Isaiah 23:1

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

This is a message concerning Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for your harbor has been destroyed. The news has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

מַשָּׂ֖א צֹ֑ר הֵילִ֣ילוּ ׀ אֳנִיּ֣וֹת תַּרְשִׁ֗ישׁ כִּֽי־שֻׁדַּ֤ד מִבַּ֙יִת֙ מִבּ֔וֹא מֵאֶ֥רֶץ כִּתִּ֖ים נִגְלָה־לָֽמוֹ׃

Transliteration

Maśśā Ṣōr hêlîlû ʾŏnîyôt Taršîš kî-šuddad mibbayit mibbôʾ from-ʾereṣ Kittîm niglāh-to-them

Grammar Details

• *Maśśā*: construct, masculine singular - burden/oracle against
• *Ṣōr*: proper noun - Tyre
• *hêlîlû*: imperative, masculine plural - wail/howl
• *ʾŏnîyôt*: noun, feminine plural - ships
• *Taršîš*: proper noun - Tarshish
• *kî*: conjunction - for/because
• *šuddad*: pual perfect, 3rd masculine singular - it is devastated/destroyed
• *mibbayit*: preposition + noun - from house/home
• *mibbôʾ*: preposition + infinitive construct - from entering/coming
• *ʾereṣ*: noun, feminine singular construct - land of
• *Kittîm*: proper noun - Kittim/Cyprus/Mediterranean islands
• *niglāh*-*lāmô*: niphal perfect, 3rd masculine singular + preposition with 3rd masculine plural suffix - it is revealed to them

Word Meanings

• *Maśśā*: burden/oracle/pronouncement/prophecy
• *šuddad*: destroyed/devastated/laid waste
• *mibbayit*: from house/without a house/from port
• *mibbôʾ*: from entering/from harbor/from haven
• *Kittîm*: Cyprus/Mediterranean coast/Greek islands
• *niglāh*-*lāmô*: it is revealed/disclosed/made known to them

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  The burden concerning Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish; for it is destroyed, so there is no house, no entrance: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  The burden{H4853} of Tyre.{H6865} Howl,{H3213} ye ships{H591} of Tarshish;{H8659} for it is laid waste,{H7703} so that there is no house,{H1004} no entering in:{H935} from the land{H776} of Kittim{H3794} it is revealed{H1540} to them.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  The burden{H4853} of Tyre{H6865}. Howl{H3213}{(H8685)}, ye ships{H591} of Tarshish{H8659}; for it is laid waste{H7703}{(H8795)}, so that there is no house{H1004}, no entering in{H935}{(H8800)}: from the land{H776} of Chittim{H3794} it is revealed{H1540}{(H8738)} to them.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  An heuy burthen vpon Tirus. Mourne ye shippes of Tharsis, for she is throwne downe to the grounde, and conquered of them, that are come from Cithim.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  The burden of Tyrus. Howle, yee shippes of Tarshish: for it is destroied, so that there is none house: none shall come from the lande of Chittim: it is reueiled vnto them.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  The burthen of Tyre. Mourne ye shippes of Tharsis, for there commeth such destruction, that ye shall not haue an house to enter into: and that there shalbe no traffike out of the lande of Cittim, they haue knowledge of this plague.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  The Burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For it hath been destroyed, Without house, without entrance, From the land of Chittim it was revealed to them.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  The word about Tyre. Let a cry of sorrow go up, O ships of Tarshish, because your strong place is made waste; on the way back from the land of Kittim the news is given to them.

• World English Bible (2000)

  The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  The Lord Will Judge Tyre This is an oracle about Tyre: Wail, you large ships, for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is announced to them.

Referenced Verses

• Joel 3:4-8 : 4 Now, what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are repaying me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your own heads. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried my precious treasures into your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from their own territory. 7 Behold, I am going to arouse them from the place where you sold them, and I will return your recompense upon your own heads. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a distant nation. The LORD has spoken.
• Amos 1:9-9 : 9 Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke punishment, because they delivered up an entire population to Edom and did not remember their treaty of brotherhood.' 10 So I will send fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it will consume her palaces.
• Gen 10:4 : 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
• Isa 2:16 : 16 It will come against all the ships of Tarshish and against all the beautiful vessels.
• Jer 25:22 : 22 All the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea.
• Jer 47:4 : 4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off every survivor who could help Tyre and Sidon. Indeed, the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
• Isa 23:12 : 12 He has said, 'You will no longer rejoice, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Rise, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.'
• 1 Kgs 10:22 : 22 The king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
• 1 Kgs 22:48 : 48 There was no king in Edom; a deputy ruled in place of a king.
• Zech 9:2-4 : 2 Hamath, also, will border it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. 3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold and heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt in the streets. 4 But the Lord will dispossess her and strike her power in the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.
• Jer 2:10 : 10 Go across to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this.
• Jer 25:10-11 : 10 I will banish from them the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the bride, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This entire land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
• Jer 25:15 : 15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: 'Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.'
• Rev 18:17-19 : 17 For in one hour such great wealth has been destroyed!' Every ship captain, all who travel by ship, sailors, and those who earn their living from the sea stood far off, 18 And they cried out as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' 19 And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe to the great city, in which all who owned ships at sea became rich from her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.'
• Rev 18:22-23 : 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
• 2 Chr 9:21 : 21 The king's ships, operated with Huram’s servants, went to Tarshish once every three years. They brought back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
• Ps 48:7 : 7 Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.
• Num 24:24 : 24 Ships will come from the shores of Kittim; they will afflict Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction.
• Josh 19:29 : 29 The border turned to Ramah and up to the fortified city of Tyre; then it turned to Hosah and ended at the sea. The region included Mahalab, Achzib,
• 1 Kgs 5:1 : 1 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and up to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
• Isa 24:10 : 10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is shut up so no one may enter.
• Isa 60:9 : 9 Surely the coastlands will wait for me; the ships of Tarshish will come first, bringing your sons from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you.
• Isa 15:1-2 : 1 An oracle concerning Moab: In the night, Ar of Moab was devastated and destroyed. In the night, Kir of Moab was devastated and destroyed. 2 They have gone up to the temple and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved, and every beard is cut off.
• Isa 15:8 : 8 For the cry has gone around the borders of Moab. Its wailing reaches Eglaim, and its lamentation goes all the way to Beer Elim.
• Ezek 26:1-28:24 : 1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, because Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gateway of the peoples is broken; it has turned to me. I will be filled now that she lies in ruins.' 3 Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea bringing up its waves.' 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape away her soil and leave her as bare rock. 5 She will become a drying place for fishing nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become plunder for the nations. 6 Also, her villages in the countryside will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD. 7 For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, from the north. He is a king of kings, with horses, chariots, horsemen, a great assembly, and a large army.' 8 'Your villages in the countryside will be killed by the sword, and he will build siege walls against you, raise a siege ramp against you, and set up a shield wall against you.' 9 'He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls, and he will demolish your towers with his weapons.' 10 'The dust from his many horses will cover you. The noise of the horsemen, the wheels, and the chariots will make your walls shake when he enters your gates like warriors entering a breached city.' 11 'With the hooves of his horses, he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will collapse to the ground.' 12 'They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. They will throw your stones, timber, and rubble into the sea.' 13 'I will silence the noise of your songs, and the sound of your harps will no longer be heard.' 14 'I will make you a bare rock, a place for spreading fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.' 15 This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: 'Won't the coastlands tremble at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan and slaughter takes place within you?' 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed in trembling, they will sit on the ground, shuddering continually, appalled at you. 17 They will take up a lament over you and say to you: 'How you have perished, you who were inhabited by people of the seas, the renowned city, strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who spread terror among all who lived there.' 18 Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; the islands in the sea are dismayed by your demise. 19 For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are no longer inhabited, and when I bring the deep over you and the mighty waters cover you,' 20 'then I will bring you down with those who descend to the pit, to the people of old. I will make you dwell in the lower parts of the earth, among the ruins of antiquity, along with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be lived in again. And I will display my glory in the land of the living.' 21 'I will bring you to a horrible end and you will no longer exist. Though you are sought, you will never be found again,' declares the Lord GOD. 1 The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, situated at the gateways of the sea, a merchant of peoples to many coastlands: 'Thus says the Lord God: Tyre, you have declared, "I am perfect in beauty."' 4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty. 5 They made all your planks from cypress trees from Senir; they took cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. 6 They crafted your oars from oaks of Bashan; they made your deck of inlaid ivory from boxwood from the coastlands of Cyprus. 7 Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your banner; blue and purple fabric from the coastlands of Elishah was your covering. 8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were aboard; they served as your sailors. 9 The elders of Gebal and its skilled workers repaired your leaks; all the ships of the sea and their sailors came to deal in your trade. 10 Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put served as warriors in your army; they hung their shields and helmets in you, enhancing your splendor. 11 The men of Arvad and your army stood on your walls all around, and valiant men were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they brought your beauty to perfection. 12 Tarshish traded with you because of your great wealth of goods, exchanging silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human lives and bronze articles for your merchandise. 14 From Beth Togarmah, they traded horses, war horses, and mules for your goods. 15 The men of Dedan were your merchants; many coastlands were your clients; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony wood as your payments. 16 Aram traded with you because of the vast amount of your products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They traded wheat from Minnith, sweet confections, honey, oil, and balm for your merchandise. 18 Damascus traded with you because of the abundance of your goods and the multitude of your wealth, offering wine from Helbon and fine white wool. 19 Dan and Javan from Uzal exchanged your goods for wrought iron, cassia, and aromatic cane, contributing to your merchandise. 20 The men of Dedan were your merchants, dealing in luxurious garments for chariot riders. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were merchants at your service, trading lambs, rams, and goats with you. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you, offering the finest spices, precious stones, and gold in exchange for your wares. 23 Haran, Canneh, and Eden, as well as the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad, traded with you. 24 They sold you luxurious items, embroidered blue and multicolored garments, treasures of fine clothes, bound with strong cords, packed securely for your market. 25 The ships of Tarshish carried your goods as your trading fleet. You were filled with merchandise and became glorious in the heart of the seas. 26 Your rowers brought you into deep waters, but the east wind broke you apart in the heart of the seas. 27 Your wealth, merchandise, wares, sailors, pilots, ship-repairers, merchants, and all your warriors, along with the people in your midst, will sink into the heart of the seas on the day of your ruin. 28 At the sound of the cries of your pilots, the surrounding lands will tremble. 29 All who handle the oars, the sailors, and all the seafaring captains will disembark from their ships and stand on the shore. 30 They will mourn over you with loud cries, bitterly wailing, throwing dust on their heads and rolling in ashes. 31 They will shave their heads for you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. In deep anguish and bitter mourning, they will weep for you. 32 And they will chant a dirge for you, lamenting, 'Who was ever like Tyre, silenced and destroyed in the midst of the sea?' 33 When your merchandise went out to the seas, you satisfied many peoples. With your abundant wealth and your goods, you enriched the kings of the earth. 34 Now that you are broken in the seas, in the depths of the waters, your goods and all your company have fallen in your midst. 35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled at you; their kings shudder with horror, their faces troubled. 36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you have become a source of terror and will cease to exist forever. 1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: Because your heart has grown proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas,” but you are a man and not a god, though you have set your heart as if it were the heart of a god— 3 Indeed, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you. 4 By your wisdom and understanding, you have made wealth for yourself, and you have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries. 5 By your great skill in trading, you have increased your wealth, and your heart has grown proud because of your wealth. 6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have set your heart as if it were the heart of a god, 7 therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, the most ruthless of nations. They will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom, and they will defile your splendor. 8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. 9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? Yet you are a man and not a god in the hands of those who wound you. 10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hand of outsiders, for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord GOD. 11 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 12 Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering: ruby, topaz, and diamond; beryl, onyx, and jasper; sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; and gold. The workmanship of your settings and mountings was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub, and I placed you on the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the stones of fire. 17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom on account of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. 18 By your many sins and your dishonest trade, you have profaned your sanctuaries. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all those watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a terrible end and will exist no more forever. 20 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 21 Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it, 22 and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, Sidon, and I will display My glory in your midst. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I execute judgments against her and reveal My holiness through her. 23 I will send a plague upon her and bloodshed in her streets. The slain will fall in her midst by the sword that attacks her from every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD. 24 No longer will the people of Israel have among them a pricking brier or a painful thorn from any of their neighbors who scorn them. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.
• Dan 11:30 : 30 Ships from the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his anger against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.