Isaiah 23:4

Isaiah 23:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)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 King James Version (NKJV)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.”

Context of Isaiah 23:4

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. 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.” 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].

Isaiah 23:4 word by word

בּ֣וֹשִׁי צִיד֔וֹן כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר יָ֔ם מָע֥וֹז הַיָּ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר לֹֽא־חַ֣לְתִּי וְלֹֽא־יָלַ֗דְתִּי וְלֹ֥א גִדַּ֛לְתִּי בַּחוּרִ֖ים רוֹמַ֥מְתִּי בְתוּלֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Be thou ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
• O Zidonצִידוֹןtsîydôn tsîydôn · SidonH6721
• for the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• hath spokenאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the strengthמָעוֹזmâ‛ôz mâ‛ûz mâ‛ôz mâ‛ûz · securityH4581
• I travailחוּלchûl chîyl · to twist: writh in painH2342
• not, nor bring forth childrenיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• neither do I nourish upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
• young menבָּחוּרbâchûr bâchûr · youthH970
• bring upרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
• virginsבְּתוּלָהbethûlâh · virginH1330

Cross-references for Isaiah 23:4

• Jeremiah 47:3Because of the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of the war-horses [of the Babylonian king], The rattling of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers have not looked and turned back for their children, So weak are their hands [with terror]
• Ezekiel 26:3therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea makes its waves crest.
• Hosea 9:11As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird; No birth, no pregnancy, and [because of their impurity] no conception.
• Revelation 18:23And never again will the light of a lamp shine in you, and never again will the voice of the bridegroom and bride be heard in you; for your merchants were the great and prominent men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived and misled by your sorcery [your magic spells and poisonous charm].

Commentaries on Isaiah 23:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Be thou ashamed, O Zidon - Tyre is called Isaiah 23:12, the daughter of Sidon. "The Sidonians," says Justin, 18:3, "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…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Be 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Part of the great port city of Tyre was on an island. The island city was a sea fortress, but it fell in 332 BC. I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young women: This metaphor was a judgment on Tyre’s colonial ports around the Mediterranean Sea. In the ancient world, reaching old age without children was considered a terrible fate (see Isaiah 49:21; 54:1).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Zidon--called on, as being the parent country of Tyre (Is 23:12), and here equivalent to Phoenicia in general, to feel the shame (as it was esteemed in the East) of being now as childless as if she never had any. "I (no more now) travail, nor bring forth," &c. "Strength of the sea," that is, stronghold, namely, New Tyre, on a rock (as "Tyre" means) surrounded by the sea (Eze 26:4, 14-17; so Venice was called "Bride of the sea"; Zec 9:3).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 23:4

• Sidon
• Tarshish

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Zidon
• Commerce
• Evil
• Isaiah
• Locust
• Nourish
• Trade
• Zidon, or Sidon

Commentaries on Isaiah 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings