Ezekiel 27:17

Eze 27:17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they [were] thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.

Ver. 17. Wheat of Minnith.] Where the best grew, even the kidneys of wheat, as Moses hath it. {Deu 32:14 cf. Jdg 11:33 Act 12:20}

Pannag.] Rosin or balsam, whereof Judea yielded the best in the whole world.

For the wine of Helbon,] i.e., Of Aleppo, say some, famous then for wine, now for milk, whence also it hath its name, for the Turks call milk alep; and if the Via lactea Milky Way were on earth, it would be found there, saith one.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

27:17 Minnith, located in Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan River), was a well-known source of wheat.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Where the best wheat grew.

Or, turpentine, or, treacle.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Minnith . . . Pannag--names of places in Israel famed for good wheat, wherewith Tyre was supplied (Kg1 5:9, Kg1 5:11; Ezr 3:7; Act 12:20); Minnith was formerly an Ammonite city (Jdg 11:33). "Pannag" is identified by GROTIUS with "Phenice," the Greek name for "Canaan." "They traded . . . wheat," that is, they supplied thy market with wheat.

balm--or, "balsam."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 17. Judah, and the land of Israel - traded in thy market wheat] The words have been understood as articles of merchandise, not names of places. So the Jews traded with the Tyrians in wheat, stacte, balsam, honey, oil, and resin.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(17) Minnith, and Pannag.—Minnith was in Ammon (Jdg_11:33), rich in wheat (2Ch_27:5), and the Tyrians obtained its products through the Israelites. Pannag is unknown; it is even uncertain whether it is a proper name at all, or some sweet confection, as grape syrup.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. Judah and the land of Israel furnished Tyre with wheat, honey, oil and balsam.

traded in thy market wheat] they brought as thy wares wheat. Minnith is supposed to be the Ammonitish place of that name (Jdg_11:33). There is something unnatural, however, in Judah and Israel bringing an Ammonitish product to Tyre. It is their own productions that the nations bring, or at least the articles are assumed to be their own. LXX. renders “ointments;” and Corn, conjectures “spices” (Gen_43:11; Isa_39:2; 2Ki_20:13). The term “pannag” is otherwise unknown; R.V. marg. suggests a kind of confection (Targ.), while Corn, conjectures “wax” (donag). The “honey” referred to is no doubt that of bees, not grape honey. The “balm” mentioned, a product of Gilead (Jer_8:22), and of Palestine (Gen_43:11), was not the genuine balm, which was peculiar to Arabia, but an odoriferous resin (LXX. Vulg.) exuding from the mastix tree (Pistaccia lentiscus).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making,.... Of the many things manufactured at Tyre, the inhabitants of Damascus, once the chief city of Syria, took some:

for the multitude of all riches: in lieu of the vast quantity of rich things there made, they traded with them for them:

in the wine of Helbon, and white wool; Helbon very probably is the same with the Chalybon of Ptolemy (p), which he places in Syria; a place famous for wine, as Strabo (q) reports; the kings of Persia, he says, through riches fell into luxury, so that they would have wheat brought from Assos in Aeolia, and Chalybonian wine out of Syria, and water from Eulaeus (the river Ulai in Dan 8:2), which was lightest of all; and so Athenaeus (r) says, the kings of the Persians drink only Chalybonian wine; which, says Posidonius, was made at Damascus in Syria, from whence the Persians transplant vines: Helbon is thought to be the same with Aleppo; the grapes there are all white, and make a strong wine, as Monsieur Thevenot (s) relates; and who also observes, that the wines of Damascus are treacherous and strong: and the wool they bought was such as it came off of the backs of the sheep, and the purer and whiter sort of it; which was brought to Tyre, and by them bought, and dyed purple, for which dye the Tyrians were famous.

(p) Geograph. l. 5. c. 15. (q) Ibid. l. 12. p. 505. (r) L. 1. c. 22. (s) Travels, part 2. B. 1. c. 5. p. 25. & c. 7. p. 33.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Rosin. Our version generally renders this, balm. (Haydock) --- It was much used to heal, Jeremias viii. 22., and Genesis xxxvii. 25.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Judah; the two tribes, or kingdom of Judah.

The land of Israel; the kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes until their dispersion.

Minnith; the name of some rich and excellent wheat country; it is mentioned in Jdg 11:33, on occasion of Jephthah’s slaying the Ammonites, as lying on their borders, and it is said there is a town of that name still in being about four miles from Esbus, (or Sabasant as now called,) in the way toward Philadelphia, formerly Rubbath.

Pannag: some doubt whether this be a proper name of any country or region, but if it is, they conclude it must be Phenicia, but do not tell us how Judah and Israel should trade their wheat in Tyre market; it may be it was some more obscure place, which now is forgotten. Honey; with which Canaan flowed.

Oil; in making and selling whereof the labour, care, and profit of that country did lie.

Balm; the choicest balms were those of Gilead, whence it is probable it was carried to Tyre; or it may be it was rosin, of which they had great use. The Chaldee paraphrast interprets it by the word that denotes wax, and so it may possibly be; a good commodity in Tyre.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Minnith, and Pannag — The Minnith mentioned here is probably not the Amorite town mentioned in Jdg_11:33 (vs. Bertholet, etc.), but may be the thing after which the town was named. (Compare note Eze_27:16.) What it was no one knows. The Syrian translates “millet;” LXX., “ointment,” while many scholars would suggest “spices,” because these are prominent in other lists of the productions of the land of Canaan. (Compare Gen_43:11.) It is possible that it was the technical name for a species of wheat — which was the greatest necessity supplied by Judah to Tyre (1Ki_5:9-11; Act_12:20). As R.V. suggests (margin), following the Mishna, pannag may be a species of confection, or Cornill may be right in reading donag (wax), but nothing is certain. The prophets did not like their countrymen to imitate the habits of the Canaanites (Old Hebrews, “traders”) in leaving the quiet simple life of agriculture for the more speculative, luxurious, and often dissolute career of the “traveling men” who were engaged in trade.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Judah and the land of Israel. The narrow strip of land occupied by the Phoenicians was unable to supply its crowded population. It was dependent on Israel for its corn and oil and the like in the days of Solomon (1Ki_5:9-11) and continued to be so to those of Herod Agrippa. (Act_12:20) Minnith appears in Jud_1:11:33 as a city of the Ammonites near Heshbon, and the region of Ammon was famous for its wheat. (2Ch_27:5) Minnith wheat probably fetched the highest price in the Tyrian markets. Pannag is found here only. The versions, Targum, LXX, give "ointments" (muroi), Vulgate, balsam. Most modern commentators take it as meaning sweetmeats, the syrup of grape-juice, possibly something like the modern rahat-la-koum of Turkish commerce. Possibly, like Minnith, it may have been a proper name the significance of which is lost to us. Honey was at all times one of the famous products of Palestine (Jud_1:14:8; 1Sa_14:27; Psa_19:10; Exo_33:3)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Minnith - The name of an excellent wheat country. Pannag - Some obscure place, which now is forgotten.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

with wheat of Minnith the name of a place that produced wheat of high quality, like (Jud. 11: 33): “until you come to Minnith.” Midrash Aggadah (source unknown) [explains it as] good, thick wheat kernels, which are sold by number. Jonathan renders: בִּחִטֵי רִיחוּשּׁ expression for a gathering of many numbers, troche in Old French, bundle, bunch. A similar word appears in Pesikta [d’Rav Kahana, p. 184b]: “Just as the myrtle is crowded (רָחוּשּׁ) with leaves, so was Leah crowded with sons.” But I do not know what it [wheat of Minnith] is. In the name of Rabbi Simon, I heard that he found in a Bible with a Jerusalem Targum בְּחִטֵי מִנִיתוּפַנַג rendered: בְּחוּשְּׁלָא וְקֲלְמָא. Now, שַּׁעֲרֵי דְחוּשְּׁלָא, which is found in the Talmud (Yoma 79a), is explained as: peeled barley. I say, however, that “Minnith” is an expression of portions (מָנוֹת), prepared food. Even according to its vocalization with a “dagesh,” Jonathan is wont to translate a word sometimes according to its apparent meaning and sometimes according to its midrashic meaning. So did he render (below 39:16): “And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah (הֲמוֹנָה).” Although we punctuate the name הֲמוֹנָה without a “mappiq hey” (הֱמוֹנָה), [with a “mappiq hey” (pronounced) הֲמוֹנָה would mean “her multitude” with a silent “hey” it means simply “a multitude.”] Jonathan paraphrases: And also there, the slain of the city whose multitude is great will be cast.

balsam trees [Heb. פַנַג.] I saw in the book of Joseph the priest (Josiphon vol. 1 p.155 ch. 36 Flusser): The balsam tree is “pannag,” and they were found in Jericho, and because of the fragrant scent, it [the city] is called Jericho [יְרִיחוֹ from רֵיחַ, scent], balsme in Old French.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.