Bible Strands
Isaiah 23:9
The LORD of Hosts planned it, to defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah delivers a divine oracle concerning the commercial collapse of Tyre and Tarshish, revealing their downfall as a direct result of sovereign judgment rather than historical accident.
The words — יְעָצָ֑הּ (ye.'a.Tza/h) means he planned, and לְ/חַלֵּל (le./cha.Lel) means to profane, directly describing Yahweh's deliberate action to defile Tyre's pride and splendor.
The thread — This pattern of divine judgment against human arrogance runs through Isaiah 13:11, where God ends the haughtiness of the arrogant, James 4:6, which declares God opposes the proud, and Job 40:11, which commands bringing every proud man low.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that earthly prestige and economic power are subordinate to God's decree, requiring readers to abandon self-reliance and accept divine authority over human systems.
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
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 13:11 I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
- James 4:6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Job 40:11 Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low.
- Isaiah 2:11 The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
- Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
- Job 12:21 He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.
- Psalms 107:40 He pours out contempt on the nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
- Isaiah 2:17 So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
- Isaiah 5:13 Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
- Isaiah 5:15 So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.