The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 86

Ver. 17.-J'udo.h o.nd the lo.nd of Iarael. here be Greece, though it may possibly The narrow strip of land oooupied by the refer to Greek traders. It also ho.e been Phcenicians wa.s unable to supply its crowded identified coujeotumlly with e.n Ambie.n population. It wall dependent on Ismel for oity. The words, going to and fro, have its corn and oil and the like in the days of been rendered "from Uznl" (Gen. x. 27), Solomon (I Kings v. 9-11) o.nd continued to the ancient no.me of the capita.! of Yemen, he eo to those of Herod -Agrippe. (Aots xii. in Arabie. ; or, e.e in the Revised Version, 20). Minnith appCl\rs in Judg. xi. 83 as 11, with yam. The bright iron deseribee the city of the Ammonitell neBr Heahbon, and steel used for sword-blades, for which the region of Ammon was famous for its Yemen was famous. Cassia (Exod. Xll. 24; whent (2 Chron. nvii. 5). Minnith wheat Pa. xlv. 8) and co.le.mus (Exod. xu. 23; probably fetched the highest price in the Song of Sol. iv. 14) both belong to the Tyrian m11rkets. Po.nnag is found here class of perfumes for which Are.bi& was only. The versions, Targum, LXX., give famous. It is probably the .A.corus fragrans, "ointments" (µ6po1), Vulgatc, balsam. Most the "sweet oa.ne" of lee., xliii. 24; Jer, vi. modern commentators take it a.s meaning 20. sweetmeats, tho syrup of grape-juice, pos- Ver. 20.-Dedan (see var. 15). Here pro- sibly something like the modem raho.t-la- bably we have another portion of the so.me koum of Turkish commerce. Possibly, like race. The precious clothes for riding (Re- Minnith, it may have been e. proper name vised Version) were probably of the nature the significance of which is lost to us. of the carpets used then e.e now as BBddle- Honey was at e.11 times one of the famous olothe-the ephippia of the Greeks-in products of Palestine (Judg. xiv. 8; 1 Sam. Persia and other parts of Asia. Compare xiv. 27; Ps. xix. 10; Exod. :uxiii. 3). "ye that sit on rich oa.rpete," in Judg. v. 10 Ver. 18.-Damascus. The chief export of (Revised Version). So the Vulge.te, tapeUbua the great oapi to.I of Syria. was the wine of ad sedendum. The LXX. gives IC'N/117/ of Helbon. The no.me occurs only here in t1<71.E1<Ta, as though it referred to horses. the Old Testament. The LXX. gives CJhel- Ver. 21.-.4..re.bia. The word, commonly bon; the Yulgatc, e.s if it described the in connection with Dede.n, is used in the que.lity of the wine, t1inum pingue. It bas limited sense whioh attaches to it in the been identified with Aleppo and with Obaly- Old Testament (2 Ohron. ix. 14; Isa. xxi. bon, hnt both of these ple.ces are too remote 13; J er. nv. 24) for the tribes of what in from Damascus, and Mr. J. R. Porter(' Diet. Greek and Roman geography were known Bible,' u,.) finds it in a pla.ce e. few miles as Arabie. Deeerte.. Xede.r. The name from Damascus, still bearing the no.me, and ( equivalent to " black-skinned") o.ppears o.s famons o.s producing the finest grapes in that of the second son of Ishmael (Gen. :uv, Syria.. Stmbo (eh. xv. p. 735) no.mes the 13). The ble.ok tents of Kede.r (Pe. on. 6: wine of Cha.Jybon as the favourite drink of Bong of So], i. 5) indiCBte e. nome.dio tribe the P~n kings, o.nd Athelllllus (i. 22) of the Bedouin type, famous, e.e in Isa. Ix. 7 says the so.me of the wine of Da.mascns. and J er. xlix. 28, 29, for their flooke of sheep '.fhe name appears in Egyptian monuments and camels. They appear, also, o.e having in conjunction with Kedee, as e. Hittite city, citieee.nd villages in lee.. xlii. 11. The name e.nd Brugech (' Geogr. lEgypt.,' ii. 45) agrees is used in later mbbinio writings for o.ll with Porter e.e to its position. White wool the inhabitants of Arabie.. Tho adjective has been ta.ken e.e e. proper Ver. 22.-Sheba, The Babma of the name (6mend) "wool of Zachar," the region Greeks. It is applied, in Gen. x. 7 and being identified with No.bathiee., which we.e 1 Chron. i. 9, to o. grandson of Cush; in Gen. famous for its sheep. The LXX. gives x. 28 and 1 Ohron. i. 22, to e. son of J oktan : "wool of Milctue,'" the city most famous in and in Gen. xxv. 3 and 1 Ohron. i. 32, to Greek commerce for its woollen fabrics. e. grandson of Abro.he.m. Geographically Ver. 19.-De.n o.lso; Hebrew, Vedan. The in Ezekiel'e time it probably inoluded Authorized Version, following the Vulge.te, the South-Arabian region, that of Yemen, takes the first syllable o.s the common con- or Arabie. Felix, o.nd was famous, as in junction "and;" but no other verse in the the history of the Queen of Sheba, for chapter begins in this way, and the Revised its gold, gems, and spices (1 KingA x. 1, 2: Version is probably right in giving the Pe. lnii. 10, 15). Raama.b. No.mad in Heurew word as its stands. Dan, it may Gen. x. 7 o.e father of the Cushite Sheba, be adJed, we.e hardly likely to have been and pi;obe.bly, therefore, conneoted witll 1* singled out of all the tribes afier the men- ethnologioally nnd geogre.phico.lly, The tion of Judah o.nd Israel, especially as it ohief of all 1pioe1 had probably e. teohnice.l had shared in the exile of the ten tribes. name, like the " prinoipe.1 epioee" of Exod Srnen(l identifies it with Waddan, between x:u. 23 and Bong of Bo!. iv. 14 for the Mecca e.nd Medine., or with Aden. Jo.van, genuine be.Isam, the product of the .A.myrie '1Jo, already named in ver. 13, can BCBrooly opobalsamum, whioh is found between dii. xxvu. 1-36.J TiiE BOOK OF T.Eig PROPHtT EZ~KIEt. 89