The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise: Although the phrase The ships of Tarshish originally referred to ships from Tarshish in Spain (see verse 12), it came to be used of any “Large, seagoing ships” (Contemporary English Version; compare Isa 2.16). Either rendering is acceptable. The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise means these large cargo ships were the basis of Tyre’s trading empire, that is, they sailed about, carrying Tyre’s “goods wherever they needed to go” (Contemporary English Version). For you shows that they did so on behalf of Tyre and for its benefit.

You were filled and heavily laden: Tyre had become so rich and full of goods that God describes it as a fully-loaded ship, sitting deep in the water. Perhaps it is a picture of the ship sitting fully-loaded in the harbor, ready to sail.

In the heart of the seas refers to the deep parts of the sea (see Ezek 27.4).

New Century Version provides a good model for this verse, saying “You were like a ship full of heavy cargo in the middle of the sea.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .