Commentary for Isaiah 23:22

Wail, ye ships of Tarshish who became wealthy through the merchants of Tyre, for the ships of Tarshish would bring merchandise to Tyre. Tarshish is the name of the sea.

Tyre. A town near the sea; it was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar.¹Tyre was besieged five years by Shalmaneser, about 720 B.C. (Joseph. Antiq. 9:14), and thirteen years by Nebuchadnezzar, 583—570 (ib. 10:11). As to the first siege, it is distinctly stated by Josephus that it was not successful; the result of the second is not mentioned, and some infer from Ez. 29:18, that Nebuchadnezzar did not conquer Tyre. But whether conquered or not, the distress and misery which so long a siege must have entailed upon the inhabitants of Tyre, the loss they sustained in wealth and territories, fully corresponds with the humiliation predicted by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. I. E. refers this chapter to the second and not to the first siege, very likely because the Chaldæans are mentioned in it, according to his interpretation, as the conquerors of Assyria (ver. 13).

for it has been pillaged from within For it has been pillaged from within, the place you were wont to lodge, from coming anymore into his midst, and you will no longer have a place in Tyre to lodge there.

כי שרר מבית מבוא For it is laid waste, that there is no house, no entering in. For every house in Tyre is destroyed, that no merchants come there any more.

from the land of Kittim They are the Romans.

From the land of Chittim. Even from the land of Chittim, which is very far,²Chittim is probably Cittium in the isle of Cyprus, which belonged to Phoenicia. this destruction was announced to the ships of Tarshish. Chittim is mentioned, because of the ships which passed the coast thereof.³Ships of Tarshish are ships coming from Tarshish; they passed the coast of Chittim (Cyprus), and heard there the news of the calamities of Tyre; because the enemy that besieged Tyre tried at the same time to get Cyprus into his possession, either by hostile attack or by a support given to her revolt against Tyre. The quotation from Num. 24:25, And ships from the coast of Chittim, is only to prove that Chittim was a naval power. Comp. (Num. 24:25)

he appeared to them The marauder appeared to the people of Tyre. Another explanation is that from the land of Kittim, the plunder of Tyre was revealed to the people of Tarshish, for the people of Tyre fled to Kittim and from there the news was heard.

Be silent, ye island dwellers Mourn and sit silently, you dwellers of the island of the sea. Why? The seafaring merchants of Zidon were wont to replenish you with all merchandise. Now, when Tyre falls, Zidon will fall with it, for they were within a day’s journey from one another.

Inhabitants of the isle. Inhabitants of Tyre.⁴There were two towns of this name, one on the continent, Old Tyre, the other on an island at a short distance from the former. Whom the merchants of Zidon, etc. Although Tyre was full of merchants from Zidon, etc. Zidon. A town likewise on the sea; comp. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea, etc., and his border shall be unto Zidon (Gen. 49:13)

And on great waters the seed would come from Egypt, that is situated on the river Shihor, to Tyre.

And by great waters, etc. The merchants brought to Tyre the seed of the Sihor,⁵Sihor (שיחור) is another name for the Nile (יאֹר); lit., the black river. The Nile is used here by metonymy for Egypt.⁵Sihor (שיחור) is another name for the Nile (יאֹר); lit., the black river. The Nile is used here by metonymy for Egypt. and her increase was the harvest of the Nile.

the harvest of the Nile Egypt was the revenue of Tyre.

סחר A mart. סחר is a noun and means merchandise; but we have here to supply בעלת; And she was the mistress of the merchandise (that is, the mart) of the nations. Comp. ובעל חסרון ═ וחסרון That which is wanting (Eccl. 1:15)

Shihor This is the Nile, as it is said (Jos. 13: 3): “From the Shihor, which is before Egypt.” And they would bring the produce to Tyre in Egyptian ships.

and she became (I.e.,) Tyre.

the mart of the nations from the multitude of people that were therein. All the nations brought merchandise to her. ([Some editions read:] All the strangers.)

Be ashamed, Zidon which was secondary to Tyre.

The sea. She that had the greatest power on the sea, that is Tyre. I travailed not, etc. It is as if there were no people in the isle of Tyre.

for the sea said For Tyre, that was situated in the stronghold of the sea, who was the main head of the kingdom, said, “I am as though I have not travailed, nor have I borne young men, for they all were slain, and I am as though I have not raised virgins.” And so did Jonathan render it. And our Sages said in the Aggadah: Be ashamed, Zidon, for the sea has spoken, “If I, who have no sons and daughters about whom to worry that they not be seized for my iniquity, do not deviate from the commandment of my Maker, by crossing the boundary of sand which He placed for me, how much more should you be ashamed, Zidon, since you have to worry about all these!”

Like the report concerning Egypt which they heard about the Egyptians, that I had brought ten plagues upon them, and that they finally drowned in the sea.

And at the report, etc. As at the report of the defeat of Egypt every one was startled, so they will be startled at the report of the fall of Tyre.

shall they quake They shall be frightened.

at the report When the listeners hear that the report concerning Tyre has been announced, for also the plagues of Tyre shall be in the same pattern as those plagues: “Blood and fire” (Joel 3:3); (Isaiah 66:6) “A voice of tumult from the city,” like the croaking of the frogs, (Infra 34:9) “And its brooks shall be turned to pitch and its dust into sulphur,” on the pattern of the plague of lice. (Ibid. 11) “But the pelican and hedgehog shall take possession of it,” after the pattern of the plague of a mixture of noxious beasts. (Ezekiel 38:22) “And I will hold judgment over him with pestilence and with blood,” a pattern of the plague of murrain. (Zechariah 14:12) “His flesh shall consume away,” after the pattern of the plague of boils. (Supra 18:5) “And he shall cut off the tendrils,” after the pattern of the hail and locusts; (infra 34:6) “And a great massacre in the land of Edom,” corresponding to the plague of the first born. This system is true if his צוֹר is another city (Edom, Rome[Parshandatha]). If it is actually Tyre, because the sea inundated it, the prophet says about it, “Like the report concerning Egypt,” and I say that the entire section, indeed, is talking about Tyre, because Zidon is near it. ([Other editions read:] And I say that the entire section is, indeed, talking about Tyre. Because Zidon is near it, he juxtaposes Zidon to it [Parshandatha].)

Proceed you inhabitants of Tyre, to flee to Tarshish.

אל תרשיש ═ תרשישה To Tarshish.

כל אי ═ אי Every island.⁶I. E. mentions no reason why אי in ver. 4 alludes to Tyre, and here to the islands generally; perhaps because the next verse addressing the inhabitants of the island in the second person, alludes to Tyre in the third.

Is this your joyful [city] It has fallen before you, and he will say to you, “Is this the city that was joyful in your eyes, that from ancient times was joyful; whose feet now carry her afar to seek for herself a resting place?”

Is this your joyous city, etc. Is this Tyre, that was a rejoicing to you—Comp. a rejoicing to the whole land (Ps. 48:3)—that old Tyre, that must now see her people go far away into captivity.

whose traffickers (כִּנְעָנֶיהָ) traffickers. Comp. (Hosea 12:8) “As for the trafficker (כְּנַעַן) in his hand are the balances of deceit”; (Zech. 14:21) “And there shall no longer be a trafficker (כְּנַעֲנִי).”

המעטירה The crowning city. That was a glory to the islands.⁷מעטירה is part. Hiphil, and means lit;: giving a crown, or giving glory.

כנעניה Her merchants. Comp. כנען a merchant (Hos. 12:8)

every position every strong position.

The Lord of hosts, etc. The Lord, who is the King of hosts⁸See chap. i. Note 45. has decided this.

Cross your land into exile.

עברי ארצך כיאור Pass over to thy land⁹A. V., Pass through thy land. as a river (עברי אל ארצך═עברי ארצך); that is, hasten to thy country, as quickly as the river flows, or, pass through thy land as the river which overflows the country.¹⁰יאור is, according to this explanation, the Nile, which overflows and covers the whole country. The people of Tarshish are told to go home, each one to his place in the country; they have no strength to keep themselves any longer in Tyre.

like a river Like this river that rises and spreads out.

מזח Strength. Literally, girdle. (Comp. Ps. 109:19). It is used as a figure for strength, because a girdle supports the loins.

O daughter of Tarshish Tyre, which is situated on the Sea of Tarshish.

there is no more strength (אֵין מֵזַח עוֹד). You have no more strength or girdle to gird your loins. מֵזַח is an expression of a girdle. Comp. (Psalms 109: 19) “And for a girdle (וּלְמֵֵזַח) he shall always gird himself with it.” And every ‘girdle’ is an expression of strength.

He stretched His hand He Who stretched out.

He stretched out His hand. God stretched out His hand, that is, He brought the punishment.

the Lord commanded upon Canaan He commanded His summoned ones upon Canaan.

מעזניה The strongholds thereof. The fortresses of Tyre.—The נ in מעזניה is instead of the Dagesh in the ¹¹This explanation is opposed to I.E.’s own rule, that only the letters אֹהֹוֹיֹ are capable of interchange..ז כנען Merchant city.¹²Lit., also כנען means ‘merchant.’ I. E. on ver. 8 remarked, that בנעניה meant her merchants; referring to that remark, he says here: also in this verse, where כנען is used as a feminine, it has the same meaning, ‘ merchant,’ or, since the city is meant, ‘merchant-city.’ Comp. I. E. on 17:1, and xv Note 12. According to some, ארחת כנען ═ כנען, the caravan of Canaan, because of the feminine pronoun in מעזניהֹ her strongholds.

to destroy (לַשְׁמִד), like לְהַשְׁמִיד. Comp. (II Kings 9: 15) “To go and tell (לַגִּיד) in Jezreel,” like לְהַגִּיד. And so (Psalms 26:7), “To make heard (לַשְׁמִיעַ) with a voice of thanksgiving,” like לְהַשְׁמִיעַ.

its strongholds Tyre and Zidon were of Canaan, as it is stated (Gen. 10:15): “Zidon his first born.”

to Kittim to the land of Kittim, arise and cross; even there you shall have no rest. Why do I say, “Arise and cross over?” ([According to our reading, that of the printed editions, we find no answer to this question. According to some manuscripts, however, the reading is as follows:] to Kittim to the land of Kittim, arise and cross, even there you shall have no rest. Why? Behold the land of the Chaldees They shall exile you from there.

And He said. And God said.

המעשקה O robbed city.¹³A. V., Oppressed. The wealth of her merchants in Tyre¹⁴When Tyre was taken, the merchants of Zidon lost their property which they had in Tyre. will be taken away.

Pass over to Chittim. To trade there.

Behold the land of the Chaldees, this people has never been It was not to be a people, for they are called, (Habakkuk 1:6) “bitter, impetuous nation.” They are a foolish nation, of the creatures that the Holy One, blessed be He, (so to speak,) regrets (creating) them. [Tractate Sukkah (52b)].

The land. The inhabitants of the land.

Assyria established it to station his fleets therein, his ships, huge battle ships, as (infra 33:21): “A mighty fleet (צִי).”

This people. The people of the Chaldæans.

they erected its towers They shall erect their fortifications (var., their siege towers) upon Tyre. (Heb.) בַּחוּנָיו, an expression similar to (infra 32:14): “tower and bastion (בֹּחַן),” bajjpred in O.F., which they erect for a siege against walled cities.

לא היה There was none like them.¹⁵A. V., Was not. Where no fear was.¹⁵A. V., Was not. Where no fear was. Comp. לא היה פחד There was no fear like it (Ps. 53:6). According to others: Would that it were not; for it founded the kingdom of Assyria for wild beasts,¹⁶A.V., Till the Assyrians founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness. that is, the Chaldsæans laid Assyria waste, and it became the habitation of wild beasts.¹⁷About 606 B.C. Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was taken by the Babylonians in conjunction with the Medians. Comp. Nah. 1:3; Zeph. iii. לציים For the little wild beasts that live in the land.¹⁸The passage in the Hebrew text seems to be corrupt; the word ציים is explained by I. E. on 13:21, 34:14, to mean beasts that live in the wilderness. קטנות שהם is very likely a corruption for השוכנות, that dwell, and ציה desert is left out after בארץ. They set up the towers thereof etc. Although they, viz., the Assyrians, have set up the towers for defence, etc.

destroyed its palaces (עוֹרְרוּ). They shall destroy. (This is) an expression like (Psalms 137:7): “Raze it, raze it (עָרוּ עָרוּ),” an expression of demolition until the very foundation.

בחוניו The towers thereof. Comp. בוחן tower (32:14). More correctly, the suffix in בחוניו refers to the people of the Chaldæans: when they, viz., the Chaldæans, set up their towers of siege. עוררו They raised up. It is a transitive verb. The palaces thereof. It was as if the towers stirred up the palaces, but before they awoke, he brought her to ruin, that is, the Chaldæan brought Assyria to ruin.

Ships of Tarshish. Ships that go from Tarshish to Tyre with goods.

that Tyre shall be forgotten Since the prophet refers to her with an expression of degradation, with an expression comparing her to a harlot, he says, “shall be forgotten,” like a harlot whose lovers have forgotten her. She, too, shall be forgotten for want of merchants and traffickers turning to her, because she shall be destroyed.

ונשכחת And shall be forgotten. ונשכחה ═ ונשכחת; comp. ושבה ═ ושבת And it will return (Ez. 46:17).

like the days of one king The days of David were seventy years, but I do not know why this sign is given here.

The days of one king. The reign of Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and grandson are considered as one.¹⁹According to I. E. Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach, who was in turn succeeded by his son Belshazzar; the Babylonian kingdom was then overthrown by Cyrus, king of Persia, when Tyre, no longer troubled by the Chaldæans, commenced to prosper and to flourish again.

it shall fare with Tyre a slight remembrance, that she shall shake herself from her humble state and appeal to those who were wont to trade with her, to return to her so that she return to her original state.

Shall Tyre sing as an harlot. Tyre will again be active in words and deeds.

like the song of the harlot who sees that no one turns to her and raises a sweet and melodious voice in song, perhaps she will please her lovers.

sing many songs That is to say, also make many supplications and humble your haughtiness.

Take up an harp, etc. The forgotten harlot walks about the city playing, that she may be remembered again; thus Tyre will send letters to all her neighbours, that the merchants may again come to her as before.

to her hire To her original state and to her wealth through her commerce. He denigrates her with a degrading expression.

And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, when that aforementioned time will come.²⁰I. E. means to say that the seventy years mentioned in this verse are no addition to those given in ver. 15, but are the same.

and she shall have commerce (Lit., and she shall prostitute.) She shall supply merchandise. But he denigrates her with a shameful expression.

לאתננה To her hire. Comp. אתנן זונה, hire of an harlot (Deut. 23:19), the money for her whoredom.

And shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms. They will come to her for merchandise.

holy to the Lord The righteous are destined to plunder her when the king Messiah comes.

And her merchandise, etc. Of her profits she will sanctify a part to the Lord.

it shall not be stored to be a treasure for her kings.

לא יאצר It shall not be treasured up. It shall not be put in the storehouse ולא יחסן .(אוצר) Nor laid up. It will not be put away in a strong place (חוסן).

and it shall not be inherited They will not leave it over as an inheritance to their children.

To them that dwell before the Lord. To the exiles of Jerusalem, when they will return in the days of Cyrus.²¹This refers either to some material assistance given to the Jews by the Phoenicians, such as is reported of other nations (Ezr. 6:8, 9), or to the general advantage which the Jews derived from the prosperity of their Tyrian neighbours.

and for stately clothing (וְלִמְכַסֶּה עָתִיק) for beautiful clothing means laudable, as (Psalms 94:4): “They speak with haughtiness (עָתָק).”

To eat sufficiently. The exiles will be satisfied.

וּלְמִבְסֶה ═ וְלִמְבַסֶּה And for a clothing.

עתיק Durable. Strong; comp. עתק strength (1 Sam. 2:3).

Some ask, How can the prophet promise that the hire of the harlot Tyre will be sanctified to the Lord, since the Law prohibits the hire of an harlot to be brought to the house of the Lord? (Deut. 23:19). The reply to this question is, that the Law prohibits the real hire of an harlot, but the prophet uses the words, her hire, in a figurative sense; in reality, he does not speak of an harlot at all.