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Isaiah 23:1 This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
Isaiah 23:1
New International Version
A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them.

New Living Translation
This message came to me concerning Tyre: Wail, you trading ships of Tarshish, for the harbor and houses of Tyre are gone! The rumors you heard in Cyprus are all true.

English Standard Version
The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.

Berean Standard Bible
This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
The burden against Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, So that there is no house, no harbor; From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.

New American Standard Bible
The pronouncement concerning Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor; It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus.

NASB 1995
The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor; It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus.

NASB 1977
The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor; It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus.

Legacy Standard Bible
The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor; It is revealed to them from the land of Cyprus.

Amplified Bible
The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house, without harbor; It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus (Kittim).

Christian Standard Bible
A pronouncement concerning Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
An oracle against Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

American Standard Version
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 Kittim it is revealed to them.

Contemporary English Version
This is a message from distant islands about the city of Tyre: Cry, you seagoing ships! Tyre and its houses lie in ruins.

English Revised Version
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 Kittim it is revealed to them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is the divine revelation about Tyre. Cry loudly, you ships of Tarshish! Your port at Tyre is destroyed. Word has come to the ships from Cyprus.

Good News Translation
This is a message about Tyre. Howl with grief, you sailors out on the ocean! Your home port of Tyre has been destroyed; its houses and its harbor are in ruins. As your ships return from Cyprus, you learn the news.

International Standard Version
A message concerning Tyre. "Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it was revealed to them.

Majority Standard Bible
This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

NET Bible
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.

New Heart English Bible
The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish. For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The Burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish, "" For it has been destroyed, "" Without house, without entrance, "" From the land of Chittim it was revealed to them.

Young's Literal Translation
The Burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For it hath been destroyed, Without house, without entrance, From the land of Chittim it was revealed to them.

Smith's Literal Translation
The burden of Tyre. Wail, ye ships of Tarshish, for it was laid waste from a house from going in: from the land of Chittim it was uncovered to them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
THE burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of the sea, for the house is destroyed, from whence they were wont to come: from the land of Cethim it is revealed to them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The burden of Tyre. Wail, you ships of the sea! For the house, from which they were accustomed to go forth, has been laid waste. From the land of Kittim, this has been revealed to them.

New American Bible
Oracle on Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your port is destroyed; From the land of the Kittim the news reaches them.

New Revised Standard Version
The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your fortress is destroyed. When they came in from Cyprus they learned of it.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
THE prophecy concerning the fall of Tyre. Howl, O ships of Tarshish! for he who brings merchandise is plundered; from the land of China the news has been revealed to us.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The burden of Tsur: “Howl ships of Tarshish, because he who leads a house is plundered, and from the land of Kathim it has been revealed to us
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
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 Kittim it is revealed to them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
THE WORD CONCERNING TYRE. Howl, ye ships of Carthage; for she has perished, and men no longer arrive from the land of the Citians: she is led captive.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Fall of Tyre
1This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus. 2Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the sea.…

Cross References
Ezekiel 26:1-21
In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken; it has swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be filled,’ / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. ...

Ezekiel 27:1-36
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Now you, son of man, take up a lament for Tyre. / Tell Tyre, who dwells at the gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that this is what the Lord GOD says: You have said, O Tyre, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’ ...

Ezekiel 28:1-19
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. / Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! ...

Amos 1:9-10
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood. / So I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre to consume its citadels.”

Zechariah 9:2-4
and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd. / Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. / Behold, the Lord will impoverish her and cast her wealth into the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.

Joel 3:4-8
Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads. / For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples. / You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland. ...

Jeremiah 25:22
all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

Jeremiah 47:4
For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.

Psalm 83:7
of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, of Philistia with the people of Tyre.

1 Kings 9:26-28
King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. / And Hiram sent his servants, sailors who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants. / They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents—and delivered it to Solomon.

1 Kings 10:22
For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

Matthew 11:21-22
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. / But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

Luke 10:13-14
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. / But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

Acts 12:20
Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.

Revelation 18:17-19
For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance / and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim. / Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”


Treasury of Scripture

The burden of Tyre. Howl, you 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.

A.

Jeremiah 25:15,22
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it…

Jeremiah 47:4
Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.

Ezekiel 26:1
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Howl

Isaiah 15:2,8
He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off…

Revelation 18:17-19
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, …

ye ships

Isaiah 2:16
And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

Isaiah 60:9
Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

1 Kings 22:48
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.

for it is

Isaiah 15:1
The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;

Jeremiah 25:10,11
Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle…

Revelation 18:22,23
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; …

the land

Isaiah 23:12
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.

Numbers 24:24
And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

Jeremiah 2:10
For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

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Burden Chittim Cry Cyprus Destroyed Entering Entrance Harbor Haven House Howl Kittim Laid News Oracle Reported Revealed Ships Sorrow Strong Tarshish Tyre Wail Waste Way Word
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Burden Chittim Cry Cyprus Destroyed Entering Entrance Harbor Haven House Howl Kittim Laid News Oracle Reported Revealed Ships Sorrow Strong Tarshish Tyre Wail Waste Way Word
Isaiah 23
1. The miserable overthrow of Tyre
15. Her restoration and unfaithfulness














This is an oracle concerning Tyre
The word "oracle" in Hebrew is "מַשָּׂא" (massa), which often denotes a burden or a prophetic pronouncement. In the context of Isaiah, it signifies a divine message of judgment. Tyre was a prominent Phoenician city known for its wealth and trade. This introduction sets the stage for a prophecy that would have been shocking to its contemporaries, as Tyre was a symbol of economic power and influence.

Wail, O ships of Tarshish
The "ships of Tarshish" refer to large, sea-going vessels used for long voyages, often associated with trade and wealth. Tarshish is believed to be a distant port, possibly in Spain, representing the farthest reaches of known trade routes. The call to "wail" is a poetic expression of mourning and lamentation, indicating the severe impact of Tyre's downfall on international commerce.

for Tyre is laid waste
The phrase "laid waste" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁדַד" (shadad), meaning to destroy or devastate. This prophecy foretells the complete destruction of Tyre, a city that seemed invincible due to its strategic location and fortified structures. Historically, Tyre faced several sieges, most notably by Nebuchadnezzar and later by Alexander the Great, fulfilling this prophecy.

without house or harbor
This imagery of being "without house or harbor" underscores the totality of Tyre's destruction. Houses symbolize the loss of community and domestic life, while the absence of a harbor signifies the end of its economic and maritime dominance. Tyre's harbors were central to its identity as a trading hub, and their loss would have been catastrophic.

From the land of Cyprus word has come to them
Cyprus, known in Hebrew as "כִּתִּים" (Kittim), was a significant maritime center in the Mediterranean. The mention of Cyprus indicates the widespread nature of the news of Tyre's fall. The phrase suggests that even distant lands, connected through trade, would hear of Tyre's demise, emphasizing the far-reaching consequences of God's judgment.

XXIII.

(1) The burden of Tyre . . .--The chapter calls us to enquire into the political relations of Tyre at the time of Isaiah. These we learn, partly from Scripture itself, partly from Assyrian inscriptions. In the days of David and Solomon there had been an intimate alliance between Israel and Hiram, King of Tyre. Psalm 45:12 indicates at least the interchange of kingly gifts, if not the acknowledgment of sovereignty by payment of tribute. Psalm 83:7, which we have some reason to connect with the reign of Uzziah, shows that this alliance had passed into hostility. The position of Tyre naturally threw it into more intimate relations with the northern kingdom; "its country was nourished by the king's country" then as in the days of Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:20), and there seems reason to believe that the son of Tabeal, whom Pekah and Rezin intended to place upon the throne of Judah, was the son of a Tyrian ruler. (See Note on Isaiah 7:6.) It was, at this time, the most flourishing of the Ph?nician cities, and had succeeded to the older fame of Zidon. The action of Ahaz in inviting the help of Tiglath-pileser against Israel and the Syrians had tended to make Tyre also an object of attack by the Assyrian armies. The prophecy now before us would seem to have been connected with that attack, and foretells the issue of the conflict on which Tyre had rashly entered. Upon that issue light is thrown by the inscriptions of the Assyrian kings. Sargon records that he "plundered the district of Samaria and the whole house of Omri," and "reigned from Yatnan (Cyprus), which is in the midst of the sea of the setting sun . . . from the great Ph?nicia and Syria. . . . to all the cities of remote Media" (Records of the Past, vii. 27). Sennacherib boasts of a victory over the land of the Hatti (i.e., Hittites); "fear overwhelmed Luti, the king of Zidon," and "he fled to Yatnan, which is in the midst of the sea," and the Assyrian "placed Tubalu" (the Tabeal of Isaiah) on the throne of the kingdom (Records of the Past, vii. 61). In anticipation of these events, the prophet utters his note of warning to the great merchant city. It seems more natural to connect it with those events, which came within the horizon of his vision, than to refer it, as some interpreters have done, to the later siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. The mention of the Chaldeans as having been subdued by the Assyrians, which fits in with Sargon's and Sennacherib's victories over Merodach-baladan (Records of the Past, vii. 45, 59), who endeavoured to establish an independent kingdom in Babylon (see Note on Isaiah 39:1), and is, of course, entirely inapplicable to the time of Nebuchadnezzar, seems, indeed, to be decisive as to this question. . . .

Verses 1-14. - THE BURDEN OF TYRE. We here reach the last of the "burdens" - the concluding chapter of the series of denunciatory prophecies which commenced with Isaiah 13. It is an elegy "in three stanzas, or strophes" (Cheyne) - the first extending from ver. 1 to ver. 5; the second, thence to ver. 9; and the third from ver. 10 to ver. 14. An undertone of sadness, and even of commiseration, prevails throughout it, the prophet viewing Tyre as a fellow-sufferer with Israel, persecuted and oppressed by the fame enemy, Assyria, which was everywhere pushing her conquests, and had recently extended her dominion even over Babylon (ver. 13). This last allusion fixes the date of the prophecy to a time subsequent to B.C. 710, when the Assyrian monarch, Sargon, first conquered the country, and took the title of king (G. Smith, 'Epanym Canon,' p. 86). Verse 1. - Howl (comp. Isaiah 13:6, 31). The expression is common in the prophets (see Jeremiah 4:8; Jeremiah 25:34, etc.: Ezekiel 21:12; Ezekiel 30:2; Joel 1:5, 11, 13; Zephaniah 1:11; Zechariah 11:2, etc.). Ye ships of Tarshish. "Ships of Tarshish" are first mentioned in connection with the trade carried on by Solomon. Apparently, the term there designates a certain class of ship rather than those engaged in a particular trade (see the comment on 1 Kings 22:48 in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 2. p. 623). Here, however, Phoenician ships, actually engaged in the trade with Tartessus, may be intended. Tartessus was a very ancient Phoenician settlement in the south of Spain, beyond the Pillars of Hercules, and was the center of a most important and lucrative commerce (see 1 Kings 10:22; Herod., i. 163; Ezekiel 27:12, etc.). In the present passage the returning fleet of merchantmen is addressed, and told that the harbour to which they are hastening is closed, the city desolate. From the land of Chittim. "Chittim" here, as in Genesis 10:4, and elsewhere generally, is probably Cyprus, whose most ancient capital was called by the Greeks Kitten (see Joseph, 'Ant. Jud,' 1:6, § 1). The name "Chittim" is not improbably a variant of "Khittim," "the Hittites," who may have been the first to colonize the island. A fleet from the Western Mediterranean would naturally touch at Cyprus on its way to Tyro, and would there learn the calamity.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
[This is] an oracle
מַשָּׂ֖א (maś·śā)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4853: A burden, tribute, porterage, an utterance, chiefly a, doom, singing, mental, desire

concerning Tyre:
צֹ֑ר (ṣōr)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6865: Tyre -- a Phoenician city

Wail,
הֵילִ֣ילוּ ׀ (hê·lî·lū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3213: To howl, make a howling

O ships
אֳנִיּ֣וֹת (’o·nî·yō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 591: A ship

of Tarshish,
תַּרְשִׁ֗ישׁ (tar·šîš)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8659: Tarshish -- a son of Javan, also a port on the Mediterranean, also a Benjamite

for
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

[Tyre] is laid waste,
שֻׁדַּ֤ד (šud·daḏ)
Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7703: To deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin

without house
מִבַּ֙יִת֙ (mib·ba·yiṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

[or] harbor.
מִבּ֔וֹא (mib·bō·w)
Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

Word has reached
נִגְלָה־ (niḡ·lāh-)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1540: To denude, to exile, to reveal

them
לָֽמוֹ׃ (lā·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

from the land
מֵאֶ֥רֶץ (mê·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of Cyprus.
כִּתִּ֖ים (kit·tîm)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3794: Kittim -- a son of Javan, also his descendants and their land


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 23:1 The burden of Tyre (Isa Isi Is)
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