Discovery BoxIsaiah 23:15-17 
Context23:15 At that time 1 Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, 2 the typical life span of a king. 3 At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 4
23:16 “Take the harp,
go through the city,
forgotten prostitute!
Play it well,
play lots of songs,
so you’ll be noticed!” 5
23:17 At the end of seventy years 6 the Lord will revive 7 Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 8
1 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
2 sn The number seventy is probably used in a stereotypical, nonliteral sense here to indicate a long period of time that satisfies completely the demands of God’s judgment.
3 tn Heb “like the days of a king.”
4 tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”
5 tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”
6 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
7 tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”
8 tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”
