# Isaiah 23

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**Isaiah 23** is the twenty-third [chapter](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) of the [Book of Isaiah](/source/Book_of_Isaiah) in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) or the [Old Testament](/source/Old_Testament) of the [Christian](/source/Christianity) [Bible](/source/Bible). This book contains the prophecies attributed to the [prophet](/source/Biblical_prophet) [Isaiah](/source/Isaiah), and is one of the [Books of the Prophets](/source/Nevi'im). This chapter foretells the destruction of [Tyre](/source/Tyre,_Lebanon) due to its pride (Isaiah 23:1-14), its rising again (Isaiah 23:15-17), and its conversion to God (Isaiah 23:18).

## Text

The original text was written in [Hebrew language](/source/Biblical_Hebrew). [This chapter is divided into](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) 18 verses.

### Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in [Hebrew](/source/Biblical_Hebrew) are of the [Masoretic Text](/source/Masoretic_Text) tradition, which includes the [Codex Cairensis](/source/Codex_Cairensis) (895), [the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets](/source/Codex_Babylonicus_Petropolitanus) (916), [Aleppo Codex](/source/Aleppo_Codex) (10th century), [Codex Leningradensis](/source/Leningrad_Codex) (1008).[1]

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the [Dead Sea Scrolls](/source/Dead_Sea_Scrolls) (3rd century BC or later):[2]

- [1QIsaa](/source/Isaiah_scroll): complete
- 1QIsab: extant verses 1‑5
- 4QIsaa (4Q55): extant verses 1‑12
- 4QIsac (4Q57): extant verses 8‑18

There is also a translation into [Koine Greek](/source/Koine_Greek) known as the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint), made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint) version include [Codex Vaticanus](/source/Codex_Vaticanus) (**B**; \mathfrak{G}B; 4th century), [Codex Sinaiticus](/source/Codex_Sinaiticus) (**S**; [BHK](/source/Biblia_Hebraica_(Kittel)): \mathfrak{G}S; 4th century), [Codex Alexandrinus](/source/Codex_Alexandrinus) (**A**; \mathfrak{G}A; 5th century) and [Codex Marchalianus](/source/Codex_Marchalianus) (**Q**; \mathfrak{G}Q; 6th century).[3]

## Parashot

The *[parashah](/source/Parashah)* sections listed here are based on the [Aleppo Codex](/source/Aleppo_Codex).[4] Isaiah 23 is a part of the *Prophecies about the Nations ([Isaiah 13](/source/Isaiah_13)–23)*. {P}: open *parashah*; {S}: closed *parashah*.

- {P} 23:1-14 {S} 23:15-18 {P}

## Proclamation against Tyre

### Verse 1

- *The burden of Tyre.* - *Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in:* - *from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.*[5]

- "Burden" (Hebrew: מַשָּׂ֖א ): the keyword in the superscriptions for a total of nine similar oracles; the others being: [Isaiah 13:1](/source/Isaiah_13:1); [15:1](/source/Isaiah_15:1); [17:1](/source/Isaiah_17:1); [19:1](/source/Isaiah_19:1); [21:1](/source/Isaiah_21:1), [11](/source/Isaiah_21:11), [13](/source/Isaiah_21:13); [22:1](/source/Isaiah_22:1).[6]
- "Tyre" (Hebrew: צֹ֑ר written צוֺר in ; Greek: Τυρος, *Tyros*; Phoenician צר; Assyrian *‚urru*, (also in [Tel Amarna](/source/Amarna_letters)); Egyptian *Da-(ï)ra, Da-ru*.): famous [Phoenician](/source/Phoenicia) city, which in ancient time was built on a "rock" (the original meaning of its name) offshore in the [Mediterranean Sea](/source/Mediterranean_Sea). The city was already prosperous in 14th century BC as a major trading port. It was strongly fortified but at the end was laid waste after it was conquered by [Alexander the Great](/source/Alexander_the_Great). The modern city is the continuation of ancient extension of the city in the mainland.[7][8]
- "Tarshish" (Hebrew: תרשיש ): a faraway port, generally identified as "[Tartessos](/source/Tartessos)" (Greek: Ταρτησσός) in [Spain](/source/Spain), located in the mouth of [Guadalquivir](/source/Guadalquivir) river, where the [Phoenicians](/source/Phoenicia) are said to establish the first anchorage grounds and deal in precious metals. Other possibilities include: [Tarsus](/source/Tarsus,_Mersin) in [Cilicia](/source/Cilicia), Tyrseni in [Etruscan](/source/Etruscan_civilization)/[Tuscany](/source/Tuscany), or [Carthage](/source/Carthage) in [North Africa](/source/North_Africa).[9][10]
- "Chittim" (or "Kittim"; Hebrew: כתים ): "Citienses", "Cypriotes" or "Cyprians", a Phoenecian colony in [Citium (=Kition)](/source/Kition), [Cyprus](/source/Cyprus). The term is also used in general for places beyond Cyprus, as far as [Greece](/source/Greece).[11][12]

## See also

- [Assyria](/source/Assyria)
- [Egypt](/source/Egypt)
- [Chaldea](/source/Chaldea)
- [Chittim (=Kittim)](/source/Kittim)
- [Shihor](/source/Shihor)
- [Sidon](/source/Sidon)
- [Tarshish](/source/Tarshish)
- [Tyre](/source/Tyre,_Lebanon)

- Related [Bible](/source/Bible) parts: [1 Kings 5](/source/1_Kings_5), [Jeremiah 47](/source/Jeremiah_47), [Ezekiel 26](/source/Ezekiel_26), [Joel 3](/source/Joel_3), [Amos 1](/source/Amos_1)

## References

1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.

1. Ulrich 2010, pp. 493–495.

1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.

1. As reflected in the [Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English](http://mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et0.htm).

1. [KJV](/source/King_James_Version)

1. Childs 2001, p. 113.

1. Brown 1994 צֹר

1. Gesenius 1979 צֹר

1. Brown 1994 תרשיש

1. Gesenius 1979 תרשיש

1. Brown 1994 כתים

1. Gesenius 1979 כתים

## Sources

- Brown, Francis; Briggs, Charles A.; Driver, S. R. (1994). *The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon*. reprint ed. Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1565632066.
- Childs, Brevard S. (2001). *Isaiah*. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664221430.
- Gesenius, H. W. F. (1979). *Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures: Numerically Coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, with an English Index.*. 7th ed. Translated by Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux. Baker Book House.
- Ulrich, Eugene (ed.) (2010). [*The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants*](https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls). Brill.
- Würthwein, Ernst (1995). [*The Text of the Old Testament*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC). Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.

## External links

### Jewish

- [Isaiah 23 Hebrew with Parallel English](http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1023.htm)

### Christian

- [Isaiah 23 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate](http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=27&c=23)

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