Discovery BoxIsaiah 23:3 
Context23:3 the deep waters! 1
Grain from the Shihor region, 2
crops grown near the Nile 3 she receives; 4
she is the trade center 5 of the nations.
Isaiah 23:8
Context23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, 6
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries 7 of the earth?
Isaiah 23:11
Context23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, 8
he shook kingdoms;
he 9 gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. 10
1 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (mil’ukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (mal’akhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvÿmayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
2 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
3 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
4 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
5 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”
6 tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.
7 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
8 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
9 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
10 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
