Isaiah 23:10-18

Isa 23:10

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

 

Now that Tyre has no more power at this time, the people of Tarshish can pass through it as easily as the Nile River flows through Egypt.  No more strength can be understood as no more restraint like a girdle which points to the fact that Tarshish was subject to Tyre but no longer has any authority over them.

 

Isa 23:11

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.

 

The LORD was the one who stretched his hand of judgment over the sea which is speaking of Tyre which was called “the daughter of the sea.”  The kingdoms which he has shaken were both Tyre and Sidon and maybe surrounding areas with them since Sidon could no longer do business with Tyre as they were both brought to a standstill especially as the Assyrian army was destroying Tyre.  The LORD gave a commandment not an option when it came to the destruction of the city of pride along with all the strongholds of the city designed to protect it.  The word “merchant” in the Hebrew is the word for “Canaan.”  Here God was destroying the pagan parts of Canaan which was a descendant of Canaan who was a descendant of Ham.  And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, (Genesis 10:15)  Ham was cursed by Noah to be a servant of servants and that curse included them to be idol worshippers where Tyre and Sidon both were comprised of Baal worship.


Isa 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.

 

Since Sidon was the city which gave birth to the colony of Tyre which has grown to the point of outdoing the mother city.  They would have attempted to pass over to Chittim (Cyprus) but even if they could escape from Tyre, their enemies would pursue them and continue the persecution.  This would happen under the Medes and Persians or even the Romans when it was their time to rise up as an empire.  You cannot escape the judgment of the Lord no matter where you go. 

 

Isa 23:13

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.

 

Then Isaiah is looking ahead to the destruction of the land of the Chaldeans by Assyria which was accomplished in 710-709 B.C. by Sargon when he razed the capital city of Dur-Yakin and took 90,000 captives.  Sennacherib in 703 B.C. also attacked Babylon and took 208,000 captives and in 698 B.C. leveled it to the ground.  This was a warning to the inhabitants of Tyre that they would find no rest wherever Assyria was in control.

 

Isa 23:14

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

 

This portion of Scripture ends as it started as a warning to the ships of Tarshish that Tyre is no longer a fortress or a place of strength that can supply any security or refuge for its ships.

 

Isa 23:15

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.

 

Tyre will be forgotten or fall into oblivion for seventy years.  There will be no life there as the people will have escaped or were taken to Assyria.  The “days of one king” was referring to the fact that kings had kept journals or chronicles of what happened during their reign for posterity.  The seventy years may have been accomplished between Sennacherib’s 701 B.C. campaign and 630 B.C. when Assyria’s power began to wane.  Tyre would then recover and attempt to rebuild their shipping industry and their trading.  Tyre would sing as a harlot as a city which had been ravaged by sickness but regains her health and begins to try and attract her lovers again which would mean Tyre would try and attract her old business partners again.

 

Isa 23:16

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

 

Then like the harlot who will go around the city and play the harp bringing old songs to mind, Tyre will do the same thing as they attempt to draw their old customers back into trading alliances again.  Like the harlot who feigns love to her clients, Tyre will not be in it for love or for comradery or even concern for their clients, all they will be concerned about is making a profit.  They will work among the businessmen a program of remembering how great Tyre once was and that they could have a part in rebuilding her wealth while making themselves wealthy.

 

Isa 23:17

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.

 

Then after seventy years of Tyre being in a condition of ruin, the LORD will visit Tyre which means he will allow Tyre to be restored.  This seventy years of ruin would have completely eliminated the generation which exalted itself in pride especially the king.  Unfortunately, Tyre will not have learned from their seventy year judgment by God.  As soon as she was able she returned to her former hire.  She shall commit fornication with the kingdoms of the earth which means she will not partake in legitimate business practices but will do behind the scene deal making and no doubt will move contraband among the nations which are bordering on the Mediterranean Sea.  One of the most prominent features of the kingdom of Satan is the fact that it has caused sin and harlot like dealings with the people of the world thus seducing them with all kinds of promises and delivering none.  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (Revelation 18:3)  Tyre is a foreshadow of the great harlot which covers the entire world.

 

Isa 23:18

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.

 

Then there is going to come a time when the shipping industries of Tyre are going to do things for the LORD.  Their ships will carry both people and supplies for the furtherance of the gospel.  They will also carry goods for those people who have become saved in the outlying provinces so the gospel can be spread further.  The money which will be made shall not be hoarded to build a special class of wealthy plutocrats but will be used by those who have a desire to see the gospel spread throughout the world.  Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. (Acts 11:19)  The three places mentioned above are Phenice, also known as Phoenix, is located on the southwest side of the Island of Crete. Cyprus is a small island located in the Mediterranean Sea about 100 miles (161 KM) due west of Laodicea. Antioch was located in Syria which was about 300 miles (483 KM) north of Jerusalem.  Just as the Christian today uses materials like computers or cars built by secular companies in the kingdom of Satan for the furtherance of the gospel, Tyre will use their ships for the furtherance of the Gospel in the Mediterranean area.

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