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Isaiah 23:12
ESV 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."
NIV He said, "No more of your reveling, Virgin Daughter Sidon, now crushed! "Up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest."
NASB He has said, 'You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.'
CSB He said, "You will not celebrate anymore, ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus — even there you will have no rest!"
NLT He says, 'Never again will you rejoice, O daughter of Sidon, for you have been crushed. Even if you flee to Cyprus, you will find no rest.'
KJV And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.
NKJV And He said, “You will rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, cross over to Cyprus; There also you will have no rest.”

What does Isaiah 23:12 mean?

Time and success make human beings believe they are in control of their own fate. Or they come to trust the false gods they have been worshipping. If enough years go by without this belief being challenged, our limited perspective may convince us that nothing will ever change. We can fall into the false narrative that there is no one true God Who we answer to, that we make our own story.

Isaiah's oracle against Tyre is the demonstration that our tendency to glorify ourselves in this way is a self-deception. When the Lord decides the time is right, He will step in to stop the reveling in our perceived power. That time will have come for Tyre, and the nearby city of Sidon, when Tyre is destroyed.

The Lord addresses the "oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon," an expression meaning Sidon itself. He is the one oppressing, or crushing, them. Sidon is a "virgin daughter," perhaps, in that this new generation of Sidonians will be the one to experience His judgment. In essence, He tells the people of that city that the party is over. The time of triumph has ended. They must adjust their understanding of reality.

The Lord tells the people of Sidon they can attempt to cross over the Mediterranean Sea to the island of Cyprus. The large island is about 75 miles, or 120 kilometers, off the coast where Sidon stood. It was apparently a place where Phoenician kings would run for safety when the Assyrians or other enemies attacked. The Lord assures them, though, that they will not escape His judgment by going there. His judgement will find them wherever they go.
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