Verse 2

Lamentation. Such canticles were usual, and very poetical.

Verse 3

Entry, whence merchants may proceed from an excellent harbour to any place.

Verse 4

Neighbours of Sidon, Josue xix. 29. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "thy children." Protestants, "thy builders." (Haydock) --- The description of the Tyrian grandeur, shews their more woeful ruin. (Worthington)

Verse 5

Thee. Hebrew, "all thy ship-boards." (Septuagint) (Protestants) (Haydock) --- St. Jerome has divided (Calmet) leuthim, "decks of the sea," as yam denotes the sea. (Haydock)

Verse 6

Benches. Septuagint, "temples." --- Italy. Hebrew Cetim. Macedonia. (Bochart) (Calmet) --- All distant places were styled islands, (Haydock) when they went by water to them.

Verse 7

Linen. Cotton, (Exodus xxv. 4.) used for standards. Septuagint, "for bed coverlets," or for sails. --- Mast. Cleopatra and Caligula were still more sumptuous in their sails. --- Elisa, or Elis, famous for purple: yet Tyre was more so.

Verse 8

Aradians. Sidon and Arad were then subject to Tyre, and supplied rowers. --- Pilots. They studied no other science.

Verse 9

Gebal. Septuagint, "Biblos," which is the same, 3 Kings v. 18. --- Furnished. Hebrew, "were in thee to repair thy breaches." Septuagint, "strengthened thy designs."

Verse 10

Lybians. Hebrew, "Phut." They had been expelled by the Cyreneans. Tyre had in her pay the most warlike nations of Persia, &c. Cyrus soon after shook off the yoke of the Medes, and conquered the Lydians. --- Hung up, ver. 11. This was very usual, Canticle of Canticles iv. 4., and Isaias xxii. 8. (Calmet)

Verse 11

The Pygmeans. That is, strong and valiant men. In Hebrew Gammadim. (Challoner) --- He does not speak of those fabulous men hardly a cubit high. Gomed signifying a "cubit," has caused them to be styled so here. Septuagint, "guards;" or Symmachus, "Medes." Ezechiel (xxxviii. 6.) speaks of the Gomerim.

Verse 12

Carthaginians. Hebrew, "Tharsis," in Cilicia; (Genesis x. 4.; Calmet) or distant merchants, who came by sea. (Haydock)

Verse 13

Slaves. Those from Greece were much esteemed. (Calmet) --- Alas! thirty thousand Tyrians were themselves thus sold by Alexander [the Great]! (Haydock)

Verse 14

Horses. Those of Sarmatia (Calmet) were in high repute. (Pliny, [Natural History?] viii. 42.

Verse 15

Dedan. Septuagint, "Rhodians;" or rather Arabs are meant, ver. 20. They might receive ivory from Ethiopia. --- Teeth. Hebrew, "horns or tusks," which the elephant casts every year. The ivory is less brittle, 3 Kings x. 18. (Calmet) --- Ebony; a hard black wood, like horn. (Bochart)

Verse 16

Syrian: always much addicted to commerce. (St. Jerome) --- Septuagint read Adam for Aram, as if the traffic in men was meant: (Calmet) "ivory, and to those who brought, thou gavest thy rewards. (16) Men of thy traffic," &c. (Haydock) --- Linen. Hebrew buts, "silk" extracted from the pinna fish, 1 Paralipomenon xv. 27. Silk. Hebrew ramoth, may rather denote unicorns, Job xxviii. 18. (Calmet) --- Chodchod. It is the Hebrew name for some precious stone, but of what kind in particular, interpreters are not agreed. (Challoner) --- Some say the carbuncle, &c. St. Jerome renders it the jasper, Isaias liv. 12. (Worthington) --- Here he confesses he knows not the meaning. (Calmet)

Verse 17

Rosin. Our version generally renders this, balm. (Haydock) --- It was much used to heal, Jeremias viii. 22., and Genesis xxxvii. 25.

Verse 18

Rich. Hebrew Chelbon; perhaps the city Chelba, Judges i. 31. The kings of Persia used this wine, and planted vines at Damascus on purpose.

Verse 19

Dan: the citizens of Peneas, the tribe of Dan was in captivity. Grotius places these nations in Zeilan, (Calmet) or Ceylon. (Haydock)

Verse 20

Seats, such as the Turks still use, or to throw over horses instead of saddles.

Verse 21

CHAPTER XXVII.

Verse 23

Haran, or Charæ, famous for the residence of Abraham and the defeat of Crassus. --- Eden, the province where Paradise was situated.

Verse 24

Cords, in boxes, which had then no locks.

Verse 25

Sea. Hebrew Tharsis, in Cilicia; or large, and fit for long voyages. Thine were the best. (Calmet)

Verse 26

South. Hebrew kodim, (Haydock) "eastern," or rather "burning," here means Nabuchodonosor, who came from the north, (chap. xxvi. 7.; Calmet) or east. The fall of Tyre is described as a shipwreck. (Haydock)

Verse 30

Ashes. They followed the same customs as the Jews. (Calmet) --- The latter were ordered to avoid cutting the hair, like them; yet did so, Deuteronomy xiv., and Isaias xxii. 22. (Worthington)

Verse 36

Hissed, through pity and astonishment. (Calmet)