The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 84

Egyptian and Assyrian remains (' Diet. between Beirnt and Tripoli, Its modern Bible,' '·"· "Ivory"). name, Gebail, retains the old Semitio form, Ver. 7.-For the fine linen ot Egypt, the and its ruins abound in marble and granite bYBSDB famous in its oommerce, see columns of Phamioian and Egyptian Gen. xli. 42; Exod. xxvi. 86. This, which workmanship. The work of the caulkers t.ook the place of the ooal'l!8 canvas of the was to stop the ohinks of the ship, and the co1nmou ships, was made more magnificent men of Gebal appear to have been specially by being embroidered with purple or crim- skilful in this. We note that the metaphor son, with gold borders. The ship of An- of the ship falls into the background in. the tony and Oleopsira had purple sails, which, latt~r clause of the verse, a.nd does not appear as they swelled out with the wind, served agmn. as a banner. The ancient ships had uo Ver. 10.-Peraia. The name does not meet flags or pennons. So the Revised Version us in any Old Testament book before the renders, of fine linen . . . toas fliy sail, exile, Elam taking its place. It was just that it might be to thu for an ensign. The about the time that Ezekiel wrote that the word for "sail" in the Authorized Version Persians were becoming conspicuous through is rendered " banner" in Pa. l.x. 4; Isa. xiii. 2, their o.llianee with the Medes. So we find and " ensign " in Isa. xi. I 2. The isles of it again in eh. xxxviii. 5 ; Dan. v. 28: Elishah. The name appears in Gen. x. 4 viii. 20 ; 2 Ohron. xxxvi. 20, 22: Ezra i. 1; as one of the sons of Javan. It has been iv. 5; Esth. i. 3. Here they are named as identified, on the ground chiefly of simi- mercenaries in the Tyrian army. Lud. The larity of sound, with Elis, Hellas, or .lEoliu.. LXX. and the Vulgate, led by the similarity Lnconia has been suggested 118 being of sound, give Lydians. In Gen. x. IS the tii.mous for the murex which supplied the Ludim appear as descendants of Mizraim, purple dye. The Targum gives Italy. while Lud in Gen. x, 22 ie joined with Sicily also has been conjectured. 'l'he murex Elam and Asshur os among the sons of is common all over the Mediterranean, but Shem. Its combination with "Phut" (i.e. Cythera and Abydos are named as having Libya) here and in Jer. xlvi. 9 is in favour been specially famous for it. Probably, as of its referring to an African nation (comp. in the case of" Chittim," the word was used also eh. xxx. 5; Isa. lxvi. 19). Phut. with considerable latitude. The latter Both the LXX. and the Vulgnte give clause of the verse describes the awning Libyans. In Gen. x. 6 the name is joined over the deck of the queenly ship. Was with Gush and Mizraim. The Lubim Ezekiel describing what he had actually (Libyans) are named as forming part of seen in the state-ship of Tyre? Shishak's army in 2 Chron. xii. 3 ; xvi. 8, Ver. 8.-The two cities are named as and in Nah. iii. 9 and Jer. xlvi. 9 a.a closely tributaries of Tyre from which she drew allied with the Egyptians. Ezekiel names her sailors, the Tyrians themselves acting Phut again as sharing in the fall of Tyre as cn.ptains and pilots. Zidon (now Saida) (eh. xxx. 5), and os serving in the army of is named iD Gen. x. 15 as the firstborn of Gog (eh. xxxviii. 5). Mr. R. S. Poole is Canaan, and was older than Tyre itself inclined to identify them with the Nu- (Is'.l.. xxiii. 2, 12). Arvad is identified with bians. the Greek Are.du3, t],3 modE1rn Ruad, an Ver. 11.-(For Arvad, see ver. 8.) Gam- island about two miles fl,,m the coast, about ma.dim. The LXX. translates "guo.rds" two miles north of the mouth of the river (cp611.a.1eu); the Vulgate, Pygmies, probably Eleutheros (Nahr-el-Kebir). It ie scarcely as connecting the name with Gamad (equi- a mile in circumference., but wns prominent vo.lent to "a cubit"). The To.rgu1n gives enough to be named here and in Gen. x. "watchmen;" Gesenius, "warriors ; " Hit. 18; 1 Chron. i. 16. Opposite to it on the zig, "deserters." The name probably mainland was the town of Antaradus. For indicates that they were the flower of tho mariners, the Revised Version gives rowers. Tyrio.n o.rmy-tb.e life-guards (like the" Im- Yer. 9.-The s.noiente ot Gaba.I. The mortals" of the Persio.ns) of the merehant- worJ is used in the sense of " elders " or city. On the whole, we must leave the pro- "s,·natora," the governing borly. Gebal, for blem as one that we ho.ve no do.ta for which Uw LXX. gives Biblii, is identified BOlving. 'fhe grouping with Arvad, howeve.-, wit!, the Greek ByLlus. 'l'he name appears suggests a Syrian or Ph<Bnioian tribe. in Ps. lxxxiii. 7 i11 connection, among other They hanged their shields. The custuw natione, with Tyre and As3hur, as allied seems to have boon spccio.lly Ph<Bnician. with them against Israel; in Josh. xiii. 5 Solomon introduced it at Jcrusakm (Song ae near Lebanon and Hermon ; in 1 Kings v. of Sol. iv. 4). The sight of the walls thus 18 (margin Revised Version) as among the dPcora ted, the shields being sowetimcs gilt stonemasons who worked with Hir<llll's 01 painteJ, must have been suffioienUy buildera. Byblus W8':I situated on an striking lo wa.rran.t Ezekicl'e phrase that eminence overlookiug the river Adonis thus the beo.11ty of the city was " made CH, xxvn. 1-86.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 87