Isaiah 23:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: "I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women."

NIV: Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters."

NASB: Be ashamed, Sidon, For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying, 'I have neither been in labor nor given birth, I have neither brought up young men nor raised virgins.'

CSB: Be ashamed, Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young women."

NLT: But now you are put to shame, city of Sidon, for Tyre, the fortress of the sea, says, 'Now I am childless; I have no sons or daughters.'

KJV: Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

NKJV: Be ashamed, O Sidon; For the sea has spoken, The strength of the sea, saying, “I do not labor, nor bring forth children; Neither do I rear young men, Nor bring up virgins.”

The great trading city of Tyre has fallen. This ancient city has been completely wiped out by an enemy. This prediction from Isaiah points forward to the Lord's judgment on the wealthy city. Tyre's fall will bring grief to many. This includes those in the nearby Phoenician region who benefited financially from trade. It also affects trading partners like those in Egypt who shipped their grain through Tyre (Isaiah 23:1–3). Now his audience learns that the sea will also mourn.

It's unclear why Isaiah writes that Sidon, a partner city to Tyre, should be ashamed for mourning. The point may be that "the sea," in a symbolic sense, has suffered even greater loss. Some commentators understand the word for "stronghold" or "fortress" to be a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea.

Isaiah paints a picture of the sea grieving the loss of the sailors that travelled its waters from Tyre. After all, the ocean has no children of its own. It has not raised boys and girls. The sailors of Tyre lost in the battle were viewed as its children, and now they are gone. The oceans waters are now empty of these people they once carried to distant shores.

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).