roll themselves in them, another custom used in mourning; see Jer 6:26.{h} Kyle "de te", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus, "super te"; Piscator, Cocceius, Starckius. Ezekiel 27:31Ver. 31. And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee,.... Either by shaving their heads, or tearing off their hair, as mourners in distress have been used to do:and gird them with sackcloth; about their loins, as was very customary in such distressed cases:and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing; not in show only, but in reality; not like the "preficae" or mourning women, though the allusion may be to them, who only mourned outwardly; but these from the very heart, and in great bitterness of spirit this is expressive of the inward grief of their minds on this melancholy occasion, as what follows declares the lamentation they expressed vocally; see Re 18:19. Ezekiel 27:32Ver. 32. And in their wailing they shall takes up a lamentation for thee,.... A mournful song, such as was used at funerals, or in times of calamity; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it:and lament over thee; saying the following ditty;what city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? as there was none like it a few years ago for riches, splendour, and glory, so now there is none like it for misery and ruin; see Re 18:18. The Targum is,"who is as Tyre? there is none like unto her in the midst of the sea;''she is not now Tyre the renowned, but Tyre the destroyed; destroyed in the midst of the sea, from whence she had her riches and her glory: or, "as one dumb or silent in the midst of the sea"; she, in whom was heard the voice of joy and singing, is now mute, and nothing more of that kind is heard in her see Re 18:22. Ezekiel 27:33Ver. 33. When thy wares went forth out of the seas,.... When they were took out of ships, which came to Tyre from all parts, and were landed on the shore, and put up in warehouses, and exposed in markets and The Targum is,"when thy merchandise went out from among the nations;''being brought from all parts thither:thou filledst many people; by selling them in their markets commodities they wanted, for which they came from all quarters; and by sending them to others in ships, where they knew they stood in need of them, and would fetch them a good price; and they had enough to answer the demands of all, and to supply them to the full:thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and pithy merchandise; by taking off the goods of their subjects, whereby they were able the better to pay their taxes, and support them in their grandeur and dignity; as well as by furnishing them gold and silver, and precious stones, which they gave for the produce of their country; or by the toll and custom of the goods imported or exported. Ezekiel 27:34Ver. 34. In the time when thou shall be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters..... By the Chaldean army, which came upon them like the waves of the sea, Eze 26:3 by which they were overpowered and destroyed; just as a ship on the mighty waters is dashed and broke to pieces by the waves thereof:thy merchandise, and all thy company in the midst of thee, shall fall; trade shall cease, and the mixed multitude of traders from all parts shall be seen no more; the natives of the place shall perish; mariners and soldiers, and persons of every rank and degree, age, and sex. The Targum renders it,"all thine armies.''Abendana suggests that this respects the destruction of Tyre by Alexander the great. Ezekiel 27:35Ver. 35. All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee,.... Both near and afar off; and not only the inhabitants of the isles, properly so called, but all that dwelt on the continent by the seaside; who would all be amazed when they heard of the ruin of Tyro, which they thought inexpugnable, by reason of its natural and artificial strength:and their kings shall be sore afraid; that it will be their turn next; and as well knowing that they were less able to contend with so mighty a monarch as the king of Babylon, or Alexander the great, than Tyre was; see Re 18:9:they shall be troubled in their countenance; their inward passions of grief and fear shall be seen in their countenances; which will wax pale, be dejected, distorted, and furrowed. Ezekiel 27:36Ver. 36. The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee,.... As Tyre had done at Jerusalem, Eze 26:2 as she hoped to make better markets upon the fall of Jerusalem, and therefore rejoiced at it; so these merchants upon her fall will hope that her trade will come into their hands, and therefore despise her, hiss, and laugh at her in her abject state. The Targum is,"shall be astonished at thee;''struck with wonder, and even with a stupor at her fall: "and thou shalt be a terror"; not only to thyself, but to kings and merchants, and to all the inhabitants of the isles, and to all that trade by sea; who will be struck with surprise and dread when they hear of thy destruction; see Re 18:9:and never shall be any more; upon the same spot, and in the same grandeur and glory: some understand this only of a long time, as seventy years, when it was rebuilt; see Isa 23:15, it may respect its last destruction, since which it has not been, nor now is, or ever will be: this will be true of mystical Babylon, the antitype of Tyre, Re 18:21.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.