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 27:12KJV
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Ezekiel 27:12 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 27:12 mean?

Ezekiel 27:12 describes how the city of Tyre did business with Tarshish, a distant and wealthy trading partner, exchanging many kinds of valuable goods—specifically silver, iron, tin, and lead—in Tyre’s bustling marketplaces. This verse highlights Tyre’s role as a major center of international trade, drawing in riches from faraway lands.

In this chapter, the prophet Ezekiel is speaking a lament over Tyre, a powerful port city known for its commerce. He lists the nations that traded with Tyre and the goods they brought, showing Tyre’s importance and the wide reach of its trading network. The verse sets the scene for understanding Tyre’s wealth and influence before its coming downfall, which Ezekiel goes on to describe.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 27:12

  • תַּרְשִׁישׁ (Tarshish): This name refers to a distant region, often thought to be in the western Mediterranean, possibly Spain. Its mention underlines how far Tyre’s trade connections extended.
  • רֹכֵל (rokhel, “merchant”): This word means a trader or merchant, emphasizing Tyre’s identity as a commercial hub dealing with many nations.
  • עֹשֶׁר (osher, “riches”): This word for riches or wealth highlights the abundance and variety of goods involved in Tyre’s trade.
  • כֶּסֶף (kesef, “silver”), בַּרְזֶל (barzel, “iron”), בְּדִיל (bedil, “tin”), עֹפֶרֶת (opheret, “lead”): These specific metals show the high value and practical importance of the goods Tyre received, not just luxury items but also essential materials for tools and trade.

Why Ezekiel 27:12 matters

  • This verse helps clarify that Tyre’s wealth was not just local but came from vast international trade, making its eventual fall more dramatic in context.
  • By naming specific goods and trading partners, Ezekiel 27:12 gives a concrete sense of the economic world of the ancient Near East, showing how interconnected different regions were.
  • The verse fits into a larger poetic lament, where Ezekiel uses the image of Tyre’s riches and connections to set up a warning about pride and the fleeting nature of worldly power.

Where else these words appear

“tin” Hebrew H913 · used in 6 verses

  • Numbers 31:22 Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
  • Isaiah 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
  • Ezekiel 22:20 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

“fairs” Hebrew H5801 · used in 7 verses

  • Ezekiel 27:14 They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
  • Ezekiel 27:19 Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.
  • Ezekiel 27:27 Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.

“lead” Hebrew H5777 · used in 9 verses

  • Exodus 15:10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
  • Job 19:24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
  • Ezekiel 22:20 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

“merchant” Hebrew H5503 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
  • 2 Chronicles 1:16 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
  • Isaiah 47:15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.