Discovery BoxIsaiah 23:8 
Context23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, 1
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries 2 of the earth?
Isaiah 23:11
Context23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, 3
he shook kingdoms;
he 4 gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. 5
Isaiah 23:17-18
Context23:17 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 23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. 9
1 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.
2 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
3 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
4 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
5 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
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.”
9 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”
sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.
