Ezekiel 27:10,11 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Bible Comments

Tyre's Mercenaries.

Tyre was wealthy and could pay for her own defence by hiring mercenaries from distant places.

“Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war,

They hung the shield and helmet in you. They set forth your splendour.

The men of Arvad with your army were on your walls round about, and the Gammadim were in your towers,

They hung their shields on your walls round about, they have perfected your beauty.”

These were mercenaries from places as widespread as Persia, Lydia in Anatolia (eastern Turkey) and Put in North Africa (part of Libya? - the Babylonian for Libya is puta, and see Nahum 3:9), from Arvad to the north (see above) and from Gamad, possibly the Kumidi of the Amarna letters between Byblos and Arvad. ‘With your army' should possibly be repointed as Helech (Cilicia). These all protected Tyre and contributed to her fearsomeness and splendour.

Ezekiel 27:10-11

10 They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.

11 The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.