Isaiah 23:14

14 Wail, ships of Tarshish, your strong seaports all in ruins

Isaiah 23:14 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 23:14

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish
As in ( Isaiah 23:1 ) . (See Gill on Isaiah 23:1):

for your strength is laid waste;
meaning Tyre, a strong seaport, where their ships were safe, and always found vent for their goods and merchandise; and so it was the strength and support of their country; but was now destroyed, and therefore was matter of lamentation and mourning.

Isaiah 23:14 In-Context

12 God said, "There's nothing left here to be proud of, bankrupt and bereft Sidon. Do you want to make a new start in Cyprus? Don't count on it. Nothing there will work out for you either."

13 Look at what happened to Babylon: There's nothing left of it. Assyria turned it into a desert, into a refuge for wild dogs and stray cats. They brought in their big siege engines, tore down the buildings, and left nothing behind but rubble.

14 Wail, ships of Tarshish, your strong seaports all in ruins

15 For the next seventy years, a king's lifetime, Tyre will be forgotten. At the end of the seventy years, Tyre will stage a comeback, but it will be the comeback of a worn-out whore, as in the song:

16 "Take a harp, circle the city, unremembered whore. Sing your old songs, your many old songs. Maybe someone will remember."