EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Isaiah 23:17
17At the end of 70 years, the Lord will be kind to Tyre. People from all the nations of the world will come to Tyre to buy things. Tyre will receive their money, like the prostitute in the song.
Isaiah 23:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
- New International Version (NIV)At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.
- English Standard Version (ESV)At the end of seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.
Context of Isaiah 23:17
15At that time people will forget Tyre for 70 years. That is how long one king lives. At the end of 70 years, there will be a change in Tyre. It will happen to them like the song about the prostitute: 16‘Prostitute that people have forgotten, walk about the city with your harp. Play it well. Sing many songs. Then people will remember you again.’ At the end of 70 years, the Lord will be kind to Tyre. People from all the nations of the world will come to Tyre to buy things. Tyre will receive their money, like the prostitute in the song. 18But the money that Tyre receives will belong to the Lord. Tyre's traders will not hide their riches or store them. Their money will buy plenty of food and beautiful clothes for people who worship the Lord.
Read all of Isaiah 23Isaiah 23:17 word by word
וְהָיָ֞ה מִקֵּ֣ץ׀ שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה יִפְקֹ֤ד יְהוָה֙ אֶת־צֹ֔ר וְשָׁבָ֖ה לְאֶתְנַנָּ֑ה וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה אֶת־כָּל־מַמְלְכ֥וֹת הָאָ֖רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it shall come to pass after the endקֵץqêts · endH7093
- of seventyשִׁבְעִיםshib‛îym · seventyH7657
- yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
- that the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- will visitפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: visitH6485
- Tyreצֹרtsôr tsôr · TyreH6865
- and she shall turnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- to her hireאֶתְנַן'ethnan · wagesH868
- and shall commit fornicationזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- with all the kingdomsמַמְלָכָהmamlâkâh · kingdomH4467
- of the worldאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- of the earthאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: planetH127
Cross-references for Isaiah 23:17
- Jeremiah 29:10The Lord says, ‘You will live in Babylon for 70 years. Then I will choose to help you. I will be kind to you, as I promised. I will bring you back here to your home.
- Zephaniah 2:7Those people in Judah who love God will live there, by the sea. They will have food there. They will lie down to sleep in Ashkelon city's houses. The Lord, their God, will be with them. He will stop their troubles.
- Acts 15:14Simon Peter has just described to us what happened first with the Gentile believers. He explained how God chose some of them to belong to him as his own people.
- Deuteronomy 23:18You must not bring the money that people pay to these prostitutes into the Lord's temple. Do not use it to offer a gift that you have promised to the Lord your God. He hates prostitutes, both men and women.
- Ezekiel 16:31You built places to worship your idols on every street. You offered yourself to people, like a prostitute. But you did not want them to pay you anything, as a prostitute would do.
- Ezekiel 22:13Listen to me! I will show you that I am angry with you. You have cheated people and taken their money. You have murdered people who live among you.
- Ezekiel 27:6They used oak trees from Bashan to make your oars. They used pine wood from the coasts of Cyprus to make your deck. They made it beautiful with ivory.
- Hosea 12:7Your traders love to cheat people. They use false weights and measures.
- Micah 1:7I will break all the false gods into pieces and I will destroy them. I will burn all the gifts that the people brought for those false gods. The people have paid so that they could have sex with bad women in those places. Your enemies will come and they will take away this money. They will give it to their gods in the same way.’
- Micah 3:11You are the city's rulers, but you accept bribes. Then you do not judge people in a fair way. You priests teach people only if they pay you. You prophets speak about what will happen in future times. But you only speak if you receive money. But you still say that you trust the Lord. You say, ‘The Lord is with us, so nothing bad will happen to us.’
- 1 Timothy 3:3He should not drink too much wine. He must not get angry quickly or quarrel with people. Instead he should be kind to people. He must not want lots of money.
- 1 Peter 5:2Watch over the group of believers that God has given to you. Be like a shepherd that takes care of his sheep. Lead them well because you want to do it. Do not do it just because you have to do it. Do it in the way that God wants for you. Do not be a leader because you want to receive money for yourself. Instead, do it because you want to help people.
- Nahum 3:4This is because Nineveh has sold herself to the enemies of God. She is like a beautiful prostitute. She uses her body and her bad magic to make all the people in other countries her slaves.
- Revelation 17:2It is like the kings who rule on the earth have had sex with that bad woman. She has led the people who live on the earth to do bad things. They have become drunk from the strong wine that she has given to them.’
- Revelation 18:9When all that happens, the kings on the earth will be very sad. They enjoyed the bad things that people did in that city. They had many expensive things so that they were happy. Now they will see the smoke from the fire that burns the city. As a result, they will cry and they will weep.
- Revelation 19:2Everything that he decides is right and fair. He has punished that great prostitute. She led people on the earth to do wicked things. She murdered God's servants with her own hands. But now God has punished her as she deserves.’
Commentaries on Isaiah 23:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17After the end of seventy years - Tyre, after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, recovered, as it is here foretold, its ancient trade, wealth, and grandeur; as it did likewise after a second destruction by Alexander. It became Christian early with the rest of the neighboring countries. St. Paul himself found many Christians there, Acts 21:4. It suffered much in the Diocletian persecution. It was an archbishopric under the patriarchate of Jerusalem, with…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17The Lord will visit Tyre - He will restore her to her former wealth and magnificence. And she shall turn to her hire - The word hire‘ here denotes the wages or reward that is given to an harlot; and the idea which was commenced in the previous verses is here continued - of Tyre as an harlot - frivolous, splendid, licentious, and holding intercourse with strangers and foreigners. The gains of that commerce with other nations are here represented as her…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 The desolations of Tyre were not to be for ever. The Lord will visit Tyre in mercy. But when set at liberty, she will use her old arts of temptation. The love of worldly wealth is spiritual idolatry; and covetousness is spiritual idolatry. This directs those that have wealth, to use it in the service of God. When we abide with God in our worldly callings, when we do all in our power to further the gospel, then our merchandise and hire are…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Metaphorically, Tyre was like a prostitute because it was willing to sell anything to anyone without concern (see Revelation 17:2; 18:3, 12–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. visit--not in wrath, but mercy. hire--image from a harlot: her gains by commerce. After the Babylonian dynasty was ended, Tyre was rebuilt; also, again, after the destruction under Alexander.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 23:17
In the dictionaries
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
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