What is the meaning of Ezekiel 27:7? embroidered fine linen from Egypt they made your sail, which served as your banner • “Embroidery” and “fine linen” immediately call to mind luxury, skill, and painstaking artistry. Egypt was renowned for such fabric (Ezekiel 27:16), and God presents this detail literally to underscore the unmatched wealth and craftsmanship that clothed Tyre’s merchant fleet. • A sail is the most visible feature of a ship. By turning it into “your banner,” Tyre advertised not only its goods but its pride. Compare the visual prominence of fine linen in Exodus 26:36, where the tabernacle entrance curtain is woven “of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen,” again emphasizing splendor before the watching world. • Scripture often links fine linen with prestige and righteousness (Proverbs 31:22; Revelation 19:8), yet here it exposes human self-exaltation. Tyre’s banner announced commercial might, but God’s prophetic word through Ezekiel will shortly reveal how fragile human glory is (Ezekiel 27:27). of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah they made your awning • “Blue and purple” dyes were famously costly (Judges 8:26; Acts 16:14). Only the wealthy could afford them, so an awning woven in these colors turned every deck into a floating throne room. • “Elishah” is generally identified with Cyprus or a nearby Aegean region. The Lord highlights the far-flung reach of Tyre’s trade routes—no resource was too distant, no expense spared (Ezekiel 27:24). • An “awning” provided shade and comfort for crew and passengers. Instead of simple canvas, Tyre installed regal fabric—luxury turned toward ease. Esther 1:6 records similar opulence: “white and violet linen” hung in a royal garden. In Luke 16:19 the rich man “was clothed in purple and fine linen,” picturing the same self-indulgence. • Together with the fine-linen sail, the blue-and-purple canopy paints a complete portrait: Tyre’s ships were floating billboards of prestige, yet they were sailing toward judgment (Ezekiel 27:32-36). summary Ezekiel 27:7 literally catalogs the high-end materials adorning Tyre’s ships—embroidered Egyptian linen for the sail and rare blue-purple fabric from distant Elishah for the awning. The verse exposes Tyre’s extravagant pride: every mast and canopy proclaimed wealth, reach, and self-confidence. By spotlighting these details, God sets the stage for the chapter’s lament: even the finest sails cannot keep a nation afloat when the Lord decrees its downfall. |
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