Eze 27:23-24, Nah 3:16 | JFB | STEP | 23. Haran-- the dwelling-place of Abraham in Mesopotamia, after he moved from Ur ( ). Canneh-- Calneh, an Assyrian city on the Tigris; the Ctesiphon of the Greeks ( ). Eden-- probably a region in Babylonia (see ). Chilmad-- a compound; the place designated by Ptolemy "Gaala of Media." The Chaldee version interprets it of Media. Henderson refers it to Carmanda, which Xenophon describes as a large city beyond the Euphrates.

‏ Ezekiel 27:23-24

23. Haran--the dwelling-place of Abraham in Mesopotamia, after he moved from Ur (Ge 11:31).

Canneh--Calneh, an Assyrian city on the Tigris; the Ctesiphon of the Greeks (Ge 10:10).

Eden--probably a region in Babylonia (see Ge 2:8).

Chilmad--a compound; the place designated by Ptolemy "Gaala of Media." The Chaldee version interprets it of Media. Henderson refers it to Carmanda, which Xenophon describes as a large city beyond the Euphrates.

24. all sorts of things--Hebrew, "perfections"; exquisite articles of finery [Grotius].

clothes--rather, "mantles" or "cloaks"; literally, "wrappings." For "blue," Henderson translates, "purple."

chests of rich apparel, bound with cords--treasures or repositories of damask stuffs, consisting of variegated threads woven together in figures [Henderson].

cedar--The "chests" were made of cedar, in order to last the longer; and it also keeps off decay and has a sweet odor.

‏ Nahum 3:16

16. multiplied thy merchants--(Eze 27:23, 24). Nineveh, by large canals, had easy access to Babylon; and it was one of the great routes for the people of the west and northwest to that city; lying on the Tigris it had access to the sea. The Phoenicians carried its wares everywhere. Hence its merchandise is so much spoken of.

the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away--that is, spoiled thy merchants. The "cankerworm," or licking locust, answers to the Medo-Babylonian invaders of Nineveh [G. V. Smith]. Calvin explains less probably, "Thy merchants spoiled many regions; but the same shall befall them as befalls locusts, they in a moment shall be scattered and flee away." Maurer, somewhat similarly, "The licking locust puts off (the envelope in which his wings had been folded), and teeth away" (Na 2:9; compare Joe 1:4). The Hebrew has ten different names for the locust, so destructive was it.