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Monday, July 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Amplified Bible

Isaiah 23:4

Be ashamed, O Sidon [mother-city of Tyre, now like a widow bereaved of her children]; For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying, "I have neither labored nor given birth [to children]; I have neither brought up young men nor reared virgins."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Sidon;   Tarshish;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Sidon;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zidon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Mauzzim;   Sidon;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Tarshish, Tharshish;   Zidon, Sidon ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Nile;   Tyre;   Zidon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Zi'don,;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Nourish (and forms);   Sea;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Locust;   Nourish;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Zidon (Sidon);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Be ashamed, Sidon, the stronghold of the sea,for the sea has spoken:“I have not been in labor or given birth.I have not raised young menor brought up young women.”
Hebrew Names Version
Be ashamed, Tzidon; for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
King James Version
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.
English Standard Version
Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: "I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women."
New American Standard Bible
Be ashamed, Sidon, For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying, "I have neither been in labor nor given birth, I have neither brought up young men nor raised virgins."
New Century Version
Sidon, be ashamed. Strong city of the sea, be ashamed, because the sea says: "I have not felt the pain of giving birth; I have not reared young men or women."
World English Bible
Be ashamed, Sidon; for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Be ashamed, thou Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, euen the strength of the sea, saying, I haue not trauailed, nor brought forth children, neither nourished yong men, nor brought vp virgins.
Legacy Standard Bible
Be ashamed, O Sidon;For the sea speaks, the strong defense of the sea, saying,"I have neither travailed nor given birth;I have neither brought up choice men nor reared virgins."
Berean Standard Bible
Be ashamed, O Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young women."
Contemporary English Version
Sidon, you are a mighty fortress built along the sea. But you will be disgraced like a married woman who never had children.
Complete Jewish Bible
Shame, Tzidon, for the sea speaks; the fortress of the sea says, "I no longer have labor pains or bear children, yet I have raised neither boys nor girls."
Darby Translation
Be thou ashamed, Sidon, for the sea hath spoken, the strength of the sea, saying, I have not travailed nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men [nor] brought up virgins.
Easy-to-Read Version
Sidon, you should be very sad, because now the Sea and the Fort of the Sea say, "I have no children. I have never felt the pain of birth; I have never given birth to children. I have never raised young men and women."
George Lamsa Translation
Be ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea has spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I have neither been in travail nor have I given birth to children, neither have I reared young men nor brought up virgins.
Good News Translation
City of Sidon, you are disgraced! The sea and the great ocean depths disown you and say, "I never had any children. I never raised sons or daughters."
Lexham English Bible
Be ashamed, Sidon, for the sea, the fortress of the sea said, saying, "I was not in labor, and I have not given birth, and I have not reared young men, brought up young women."
Literal Translation
Be ashamed, Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the strength of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, I have not nourished young men nor raised up virgins.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Sido is sory for it, yee and all ye power of the see coplaneth, and saieth: O yt I had neuer traueled with childe, that I had neuer borne eny, yt I had nether norished boye, ner brought vp doughter.
American Standard Version
Be thou ashamed, O Sidon; for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
Bible in Basic English
Be shamed, O Zidon: for the sea, the strong place of the sea has said, I have not been with child, or given birth; I have not taken care of young men, or kept watch over the growth of virgins.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: 'I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I reared young men, nor brought up virgins.'
King James Version (1611)
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea hath spoken, euen the strength of the sea, saying; I trauell not, nor bring foorth children, neither doe I nourish vp yong men, nor bring vp virgines.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be ashamed thou Zidon: for the sea, euen the strength of the sea hath spoken saying, I haue not trauayled nor brought foorth children, nor norished vp young men, or brought vp virgins.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Be ashamed, O Sidon: the sea has said, yea, the strength of the sea has said, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor have I brought up young men, nor reared virgins.
English Revised Version
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, the strong hold of the sea; saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou, Sidon, be aschamed, seide the see, the strengthe of the see, and seide, Y trauelide not of child, and Y childide not, and Y nurschide not yonge men, and Y brouyte not fulli virgyns to encreessyng.
Update Bible Version
Be ashamed, O Sidon; for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I haven't travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
Webster's Bible Translation
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, [even] the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish young men, [nor] bring up virgins.
New English Translation
Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea: "I have not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women."
New King James Version
Be ashamed, O Sidon; For the sea has spoken, The strength of the sea, saying, "I do not labor, nor bring forth children; Neither do I rear young men, Nor bring up virgins."
New Living Translation
But now you are put to shame, city of Sidon, for Tyre, the fortress of the sea, says, "Now I am childless; I have no sons or daughters."
New Life Bible
Be ashamed, O Sidon, the strong-place of the sea. The sea speaks and says, "I have not suffered or given birth. I have not brought up young men or young women."
New Revised Standard
Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the fortress of the sea, saying: "I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Turn thou pale, O Zidon, For spoken hath the sea, the fortress of the sea saying, - I have neither been in pangs nor given birth I have neither brought up young men nor promoted virgins.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Be thou ashamed, O Sidon: for the sea speaketh, even the strength of the sea, saying: I have not been in labour, nor have I brought forth, nor have I nourished up young men, nor brought up virgins.
Revised Standard Version
Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: "I have neither travailed nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up virgins."
Young's Literal Translation
Be ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea spake, The strength of the sea, saying: `I have not been pained, nor have I brought forth, Nor have I nourished young men, [nor] brought up virgins.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Be ashamed, O Sidon; For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying, "I have neither travailed nor given birth, I have neither brought up young men nor reared virgins."

Contextual Overview

1The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, For Tyre is destroyed, without house, without harbor; It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus (Kittim). 2Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon; Your messengers crossed the sea 3And they were on great waters. The grain of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile River, was Tyre's revenue; And she was the market of nations. 4Be ashamed, O Sidon [mother-city of Tyre, now like a widow bereaved of her children]; For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying, "I have neither labored nor given birth [to children]; I have neither brought up young men nor reared virgins."5When the report reaches Egypt, They will be in agony at the report about Tyre. 6Cross over to Tarshish [to seek safety as exiles]; Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland [of Tyre]. 7Is this your jubilant city, Whose origin dates back to antiquity, Whose feet used to carry her [far away] to colonize distant places? 8Who has planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? 9The LORD of hosts has planned it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To bring into contempt and humiliation all the honored of the earth. 10Overflow your land like [the overflow of] the Nile, O Daughter of Tarshish; There is no more restraint [on you to make you pay tribute to Tyre].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I travail: Jeremiah 47:3, Jeremiah 47:4, Ezekiel 26:3-6, Hosea 9:11-14, Revelation 18:23

Reciprocal: Genesis 10:15 - Sidon Joshua 19:28 - great Judges 18:28 - far from Ezekiel 26:17 - strong

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
"By the sweat of your face You will eat bread Until you return to the ground, For from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
Genesis 17:8
"I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger [moving from place to place], all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession [of property]; and I will be their God."
Genesis 23:12
Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.
Genesis 23:13
He said to Ephron in the presence of the people of the land, "If you will only please listen to me and accept my offer. I will give you the price of the field; accept it from me and I will bury my dead there."
Genesis 23:16
So Abraham listened to Ephron [and agreed to his terms]; and he weighed out for Ephron the [amount of] silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
Genesis 47:9
Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, and they have not reached the years that my fathers lived during the days of their pilgrimage."
Genesis 49:30
in the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burial site.
Genesis 50:13
for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.
Leviticus 25:23
'The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; you are [only] foreigners and temporary residents with Me.
1 Chronicles 29:15
"For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope [of remaining].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be thou ashamed, O Zidon,.... A city near to Tyre, about twenty five miles from it; Jarchi says it was within a day's walk of it; these two cities, as they were near to each other, so they were closely allied together, and traded much with one another, so that the fall of Tyre must be distressing and confounding to Zidon; and besides, Tyre was a colony of the Zidonians, and therefore, Isaiah 23:12, is called the daughter of Zidon, and could not but be affected with its ruin, and the more, as it might fear the same would soon be its case:

for the sea hath spoken; which washed the city of Tyre; or those that sailed in it; or rather Tyre itself, so called because its situation was by the sea, the island was encompassed with it:

[even] the strength of the sea; which was enriched by what was brought by sea to it, and was strengthened by it, being surrounded with the waters of it as with a wall, and had the sovereignty over it:

saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, [nor] bring up virgins; either the sea itself, which now no more brought great numbers of young people to Tyre, children to be educated, young men to be instructed in trade and business, and virgins to be given in marriage, the city being destroyed; or Tyre, which before was very populous, full of children, young men, and maidens, but now desolate; and which formerly sent out colonies abroad, and was a mother city to many, as Pliny says s; it was famous for the birth of many cities, as Lepti, Utica, Carthage, and Gades or Cales; but now it was all over with her. Some render it as a wish, "O that I had never travailed", &c. and so the Targum.

s Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be thou ashamed, O Zidon - Tyre was a colony of Sidon. Sidon is here addressed as the mother of Tyre, and is called on to lament over her daughter that was destroyed. In Isaiah 23:12, Tyre is called the ‘daughter of Sidon;’ and such appellations were commonly given to cities (see the note at Isaiah 1:8). Sidon is here represented as ashamed, or grieved - as a mother is who is bereft of all her children.

The sea hath spoken - New Tyre was on a rock at some distance from the land, and seemed to rise out of the sea, somewhat as Venice does It is described here as a production of the sea, and the sea is represented as speaking by her.

Even the strength of the sea - The fortress, or strong place (מעוז mā‛ôz) of the sea. Tyre, on a rock, might be regarded as the strong place, or the defense of the Mediterranean. Thus Zechariah Zechariah 9:3 says of it. ‘And Tyrus did build herself a stronghold’ (מצור mâtsôr).

Saying, I travail not - The expresssions which follow are to be regarded as the language of Tyre - the founder of colonies and cities. The sense is, ‘My wealth and resources are gone. My commerce is annihilated. I cease to plant cities and colonies, and to nourish and foster them, as I once did, by my trade.’ The idea of the whole verse is, that the city which had been the mistress of the commercial world, and distinguished for founding other cities and colonies, was about to lose her importance, and to cease to extend her colonies and her influence over other countries. Over this fact, Sidon, the mother and founder of Tyre herself, would be humbled and grieved that her daughter, so proud, so rich, and so magnificent, was brought so low.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 23:4. Be thou ashamed, O Zidon — Tyre is called Isaiah 23:12, the daughter of Sidon. "The Sidonians," says Justin, xviii. 3, "when their city was taken by the king of Ascalon, betook themselves to their ships, and landed, and built by Tyre." Sidon, as the mother city is supposed to be deeply affected with the calamity of her daughter.

Nor bring up virgins - "Nor educated virgins."] ורוממתי veromamti; so an ancient MS. Of Dr. Kennicott's prefixing the ו vau, which refers to the negative preceding, and is equivalent to ולא velo. See Deuteronomy 23:6; Proverbs 30:3. Two of my own MSS. have ו vau in the margin.


 
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