The Book Of Isaiah. Day 96, A Prophecy Against Tyre, Part One

Chapter 23 contains a prophecy against Tyre, a city that lay north of Israel, a city that was a major maritime power in the days of Isaiah. It was the most important Phoenician city in that era. As Isaiah predicts, it will be conquered. It will be conquered first by Assyria, then by Babylon, then by Greece. The prophecy against Tyre is quite long and it will take us several days to study it.

Tyre was a symbol of great commerce in its day. It was a symbol of grandeur and prosperity. It was also a city whose citizens did not acknowledge God as Lord, for they were idolaters. You may recall that the wicked Queen Jezebel was a Phoenician and that she influenced her husband, King Ahab of Israel, to forsake the Lord entirely for the worship of Baal. She was the daughter of a king of Sidon; Sidon and Tyre are often mentioned together in the Bible because they were both major Phoenician cities, with Sidon being the oldest. Later in this chapter we will find Sidon being referenced as the "mother" of Tyre. 

"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." (Isaiah 23:1) Isaiah foresees the destruction of this great commercial seaport city. The lands that trade with Tyre, such as Cyprus, wail at the news that the seaport has been destroyed. Isaiah predicts a time when there will be no harbor from which or to which ships can travel. 

"Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations." (Isaiah 23:2-3) Shihor and the Nile are both references to the goods of Egypt which were brought into the ports of Tyre. Shihor is believed to have been a river of Egypt or a branch of the Nile. Where will the Egyptians sell their goods now? How will their fortunes fare without the great seaport of Tyre?

When destruction comes upon Tyre, Isaiah foresees Sidon "disowning" that city as if Sidon did not give birth to it. He sees the people of Sidon taking a step back and distancing themselves from the city which has been met with such a sad and shocking fate. "Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: 'I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.'" (Isaiah 23:4) 

It's a strange but somewhat common human reaction for people to distance themselves from those who have experienced great calamity, as if this prevents them from meeting with sad circumstances as well. I recall my mother saying, after the death of my father, that it seemed like all of her still-married friends were suddenly keeping their distance from her as if they thought widowhood was contagious. Sometimes people will stand back from those who have gone through a tragedy, even when the tragedy wasn't anything they brought upon themselves. People are even more likely to distance themselves from those who have done something to cause their misfortunes. The people of Sidon probably thought the people of Tyre had "offended the gods" and brought tragedy upon themselves, or perhaps they thought the people of Tyre did a poor job of defending the city. The people of Sidon likely blamed the citizens of Tyre for their misfortune and for bringing misfortune upon others who would no longer be able to use this much-needed seaport.

The truth is that the people of Tyre did bring calamity upon themselves by living in idolatry, pride, greed, excess, and immorality. Isaiah is going to make it very clear as we move on through this chapter that the fall of Tyre is the judgment of God, saying that this was the plan of God to humble the Tyrians.