Isaiah 23

This is the last chapter in the series of oracles concerning the nations that begins in Isaiah 13. It follows Isaiah 22, which concerns Jerusalem, and the next chapter begins the prophecies of judgment and restoration addressed to the whole world.

Outline

• Verses 1–7: Word comes from the land of Chittim to the ships of Tarshish that Tyre has been laid waste. When Tyre, which shipped the grain of the Nile and was "a mart of nations," falls, Sidon is ashamed and Egypt grieves.
• Verses 8–14: The one who purposed this is the LORD of hosts, and He did so to humble pride. The LORD is said to have destroyed the strongholds of Canaan, and Sidon is told that even if it crosses over to Chittim it will find no rest. The desolation of the land of the Chaldeans by Assyria is cited as an example.
• Verses 15–18: Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years and then resume its trade. Its profits, however, will not be stored up but will be holiness to the LORD, providing food and clothing for those who dwell before the LORD.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 23:9: "The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory." The fall of Tyre is explained as God's sovereign judgment on human pride.
• Isaiah 23:18: "And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD." This shows that the judgment ends in restoration and consecration.

People and Places

• Tyre: A Phoenician island port city and a center of maritime trade.
• Sidon: A Phoenician port city north of Tyre.
• Tarshish: A distant western port frequented by the ships of Tyre. Its location is disputed among scholars.
• Chittim: A name generally understood to refer to the island of Cyprus.
• Egypt, Canaan, Assyria, and the land of the Chaldeans are also mentioned.

Points for Reflection

Tyre was attacked in turn by Assyria, by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and by Alexander the Great. Interpreters differ over which of these events the chapter has in view. Verse 13 is especially difficult in the original text, and translations and interpretations of it vary considerably. Some take the seventy years as a literal period, while others regard the number as symbolic. The same theme concerning Tyre appears in Ezekiel 26–28 and in Jeremiah 25. In the New Testament, Jesus mentions Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 11:21–22), and Paul met with the disciples at Tyre (Acts 21:3–7). Many interpreters hold that the scene in Revelation 18, in which merchants and sailors lament the fall of Babylon, recalls this chapter and Ezekiel's lament over Tyre.