23:1 Here is a message about Tyre: Wail, you large ships, for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is announced to them.
Isaiah was given a message of judgment for Tyre. Tyre was controlled by Phoenician seamen who controlled the trade on the Mediterranean Sea. Since they lived next door to Israel, they took knowledge of Jehovah all over the world. Many foreign nations all over the world may have heard about Solomon’s greatness through the Phoenicians.
Tyre would be destroyed twice. First, she would be destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Second, she would be destroyed by Alexander the Great. Ezekiel 26 gave more details of both of these prophesies of destruction.
Cypress was about 150 miles northwest from Tyre. While the Phoenician ships were out to sea at Cyprus, then Nebuchadnezzar would destroy Tyre. The sailors began to wail, because they had no home to return.
23:2 Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea, whose agents sail over
Sidon was the sister city of Tyre, which was located about 35 miles to the north. The destruction of Tyre would cripple the economics of Sidon. Therefore, the Sidonian businessmen would sing a funeral song of sadness for their dead sister and business partner.
23:3 the deep waters! Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she receives; she is the trade center of the nations.
Egypt was located south of Tyre. Egypt shipped grain all over the world. Egypt would also be crippled economically by Tyre’s destruction.
23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea: “I have not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women.”
The Sidonians mothered Tyre. Many of the settlers of Sidon migrated south and built the city of Tyre. Tyre surpassed her mother in economic greatness.
23:5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre.
The destruction of Tyre would destroy the economics of Egypt. If Tyre fell, then Egypt would be the next nation to fall.
23:6 Travel to Tarshish! Wail, you residents of the coast!
Since Tyre would be destroyed, then the refugees would have to relocate to one of her other colonies. The Phoenicians possessed possibly four other colonies, all called Tarshish. There was a Tarshish in Africa, Spain, the British coast, and North Africa. The North African colony eventually became Carthage.
23:7 Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
Jehovah (through His prophet Isaiah) taunted Tyre with a question: Is this really the great city Tyre who came from a distant land to reside on the Israeli coast?
23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the dignitaries of the earth?
Jehovah taunted Tyre with a second question: Who planned the destruction of Tyre? After all, Tyre was the Wall Street of the ancient world. Their sailors controlled the Mediterranean Sea.
23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it— to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
Jehovah is the commander of the angelic armies. He was the one who planned Tyre’s destruction. He planned it, because Tyre had become too prideful. He planned her destruction to humiliate all of the other nations on the earth who benefited from her trade. He wanted the nations to know that Jehovah was in control and He judges prideful nations.
23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.
The colonies of Tyre would now be independent. They could do as they pleased.
23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook kingdoms; he gave the order to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.
Jehovah waved His hand, causing Tyre and her Canaanite military fortresses to become destroyed.
23:12 He said, “You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.”
Tyre was the daughter of Sidon, because the Sidonians migrated north and gave birth to her. Since Tyre would be destroyed, then the refugees needed to find shelter in another location.
23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity! The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins.
There were two historical Babylons in Isaiah’s day in different times of history. There was the Babylon of Abraham’s day which was destroyed by the Assyrians. They lost their identity as a nation. Babylon would rebuild herself up and defeat the Assyrians.
23:14 Wail, you large ships, for your fortress is destroyed!
The second Babylon was the Babylon who would take Israel captive in 586 B.C. Daniel would become a prophet to this second Babylon. This second Babylon would destroy Tyre.
23:15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song:
Verses 1-14 were written in Hebrew poetry. Verses 15-18 were written in Hebrew prose. Tyre would be destroyed for seventy years. After 70 years, Tyre would rebuild herself and become a prostitute to the nations. She would sell her goods by spiritual prostitution with demonic idols. Prostitutes sang songs to attract their customers.
23:16 “Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you’ll be noticed!”
After 70 years, Tyre wold become hungry for her old ways. She would back to Tyre as an old prostitute and begin to apply her old trade again. She would sings songs about her glorious past to attract customers.
23:17 At the end of seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms.
After 70 years, Tyre would once again control the commerce of the Mediterranean Sea. She would once again play the harlot of world trade.
23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.
After 70 years, Judah would also return to her land. Tyre would bring holy merchandise to Judah. The holy merchandise that she brought would be the cedars of Lebanon. These cedar trees would be used to rebuild the Jewish Temple.