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Isaiah 23:10
ESV Cross over your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint anymore.
NIV Till your land as they do along the Nile, Daughter Tarshish, for you no longer have a harbor.
NASB Overflow your land like the Nile, you daughter of Tarshish, There is no more restraint.
CSB Overflow your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer anything to restrain you.
NLT Come, people of Tarshish, sweep over the land like the flooding Nile, for Tyre is defenseless.
KJV Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.
NKJV Overflow through your land like the River, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more strength.

What does Isaiah 23:10 mean?

For various reasons, ancient Hebrew can be especially difficult to translate. At times, phrases are combined such that scholars disagree on precisely what it means. This verse is one such example. Context provides some help but doesn't give a perfect answer. Isaiah has been describing the destruction of Tyre and all it means for the world (Isaiah 23:1–7). Tarshish was one of Tyre's main trading partners. The people of Tarshish will be shocked and saddened by the loss of Tyre.

The prophet tells the people of Tarshish to cross over their land "like the Nile" because the restraint, or constraint, has ended. It's possible Isaiah is saying that Tarshish is now free to cross over their land to find other trading partners. Another possibility is that Isaiah is warning the people of Tarshish to turn to farming: moving over the land just as people farm along the Nile River in Egypt. This interpretation could be because ships will not be coming from Tyre, any longer.

The message is "about" Tarshish and Tyre, but it is being "given" to Judah. For that reason, it's not essential to know exactly what the prophecy means. What's clear about the Lord's message to the world, and especially to Judah, that no nation or city is self-existing. Endless prosperity is not guaranteed. The Lord can step into human history at any moment to bring down the proud and uplift the humble (1 Peter 5:6).
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