Isaiah 23:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.

NASB: Her profit and her prostitute’s wages will be sacred to the Lord; it will not be stored up or hoarded, but her profit will become sufficient food and magnificent attire for those who dwell in the presence of the Lord.

CSB: But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord. They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the Lord’s presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing.

NLT: But in the end her profits will be given to the Lord. Her wealth will not be hoarded but will provide good food and fine clothing for the Lord’s priests.

KJV: And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

NKJV: Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the Lord; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.

The final verse of Isaiah's oracle from the Lord against Tyre ends on a surprising and positive note. The city will be redeemed in the end. More specifically, the wealth of the city will be redeemed.

The oracle against Egypt ended with a description of true redemption in the far future, likely during the reign of the Messiah on earth (Isaiah 19:16–25). The positive note in this verse regarding Tyre's wealth shows that the Lord has a plan. He will use the merchandise and wages produced by the prostitution of Tyre for the good of God's people. It won't just be hoarded away, but rather used for those who "dwell before the Lord."

Commentators suggest options for what this could mean for Tyre. Since Deuteronomy 23:18 forbids the wages of a prostitute from being given to the Lord, perhaps Tyre will be redeemed from her role as a prostitute and be transformed into a people that truly serves the Lord. Another possibility is that the city will once again be destroyed by the Lord and her wealth transferred to His own people in Israel.

In either interpretation, the Lord communicates through Isaiah that He will make use of Tyre's wealth to meet the needs of own people Israel. The larger message to Judah is that they must not prostitute themselves to other nations attempting to protect themselves or provide for their own needs. Instead, the people of Judah must trust in the Lord and wait for Him to provide for them. This, even if provision comes through the prosperity of others.

Isaiah 23:13–18 completes predictions about the future of Tyre and Sidon. Previous verses indicated the city would be destroyed. Here, Isaiah offers other examples of God's judgment. He then indicates that Tyre's ruin will last seventy years. After comes a form of restoration. However, this will not be the proud status of the past. Instead, the city will be like a prostitute returning to that role. In some way, the profit of Tyre's return will help God's people.

Isaiah's final oracle against the nations describes the aftermath of God's judgment on the port city of Tyre. This city was a great center of trade and shipping in the world. The sailors returning will mourn when they get the news the city and its port is wiped out. The mourning will extend to the Phoenician people, the sea itself, the Egyptian grain industry, and the people of Tarshish. The prophet is clear that the Lord has done this in judgment against Tyre's pride. After 70 years of being forgotten, Tyre will thrive again as a prostitute to the nations. The Lord's people will receive her wages.

Prior chapters included prophecies about the nations surrounding Israel. Most of these have been arranged to warn Israel not to assume those neighbors would make effective allies against God's judgment. Chapter 23 is the final of these "oracles." Tyre was a great center of shipping and trade on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel. When it is destroyed, it will be mourned all around the great sea. After this, the predictions expand to a worldwide focus, with implications for the end times.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).