23:12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed 1 virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.” 2
“The virgin daughter Zion 4
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 5
1 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
2 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
3 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
4 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
5 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.