Isaiah 23:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.

NIV: The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.

NASB: The Lord of armies has planned it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To despise all the honored of the earth.

CSB: The Lord of Armies planned it, to desecrate all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth.

NLT: The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has done it to destroy your pride and bring low all earth’s nobility.

KJV: The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

NKJV: The Lord of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

A question has been asked after the shocking destruction of the city of Tyre: Why did this happen and who is responsible (Isaiah 23:8)? The expected response would have been to blame the Assyrians, or Alexander the Great, or some other warrior nation. Isaiah doesn't mention any of these invaders. Rather, he makes clear that the Lord of hosts is ultimately responsible for the destruction of Tyre. The God of Israel has "purposed" this fate: He has planned and arranged to bring doom on that once great city.

Why did the Lord pour His judgement on this city? Tyre's arrogant egotism and love for the honor it received from around the world earned the Lord's anger. The people of Tyre were full of themselves and self-glorifying. The Lord calls all people to humble themselves and to depend on Him alone. Those in Tyre believed that they could not be destroyed because their city had been established for so long on the earth. They believed their adventurous spirit and commercial success made them essential. The Lord showed them, and the rest of the world, that was not the truth.

Isaiah's oracles involve nations of the world, yet they are not written "to" the world. They were given as messages to the people of Judah. The Lord wanted Judah to understand that rescue from God's judgment could never come from any of the neighboring cultures. Their salvation could be found in the Lord alone. It didn't matter how strong or ancient or rich a city or nation might be. The Lord was stronger than all of them. Only He was worthy of the trust and hope of His people.

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).