The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

2. the palace, temple, and fortress were on an island (originally two small islands) just off thecoast (cf. Ezek. 27:32)This made it almost invulnerable until Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. destroyed the coastal part andused the debris to build a causeway to the island fortress (cf. Ezek. 26:3-5).The ships from Tarshish had no where to offload their cargo, nor receive different cargo to takehome.There is a textual issue connected to “harbor.” It is literally “come in” (NJB, “no way of gettingin,” BDB 97, KB 112, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT), which may denote a harbor or haven.It is parallel to v. 14, so NRSV translates the line as “for your fortress is destroyed.”} “Cyprus” The MT has “Kittim” (BDB 508), possibly taken from the name of a Roman city on theisland of Cyprus called “Citium,” which was originally a Phoenician colony (cf. v. 7).Some identify the inhabitants with one of the sons of Javan, Elishah (cf. Gen. 10:4; Ezek. 27:7).23:2 “Be silent” This Qal IMPERATIVE is parallel to “wail” in v. 1 (BDB 198 I). There is speculationbased on a Ugaritic root that it reflects a separate root (BDB 199 II) “lament” (“wail,” TEV; “lament,”REB).} “Sidon” This was a coastal city (cf. Gen. 10:19) of Phoenicia about twenty-five miles north of Tyre.It was originally the main city (cf. Josh. 13:4,6). The name seems to have come from the eldest son ofCanaan, son of Ham (cf. Gen. 10:15). Tyre and Sidon are often linked together in the NT in reference tothe nation of Phoenicia (cf. Matt. 11:21,22; 15:21; Acts 12:20).}NASB, NRSV,NJBNKJVTEVJB“Your messengers crossed the sea”“Whom those who cross the sea have filled”“You sent agents”“whose goods traveled over the sea”The NASB follows the Isaiah scroll from the DSS. The MT has “passed over the sea (BDB 569,KB 583, Piel PERFECT) they replenish you.” The term “your messengers,” in its inflected form, is verysimilar in Hebrew to the verb “fill.”1. VERB, +&!-/ (“fill,”BDB 569, NKJV)2. NOUN, +*,!-/ (“messenger,” BDB 521, NASB)23:3NASB, JB “the grain of the Nile”NKJV, NRSV,REB “the grain of Shihor”NJB“the grain of the Canal”Peshitta “the harvest of the river”The MT has “grain of Shihor, harvest of the Nile.” Shihor (BDB 1009) means “the pond of Horus”(KB 1477). It referred to1. an eastern branch of the Nile (BDB 1009)2. a canal of black (BDB 1007 I) water3. a lake in the eastern delta region229