Keraia
Isaiah 23

Isaiah 23:16

The Burden against Tyre · Isaiah 23:1–18
Read Isaiah 23

Translations

Modern
“Take up your harp, stroll through the city, O forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody, sing many a song, so you will be remembered.”
Traditional
Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Literal
“Take a harp, go about the city, O forgotten harlot; make sweet melody, sing many a song, so that you may be remembered.”
Latin
Sume citharam, circui civitatem, meretrix oblivioni tradita: bene cane, frequenta canticum, ut memoria tui sit.

Original

Hebrew
English
“Take up your harp, stroll through the city, O forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody, sing many a song, so you will be remembered.”

Notes

Isaiah 23:15–18

There was hope for the city of Tyre.

Isaiah 23:1–18

Tyre was a wealthy seaport northwest of Israel. The connection between Judah and Tyre dates back to the time of David and Solomon (1 Kings 5:8–9).

Tyre was near large forests and the Mediterranean Sea. It was a major trade center in the ancient Near East. Its ships were famous, and its colonies gave it great prestige and wealth.

The city faced repeated attacks by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Macedonians, and Alexander the Great conquered it in 332 BC. Isaiah not only predicted Tyre's downfall but also warned those whose wealth and security lead to pride instead of reliance on God (see Isaiah 2:12–16; Matthew 11:21).

Events

Parallels

Ezekiel 26:1–21

Glossary

Book of Jeremiah Isaiah, Book of Nile River Phoenicia, Phoenicians Poetry, Biblical Tyre

Topics

Harlot (Prostitute): Machinations of Harp used in Festivities Music: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Tyre: Prophecies Respecting: Its Restoration to Commercial Greatness After Seventy Years