יחזקאל, פרק כ״ז, פסוק ט״ו

Tyre stood at the center of a vast trade network that embraced distant nations and remote islands. This commercial empire created a constant flow of luxury items, with traveling merchants acting as middlemen who brought rare natural treasures from afar in exchange for the city's local products.

Among these traders were the people of Dedan, a nation located in southwest Asia Minor or on the island of Rhodes [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These merchants took the wares crafted by the artisans of Tyre and distributed them across numerous surrounding islands [מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators suggests that this commerce was centered geographically in Tyre, with people from various islands traveling directly to the city's marketplace to conduct their business [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Alternatively, the trade specifically involved the physical goods meticulously created by the hands of the city's own skilled workers [מלבי״ם].

In exchange for Tyre's products, merchants supplied the city with highly sought-after exotic luxury goods. A prominent import was ivory, specifically elephant tusks, which were often described as horns because of their large size and similar shape [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Some, however, categorize these imports as two distinct items, identifying them as ibex horns alongside elephant bones [רש״י, רד״ק].

Alongside the ivory, merchants brought another rare commodity, though its exact identity is a subject of fascinating debate. One perspective identifies it as a type of rare and expensive wood [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. A different interpretive tradition argues that these were actually peacocks, birds prized for their beautiful and vibrant feathers [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet another possibility suggests it was a specific type of animal horn [מלבי״ם].

All of this wealth was delivered to Tyre as a form of payment or tribute. Most explain this exchange as a gift or offering presented to the city as a display of submission and gratitude [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others view it strictly in economic terms, representing the direct profit and wages Tyre earned for its exported goods [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This influx of wealth was not a one-time event; it was a continuous, cyclical process, with merchants returning to deliver these tributes and payments time and time again [מצודת ציון, רד״ק].