Isaiah Chapter 23

At a Glance

  • Isaiah 23 surveys the judgment and downfall of Tyre, a maritime power that had thrived as a hub of international trade.
  • As the prophecy unfolds, the text traces the consequences of wealth accumulated through commerce and the instability of relying on global networks.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Isaiah 23 sits within a broader prophetic collection that critiques commercial and political pride while revealing God’s sovereignty over the nations.
  • - The sovereignty of God over nations: Tyre’s fate demonstrates that even dominant commercial powers answer to the Lord.

CHAPTER REFERENCE

Isaiah 23

Chapter Overview

Isaiah 23 surveys the judgment and downfall of Tyre, a maritime power that had thrived as a hub of international trade. The burden against Tyre announces a day of cosmic shakeups—ships of Tarshish are urged to howl because the city’s wealth and pride will be shattered. The chapter poetically depicts Tyre as a once-vital “mart of nations,” whose wealth and international influence will be derailed by divine decree. The tone shifts from lament for a powerful trading city to a broader claim about universal sovereignty: God’s purposes extend beyond a single city or nation, and prideful economies will be humbled.

As the prophecy unfolds, the text traces the consequences of wealth accumulated through commerce and the instability of relying on global networks. Tyre’s downfall is framed not merely as a political event but as a theological judgment aimed at removing the glorification of human achievement. The surrounding nations are called to witness the fate of Tyre and to reckon with the limits of human power. Toward the end, Tyre’s seventy-year future period signals a divine timetable for revival and restoration; the city’s glory can be renewed only within God’s purposes, not through worldly prosperity alone.

Historical & Literary Context

Isaiah 23 sits within a broader prophetic collection that critiques commercial and political pride while revealing God’s sovereignty over the nations. Likely composed in the 8th century BCE during Assyrian and Phoenician power dynamics, the chapter employs vivid personification and lament as a didactic device. Tyre’s prominence as a commercial crossroads makes it an apt symbol for wealth-driven pride and dependence on sea-borne trade. The prophetic genre blends oracle, lament, and prophetic irony—Tyre’s fall functions as a didactic tableau: the nations will learn that human wealth cannot secure ultimate security. The seventy-year motif echoes a pattern in prophetic literature: even the most powerful cities will endure time-bound judgment before potential renewal, underscoring God’s ultimate control over history.

Key Themes

- The sovereignty of God over nations: Tyre’s fate demonstrates that even dominant commercial powers answer to the Lord.

- The fragility of wealth and pride: Prosperity can mask spiritual rottenness; wealth is not a substitute for righteousness.

- Universal witness and accountability: Other nations observe Tyre’s downfall, highlighting collective responsibility before God.

- Timebound judgment and renewal: The seventy-year horizon suggests a cyclical pattern of destruction and recovery under divine timing.

Modern Application

Isaiah 23 invites readers to reflect on the source of security in a globalized world that centers wealth and trade. For contemporary readers, the chapter challenges the idol of economic supremacy and status derived from accumulation. It calls communities to examine whether prosperity has displaced justice, mercy, and humility. The narrative of Tyre can encourage businesses and nations to acknowledge dependence on God and to pursue wealth in ways that serve the common good rather than national arrogance. It also highlights the importance of humility in trade relationships: honest dealings, fair practices, and ethical leadership can align economic activity with God’s justice. Finally, the eventual restoration motif reminds believers that even the most powerful networks can be renewed in God’s economy—prosperity reimagined under divine purposes rather than mere market expansion.

Cross-References (3-5 related chapters or key passages)

- Isaiah 21 (oracle against Arabia and regional power)

- Isaiah 28 (trust not in earthly alliances)

- Psalm 33 (God’s sovereignty over the nations)

- Amos 9:13–15 (restoration for the house of Judah and seeds of prosperity)

Recommended Personas (Which Biblical personas would provide unique insight)

- Jeremiah (calls for judgment and accountability amid commerce)

- Daniel (dreams of kingdoms and divine sovereignty)

- Jesus (teachings on serving God over wealth)

- Paul (genuine Christian living in a global economy)

Chapter Text

1

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.

2

Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3

And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4

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.

5

As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6

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

7

Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

8

Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

9

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.

10

Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

11

He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

12

And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

13

Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

14

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

15

And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

16

Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

17

And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

18

And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

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