Isaiah 23:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations.

NIV: On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations.

NASB: And were on many waters. The grain of the Nile, the harvest of the River was her revenue; And she was the market of nations.

CSB: over deep water. Tyre’s revenue was the grain from Shihor— the harvest of the Nile. She was the merchant among the nations.

NLT: sailing over deep waters. They brought you grain from Egypt and harvests from along the Nile. You were the marketplace of the world.

KJV: And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

NKJV: And on great waters the grain of Shihor, The harvest of the River, is her revenue; And she is a marketplace for the nations.

The prophecy against the wealthy port city of Tyre is written in the past tense, although the events probably occurred after Isaiah's lifetime. The prophet describes the aftermath of the total destruction of the city and its people by some enemy force. This invasion could have the Assyrians in Isaiah's time or Alexander the Great in 332 BC (Isaiah 23:1).

Isaiah is showing that Tyre is not the only city which will suffer because of its destruction. Tyre's great wealth came from trading with other nations near and far. That exceptional wealth brought economic prosperity to the entire region, including the city of Sidon to the north (Isaiah 23:2).

The next part of this oracle Isaiah talking about the revenue generated by trading goods for the grain from Shihor. The region of Shihor may have been a branch of the Nile River in Egypt. This area of the Nile River was known for its abundant grain crops because of the fertile farmland created by the annual flooding of the river.

That Egyptian grain is just one example of the products that changed hands by way of Tyre's shipping and trading industry. Isaiah calls Tyre the "merchant of the nations." Before its destruction, the city and its people amassed significant wealth from all the goods that flowed through the city's borders.

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).