Isaiah 23:9

9 The Lord of hosts thought this thing, that he should draw down the pride of all glory, and that he should bring to shame all the noble men of (the) earth.

Isaiah 23:9 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 23:9

The Lord of hosts hath purposed it
To destroy Tyre; who is wonderful in counsel, capable of forming a wise scheme, and able to put it in execution; being the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth: and his end in it was,

to stain the pride of all glory;
Tyre being proud of its riches, the extent of its commerce, and the multitude of its inhabitants, God was resolved, who sets himself against the proud, to abase them; to pollute the glorious things they were proud of; to deal with them as with polluted things; to trample upon them:

[and] to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth:
or, "to make light all the heavy ones of the earth" F4; all such, who are top heavy with riches and honour, God can, and sometimes does, make as light as feathers, which the wind carries away, and they fall into contempt and disgrace with their fellow creatures; and the Lord's thus dealing with Tyre was not merely on their account, to stain their pride and glory, and disgrace their honourable ones; but for the sake of others also, that the great ones of the earth might see and learn, by this instance of Tyre, how displeasing to the Lord is the sin of pride; what a poor, vain, and perishing thing, worldly honour and glory is; and what poor, weak, feeble creatures, the princes and potentates of the earth are, when the Lord takes them in hand.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 (Ura ydbkn lk lqhl) .

Isaiah 23:9 In-Context

7 Whether this city is not yours, that had glory from eld days in his eldness? the feet thereof shall lead it [a]far, to go in pilgrimage (its feet shall take it far away, to go on a journey).
8 Who thought this thing on Tyre (Who thought this word against Tyre), (that was) sometime crowned, whose merchants were princes, (yea,) the sellers of (the) merchandise thereof were (the) noble men of [the] earth?
9 The Lord of hosts thought this thing, that he should draw down the pride of all glory, and that he should bring to shame all the noble men of (the) earth.
10 Thou daughter of the sea, pass [over] thy land as a flood; a girdle is no more to thee. (O daughter of Tarshish, pass over thy land like a river; no more hath thou a girdle, or a market.)
11 It stretched forth his hand above the sea, and troubled realms (He stretched forth his hand over the sea, and troubled kingdoms). The Lord sent (his command) against Canaan, for to all-break the strong men thereof;
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.