Ezekiel 27:12-13
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This verse isn't just listing trade partners; it highlights that Tyre’s immense wealth, including raw metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead, was essentially brought to them by other nations. This reframes Tyre not just as a seller, but as a powerful hub that attracted and consolidated the world's riches, making them dependent on its central market.
“Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel continues his lament for Tyre by listing the diverse nations and regions that contributed to its immense wealth and influence. This verse specifically highlights Tarshish, likely a distant trading post in ancient Spain, which supplied Tyre with valuable metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead. The prophet uses this enumeration to illustrate the vast reach of Tyre's commerce, setting the stage for the dramatic downfall that will follow.
Imagine a trading partner so far away, their name becomes synonymous with reaching the ends of the earth. That was Tarshish for Tyre.
Ezekiel 27 paints a picture of Tyre's vast commercial empire, and Tarshish is a key player. Located, most scholars believe, in ancient Spain near the Strait of Gibraltar, Tarshish was known for its incredible mineral wealth.
A Hub for Metals
Tyre, though a coastal city, didn't produce these metals itself. Instead, it relied on distant lands like Tarshish to supply essential raw materials. This verse specifically lists:
This exchange highlights Tyre's role as a central marketplace, connecting distant regions and facilitating the movement of valuable resources across the ancient world.
Was Tyre just buying and selling like any other city? The prophet uses some surprising language to describe their dealings.
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While it's easy to read Ezekiel 27:12 as a straightforward description of Tyre buying and selling, the context and the specific Hebrew words suggest something more. The nations aren't just 'customers'; they are depicted as bringing their goods to Tyre, almost as if presenting tribute or offering their finest wares.
More Than Just Commerce
Several scholars point out that the words used for 'fairs' or 'wares' in this chapter often describe things that were exchanged or left behind in return for something else. This points to a system where:
This isn't to deny that trade and barter were happening, but Ezekiel's language emphasizes Tyre's superior position and the vastness of its influence.
Understand the original words
Tarshish · Hebrew Noun
A term used to describe a location at the edge of the known world, often associated with maritime trade, distant resources, and, in prophetic literature, the reach of God's judgment or the spread of the Gospel.
hon · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, wealth (or riches) often refers to material possessions or abundance, which are recognized as gifts from God but can serve as a temptation toward self-reliance and idolatry.
sachar · Hebrew Verb
Biblically, the exchange of goods and services is part of human civilization and stewardship, though the prophets frequently warned against greed, dishonest gain, and placing confidence in global commerce rather than in the Lord.
nechosheth · Hebrew Noun
Metals like bronze were highly valued in the ancient world for their durability and use in crafting tools, weapons, and sacred items for the tabernacle or temple.
This prophecy against Tyre (Ezekiel 27) was delivered during the Babylonian exile, a time when Tyre's wealth and maritime power were at their peak, yet the exiles faced hardship. The detailed list of trading partners like Tarshish highlights Tyre's vast reach and the sophisticated global economy of the time, contrasting sharply with the exiles' difficult situation.
c. 900 BC - 600 BC
Phoenician Maritime Trade Expands
Phoenician city-states, including Tyre, establish extensive trade networks across the Mediterranean, reaching as far as Spain and Britain.
c. 8th - 6th century BC
Tarshish Flourishes
Tartessos in southern Spain, a major trading hub rich in metals, becomes a significant partner in Mediterranean commerce, likely interacting with Phoenician traders.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile disrupt political stability in the region, potentially increasing Tyre's reliance on its extensive trade networks for security and prosperity.
c. 575 BC - 572 BC
Siege of Tyre
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Tyre for 13 years. Though Tyre ultimately withstands the siege, it likely impacts its trade routes and relationships.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
The rise of the Persian Empire shifts regional power dynamics, integrating Tyre into a vast imperial system but also potentially influencing its trade partners and policies.
c. 4th century BC
Hellenistic Influence Grows
Greek influence, particularly from cities like Ionia, expands throughout the Mediterranean, impacting trade patterns and the demand for various goods.
c. 593 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Prophetic Ministry Begins
Ezekiel begins his prophetic ministry among the exiles in Babylon, delivering messages of judgment and restoration, including detailed oracles against nations like Tyre.
This passage speaks of silver and iron being brought from Tarshish, mirroring Ezekiel's description of Tarshish's trade goods and highlighting Spain's historical richness in these metals.
Acts 27:4This verse mentions sailing by Crete and Cyprus, hinting at the maritime routes and wider Mediterranean trade network that Tyre, and by extension Tarshish, was a part of.
Isaiah 2:16This prophetic passage also mentions ships of Tarshish, linking them to grandeur and commerce, which further supports the idea of Tarshish as a significant trading power in the ancient world as depicted in Ezekiel.
Revelation 18:11-12This New Testament passage echoes the judgment on a great commercial city, listing similar precious goods like gold, silver, pearls, and fine linen, drawing a thematic parallel to Tyre's downfall due to its immense wealth and trade.
bensonEzekiel 27:12: "Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs."
Ezekiel 27:12-15 . Tarshish was thy merchant — Trafficked with thee. Of Tarshish, see note on Isaiah 2:16 ; Isaiah 23:1 . Javan, Tubal, and Meshech — By Javan is to be understood Greece, in which sense Alexander is styled king of Javan, or Greece, Daniel 8:21 . So the LXX. translate it here, and in that place of Daniel. And all Greece, except P…
barnesEzekiel 27:12: "Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs."
The thread broken at Ezekiel 27:8 is taken up, and the various nations are enumerated which traded with Tyre. Ezekiel 27:12 Tarshish - Tartessus in Spain (marginal references). Spain was rich in the metals named. Merchant - Especially applied to those who traveled about with caravans to carry on trade (see Genesis 23:16). Fairs - Or, "wares" Ez…
This verse isn't just listing trade partners; it highlights that Tyre’s immense wealth, including raw metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead, was essentially brought to them by other nations. This reframes Tyre not just as a seller, but as a powerful hub that attracted and consolidated the world's riches, making them dependent on its central market.
Ezekiel continues his lament for Tyre by listing the diverse nations and regions that contributed to its immense wealth and influence. This verse specifically highlights Tarshish, likely a distant trading post in ancient Spain, which supplied Tyre with valuable metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead. The prophet uses this enumeration to illustrate the vast reach of Tyre's commerce, setting the stage for the dramatic downfall that will follow.
Ezekiel continues his lament for Tyre by listing the diverse nations and regions that contributed to its immense wealth and influence. This verse specifically highlights Tarshish, likely a distant trading post in ancient Spain, which supplied Tyre with valuable metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead. The prophet uses this enumeration to illustrate the vast reach of Tyre's commerce, setting the stage for the dramatic downfall that will follow.
"“Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your me…" — This verse isn't just listing trade partners; it highlights that Tyre’s immense wealth, including raw metals like silver, iron, tin, and lead, was essentially brought to them by other nations. This…
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Last reviewed October 2026
