TyndaleStudyNotes
Isa.23.1
23:1 The ships of Tarshish plied the sea between the Phoenician coast and the port of Tarshish in Spain (see 2:16; 23:6). • rumors you heard in Cyprus: Cyprus was the last port of call for sailors coming home from Spain before the final leg of their journey to Tyre.
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TyndaleStudyNotes
Isa.23.10
23:10 Sweep over the land like the flooding Nile: This difficult phrase means either (1) that the sailors who had returned from Tarshish were being invited to loot ruined Tyre; or (2) that the people of Tarshish were forced to move back to their agricultural fields to make their living (instead of trading) now that Tyre had been destroyed.
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TyndaleStudyNotes
Isa.23.11
23:11 Phoenicia was the region north of Israel. Tyre and Sidon were its main cities.
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TyndaleStudyNotes
Isa.23.1-18
23:1-18 Tyre was a prosperous seaport northwest of Israel. The relationship between Judah and Tyre went back to the time of David and Solomon (1 Kgs 5:8-9). Tyre, with its proximity to plentiful forests and to the Mediterranean Sea, was one of the commercial centers of the ancient Near East. Its fleets were renowned, and its colonies brought it great prestig...
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23:1-18 Tyre was a prosperous seaport northwest of Israel. The relationship between Judah and Tyre went back to the time of David and Solomon (1 Kgs 5:8-9). Tyre, with its proximity to plentiful forests and to the Mediterranean Sea, was one of the commercial centers of the ancient Near East. Its fleets were renowned, and its colonies brought it great prestige and riches. The city came under repeated attack by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Macedonians, and it fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Isaiah not only prophesied the end of Tyre but by implication warned all whose wealth and earthly securities lead to pride instead of dependence on God (see Isa 2:12-16; Matt 11:21).
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