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Easy-to-Read Version

Isaiah 23:7

Can this be that happy city that was founded so long ago? Is it that same city whose people traveled so far to settle other lands?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Pride;   Tarshish;   Tyre;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Tyre;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Tyre;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Tyre;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Tarshish, Tharshish;   Zidon, Sidon ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Nile;   Tyre;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Division of the Earth;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Antiquity;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Is this your jubilant city,whose origin was in ancient times,whose feet have taken herto reside far away?
Hebrew Names Version
Is this your joyous [city], whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn?
King James Version
Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.
English Standard Version
Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away?
New American Standard Bible
Is this your jubilant city, Whose origin is from antiquity, Whose feet used to bring her to colonize distant places?
New Century Version
Look at your once happy city! Look at your old, old city! People from that city have traveled far away to live.
Amplified Bible
Is this your jubilant city, Whose origin dates back to antiquity, Whose feet used to carry her [far away] to colonize distant places?
World English Bible
Is this your joyous [city], whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Is not this that your glorious citie? her antiquitie is of ancient daies: her owne feete shall leade her afarre off to be a soiourner.
Legacy Standard Bible
Is this your exultant city,Whose origin is from days of old,Whose feet used to lead her to sojourn in distant places?
Berean Standard Bible
Is this your jubilant city, whose origin is from antiquity, whose feet have taken her to settle far away?
Contemporary English Version
Can this be the happy city that has stood for centuries? Its people have spread to distant lands;
Complete Jewish Bible
Is this your boisterous city, whose feet long ago in antiquity carried her off to found distant colonies?
Darby Translation
Is this your joyous [city], whose antiquity is of ancient days? Her feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.
George Lamsa Translation
Is this your mighty city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? Her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.
Good News Translation
Can this be the joyful city of Tyre, founded so long ago? Is this the city that sent settlers across the sea to establish colonies?
Lexham English Bible
Is this your exultant one, her origin from the days of long ago? Her feet brought her to dwell afar as an alien.
Literal Translation
Is this your exulting city from days of her old age? Her own feet carry it far away to stay.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Is not that the glorious cite, which hath bene of longe antiquite? whose natyues dwellinge farre of, commende her so greatly?
American Standard Version
Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn?
Bible in Basic English
Is this the town which was full of joy, whose start goes back to times long past, whose wanderings took her into far-off countries?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Is this your joyous city, whose feet in antiquity, in ancient days, carried her afar off to sojourn?
King James Version (1611)
Is this your ioyous citie, whose antiquitie is of ancient dayes? her owne feete shall cary her afarre off to soiourne.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Is not this that glorious citie of yours which hath ben of olde antiquitie? her owne feete shall cary her foorth to be a soiurner into a farre countrey.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Was not this your pride from the beginning, before she was given up?
English Revised Version
Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether this citee is not youre, that hadde glorie fro elde daies in his eldnesse? the feet therof schulen lede it fer, to go in pilgrymage.
Update Bible Version
Is this your joyous [city], whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her far off to sojourn?
Webster's Bible Translation
[Is] this your joyous [city], whose antiquity [is] of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her far off to sojourn.
New English Translation
Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
New King James Version
Is this your joyous city, Whose antiquity is from ancient days, Whose feet carried her far off to dwell?
New Living Translation
Is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city? What a long history was yours! Think of all the colonists you sent to distant places.
New Life Bible
Is this your joy-filled city, whose beginning was long ago, whose feet have taken her to live in places far away?
New Revised Standard
Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
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.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Is not this your city, which gloried from of old in her antiquity? her feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.
Revised Standard Version
Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle afar?
Young's Literal Translation
Is this your exulting one? From the days of old [is] her antiquity, Carry her do her own feet afar off to sojourn.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Is this your jubilant city, Whose origin is from antiquity, Whose feet used to carry her to colonize distant places?

Contextual Overview

1 This is a message about Tyre: Ships traveling from Cyprus heard this message: "Cry, you ships from Tarshish! Your harbor has been destroyed." 2 You people living near the sea, mourn in silence. The merchants of Sidon sent traders across the sea and filled the city with riches. 3 They traveled the seas looking for grain. The men from Tyre bought grain that grows near the Nile River and sold it to other nations. 4 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." 5 When Egypt hears the news about Tyre, it will feel the pain of sorrow. 6 You ships, try to escape to Tarshish! Cry out, you people living near the sea! 7 Can this be that happy city that was founded so long ago? Is it that same city whose people traveled so far to settle other lands? 8 This city produced so many leaders. Its merchants were like princes. Its traders had the whole world's respect. So who made these plans against Tyre? 9 It was the Lord All-Powerful. He decided to destroy the great things they were so proud of. He wanted to disgrace those who were so highly respected. 10 Ships from Tarshish, go back home. Cross the sea as if it were a river. No one will stop you now.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

your: Isaiah 22:2

whose: Joshua 19:29

her own: Isaiah 47:1, Isaiah 47:2, Ecclesiastes 10:7

afar off: Heb. from afar off

Reciprocal: Ruth 1:19 - Is this Naomi Isaiah 23:12 - Thou shalt Ezekiel 26:13 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 18:2
He looked up and saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw the men, he ran to them and bowed before them.
Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting near the city gates and saw them. He got up and went to them. He bowed to show respect and said, "Sirs, please come to my house, and I will serve you. There you can wash your feet and stay the night. Then tomorrow you can continue your journey." The angels answered, "No, we will stay the night in the city square."
Genesis 23:17
So the field of Ephron changed owners. This field was in Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham became the owner of the field, the cave in it, and all the trees in the field. Everyone in the city saw the agreement between Ephron and Abraham.
Proverbs 18:24
Some friends are fun to be with, but a true friend can be better than a brother.
Hebrews 12:14
Try to live in peace with everyone. And try to keep your lives free from sin. Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord.
1 Peter 3:8
So all of you should live together in peace. Try to understand each other. Love each other like brothers and sisters. Be kind and humble.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[Is] this your joyous [city]?.... Which the other day looked so gay, brisk, and cheerful, through the number of its inhabitants, largeness of trade, fullness of provisions, and pleasures of every kind; and now distressed and desolate, and no voice of joy and gladness heard in it:

whose antiquity [is] of ancient days; the most ancient city in Phoenicia, excepting Zidon, as Strabo w says; and it was in being in the days of Joshua, Joshua 19:29 if the words there are rightly rendered; and if so, Josephus must be mistaken, unless he speaks of insular Tyre, when he says x, that from the building of Tyre to the building of the temple (of Solomon) were two hundred and forty years, which must fall very short of the times of Joshua; such y seem to be nearer the truth, who make Agenor, the father of Cadmus, to be the builder of this city, who lived about the times of Joshua. The Tyrians indeed boasted of a still greater antiquity, and to which boasts perhaps reference is here had; for one of the priests of Tyre told Herodotus z that their city had been inhabited two thousand three hundred years; and Herodotus lived in the times of Artaxerxes and Xerxes, about the year of the world 3500. According to Sanchoniatho a, it was inhabited by Hypsuranius, who first built cottages of rushes, c. in it but these things are beyond all credit; however, certain it is that it was a very ancient city; it had the name of Palaetyrus, or old Tyre:

her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn; the sense is, that though the Tyrians had lived very delicately, and in great affluence, while their city was flourishing, yet now they should be very coarsely and roughly used; they should not ride on horses, or be drawn in carriages, but should be obliged to walk on foot, and be led or driven into a foreign country, Assyria or Chaldea, or to some province or provinces belonging to that empire; where they should be, not as inhabitants, but as sojourners and strangers; and should be used, not as freemen, but as captives and slaves. Grotius, by "her feet", understands the feet of her ships, sails and oars, and mariners themselves, by means of which she got into distant places, for safety; and so it is reported in history b, that the Tyrians being long besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, and having no hopes of being delivered, prepared a convenient number of ships, abandoned their city, transported themselves, wives, children, and riches, and sailed from thence to Cyprus, Carthage, and other maritime cities of their tributaries, or confederates; so that the Babylonians, when they took the city, found little or nothing in it; see Ezekiel 29:18 though the words will bear another sense, being, according to the accents, to be read in connection with the preceding clauses, thus, "[Is] this the joyous city? from the first days of her antiquity her feet brought unto her [inhabitants] from afar to sojourn"; that is, by her labour and pains, by her journeys and voyages for the sake of merchandise, which may be meant by her feet, she brought a great number of persons to sojourn in her c.

w Geograph. l. 16. p. 520. x Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 1. y Curtius, l. 4. c. 4. z Herodot. l. 2. c. 44. a Apud Euseb. Prepar. Evangel. l. 1. p. 35. b See Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World: l. 2. c. 7. sect. 3. p. 198. c Reinbeck. de Accent. Heb. p. 399.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is this your joyous city - Is this the city that was just now so full of happiness, of revelry, of business, of gaiety, of rejoicing? (see the note at Isaiah 22:2)

Whose antiquity is of ancient days - Strabo (xvi. 756) says, ‘After Sidon, Tyre, a splendid and most ancient city, is to be compared in greatness, beauty, and antiquity, with Sidon.’ Curtius (Hist. Alex. iv. 4) says, ‘The city was taken, distinguished both by its antiquity, and its great variety of fortune.’ Arrian (ii. 16) says, that ‘the Temple of Hercules at Tyre was the most ancient of those which the memory of people have preserved.’ And Herodotus (ii. 44) says, that in a conversation which he had with the priest of that temple, he informed him that it had then existed for 2300 years. Josephus, indeed, says (Ant. viii. 3. 1) that Tyre was built but 240 years before the temple was built by Solomon - but this was probably a mistake. Justin (xviii. 3) says that Tyre was founded in the year of the destruction of Troy. Its very high antiquity cannot be doubted.

Her own feet shall carry her afar off - Grotius supposes that by feet here, the ‘feet of ships’ are intended, that is, their sails and oars. But the expression is designed evidently to stand in contrast with Isaiah 23:6, and to denote that a part of the inhabitants would go by land into captivity. Probably many of them were taken prisoners by Nebuchadnezzar; and perhaps many of them, when the city was besieged, found opportunity to escape and flee by land to a distant place of safety.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 23:7. Whose antiquity is of ancient days - "Whose antiquity is of the earliest date"] Justin, in the passage above quoted, had dated the building of Tyre at a certain number of years before the taking of Troy; but the number is lost in the present copies. Tyre, though not so old as Sidon, was yet of very high antiquity: it was a strong city even in the time of Joshua. It is called עיר מבצר צר ir mibtsar tsor, "the city of the fortress of Sor," Joshua 19:29. Interpreters raise difficulties in regard to this passage, and will not allow it to have been so ancient; with what good reason I do not see, for it is called by the same name, "the fortress of Sor," in the history of David, 2 Samuel 24:7, and the circumstances of the history determine the place to be the very same. See on Isaiah 23:1.

Whose antiquity is of ancient days, may refer to Palaetyrus, or Old Tyre.

Her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. — This may belong to the new or insular Tyre; her own feet, that is, her own inhabitants, shall carry her - shall transport the city, from the continent to the island. "But the text says it shall be carried far off, and the new city was founded only half a mile distant from the other." I answer, מרחוק merachok does not always signify a great distance, but distance or interval in general; for in Joshua 3:4 רחוק rachok is used to express the space between the camp and the ark, which we know to have been only two thousand cubits. Some refer the sojourning afar off to the extent of the commercial voyages undertaken by the Tyrians and their foreign connexions.


 
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