Isaiah 23:17

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 Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 16“Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you’ll be noticed!” At the end of seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 18Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.

Isaiah 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 29:10“For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you. Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore you to your homeland.
• Zephaniah 2:7Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of it. By the sea they will graze, in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening, for the Lord their God will intervene for them and restore their prosperity.
• Acts 15:14Simeon has explained how God first concerned himself to select from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
• Deuteronomy 23:18You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute or the wage of a male prostitute into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God.
• Ezekiel 16:31When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment.
• Ezekiel 22:13“‘See, I strike my hands together at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed they have done among you.
• Ezekiel 27:6They made your oars from oaks of Bashan; they made your deck with cypresses from the Kittean isles.
• Hosea 12:7The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales.
• Micah 1:7All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces; all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. I will make a waste heap of all her images. Since she gathered the metal as a prostitute collects her wages, the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.”
• Micah 3:11Her leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, her priests proclaim rulings for profit, and her prophets read omens for pay. Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, “The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!”
• 1 Timothy 3:3not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money.
• 1 Peter 5:2Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
• Nahum 3:4“Because you have acted like a wanton prostitute – a seductive mistress who practices sorcery, who enslaves nations by her harlotry, and entices peoples by her sorcery –
• Revelation 17:2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth’s inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
• Revelation 18:9Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up.
• Revelation 19:2because his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and has avenged the blood of his servants poured out by her own hands!”

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

• Church

In the dictionaries

• Tyre
• Tyre, Tyrians
• Seventy Years
• Commerce
• Crime; Crimes
• Evil
• Hire
• Isaiah
• Number
• Trade

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