Bible Strands
Isaiah 2:16
against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Isaiah pronounces this judgment as part of a broader declaration against human arrogance, directly following threats against high towers and fortified walls. The prophecy addresses Judah, warning that national wealth and military power will face divine reckoning.
The words — The text highlights אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ ('oniyyot tarshish), meaning "ships of Tarshish," and שְׂכִיּוֹת הַחֶמְדָּה (sechiyyot hachemdah), literally "ships of desire." These terms denote the powerful merchant fleet and the coveted wealth it transported.
The thread — The ships of Tarshish appear in 1 Kings 10:22 as part of Solomon’s trading fleet and in Isaiah 23:1 as a symbol of Tyre’s commercial prosperity facing ruin. This maritime imagery consistently marks elite economic power and long-distance trade networks under God’s scrutiny.
Why it lands — The verse demands acknowledgment that economic strength and luxury goods are subject to the same judgment as military fortifications. It requires readers to recognize that national prosperity does not grant immunity from divine accountability.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 10:22 For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
- Isaiah 23:1 This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
- Numbers 33:52 you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
- 1 Kings 22:48 Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
- Psalms 47:7 For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise.
- Isaiah 60:9 Surely the islands will wait for Me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.
- Revelation 18:11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—
- Revelation 18:17 For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance