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Matthew Henry |
I S A I A H.
CHAP. XXIII.
This chapter is concerning Tyre, an ancient wealthy city, situated upon
the sea, and for many ages one of the most celebrated cities for trade
and merchandise in those parts of the world. The lot of the tribe of
Asher bordered upon it. See
where it is called “the strong city Tyre.” We seldom find it a
dangerous enemy to Israel, but sometimes their faithful ally, as in the
reigns of David and Solomon; for trading cities maintain their
grandeur, not by the conquest of their neighbours, but by commerce with
them. In this chapter is foretold,
I. The lamentable desolation of Tyre, which was performed by
Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army, about the time that they
destroyed Jerusalem; and a hard task they had of it, as appears
where they are said to have “served a hard service against Tyre,” and
yet to have no wages,
II. The restoration of Tyre after seventy years, and the return of the
Tyrians out of their captivity to their trade again,
ver. 15-18.
| The Doom of Tyre. | B. C. 718. |
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1 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.
2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants
of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the
river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.
4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the
strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth
children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up
virgins.
5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely
pained at the report of Tyre.
6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.
7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient
days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.
8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning
city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are
the honourable of the earth?
9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all
glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the
earth.
10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish:
there is no more strength.
11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the
kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant
city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.
12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed
virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there
also shalt thou have no rest.
13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not,
till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the
wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the
palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.
14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.
Tyre being a sea-port town, this prophecy of its overthrow fitly begins
and ends with, Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for all its
business, wealth, and honour, depended upon its shipping; if that be
ruined, they will be all undone. Observe,
I. Tyre flourishing. This is taken notice of that her fall may appear
the more dismal.
1. The merchants of Zidon, who traded at sea, had at first
replenished her,
v. 2.
Zidon was the more ancient city, situated upon the same sea-cost, a few
leagues more to the north, and Tyre was at first only a colony of that;
but the daughter had outgrown the mother, and become much more
considerable. It may be a mortification to great cities to think how
they were at first replenished.
2. Egypt had helped very much to raise her,
v. 3.
Sihor was the river of Egypt: by that river, and the ocean into which
it ran, the Egyptians traded with Tyre; and the harvest of that river
was her revenue. The riches of the sea, and the gains by goods exported
and imported, are as much the harvest to trading towns as that of hay
and corn is to the country; and sometimes the harvest of the
river proves a better revenue than the harvest of the land. Or it
may be meant of all the products of the Egyptian soil, which the men of
Tyre traded in, and which were the harvest of the river Nile, owing
themselves to the overflowing of that river.
3. She had become the mart of the nations, the great emporium of that
part of the world. Some of every known nation might be found there,
especially at certain times of the year, when there was a general
rendezvous of merchants. This is enlarged upon by another prophet,
&c. See how the hand of the diligent, by the blessing of God upon it,
makes rich. Tyre became rich and great by industry, though she had no
other ploughs going than those that plough the waters.
4. She was a joyous city, noted for mirth and jollity,
v. 7.
Those that were so disposed might find there all manner of sports and
diversions, all the delights of the sons and daughters of men, balls,
and plays, and operas, and every thing of that kind that a man had a
fancy to. This made them secure and proud, and they despised the
country people, who neither knew nor relished any joys of that nature.
This also made them very loth to believe and consider what warnings God
gave them by his servants; they were too merry to mind them. Her
antiquity likewise was of ancient days, and she was proud
of that, and that helped to make her secure; as if because she had been
a city time out of mind, and her antiquity had been of ancient days,
therefore she must continue a city time without end, and her
continuance must be to the days of eternity.
5. She was a crowning city
(v. 8),
that crowned herself. Such were the power and pomp of her magistrates
that they crowned those who had dependence on her and dealings with
her. It is explained in the following words: Her merchants are
princes, and live like princes for the ease and state they take;
and her traffickers, whatever country they go to, are the
honourable of the earth, who are respected by all. How slightly
soever some now speak of tradesmen, it seems formerly, and among the
wisest nations, there were merchants, and traders, and men of business,
that were the honourable of the earth.
II. Here is Tyre falling. It does not appear that she brought trouble
upon herself by provoking her neighbours with her quarrels, but rather
by tempting them with her wealth; but, if it was this that induced
Nebuchadnezzar to fall upon Tyre, he was disappointed; for after it had
stood out a siege of thirteen years, and could hold out no longer, the
inhabitants got away by sea, with their families and goods, to other
places where they had an interest, and left Nebuchadnezzar nothing but
the bare city. See a history of Tyre in Sir Walter Raleigh’s History
of the World, lib. 2. cap. 7. sect. 3, 43.
page. 283, which will give much light to this prophecy and that
in Ezekiel concerning Tyre.
1. See how the destruction of Tyre is here foretold.
(1.) The haven shall be no convenient harbour for the reception of the
ships of Tarshish, but all laid waste
(1.), so that there shall be no house, no dock for the ships to ride
in, no inns, or public houses for the seamen, no entering into the
port. Perhaps it was choked with sand or blocked up by the enemy. Or,
Tyre being destroyed and laid waste, the ships that used to come from
Tarshish and Chittim into that port shall now no more enter in; for
it is revealed or made known to them, they have received
the dismal news, that Tyre is destroyed and laid waste; so that there
is now no more business for them there. See how it is in this world;
those that are spoiled by their enemies are commonly slighted by their
old friends.
(2.) The inhabitants are struck with astonishment. Tyre was an island.
The inhabitants of it, who had made a mighty noise and bustle in the
world, and revelled with loud huzzas, shall now be still and silent
(v. 2);
they shall sit down as mourners, so overwhelmed with grief that they
shall not be able to express it. Their proud boasts of themselves, and
defiances of their neighbours, shall be silenced. God can soon quiet
those, and strike them dumb, that are the noisy busy people of the
world. Be still; for God will do his work
and you cannot resist him.
(3.) The neighbours are amazed, blush, and are in pain for them:
Zidon is ashamed
(v. 4),
by whom Tyre was at first replenished; for the rolling waves of the sea
brought to Zidon this news from Tyre; and there the strength of the
sea, a high spring-tide, proclaimed saying, “I travail not, nor
bring forth children now, as I have done. I do not now, as I used
to do, bring ship-loads of young people to Tyre, to be bred up there in
trade and business,” which was the thing that had made Tyre so rich and
populous. Or the sea, that used to be loaded with fleets of ships
about Tyre, shall not be as desolate as a sorrowful widow that is
bereaved of all her children, and has none about her to nourish and
bring up. Egypt indeed was a much larger and more considerable kingdom
than Tyre was; and yet Tyre had so large a correspondence, upon the
account of trade, that all the nations about shall be as much in pain,
upon the report of the ruin of that one city, as they would have been,
and not long after were, upon the report of the ruin of all Egypt,
v. 5.
Or, as some read it, When the report shall reach to the Egyptians
they shall be sorely pained to hear it of Tyre, both because of the
loss of their trade with that city and because it was a threatening
step towards their own ruin; when their neighbour’s house was on fire
their own was in danger.
(4.) The merchants, as many as could, should transmit their effects to
other places, and abandon Tyre, where they had raised their estates,
and thought they had made them sure
(v. 6):
“You that have long been inhabitants of this isle” (for
it lay off in the sea about half a mile from the continent); “It is
time to howl now, for you must pass over to Tarshish. The best course
you can take is to make the best of your way to Tarshish, to the sea”
(to Taressus, a city in Spain; so some), “or to some other of your
plantations.” Those that think their mountain stands strong, and cannot
be moved, will find that here they have no continuing city. The
mountains shall depart and the hills be removed.
(5.) Those that could not make their escape must expect no other than
to be carried into captivity; for it was the way of conquerors, in
those times, to take those they conquered to be bondmen in their own
country, and send of their own to be freemen in theirs
(v. 7):
Her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn; they shall be
hurried away on foot into captivity, and many a weary step they shall
take towards their own misery. Those that have lived in the greatest
pomp and splendour know not what hardships they may be reduced to
before they die.
(6.) Many of those that attempted to escape should be pursued and fall
into the hands of the enemy. Tyre shall pass through her land as a
river
(v. 10),
running down, one company after another, into the ocean or abyss of
misery. Or, though they hasten away as a river, with the greatest
swiftness, hoping to outrun the danger, yet there is no more
strength; they are quickly tired, and cannot get forward, but fall
an easy prey into the hands of the enemy. And, as Tyre has no more
strength, so her sister Zidon has no more comfort
(v. 12):
“Thou shalt no more rejoice, O oppressed virgin, daughter of
Zidon, that art now ready to be overpowered by the victorious
Chaldeans! Thy turn is next; therefore arise; pass over to
Chittim; flee to Greece, to Italy, any where to shift for thy own
safety; yet there also shalt thou have no rest; thy enemies
shall disturb thee, and thy own fears shall disquiet thee, where thou
hopedst to find some repose.” Note, We deceive ourselves if we promise
ourselves rest any where in this world. Those that are uneasy in one
place will be so in another; and, when God’s judgments pursue sinners,
they will overtake them.
2. But whence shall all this trouble come?
(1.) God will be the author of it; it is a destruction from the
Almighty. It will be asked
(v. 8),
“Who has taken this counsel against Tyre? Who has contrived it?
Who has resolved it? Who can find in his heart to lay such a stately
lovely city in ruins? And how is it possible that its ruin should be
effected?” To this it will be answered,
[1.] God has designed it, who is infinitely wise and just, and never
did, nor ever will do, any wrong to any of his creatures
(v. 9).
The Lord of hosts, that has all things at his disposal and gives
not account of any of his matters, he has purposed it. It shall
be done according to the counsel of his will; and that which he aims at
herein is to stain the pride of all glory, to pollute it,
profane it, and throw it to be trodden upon; and to bring into
contempt and make despicable all the honourable ones of the
earth, that they may not admire themselves and be admired by others
as usual. God did not bring those calamities upon Tyre in a way of
sovereignty, to show an arbitrary and irresistible power; but he did it
to punish the Tyrians for their pride. Many other sins, no doubt,
reigned among them–idolatry, sensuality, and oppression; but the sin
of pride is fastened upon as that which was the particular ground of
God’s controversy with Tyre; for he resists the proud. All the world
observing and being surprised at the desolation of Tyre, we have here
an exposition of it. God tells the world what he meant by it.
First, He designed to convince men of the vanity and uncertainty
of all earthly glory, to show them what a withering, fading, perishing
thing it is even when it seems most substantial. It were well if men
would be thoroughly taught this lesson, though it were at the expense
of so great a destruction. Are men’s learning and wealth, their pomp
and power, their interest in, and influence upon, all about them, their
glory? Are their stately houses, rich furniture, and splendid
appearances, their glory? Look up on the ruins of Tyre, and see all
this glory stained, and sullied, and buried in the dust. The honourable
ones of heaven will be for ever such; but see the grandees of Tyre,
some fled into banishment, others forced into captivity, and all
impoverished, and you will conclude that the honourable of the earth,
even the most honourable, know not how soon they may be brought into
contempt. Secondly, He designed hereby to prevent their being
proud of that glory, their being puffed up, and confident of the
continuance of it. Let the ruin of Tyre be a warning to all places and
persons to take heed of pride; for it proclaims to all the world that
he who exalts himself shall be abased.
[2.] God will do it, who has all power in his hand and can do it
effectually
(v. 11):
He stretched out his hand over the sea. He has done so many a
time, witness the dividing of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh
in it. He has often shaken the kingdoms that were most secure; and he
has now given commandment concerning this merchant-city, to destroy the
strongholds thereof. As its beauty shall not intercede for it, but that
shall be stained, so its strength shall not protect it, but that shall
be broken. If any think it strange that a city so well fortified, and
that has so many powerful allies, should be so totally ruined, let them
know that it is the Lord of hosts that has given a commandment to
destroy the strongholds thereof: and who can gainsay his orders or
hinder the execution of them?
(2.) The Chaldeans shall be the instruments of it
(v. 13):
Behold the land of the Chaldeans; how easily they and their land
were destroyed by the Assyrians. Though their own hands founded it,
set up the towers of Babylon, and raised up its palaces, yet
the Assyrians brought it to ruin, whence the Tyrians might infer that
as easily as the old Chaldeans were subdued by the Assyrians so easily
shall Tyre be vanquished by those new Chaldeans. Babel was built by the
Assyrians for those that dwelt in the wilderness. It may be
rendered for the ships (the Assyrians founded it for ships and
shipmen that traffic upon those vast rivers Tigris and Euphrates to the
Persian and Indian seas), for men of the desert, for Babylon is
called the desert of the sea,
ch. xxi. 1.
Thus Tyrus was built upon the sea for the like purpose. But the
Assyrians (says Dr. Lightfoot) brought that to ruin, now lately, in
Hezekiah’s time, and so shall Tyre hereafter be brought to ruin by
Nebuchadnezzar. If we looked more upon the falling and withering of
others, we should not be so confident as we commonly are of the
continuance of our own flourishing and standing.
| The Restoration of Tyre. | B. C. 718. |
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15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be
forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after
the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as a harlot.
16 Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been
forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest
be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years,
that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire,
and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world
upon the face of the earth.
18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the
LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise
shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat
sufficiently, and for durable clothing.
Here is,
I. The time fixed for the continuance of the desolations of Tyre, which
were not to be perpetual desolations: Tyre shall be forgotten
seventy years,
v. 15.
So long it shall lie neglected and buried in obscurity. It was
destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar much about the time that Jerusalem was, and
lay as long as it did in its ruins. See the folly of that proud
ambitious conqueror. What the richer, what the stronger, was he for
making himself master of Tyre, when all the inhabitants were driven out
of it and he had none of his own subjects to spare for the replenishing
and fortifying of it? It is surprising to see what pleasure men could
take in destroying cities and making their memorial perish with
them,
Ps. ix. 6.
He trampled on the pride of Tyre, and therein served God’s purpose; but
with greater pride, for which God soon after humbled him.
II. A prophecy of the restoration of Tyre to its glory again: After
the end of seventy years, according to the years of one king, or
one dynasty or family of kings, that of Nebuchadnezzar; when that
expired, the desolations of Tyre came to an end. And we may presume
that Cyrus at the same time when he released the Jews, and encouraged
them to rebuild Jerusalem, released the Tyrians also, and encouraged
them to rebuild Tyre. Thus the prosperity and adversity of places, as
well as persons, are set the one over against the other, that
the most glorious cities may not be secure nor the most ruinous
despair. It is foretold,
1. That God’s providence shall gain smile upon this ruined city
(v. 17):
The Lord will visit Tyre in mercy; for, though he contend, he
will not contend for ever. It is not said, Her old acquaintance shall
visit her, the colonies she has planted, and the trading cities she has
had correspondence with (they have forgotten her); but, The Lord shall
visit her by some unthought-of turn; he shall cause his indignation
towards her to cease, and then things will run of course in their
former channel.
2. That she shall use her best endeavours to recover her trade again.
She shall sing as a harlot, that has been some time under correction
for her lewdness; but, when she is set at liberty (so violent is the
bent of corruption), she will use her old arts of temptation. The
Tyrians having returned from their captivity, and those that remained
recovering new spirits thereupon, they shall contrive how to force a
trade, shall procure the best choice of goods, under-sell their
neighbours, and be obliging to all customers; as a harlot that has been
forgotten, when she comes to be spoken of again, recommends herself to
company by singing and playing, takes a harp, goes about the
city, perhaps in the night, serenading, makes sweet melody, and
sings many songs. These are innocent and allowable diversions, if
soberly, and moderately, and modestly used; but those that value
themselves upon their virtue should not be over-fond of them, nor
ambitious to excel in them, because, whatever they are now, anciently
they were some of the baits with which harlots used to entice fools.
Tyre shall now by degrees come to be the mart of nations again; she
shall return to her hire, to her traffic, and shall commit
fornication (that is, she shall have dealings in trade, for the
prophet carries on the similitude of a harlot) with all the kingdoms
of the world that she had formerly traded with in her prosperity.
The love of worldly wealth is a spiritual whoredom, and therefore
covetous people are called adulterers and adulteresses
(James iv. 4),
and covetousness is spiritual idolatry.
3. That, having recovered her trade again, she shall make a better use
of it than she had done formerly; and this good she should get by her
calamities
(v. 18):
Her merchandise, and her hire, shall be holiness to the Lord.
The trade of Tyre, and all the gains of her trade, shall be devoted to
God and to his honour and employed in his service. It shall not be
treasured and hoarded up, as formerly, to be the matter of their pride
and the support of their carnal confidence; but it shall be laid out in
acts of piety and charity. What they can spare from the maintenance of
themselves and their families shall be for those that dwell before
the Lord, for the priests, the Lord’s ministers, that attend in his
temple at Jerusalem; not to maintain them in pomp and grandeur, but
that they and theirs may eat sufficiently, may have food
convenient for them, with as little as may be of that care which would
divert them from their ministration, and that they may have, not rich
and fine clothing, but durable clothing, that which is strong
and lasting, clothing for old men (so some read it), as if the
priests, though they were young, must wear such plain grave clothing as
old men used to wear. Now,
(1.) This supposes that religion should be set up in New Tyre, that
they should come to the knowledge of the true God and into communion
with the Israel of God. Perhaps their being fellow-captives with the
Jews in Babylon (who had prophets with them there) disposed them to
join with them in their worship there, and turned them from idols, as
it cured the Jews of their idolatry: and when they were released with
them, and as they had reason to believe for their sakes, when they were
settled again in Tyre, they would send gifts and offerings to the
temple, and presents to the priests. We find men of Tyre then dwelling
in the land of Judah,
Tyre and Sidon were better disposed to religion in Christ’s time than
the cities of Israel; for, if Christ had gone among them, they would
have repented,
Matt. xi. 21.
And we meet with Christians at Tyre
and, many years after, did Christianity flourish there. Some of the
rabbin refer this prophecy of the conversion of Tyre to the days of the
Messiah.
(2.) It directs those that have estates to make use of them in the
service of God and religion, and to reckon that best laid up which is
so laid out. Both the merchandise of the tradesmen and the hire of the
day-labourers shall be devoted to God. Both the merchandise (the
employment we follow) and the hire (the gain of our employments) must
be holiness to the Lord, alluding to the motto engraven on the
frontlet of the high priest
and to the separation of the tithe under the law,
See a promise like this referring to gospel times,
We must first give up ourselves to be holiness to the Lord before what
we do, or have, or get, can be so. When we abide with God in our
particular callings, and do common actions after a godly sort–when we
abound in works of piety and charity, are liberal in relieving the
poor, and supporting the ministry, and encouraging the gospel–then our
merchandise and our hire are holiness to the Lord, if we sincerely look
at his glory in them. And our wealth need not be treasured and laid up
on earth; for it is treasured and laid up in heaven, in bags that
wax not old,
Luke xii. 33.
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