Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.

EZEKIEL 27:19KJV
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Ezekiel 27:19 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 27:19 mean?

Ezekiel 27:19 lists some of the trading partners and goods involved in the commerce of Tyre, mentioning Dan and Javan as traders who brought valuable items like bright iron, cassia, and calamus to Tyre’s markets. The verse highlights the wide reach and wealth of Tyre’s trade network in the ancient world.

In this chapter, the prophet Ezekiel is speaking God’s message to the city of Tyre, describing its importance as a major trading center. By naming specific peoples and luxury goods, the verse paints a picture of Tyre as a hub where merchants from distant regions brought rare and valuable products, emphasizing both the city’s prosperity and its connections across nations.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 27:19

  • דָּן (Dan, "dān"): This name refers to a group or region, possibly the Israelite tribe of Dan or a trading area associated with them. Its mention shows the diversity of Tyre’s trading partners.
  • יָוָן (Javan, "yāwān"): This word points to the people of Greece or Ionia, indicating that Tyre’s trade extended as far as the Greek world.
  • בַּרְזֶל מְעוּזָּל (bright iron, "barzel me‘uzzāl"): The phrase for "bright iron" suggests high-quality, possibly polished or refined iron, a valuable commodity in the ancient world.
  • קִנָּמוֹן (cassia, "qiddāh") and קָנֶה (calamus, "qāneh"): These are aromatic spices or plants, prized for use in perfumes, incense, and possibly medicine, showing that Tyre’s markets dealt in luxury goods.

Why Ezekiel 27:19 matters

  • The verse shows how Tyre’s wealth was built on international trade, with goods and merchants coming from far-off places, not just neighboring regions.
  • By listing specific items and peoples, Ezekiel 27:19 makes the prophecy vivid and concrete, helping readers grasp the scale and variety of Tyre’s commerce.
  • This detail fits into the larger message of Ezekiel 27, where Tyre’s pride in its riches and connections is set up for a warning about its coming downfall, making the city’s loss more striking.

Where else these words appear

“cassia” Hebrew H6916 · used in 2 verses

  • Exodus 30:24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

“fro” Hebrew H235 · used in 6 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
  • 1 Samuel 9:7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?
  • Proverbs 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

“fairs” Hebrew H5801 · used in 7 verses

  • Ezekiel 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 27:16 Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.
  • 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.

“market” Hebrew H4627 · used in 8 verses

  • Ezekiel 27:9 The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.
  • Ezekiel 27:17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.
  • 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.