Bible Strands
Isaiah 23:14
Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor has been destroyed!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet addresses the maritime merchants of Tarshish, announcing the sudden ruin of their commercial hub. This declaration follows the description of Assyrian devastation in Isaiah 23:13 and precedes the prophecy of Tyre’s seventy-year exile in Isaiah 23:15.
The words — The command הֵילִ֖ילוּ (hei.Li.lu) literally means "wail," directing mourning toward the אֳנִיּ֣וֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ (o.ni.Yot tar.Shish), or "ships of Tarshish." The verb שֻׁדַּ֖ד (shu.Dad) declares "it has been devastated," referring to the fortified harbor.
The thread — The phrase "ships of Tarshish" appears in Isaiah 2:16 as a symbol of pride and in Isaiah 23:6 as a call to coastal inhabitants to flee. Isaiah 23:1 repeats the command to wail over the same destroyed harbor.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that commercial security and fortified trade networks are subject to sudden historical ruin. It requires the reader to recognize that economic power does not grant immunity from divine judgment.
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
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Isaiah 2:16 against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.
- Isaiah 23:6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!
- Ezekiel 27:25 The ships of Tarshish carried your merchandise. And you were filled with heavy cargo in the heart of the sea.
- 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—