Isaiah 23

Isaiah · Chapter 23

Isaiah 23:14

1The 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.2Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.3And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.4Be 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.5As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.6Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.7Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.8Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?9The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.10Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.11He 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.12And 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.13Behold 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.14Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.15And 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.16Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.17And 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.18And 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
14Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor has been destroyed!Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for your stronghold is laid waste.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
wailהֵילִ֖ילוּhei-LI-luH3213
to wail

יָלַל (ya.lal) (Hiphil) to howl, wail, make a howling

O ships ofאֳנִיּ֣וֹת'o-ni-YOTH0591
fleet

אֳנִיָּה (o.niy.yah) 1) ship 1a) men of ships, seamen

Tarshishתַּרְשִׁ֑ישׁtar-SHISHH8659H
Tarshish

תַּרְשִׁישׁ (tar.shish) § Tarshish or Tharshish = "yellow jasper" 1) a city of the Phoenicians in a distant part of the Mediterranean Sea to which the prophet Jonah was trying to flee perhaps in Cyprus or Spain 2) a city somewhere near and accessible to the Red Sea to which ships constructed at Ezion-geber on the Elanitic Gulf on the Red Sea were to sail

forכִּ֥יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

it has been devastatedשֻׁדַּ֖דshu-DADH7703
to ruin

שָׁדַד (sha.dad) 1) to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to violently destroy, devastate, despoil, assail 1a2) devastator, despoiler (participle) (subst) 1b) (Niphal) to be utterly ruined 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to assault 1c2) to devastate 1d) (Pual) to be devastated 1e) (Poel) to violently destroy 1f) (Hophal) to be devastated Also means: shud (שׁוּד "to waste" H7736)

stronghold yourמָעֻזְּכֶֽן׃ סma-'u-ze-KHENH4581
security

מָעוֹז (ma.oz) 1) place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold 1a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold 1b) refuge (of God) (fig.) 1c) human protection (fig.)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.