Bible Strands
Isaiah 23:3
On the great waters came the grain of Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre; she was the merchant of the nations.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah pronounces judgment on the coastal merchants of Sidon and Tyre during a prophetic declaration of commercial collapse. The passage addresses Phoenician maritime traders at the moment their foreign supply lines are exposed.
The words — מַיִם (mayim) means "waters" and רַבִּים (rabbim) means "many," forming the phrase "great waters." תְּבוּאָתָהּ (tevu'atah) translates literally as "her revenue," identifying the Nile's harvest as Tyre's commercial income.
The thread — The Shihor and Nile rivers function as geographical markers in 1 Chronicles 13:5, as objects of futile reliance in Jeremiah 2:18, and as irrigation sources in Deuteronomy 11:10.
Why it lands — The text states that Tyre's merchant status depended entirely on Egyptian grain and harvest revenue. It requires the reader to acknowledge that economic power built on foreign supply chains remains subject to sovereign 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
And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 13:5 So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
- Jeremiah 2:18 Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
- Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden.
- Isaiah 19:7 The bulrushes by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the fields sown along the Nile, will wither, blow away, and be no more.
- Isaiah 23:8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are renowned on the earth?
- Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.
- Ezekiel 27:3 Tell Tyre, who dwells at the gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that this is what the Lord GOD says: You have said, O Tyre, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
- Ezekiel 27:33 When your wares went out to sea, you satisfied many nations. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and merchandise.
- Ezekiel 28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained your wealth and amassed gold and silver for your treasuries.
- Joel 3:5 For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples.