Bible Strands
Ezekiel 27:5
They constructed all your planking with cypress from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Ezekiel delivers this oracle against the maritime city of Tyre, describing its commercial fleet as a metaphor for the nation's pride and impending destruction. The speaker addresses Tyre directly, detailing the materials used in constructing its ships.
The words — The text highlights בְּרוֹשִׁים (be.ro.shim), translated as "fir trees" or "cypress," and מִשּׂנִיר (mi.shniyr), meaning "from Senir." These terms specify the exact timber sources used for the ship's planking.
The thread — The locations Senir and Lebanon appear elsewhere as markers of geographical and theological significance, appearing in Deuteronomy 3:9, Song of Solomon 4:8, and Isaiah 14:8. These passages consistently associate both regions with prominent timber and mountainous terrain.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that Tyre's wealth and structural integrity depend entirely on imported natural resources. It establishes that no earthly construction can sustain itself without external supply chains.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 3:9 which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir—
- Song of Solomon 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
- Isaiah 14:8 Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon exult over you: “Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes against us.”
- 1 Kings 5:1 Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
- 1 Kings 5:6 Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
- Psalms 29:5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
- Psalms 92:12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
- Psalms 104:16 The trees of the LORD have their fill, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,