Isaiah 23:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.

NIV: A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them.

NASB: The pronouncement concerning Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor; It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus.

CSB: A pronouncement concerning Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

NLT: This message came to me concerning Tyre: Wail, you trading ships of Tarshish, for the harbor and houses of Tyre are gone! The rumors you heard in Cyprus are all true.

KJV: The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

NKJV: The burden against Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, So that there is no house, no harbor; From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.

The final oracle Isaiah records in the segment is against the then-thriving port city of Tyre. The ancient city was located about 35 miles, or 56 kilometers, north of Mt. Carmel in what is called "Lebanon" today. The city's location on the Mediterranean and two natural harbors gave it a prime advantage as a center for sea trade. In addition, Tyre was partly built on two islands just a short distance off the shore, making it difficult to attack and conquer.

However, it was conquered and utterly decimated. Alexander the Great overtook the city in 332 BC during his campaign against Phoenicia. It is unknown if that is the defeat Isaiah's oracle is pointing to, or if it is another of the attacks when the city was defeated following Isaiah's time. Some scholars understand Isaiah's description to fit Alexander's attack best due to how thoroughly he succeeded in destroying the city and wiping out the population.

Tarshish was likely in modern-day Spain, though some researchers believe it was off the coast of Italy. The ships of Tarshish are mentioned several times throughout the Old Testament. Solomon had a fleet of these ships during his reign as king over Israel (1 Kings 10:22). The ships were built for the distinct purpose of being able to haul impressive loads of goods over great distances (Ezekiel 27:25). They were either manufactured in Tarshish, or were constructed to travel all the way to Tarshish and back.

Isaiah begins by calling for the sailors and merchants aboard the ships of Tarshish to mourn: Tyre has been destroyed. The imagery here is of a trading expedition returning home to Tyre after many months, weighed down with goods from across the sea. The city they find is different from the city they left behind.

The large island of Cyprus was northwest of Tyre and the natural final stop for a fleet of ships heading back to Phoenicia. Isaiah pictures the sailors getting the news in Cyprus that Tyre is gone. There are no houses remaining or even a harbor for them to dock in. The great city has simply ceased to be.

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).