Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 23 is the TYRE / SIDON ORACLE — closing the foreign-nations-oracles section (chs. 13–23). Tyre, the Phoenician maritime-trading-power, will-fall (vv. 1–14) but-be-restored after-seventy-years (vv. 15–18) — though her-merchandise will-be-dedicated to-the-LORD. Ezekiel 26–28 develops Tyre-prophecy further; Revelation 18 reuses-the-Tyre-imagery for-eschatological-Babylon.
Notable Variants
23:1 'wail, O ships of Tarshish' coastal-mourning; 23:8 'Tyre the bestower of crowns' commercial-empire; 23:15 'seventy years' restoration-timestamp.
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 23 = LXX Isaiah 23. 18 verses. CLOSES foreign-oracles section (chs. 13–23). TYRE / SIDON oracle.
The burden of Tyre: Wail, O Ships of Tarshish, for it is destroyed — no house, no harbor! From the land of Cyprus the news was revealed to them.
'The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them' tracks MT. SHIPS-OF-TARSHISH — long-distance Mediterranean-trading-vessels.
Be silent, O inhabitants of the coastland, you whom the merchants of Sidon, crossing the sea, once filled with goods.
'Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you' tracks MT. SIDON — Tyre's sister-city in Phoenicia.
Over the great waters came the grain of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile — her revenue. She was the marketplace of nations.
'And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations' tracks MT.
Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken — the fortress of the sea: "I have not labored in birth, I have not given birth, I have not raised young men or brought up young women."
'Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women' tracks MT.
When the report reaches Egypt, they will writhe in anguish at the news of Tyre.
'When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish over the report about Tyre' tracks MT.
Cross over to Tarshish! Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!
'Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast!' tracks MT.
Is this your jubilant city whose origin is from ancient days, whose feet carried her far away to settle?
'Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away?' tracks MT.
Who planned this against Tyre, the crown-bestowing city, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the honored of the earth?
'Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?' tracks MT. TYRE-BESTOWS-CROWNS — kingmaker imagery. Revelation 18:23's 'your merchants were the great ones of the earth' applied-to-Babylon directly-echoes.
The LORD of Hosts has planned it — to defile the pride of all splendor, to bring low all the honored of the earth.
'The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth' tracks MT.
Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish — there is no restraint anymore.
'Cross over your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint anymore' tracks MT.
He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has shaken the kingdoms. The LORD has given a command against Canaan to destroy her fortresses.
'He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has shaken the kingdoms; the LORD has given command concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds' tracks MT.
He said: "You will rejoice no more, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Rise, cross over to Cyprus — but even there you will find no rest."
'And he said: You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon; arise, cross over to Cyprus, even there you will have no rest' tracks MT.
Look at the land of the Chaldeans — this people that was nothing! Assyria assigned it to desert creatures. They raised their siege towers, stripped bare her palaces, and made her a ruin.
'Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin' tracks MT.
Wail, O Ships of Tarshish, for your fortress is destroyed!
'Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste' tracks MT.
On that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years — the span of one king's life. At the end of seventy years, it will be for Tyre as in the song of the prostitute.
'In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute' tracks MT. SEVENTY-YEARS. // Jeremiah 25:11–12, 29:10's Babylonian-exile seventy-years. Daniel 9's seventy-weeks.
"Take up the harp, walk through the city, O forgotten prostitute! Play sweetly, sing many songs, so that you may be remembered."
'Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered' tracks MT. PROSTITUTE-MERCHANT imagery — commercial-Tyre as harlot. Revelation 17–18's Babylon-as-prostitute parallels.
At the end of seventy years the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages. She will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the ground.
'At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth' tracks MT.
But her profits and her wages will be holy to the LORD. They will not be stored up or hoarded, for her profits will go to those who dwell before the LORD — to eat their fill and to be clothed in fine garments.
'Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD' tracks MT. MERCHANDISE-DEDICATED-TO-LORD. Even-Tyre's-wealth becomes-holy. Acts-Christology: Phoenician-territory becomes-mission-target (Acts 21:3–4 Tyre-Christians).