Ezekiel 27:19

Dan also and Javan This is certainly incorrect; none of the verses begins with andor also, and any reference to Dan is out of the question. The word rendered "going to and fro" was translated by Ges. "spun," i.e. yarn(and so R.V.): Wedan and Javan brought as thy wares yarn. The word is more probably a proper name and to be rendered from Uzal. Uzal (Genesis 10:27) is supposed to be identical with San-âa, the capital of Yemen in S. Arabia. LXX. omits wedanand for Javan reads "wine" (a similar word). The text is probably in disorder. In all other cases the phrase "brought as thy wares" ends the verse, and possibly the first words of Ezekiel 27:19 should be attached to Ezekiel 27:18. So LXX. which reads Ezekiel 27:19, "from Uzal (Azel) came wrought-iron" &c. Corn. follows LXX., supplying all the words after Helbon out of the Assyrian wine lists: wine of Helbon and Zimin and Arnaban they brought to thy market. From Uzal came wrought iron &c. As the verse stands it may read: "Wedan and Javan of Uzal furnished thy wares; bright iron, cassia and calamus were among thy goods" though the most serious objections occur to the rendering. The "bright iron" may refer to sword blades, for which Yemen was famous. The calamus or sweet cane (Jeremiah 6:20; Isaiah 43:24) supplied one of the ingredients of the holy oil for anointing the priests (Exodus 30:23-24), and so did the cassia.