Isaiah 23:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.

NIV: Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched.

NASB: Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon; Your messengers crossed the sea

CSB: Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; your agents have crossed the sea

NLT: Mourn in silence, you people of the coast and you merchants of Sidon. Your traders crossed the sea,

KJV: Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

NKJV: Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon, Whom those who cross the sea have filled.

Isaiah's oracle against the coastal port city of Tyre does not impact that city alone. He has instructed the merchants and sailors on the ships of Tarshish to weep because Tyre has been destroyed (Isaiah 23:1).

Now he calls to the people of the coast. The prophet is likely referring to the inhabitants of the region of Phoenicia, or the people of "the island," meaning the inhabitants of the island city of Tyre. He instructs them using the Hebrew root word dāmam. This most literally refers to silence or stillness, especially in the context of death or mourning. Those wiped out by the destruction of Tyre would, of course, be quite still. Those who had benefitted from the trade which came through Tyre would have mourned the loss of the great city laid low by her enemies.

The cities of Tyre and Sidon are often mentioned together. Sidon was another great coastal port city 25 miles, or 40 kilometers, north of Tyre. Isaiah seems to be saying that, though the merchants of Sidon have been enriched by all that sea trade, the time has come to mourn and be silent. Those prosperous times of trade are over.

Chapter 23:1–12 describes the aftermath of the Lord's judgment against Tyre. The passage makes it clear that God is bringing this doom because the city's pride. The command which the Lord gives is absolute and cannot be avoided. Upcoming passages will compare this ruin to a then-extinct civilization, the Chaldeans. Tyre will become a trading hub once again, but with much less glory and her wealth will be used to provide for the Lord'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).