Isaiah 23 describes how God brings down the pride, wealth, and self-security of nations, represented by Tyre, so that all nations learn that only the Lord is the true source of prosperity, salvation, and security. God also takes the wealth of the nations so that it might ultimately be dedicated to Him, as we see in v. 18.
This chapter closes the “oracles against the nations” (Isaiah 13–23) by showing that God judges pride everywhere, yet His purpose always includes an invitation to redemption. Nineveh’s response to Jonah is a classic example. But when a nation refuses God’s Word through His prophets, judgment inevitably brings devastating destruction.
V 1–6 Tyre and Sidon were the merchant superpowers of the Mediterranean. They were the bankers and brokers of international commerce. Like Great Britain in the 17th–19th centuries, they were a naval powerhouse. Spiritually, Tyre, like Babylon was filled with pride, imagining itself invincible.
Israel depended heavily on Phoenician trade since the days of David and Solomon. For over two thousand years, Phoenician sailors dominated Mediterranean shipping, serving empires like Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. But reliance on Phoenicia also created political and religious compromise, such as marriage alliances that introduced idolatry. Tyre controlled a vast network stretching from Carthage in North Africa, to Tarshish. Yet even with this power, Phoenicia could not escape foreign domination.
Isaiah pictures Phoenician sailors returning home and hearing of Tyre’s fall, causing mourning throughout the Mediterranean, from Egypt to Tarshish because Tyre’s collapse destabilized the entire region. In the Bible, Tarshish is described as a distant, wealthy port known for silver, gold, tin, and long-distance ships. Most scholars identify it with Tartessos in southern Spain.
God touches the world’s economic systems just as He judged Egypt’s idols (Isa 19). Human prosperity rests on fragile, interconnected structures. In verse 4, Sidon, the mother city of Tyre, is humiliated and left barren, a picture of lost future hope.
In v. 5, Egypt trembles because Tyre’s fall threatens its economic security. Nations mourn not out of compassion but out of fear for their own stability. In v. 6, people flee to Tarshish attempting to escape the devastation.
Vv. 7–12 Tyre becomes unrecognizable. Isaiah emphasizes that her fall was not caused by Assyria but by the Lord Himself, who brings down human pride. In V 10 “Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish”, likely is God telling Tyre to return to simple farming. Just as the overflowing of the Nile was an allusion to farming and fertilization of the soil of Egypt. The overflowing points to her harbor being destroyed. Tarshish must now fend for itself, since Tyre no longer supports or protects its trade routes.
Using Exodus-like language, God “stretches out His hand” in judgment. Even fleeing to Cyprus offers no escape. Tyre’s former glamour stands in contrast to her humiliation. What human pride builds, God brings it down “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Tyre’s fall is not random or merely political, it is the sovereign actions of God. Just as God humbled Babylon (Isa 14), Moab (Isa 16), and Egypt (Isa 19), so He humbles Tyre’s economic pride.
“He has stretched out His hand over the sea” (v. 11) shows that God rules both land and sea—the domain Tyre believed it controlled. In v. 12 Sidon is told she will “have no rest.” Though she believed she was secure, she too will become unstable and powerless. Even seeking refuge in Cyprus will bring no rest; economic collapse follows her wherever she goes. Reminiscent of the old gospel song “O sinner man where you gonna run to”
V 13–14 The same fate that overtook Babylon will come to Tyre. The Chaldeans took over Babylon in 626 B.C., and both Assyria and later Babylon devastated it. Similarly, Babylon besieged Tyre for thirteen years beginning around 585 B.C., ending Tyre’s global power. Isaiah’s message is clear: Tyre is not exempt from the ruin that overcame other nations. Even distant ports like Tarshish mourn her destruction. The mightiest empires fall under the Lord’s decree.
“Your stronghold is destroyed.” Tyre’s harbor, its source of strength, is destroyed. Built on an island with two excellent natural harbors, Tyre was the premier maritime center of the Mediterranean. Its deep, protected ports anchored trade from Carthage to Spain. The rocky coast and deep waters made Tyre nearly impossible to conquer. But once its harbors were destroyed, Tyre lost both wealth and influence.
V 15–18 Tyre is portrayed as an aging prostitute who loses her appeal for seventy years, symbolic of a lifetime, before returning to her trade. Yet her renewed wealth will ultimately benefit the Lord and His people. Isaiah again warns Judah not to trust political alliances; Tyre cannot save her. Had Judah waited on God, she would have shared in Tyre’s wealth, but her disobedience led to her own fall. This chapter describes economic collapse and that Tyre’s judgment is severe but not final. After a long period of humbling, she will experience financial revival, but only after her glory has been stripped away. “After seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre…” it is unclear whether this “visit” implies restoration or a return to sinful economic exploitation, Tyre will resume her global commerce with all its moral compromises. Yet v. 18 declares: “Her gain will be holy to the LORD.” God’s purposes go beyond judgment. Even Tyre’s wealth will eventually be consecrated to Him. A day is coming when the nations will bring their wealth to Jerusalem (Isa 60:5–9; Rev 21:24–26).
This final vision in Isaiah 23 connects to the Messianic hope: when the nations will one day bring their treasures to the Lord. God judges economic arrogance just as He judges political and military pride. Tyre is not judged for having ships, but for trusting in wealth rather than in God. God uses nations as instruments of judgment and discipline as in Assyria, Babylon, and Tyre. Yet judgment is not His last word. Tyre will be restored, but restored to serve God’s purposes, not her own.
