Isaiah 23

Tyre, Merchant of the Nations

The world’s greatest trading city is silenced, and then its profits are turned into “holiness to the LORD.”

Prophesied late 700s BC; Tyre was besieged by Assyria, Babylon (585–572 BC), and Alexander the Great (332 BC) Read with footnotes in Gospel Library

Background

The last of the oracles against the nations (chapters 13–23) is about Tyre, the great Phoenician port city on the coast north of Israel, together with its older sister city Sidon (Zidon).

The last of the oracles against the nations (chapters 13–23) is about Tyre, the great Phoenician port city on the coast north of Israel, together with its older sister city Sidon (Zidon). Tyre was built partly on an island just offshore, which made it nearly impregnable. The Phoenicians were the ancient world’s master seafarers and traders. They founded colonies across the Mediterranean, including Carthage in North Africa and trading posts as far away as Spain. They shipped Egyptian grain, Lebanese cedar, purple dye, metals, and luxury goods everywhere. Hiram of Tyre supplied the cedar and craftsmen for Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs. 5:1–12).

So Isaiah’s collection of oracles, which began with Babylon, the great political and military power, ends with Tyre, the great commercial power. Between them they represent the two faces of worldly pride: conquest and commerce.

The chapter ends with one of the most surprising turns in Isaiah: Tyre’s wealth becomes “holiness to the LORD.”

The thread through the chapter

Isaiah 23 is about what happens to wealth that serves only itself. The chapter opens with the ships of Tarshish, the great merchant fleet, arriving home from a long voyage to find…

Isaiah 23 is about what happens to wealth that serves only itself.

The chapter opens with the ships of Tarshish, the great merchant fleet, arriving home from a long voyage to find their harbor destroyed. They hear the news at Cyprus (“Chittim”) on the way back (verse 1). Wailing spreads around the Mediterranean: Sidon, Egypt, Tarshish. The sea itself speaks like a bereaved mother: “I travail not… neither do I nourish up young men” (verse 4).

Then comes the question (verse 8): who planned this against Tyre, “the crowning city, whose merchants are princes”? The answer: “The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory” (verse 9). The Lord who humbled Babylon’s military pride now humbles Tyre’s commercial pride.

But the chapter doesn’t end in silence. After “seventy years,” Tyre will revive and go back to trading. Isaiah calls it a “harlot” (verse 17), because commerce with every nation, pursued only for profit, is a kind of faithlessness. And then comes the twist (verse 18): “her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD.” Her profits won’t be hoarded. They will feed and clothe those who dwell before the Lord.

Wealth itself is not the enemy in Isaiah. Pride is. The same money that made Tyre proud can be consecrated. That is the principle behind the law of consecration and the words carved over every Latter-day Saint temple: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

Tap any highlighted phrase to open a note beneath its versein the margin.

Verses 1–7

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish

In plain words

This is the oracle about Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! Tyre is destroyed, with no house left and no harbor to enter. The news reached them from Cyprus. Be silent, you people of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose sailors crossed the sea and made you rich. Across the great waters came grain from the Nile; the harvest of the river was her income, and she became the marketplace of nations. Be ashamed, Sidon, for the sea, the stronghold of the sea, has spoken: “I have never been in labor or given birth; I have never raised sons or daughters.” When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish over the report about Tyre. Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the coast! Is this your joyful city, founded in ancient times, whose people traveled to settle distant lands?

1 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.

Imagery & Symbol #

Ships coming home to nothing

The “ships of Tarshish” were the great ocean-going merchant ships, named for the distant port of Tarshish, probably in Spain.

The “ships of Tarshish” were the great ocean-going merchant ships, named for the distant port of Tarshish, probably in Spain. Picture a fleet returning from a voyage of months or years, loaded with silver, tin, and trade goods. They stop at Chittim (Cyprus) and hear the news: their home port is gone. “There is no house, no entering in.”

The chapter opens and closes its first half with the same cry (verses 1 and 14). Isaiah has already named the ships of Tarshish among the proud things the day of the Lord would humble (Isa. 2:16).

Sources: “Tarshish”, Bible Dictionary. “Tyre”, Bible Dictionary.

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4 Be 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.

5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

Verses 8–14

Who planned this?

In plain words

Who planned this against Tyre, the city that crowned kings, whose merchants were princes and whose traders were honored everywhere? The Lord of hosts planned it, to humble all proud splendor and to bring down all who were honored on the earth. Spread out over your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer any harbor. The Lord has stretched out His hand over the sea and made kingdoms tremble. He has commanded that Canaan’s strongholds be destroyed. He said, “You will celebrate no more, crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Get up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” Look at the land of the Chaldeans, a people that no longer exists! Assyria made it a place for desert creatures. They raised their siege towers, stripped its fortresses, and left it a ruin. Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is destroyed!

8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

Liken It #

Merchants who are princes

Tyre was “the crowning city,” either because it crowned the kings of its colonies or because it wore wealth like a crown.

Tyre was “the crowning city,” either because it crowned the kings of its colonies or because it wore wealth like a crown. Its merchants had the status of princes and its traders were “the honourable of the earth.” In Tyre, money was the path to honor.

Verse 9 gives the Lord’s purpose: “to stain the pride of all glory.” The verb means to profane or defile, to strip away the sacred aura people give to wealth. The Book of Mormon repeatedly shows how quickly riches can turn into pride and class division (Alma 4:6–12; 3 Ne. 6:10–15). Jacob’s counsel is the antidote: “before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God” (Jacob 2:18–19).

9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Verses 15–18

Tyre’s wages made holy

In plain words

In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the lifetime of a king. At the end of seventy years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in the song: “Take a harp, go around the city, forgotten prostitute! Play well and sing many songs, so you will be remembered.” At the end of seventy years the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will go back to her trade and do business with all the kingdoms of the world. But her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They won’t be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live in the Lord’s presence, to give them plenty of food and fine clothing.

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.

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.

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.

Imagery & Symbol #

Commerce as harlotry

Why would Isaiah call trade “fornication”? Because Tyre made itself available to anyone who would pay, with no loyalty to anything but profit.

Why would Isaiah call trade “fornication”? Because Tyre made itself available to anyone who would pay, with no loyalty to anything but profit. The prophets use sexual unfaithfulness as a metaphor for any relationship that betrays covenant loyalty (Isa. 1:21).

John used exactly this image for latter-day Babylon, the great harlot “with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,” whose fall makes the merchants of the earth weep “for no man buyeth their merchandise any more” (Rev. 17:2; Rev. 18:3; Rev. 18:11–19). Revelation 18’s lament over the merchants and ships is modeled directly on the oracles against Tyre.

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.

Restoration Insight #

“Holiness to the LORD”

This is the stunning turn at the end. Tyre goes back to business, but now her profits are “holiness to the LORD.”

This is the stunning turn at the end. Tyre goes back to business, but now her profits are “holiness to the LORD.” They won’t be “treasured nor laid up,” hoarded, but will provide food and “durable clothing” for “them that dwell before the LORD.”

“Holiness to the LORD” was the inscription on the gold plate worn on the high priest’s turban (Ex. 28:36–38). Zechariah foresaw a day when even “the bells of the horses” and ordinary cooking pots in Jerusalem would bear it (Zech. 14:20–21), when everything, even the mundane, is consecrated. Latter-day Saints carve the words on every temple.

The idea is the heart of the law of consecration: property and profit dedicated to the Lord and used to care for the poor, “every man according to his wants and his needs” (D&C 82:17–19; see D&C 42:30–33). Isaiah foresaw that even the world’s most commercial city could have its wealth made holy.

Sources: “Temple”, Bible Dictionary.

Seeing Christ in Isaiah 23

The chapter’s last verse shows the Savior’s redemptive power reaching even commerce: Tyre’s wages become “holiness to the LORD.” There’s a beautiful New Testament echo. Jesus traveled to “the coasts of Tyre and Sidon,” where He healed the daughter of a Gentile woman whose persistent faith astonished Him (Mark 7:24–30; Matt. 15:21–28). He said that if His mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented (Matt. 11:21–22). Decades later, Paul found a community of disciples at Tyre who knelt and prayed with him on the beach (Acts 21:3–6).

The merchant city that Isaiah saw humbled became a place where people knelt before Jesus Christ.

Liken it to yourself

Is my work, my business, my profession, or my paycheck “holiness to the LORD”? What would it take to consecrate it?
Verse 18 says Tyre’s profits would not be “treasured nor laid up.” What is the difference between prudent saving and hoarding? How do I know which one I’m doing?
Where does money bring “honor” in my world (verse 8)? Do I give people more respect because of their wealth?

Worth exploring next

Tyre in scripture. Read Ezek. 26–28 alongside Isaiah 23. How does Ezekiel develop Isaiah’s picture?
Babylon the merchant. Compare Isaiah 23 with Rev. 18:9–19. Why do you think John used Tyre’s imagery for latter-day Babylon?
Holiness to the Lord. Trace the phrase through Ex. 28:36, Zech. 14:20–21, and the law of consecration in D&C 42:30–39.

Sources & further reading

“Tyre”, Bible Dictionary.
“Tarshish”, Bible Dictionary.
Chapter 14: A Voice of Warning to the Wicked (Isaiah 13–23), Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi (2003).
John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986–1998.

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