Isaiah 23:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast!

NIV: Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island.

NASB: Pass over to Tarshish; Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland.

CSB: Cross over to Tarshish; wail, inhabitants of the coastland!

NLT: Send word now to Tarshish! Wail, you people who live in distant lands!

KJV: Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

NKJV: Cross over to Tarshish; Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland!

Through this passage Isaiah reveals how the destruction of Tyre will be felt everywhere. Neighbors who grew rich from all the revenue that flowed through its gates will mourn. Others also benefited from Tyre's shipping industry, including its trading partners around the world (Isaiah 23:1–5).

Now Isaiah calls for the people of Tarshish to join in the mourning. Tarshish is often identified with Tartessos on the coast of Spain. This city was all the way across the Mediterranean Sea from Tyre. The ships of Tarshish (Isaiah 23:1) were either built there or designed to make the long journey all the way across the sea. The city of Tarshish was said to be rich in silver, iron, tin, and lead (Ezekiel 27:12). The people of Tarshish would have benefited enormously from the trade conducted by the merchants of Tyre.

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).

Accessed 5/5/2024 8:56:55 AM