Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 23:12
And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.
12. And he said ] What follows may be regarded as the “commandment” referred to in Isa 23:11.
O thou oppressed (or ravished) virgin, daughter of Zidon ] The epithet “virgin” is applied to Zidon as a fortress hitherto unviolated by a conqueror. It is an almost inevitable inference that the calamity here described is the first she has known, at least within living memory. This would apply to the campaign of Shalmaneser, but not to that of Sennacherib.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And he said – God said Isa 23:9.
Thou shalt no more rejoice – The sense is, that Tyre was soon to be destroyed. It does not mean that it should never afterward exult or rejoice, for the prophet says Isa 23:17, that after its destruction it would be restored, and again be filled with exultation and joy.
O thou oppressed Virgin – Lowth renders this, O thou deflowered virgin, expressing the sense of the word hameushaqah.
O daughter of Zidon – Isa 23:4. Pass over to Chittim (see the note at Isa 23:1). The idea is, that under the siege the inhabitants of Tyre would seek refuge in her colonies, and the cities that were dependent on her.
There also shalt thou have no rest – It is not improbable that Nebuchadnezzar would carry his arms to Cyprus – on which the city of Citium was – where the Tyrians would take refuge first. Megasthenes, who lived about 300 years before Christ, says of Nebuchadnezzar that he subdued a great part of Africa and Spain, and that he carried his arms so far as the Pillars of Hercules (see Newton, On the Prophecies, xi. 11). But whether this refers to the oppressions which Nebuchadnezzar would bring on them or not, it is certain that the colonies that sprung from Phenicia were exposed to constant wars after this. Carthage was a colony of Tyre, and it is well known that this city was engaged in hostility with the Romans until it was utterly destroyed. Indeed all the dependent colonies of ancient Tyre became interested and involved in the agitations and commotions which were connected with the conquests of the Roman empire.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
O thou oppressed virgin: so he calls her, either for her pride and beauty, and living in great ease and pleasure; or because she had hitherto never borne the yoke of a conquering enemy; though withal he declares that she should be oppressed or defloured very suddenly.
Daughter of Zidon; whereby he understands either,
1. Zidon herself, who suffered in and with Tyre: for so this phrase seems generally to be used,
the daughter of Zion, or of Jerusalem, or of Babel, or Egypt, &c., being nothing else but Zion, Jerusalem, Babel, Egypt, &c. Or rather,
2. Tyrus, as most interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, understand it, of whom this whole context and prophecy speaks; which may well be called the daughter of Zidon, because she was first built and possessed by a colony of the Sidonians; as Pliny calleth Carthage the daughter of Tyre, because she was built by a colony of Tyrians. And the title of daughter is ofttimes given in Scripture to towns or cities which had their being from or dependence upon other cities; in which sense we read of the daughter of Heshbon, Num 21:25, and of Rubbah, Jer 49:2,3, and of Sodom, and of Samaria, Eze 16:46,49,53. And the daughter of Tarshish here above, Isa 23:10, is not meant of Tarshish itself, but of Tyrus, which had a relation to and dependence upon Tarshish.
Pass over to Chittim; of which place See Poole “Isa 23:1“. There also shalt thou have no rest; thither thine enemies shall pursue thee, and there shall they overtake thee, although thou wilt think thyself secure when thou art fled to remote parts beyond the sea.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. heGod.
rejoiceriotously (Isa23:7).
oppressed“deflowered”;laying aside the figure “taken by storm”; the Arabs comparea city never taken to an undefiled virgin (compare Na3:5, &c.).
daughter of ZidonTyre:or else, sons of Zidon, that is, the whole land and people ofPhoelignicia (see on Isa 23:2)[MAURER].
ChittimCitium inCyprus (Isa 23:1).
there also . . . no restThycolonies, having been harshly treated by thee, will now repay thee inkind (see on Isa 23:10). ButVITRINGA refers it to thecalamities which befell the Tyrians in their settlementssubsequently, namely, Sicily, Corcyra, Carthage, and Spain, allflowing from the original curse of Noah against the posterity ofCanaan (Ge 9:25-27).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he said, thou shalt no more rejoice,…. Not meaning that she should never more rejoice, but not for a long time, as Kimchi interprets it; when her calamity should come upon her, her jovial time, her time of mirth, jollity, and revelling, would be over for a time; for, at the end of seventy years, she should take her harp, and sing again, Isa 23:15 for the words seem to be spoken of Tyre, concerning whom the whole prophecy is; though some think Zidon is here meant, which, being near, suffered at the same time with Tyre, or quickly after:
O thou oppressed virgin! Tyre is called a “virgin”, because of her beauty, pride, and lasciviousness, and because never before subdued and taken: and “oppressed”, because now deflowered, ransacked, plundered, and ruined, by Nebuchadnezzar:
daughter of Zidon: some think Zidon itself is meant, just as daughter of Zion means Zion herself, c. but it may be also observed, that such cities that have sprung from others, or have their dependence on them, are called their daughters; so we read of Samaria and her daughters, and Sodom and her daughters, Eze 16:46 and so Tyre is called the daughter of Zidon, because it was a colony of the Zidonians f; and at first built and supported by them, though now grown greater than its mother:
arise, pass over to Chittim; to the isle of Cyprus, which was near them, and in which was a city called Citium; or to Macedonia, which was called the land of Chittim, as in the Apocrypha:
“And it happened, after that Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece,” (1 Maccabees 1:1)
or to the isles of the Aegean and Ionian seas; or to Greece and Italy; which latter sense is approved by Vitringa, who thinks the islands of Corsica, and Sardinia, and Sicily, are meant, which were colonies of the Tyrians; and so in Isa 23:1:
there also shalt thou have no rest; since those countries would also fall into the enemy’s hands, either the Babylonians, or the Medes and Persians, or the Romans; into whose hands Macedonia, Carthage, and other colonies of the Tyrians fell, so that they had no rest in any of them.
f Justin ex Trogo, l. 18. c. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
12. And he said, Thou shalt not add any more to rejoice. (112) All this belongs to one and the same object; for, since a plain description would not have had sufficient weight, the Prophet confirms his prediction by many words. It was incredible that a city so celebrated and powerful, so well defended and fortified, and associated with many allies and confederates, should be destroyed and overturned. When he says, Thou shalt not add, he does not intend to shut out the hope of restoration which he will give soon afterwards; for this threatening ought to be limited to the time of the ruin of Tyre, “Thou shalt not live wantonly, as formerly thou wert wont to do.”
O virgin. Metaphorically he calls her a virgin, because, previous to that time, the riches of Tyre were untouched, and had suffered no injury. This is not praise of chastity, but a witty manner of saying that the treasures which had been laid up in faithful custody will be violated. “Formerly thou didst skip lightly, like heifers in the bloom of youth; but when thou hast suffered violence, there will be an end of thy mirth;” just as if one should say, that the city of Venice has not lost her virginity because it has not been taken by force since it was built.
Daughter of Sidon. He continues to speak of Tyre, but gives it this name, because it was built by the Sidonians, though the daughter excelled the mother, as frequently happens in human affairs. The convenience and situation of the place gave a superiority to the inhabitants of Tyre, and Sidon became but an appendage. From the book of Kings it is evident enough (1Kg 5:1) that the monarchy of Tyre had a high reputation, but here the Prophet looked at its origin.
Pass over to Chittim. When he bids them pass over to Chittim, he banishes them not only into Cilicia, but into countries still more distant; for under this name he includes Greece, Italy, and other countries; as if he had said, “When thou shalt change thy residence on account of banishment, thou shalt have no settled habitation in neighboring countries; but thou must wander through the whole world, shalt be dragged into unknown countries, and even there thou shalt find no rest.” Lastly, he means that the ruin will be so lamentable, that they will not have among neighbors, and, after crossing the sea, they will not have among foreigners, a place of rest.
(112) “And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice.” Eng. Ver.
FT370 “ Sous des tentes de peaux;” — “Under tents of skins.”
FT371 “They raised up the palaces thereof.” — Eng. Ver. “Erected her palaces.” — Stock. Professor Alexander renders it, “They have roused up her palaces;” but says, “According to the usual interpretation, the towers mentioned are those used in ancient sieges; the masculine suffix refers to עם, ( gnām;) the feminine suffix to Tyre; and עורר ( gnōrēr) may be taken either in the sense of raising, (from ערר, gnārăr,) or in that of rousing, (from עור, gnūr,) that is, filling with confusion and alarm.”
FT372 “That is, of one kingdom. See Dan 7:17. Nebuchadnezzar began his conquests in the first year of his reign: from thence to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus are seventy years; at which time the nations conquered by Nebuchadnezzar were to be restored to liberty.” — Lowth
FT373 “ Que le poete Horace s’est moqué d’une putain nommee Lydia pour la mesme occasion;” — “That the Poet Horace mocked at a prostitute named Lydia for the same reason.”
FT374 “Tyre, after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, recovered, as is here foretold, its ancient trade, wealth, and grandeur; as it did likewise after a second destruction by Alexander. It became Christian early with the rest of the neighboring countries. St. Paul himself found many Christians there. (Act 21:4.) It suffered much in the Diocletian persecution. It was an archbishopric under the patriarchate of Jerusalem, with fourteen bishoprics under its jurisdiction. It continued Christian till it was taken by the Saracens in 639; was recovered by the Christians in 1124; but in 1280 was conquered by the Mamalukes, and afterwards taken from them by the Turks in 1516. Since that time it has sunk into utter decay, is now a bare rock, ‘a place to spread nets upon,’ as the Prophet Ezekiel foretold it should be. (Eze 26:14.) See Sandy’s Travels; Vitringa on the place; Bishop Newton on the Prophecies, Dissert. xi.” — Lowth
FT375 “The revenues of Tyre shall be employed in supporting the worshippers of the true God. The prophecy intimates that Tyre should be converted to the religion of Christ as it was in the earliest times of the gospel. Of the same event David also had prophesied in Psa 45:12.” — Stock
FT376 “ Afin qu’ils mangent leur saoul;” — “That they may eat their fill.”
FT377 “ Tout ce que nous employons pour la necessité de nos freres;” — “All that we spend for relieving the want of our brethren.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) Thou oppressed virgin.Strictly speaking, the noun and adjective are incompatible, the latter conveying the sense of defiled, or deflowered. Till now Tyre had known no defeat. Her fortress was a virgin citadel. Now the barbarian conqueror was to rob her of that virginity.
Pass over to Chittim.With a keen irony the prophet gives a counsel which he declares will be of no avail. They may flee to Chittim (Cyprus); but the power of the Assyrians would reach them even there. Once and again the inscriptions of the Assyrian kings record how they subdued and took tribute from Yatnan, the island in the sea of the setting sun, which can be none other than Cyprus (e.g., Sargon in Records of the Past, vii. 26).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. He said Jehovah said, as in Isa 23:9.
No more rejoice Because doomed to be crippled; yes, nearly destroyed.
Daughter of Zidon Zidon was the older city, hence addressed as the mother city.
To Chittim To Tyrian colonies in Cyprus. Yet even there they would find no rest, because too near and too accessible to the conquering power.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 23:12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.
Ver. 12. Thou shalt no more rejoice. ] Heb., Exult, revel.
O thou oppressed.
Arise, pass.
Over to Chittim.
There also shalt thou have no rest.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 23:12
12He has said, You shall exult no more, O crushed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.
Isa 23:12 In this chapter Phoenicia (NIV) is called by the name of its old capital, Sidon, and its new current capital, Tyre.
Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest Some see this as referring specifically to the king of Sidon, Lulli, fleeing from the Assyrian army to Cyprus in 701 B.C., where he was killed (JB footnote, p. 1177). This is surely possible, but not certain. Hebrew poetry is ambiguous.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
oppressed = humbled.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Thou shalt: Isa 23:1, Isa 23:7, Eze 26:13, Eze 26:14, Rev 18:22
thou oppressed: Isa 37:22, Isa 47:1, Isa 47:5, Jer 14:17, Jer 46:11, Lam 1:15
daughter: “The Sidonians,” says Justin, “when their city was taken by the king of Ascalon, betook themselves to their ships; and landed and built Tyre;” Sidon was therefore the mother city. Isa 23:2, Gen 10:15-19, Gen 49:13, Jos 11:8
pass: Isa 23:1, Num 24:24, Eze 27:6
there also: Deu 28:64-67, Lam 1:3, Lam 4:15
Reciprocal: Gen 10:4 – Kittim Jos 19:28 – great Jdg 18:28 – far from 2Ki 19:21 – The virgin 1Ch 1:7 – Kittim Isa 23:6 – Pass Isa 23:10 – O daughter Eze 28:21 – Zidon Dan 11:30 – the ships Mar 7:24 – Tyre Act 27:3 – Sidon
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
23:12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed {o} virgin, {p} daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.
(o) For Tyre was never touched nor afflicted before.
(p) Because Tyrus was built by them of Zidon.