Verses 5-7 describe the construction and appearance of the ship. For this reason most translators find it necessary here to make it clear that Tyre is being compared to a ship here. They may begin this verse with “As if you were a great ship, the people who built you….”

They made all your planks of the fir trees of Senir: The planks probably refer to the “ribs” (Revised English Bible, Anchor Bible; that is, the structural framework of the ship) or the “timbers” (New International Version) or “boards” (New Century Version) that were used to make the sides of the ship. In most English translations the wood used for the framework and sides of the ship is called “fir” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible), “cypress” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), or “pine” (New International Version, New International Reader’s Version, Revised English Bible; see FFB, which believes it is the Aleppo pine, the Hebrew word for fir is a generic term that probably included cypress, fir and juniper trees, which are all evergreen coniferous trees. PTB believes the word for fir mostly likely refers to Grecian juniper trees in this context since many of these trees grew at Senir. This juniper tree can reach a height of 20 meters (65 feet) and is good for building. It is probably best to choose a general term for this tree, such as “fir” or “juniper.” If readers are not familiar with this tree, translators may say “trees called fir [or, juniper].” Senir is an old name for Mount Hermon, which was one of the peaks in the large mountain range to the north of Israel. Some translations use “Mount Hermon” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Reader’s Version, New Century Version), because it is the more familiar name. This is a sensible approach. A possible model for these two lines is “They [or, The builders] made all your boards from juniper trees from Mount Hermon.”

And they took cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you: For the cedar tree, see the comments on 17.3. Some scholars think that this tree may be too big to be appropriate for the mast of a ship. They suggest that the more slender trunk of the fir tree fits better here. Even if that is the case, it is best for translators to follow the Hebrew by saying “wood called cedar.” The cedar wood came from Lebanon, that is, the Lebanon mountains, north of Israel (see 17.3). They were famous for the cedar forests that grew there. A mast is a long pole that stands upright in a ship or boat to hold up the sail, which is a piece of canvas or other material. Sailors attach sails to the mast of a ship to catch the wind so that the ship moves along. If readers are not familiar with this kind of sailing, then translators will have to use a long descriptive phrase for mast; for example, these two lines may be rendered “They took a cedar tree from Lebanon to make the long pole that holds the sheet that catches the wind and makes the boat move.”

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 .