Mostly it’s because it’s a piece of verse.
Gomon chrysou kai argyrou,
kai lithou timiou,
kai margariton, kai byssinou,
kai porphyras, kai sirikou,
kai kokkinou,
kai pan xylon thuinon,
kai pan skeuos elephantinon,
kai pan skeuos
ek xylou timiotatou,
kai chalkou,
kai siderou,
kai marmarou,
kai cinnamomum,
kai amomum,
kai thymiamata,
kai thyron,
kai libanon,
kai oinon,
kai elaion,
kai semidalin,
kai siton,
kai krene, kai probata,
kai hippon,
kai rhedon,
kai somaton,
kai psychas anthropon.
Ending with the idea that the souls of human beings, or the lifebreath of human beings, are being bought and sold as cargo – it’s really stunning and powerful. Our translations are missing out on that poetry.
That said, art objects made of iron and bronze were valuable. Bronze statues were much more highly prized than marble ones, and the few bronze statues that survived from antiquity until today are really spectacular.
Also, a lot of these items are mentioned in the description of Tyre’s trade, in Ezekiel 27-28. So it’s a verse remix… and that lament for Tyre was in the form of poetry, also.