Isaiah 23:4

"On great waters, the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue. She was the market of nations."

Key Reflection

In this verse, Isaiah portrays Tyre as a bustling commercial hub, drawing on the abundance of Egypt's fertile lands. The "seed of the Shihor" and the "harvest of the Nile" symbolize the wealth generated by Egypt’s rich agricultural resources, which Tyre profited from through trade, making it a market for nations far and wide.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Be thou ashamed, O Zidon -Tyre was a colony of Sidon. Sidon is here addressed as the mother of Tyre, and is called on to lament over her daughter that was destroyed. InIsaiah 23:12, Tyre is called the ‘daughter of Sidon;’ and such appellations were commonly given to cities (see the note atIsaiah 1:8). Sidon is here represented as ashamed, or grieved - as a mother is who is bereft of all her children. The sea hath spoken -New Tyre was on a rock at some distance from the land, and seemed to rise out of the sea, somewhat as Venice does It is described here as a production of the sea, and the sea is represented as speaking by her.

More from Isaiah 23

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