the high seas

May 27, 2017

The mourning lamentation for Tyre (Ezek 27:30-27:32)

“All these seamen

Wail aloud

Over you.

They cry bitterly.

They cast dust

On their heads.

They wallow

In ashes.

They make themselves

Bald

For you.

They put on

Sackcloth.

They weep

Over you,

In bitterness of soul,

With bitter mourning.

In their wailing,

They raise

A lamentation

For you.

They lament

Over you.

‘Who was ever destroyed

Like Tyre

In the midst

Of the sea?’”

All these seamen onlookers lamented and mourned for Tyre. They wailed loudly and cried bitterly over Tyre. In typical mourning fashion, they put dust on their heads and wallowed in ashes. They made themselves bald and put on sackcloth. They wept with a bitterness of soul in their mourning. They lamented over Tyre. They wondered if anyone had ever been destroyed on the high seas like Tyre.

May 26, 2017

The ships of Tarshish (Ezek 27:25-27:25)

“The ships of Tarshish

Traveled for you

In your trade.

So you were filled.

You were heavily laden

In the heart

Of the seas.”

There is the problem of trying to situate Tarshish, which is often mentioned in the biblical literature. It could be Carthage in North Africa, Tarsus in Turkey, or Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. This town had a lot of precious metals and important ships, as well as ship building. Thus the trade merchandise of Tyre was on these ships of Tarshish. They were filled with lots of items, as they moved on the high seas.