An Apocoliptic Interpretaton
PSALM 48:9 “You (Jehovah) break the ships of Tarshish [regarded as the caravans that bore the merchandise of the mistress of the sea] with an east wind.”
The word Tarshish is associated with ships and ports and the name of the Phoenician colony in the Western portion of the Mediterranean Sea with which the Phoenicians traded- being the farthest limits of the western world- remote yet rich and powerful in commerce. The ships of Tarshish trade were regarded as the caravans that bore the merchandise of the mistress of the sea.
Expounded Hypothetically:
(Fig. usage of elements: silver, iron and lead derived from previous studies)
The products of Tarshish included silver [refined “words”- from far distant places, relating stories of discoveries from specialized journals and publications], iron [fig., symbolizing words of great power, good or bad, right or wrong], lead [used to symbolize a Permanent Record of Words, of either immutable truth or words of error and falsehood] and tin [trading with words that gave strength to a currently held belief of opinion], which were imported by Tyre.
The merchant ship Tyre was depicted as a highly efficient business machine, trading in all kinds of costly goods. The seemingly interminable list of her trading partners makes clear the astonishing array of her wares. For her crew was secured with the best trained veteran seamen from Phoenician cities. Tyre became a “mart of the nations,” a place of trade- allowing access to far off places- perfected in beauty having acquired a vast port of entry.
The word Tarshish is associated with ships and ports and the name of the Phoenician colony in the Western portion of the Mediterranean Sea with which the Phoenicians traded- being the farthest limits of the western world- remote yet rich and powerful in commerce. The ships of Tarshish trade were regarded as the caravans that bore the merchandise of the mistress of the sea.
Expounded Hypothetically:
(Fig. usage of elements: silver, iron and lead derived from previous studies)
The products of Tarshish included silver [refined “words”- from far distant places, relating stories of discoveries from specialized journals and publications], iron [fig., symbolizing words of great power, good or bad, right or wrong], lead [used to symbolize a Permanent Record of Words, of either immutable truth or words of error and falsehood] and tin [trading with words that gave strength to a currently held belief of opinion], which were imported by Tyre.
The merchant ship Tyre was depicted as a highly efficient business machine, trading in all kinds of costly goods. The seemingly interminable list of her trading partners makes clear the astonishing array of her wares. For her crew was secured with the best trained veteran seamen from Phoenician cities. Tyre became a “mart of the nations,” a place of trade- allowing access to far off places- perfected in beauty having acquired a vast port of entry.
Barnes Commentary (Paraphrased).- The ships of Tarshish are often mentioned in the Old Testament, but the meaning of the expression is not quite obvious. It is evident that Tarshish was some distant land from which was imported silver, iron, lead, tin, etc. It has been mentioned as an important place of trade, and important that silver was procured there. It was said that the ships of Tarshish returned every three years bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes and peacocks. These are products chiefly of India, but they might have been obtained in trade during the voyage. The precise situation of Tarshish is not necessary to be known in order to understand the passage here. The phrase, “ships of Tarshish,” denotes clearly ships employed in foreign trade, and in introducing articles of commerce, and particularly of luxury.
The Lord Almighty has a day in
Store
For all the proud and lofty,
For all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),
For all the cedars of Lebanon,
Tall land lofty,
And all the oaks of Bashan,
For all the towering mountains
And all the high hills, for every lofty tower
And every fortified wall.
For every trading ship
And every stately vessel.
The arrogance of man will be
Brought low
And the pride of men
Humbled;
The Lord alone will be exalted
In that day,
And the idols will totally
disappear.
(Isaiah 2:12-18)
Store
For all the proud and lofty,
For all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),
For all the cedars of Lebanon,
Tall land lofty,
And all the oaks of Bashan,
For all the towering mountains
And all the high hills, for every lofty tower
And every fortified wall.
For every trading ship
And every stately vessel.
The arrogance of man will be
Brought low
And the pride of men
Humbled;
The Lord alone will be exalted
In that day,
And the idols will totally
disappear.
(Isaiah 2:12-18)
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