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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Isaiah 23:2

Be dumb, ye inhabitants of the Coast, - Whom the merchants of Zidon, passing over the sea, once replenished;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commerce;   Merchant;   Sidon;   Tarshish;   Thompson Chain Reference - Quietness;   Quietness-Tumult;   Stillness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sidonians, the;   Tyre;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Isle, Island;   Merchant;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zidon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Chittim;   Sidon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Cyprus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Island, Isle;   Tyre;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Tarshish, Tharshish;   Zidon, Sidon ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Nile;   Tyre;   Zidon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Isle;   Zi'don,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Island;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Canaanites, the;   Tyre;   Zidon (Sidon);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland,you merchants of Sidon;your agents have crossed the sea
Hebrew Names Version
Be still, you inhabitants of the coast, you whom the merchants of Tzidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
King James Version
Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
English Standard Version
Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
New American Standard Bible
Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon; Your messengers crossed the sea
New Century Version
Be silent, you who live on the island of Tyre; you merchants of Sidon, be silent. Sailors have made you rich.
Amplified Bible
Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon; Your messengers crossed the sea
World English Bible
Be still, you inhabitants of the coast, you whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Be still, yee that dwell in the yles: the marchantes of Zidon, and such as passe ouer the sea, haue replenished thee.
Legacy Standard Bible
Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,You merchants of Sidon;Your messengers crossed the sea
Berean Standard Bible
Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched.
Contemporary English Version
Mourn in silence, you shop owners of Sidon, you people on the coast. Your sailors crossed oceans, making your city rich.
Complete Jewish Bible
Silence, you who live on the coast, you who have been enriched by the merchants of Tzidon crossing the sea.
Darby Translation
Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle! The merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished thee.
Easy-to-Read Version
You people living near the sea, mourn in silence. The merchants of Sidon sent traders across the sea and filled the city with riches.
George Lamsa Translation
Be still, O inhabitants of the islands, the merchants of Zidon that passed over the sea.
Good News Translation
Wail, you merchants of Sidon! You sent agents
Lexham English Bible
Be still, inhabitants of the coast, merchant of Sidon, who travels over the sea, they filled you.
Literal Translation
Be still, ones living in the coast, trader of Sidon crossing the sea; they have filled you.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The Indwellers of the Ilondes, the marchauntes of Sidon, and they that occupied the see (of whom thou wast ful somtyme) are at a poynte.
American Standard Version
Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast, thou whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
Bible in Basic English
Send out a cry of grief, you men of the sea-land, traders of Zidon, who go over the sea, whose representatives are on great waters;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast-land; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
King James Version (1611)
Be still, yee inhabitants of the yle, thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that passe ouer the sea, haue replenished.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be styll ye that dwell in the Isle, the marchauntes of Zidon, & such as passe ouer the sea haue made thee plenteous.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
To whom are the dwellers in the island become like, the merchants of Phoenice, passing over the sea
English Revised Version
Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Be ye stille, that dwellen in the ile, the marchaundie of Sidon; men passynge the see filliden thee in many watris;
Update Bible Version
Be still, you inhabitants of the coast, O merchants of Sidon, your messengers passed over the sea.
Webster's Bible Translation
Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
New English Translation
Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea, whose agents sail over
New King James Version
Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland,You merchants of Sidon,Whom those who cross the sea have filled. [fn]
New Living Translation
Mourn in silence, you people of the coast and you merchants of Sidon. Your traders crossed the sea,
New Life Bible
Be quiet, you people who live on the islands, you traders of Sidon. You sent men to cross the sea
New Revised Standard
Be still, O inhabitants of the coast, O merchants of Sidon, your messengers crossed over the sea
Douay-Rheims Bible
Be silent, you that dwell in the island: the merchants of Sidon passing over the sea, have filled thee.
Revised Standard Version
Be still, O inhabitants of the coast, O merchants of Sidon; your messengers passed over the sea
Young's Literal Translation
Be silent, ye inhabitants of the isle, Trader of Zidon, passing the sea, they filled thee.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon; Your messengers crossed the sea

Contextual Overview

1 The oracle on Tyre, - Howl! ye ships of Tarshish, For it is laid too waste to be a haven to enter, From the land of Cyprus, hath it been unveiled to them. 2 Be dumb, ye inhabitants of the Coast, - Whom the merchants of Zidon, passing over the sea, once replenished; 3 Yea on mighty waters, was the grain of Shihor, The harvest of the Nile, was her increase, - And so she became a mart of nations. 4 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. 5 Like the report of Egypt, They shall be in pangs at the like report of Tyre. 6 Pass ye over to Tarshish, - Howl ye inhabitants of the Coast: 7 Is this to you an exultation? Though from ancient day, is her antiquity, Yet shall her own feet carry her away, far off to dwell. 8 Who hath purposed this, against Tyre, The bestower of crowns, - Whose merchants are princes, Her traders the honourable of the earth? 9 Yahweh of hosts, hath purposed it, - To humble the pride of all beauty, To make of little esteem all the honourable of the earth. 10 Pass through thy land as the Nile, - O daughter of Tarshish, there is no restraint any longer!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

still: Heb. silent, Isaiah 41:1, Isaiah 47:5, Psalms 46:10, Habakkuk 2:20

the isle: Ezekiel 27:3, Ezekiel 27:4, Ezekiel 28:2

the merchants: Ezekiel 27:8-36

Reciprocal: Joshua 19:28 - great Isaiah 23:6 - howl Isaiah 23:12 - daughter Ezekiel 28:21 - Zidon Acts 27:3 - Sidon

Cross-References

Genesis 13:18
So Abram moved his tent and came in and dwelt among the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron, - and built there an altar to Yahweh.
Genesis 23:14
And Ephron responded to Abraham, saying to him,
Genesis 23:15
My lord, hear me, - Land worth four hundred shekels of silver - betwixt me and thee, what is that? And thy dead., bur. thou.
Genesis 23:16
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver of which he had spoken in the ears of the sons of Heth, - four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant,
Genesis 23:18
to Abraham as a purchase in the eyes of the sons of Heth, - with all who were entering the gate of his city.
Genesis 23:19
And after this, did Abraham bury Sarah his wife, within the cave of the field of Machpelah, over against Mamre, the same, is Hebron, - in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 27:41
And Esau lay in wait for Jacob, on account of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him, - and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father draw near, when I can slay Jacob my brother.
Genesis 50:10
And they came in, as far as the threshing-floor of the Buckthorn, which is beyond the Jordan, then wailed they there - an exceeding great and grievous walling, - and he made for his father a mourning, of seven days.
Numbers 13:22
Yea they went up in the South and entered as far as Hebron, and there, were Ahiman Sheshai and Talmai descendants of the Anak. Now, Hebron, was built seven years, before Zoan of Egypt.
Numbers 20:29
And all the assembly saw that Aaron was dead; and they bewailed Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle,.... Either the isles of Chittim, or other islands that traded with Tyre, the singular being put for the plural, called upon to grieve and mourn, because the city of their merchandise was destroyed, as Kimchi; or of Tyre itself, which being situated at some distance from the shore, was an island itself, until it was joined to the continent by Alexander q; and even old Tyre might be so called, it being usual in Scripture to call places by the seashore isles; and besides, old Tyre included in it new Tyre, the island, as Pliny r suggests; who are instructed to be silent as mourners, and to cease from the hurries of business, which they would be obliged to, and not boast of their power and wealth, as they had formerly done, or attempt to defend themselves, which would be in vain:

thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished; Zidon was a very ancient city of Phoenicia, more ancient than Tyre; for Tyre was a colony of the Zidonians, and built by them, and so might be said to be replenished by them with men from the first, as it also was with mariners, Ezekiel 27:8 and likewise with merchants and wares, they being a trading and seafaring people; wherefore they are spoken of as merchants, and as passing over the sea: or this may be understood of the isles replenished with goods by the merchants of Tyre and Zidon, but now no more, and therefore called to mourning.

q Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. r Ibid.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be still - This is the description of a city which is destroyed, where the din of commerce, and the sound of revelry is no longer heard. It is an address of the prophet to Tyre, indicating that it would be soon still, and destroyed.

Ye inhabitants of the isle - (of Tyre). The word ‘isle’ (אי 'iy) is sometimes used to denote a “coast or maritime region” (see the note at Isaiah 20:6), but there seems no reason to doubt that here it means the island on which New Tyre was erected. This may have been occupied even before Old Tyre was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, though the main city was on the crest.

Thou whom the merchants of Zidon - Tyre was a colony from Sidon; and the merchants of Sidon would trade to Tyre as well as to Sidon.

Have replenished - Hebrew, ‘have filled,’ that is, with merchandise, and with wealth. Thus, in Ezekiel 27:8, Tyre is represented as having derived its seamen from Sidon: ‘Theinhabitants of Sidon and of Arvad were thy mariners.’ And in Ezekiel 27:9-23, Tyre is represented as having been filled with shipbuilders, merchants, mariners, soldiers, etc., from Gebal, Persia, Lud, Phut, Tarshish, Jayvan, Tubal, Mesheck, Dedan, Syria, Damascus, Arabia, etc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 23:2. Be still - "Be silent"] Silence is a mark of grief and consternation. See Isaiah 47:5. Jeremiah has finely expressed this image: -

"The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the

ground, they are silent:

They have cast up dust on their heads, they

have girded themselves with sackcloth.

The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their

heads to the ground."

Lamentations 2:10.


 
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