Isaiah 23 · Verse 2

Isaiah 23:2

Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
Isaiah 23:2, King James Version

Isaiah 23:2 in other translations

BSBBe silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the sea.
WEBBe still, you inhabitants of the coast, you whom the merchants of Sidon that pass over the sea have replenished.
ASVBe still, ye inhabitants of the coast, thou whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
YLTBe silent, ye inhabitants of the isle, Trader of Zidon, passing the sea, they filled thee.
DARBYBe still, ye inhabitants of the isle! The merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished thee.
BBESend 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;
WebsterBe still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

What does Isaiah 23:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. Be still--"struck dumb with awe." Addressed to those already in the country, eye-witnesses of its ruin (La 2:10); or, in contrast to the busy din of commerce once heard in Tyre; now all is hushed and still. isle--strictly applicable to New Tyre: in the sense coast, to the mainland city, Old Tyre (compare Is 23:6; Is 20:6). Zidon--of which Tyre was a colony, planted when Zidon was conquered by the Philistines of Ascalon. Zidon means a "fishing station"; this was its beginning. replenished--with wealth and an industrious population (Eze 27:3, 8, 23). Here "Zidon," as the oldest city of Phoenicia, includes all the Phoenician towns on the strip of "coast." Thus, Eth-baal, king of Tyre [Josephus, Antiquities, 8.3,2], is called king of the Sidonians (1Ki 16:31); and on coins Tyre is called the metropolis of the Sidonians.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Be still "Be silent" - Silence is a mark of grief and consternation. See Isa 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." Lam 2:10.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 23:1-14

The overthrow of Tyre. (Is. 23:1-14) It is established again. (Is. 23:15-18) Verses 1-14 Tyre was the mart of the nations. She was noted for mirth and diversions; and this made her loth to consider the warnings God gave by his servants. Her merchants were princes, and lived like princes. Tyre being destroyed and laid waste, the merchants should abandon her. Flee to shift for thine own safety; but those that are…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 23:1-14 →

Isaiah 23:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

דֹּ֖מּוּDo.mube silentH1826
יֹ֣שְׁבֵיYo.she.veiO inhabitants ofH3427
אִ֑י'I[the] coastlandH339
סֹחֵ֥רso.Cher[the] trader ofH5503
צִיד֛וֹןtzi.DonSidonH6721
עֹבֵ֥ר'o.Ver[who] passed overH5674
יָ֖םyam[the] seaH3220
מִלְאֽוּךְ\׃mil.'Ukhthey have filled youH4390

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 23:2

  • Isaiah 47:5

    Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

  • Ezekiel 27:8-36

    The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. …

  • Ezekiel 28:2

    Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

  • Psalms 46:10

    Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

  • Isaiah 41:1

    Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

  • Ezekiel 27:3-4

    And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.

  • Habakkuk 2:20

    But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
still. Heb. silent.
41:1; 47:5; Ps 46:10; Hab 2:20
the isle.
Eze 27:3,4; 28:2
the merchants.
Eze 27:8-36

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 23:1

    The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

  • Isaiah 23:2

    Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

  • Isaiah 23:3

    And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

Read all of Isaiah 23

Isaiah 23:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Callad, moradores de la isla, mercader de Sidón, que pasando la mar te henchían.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tenez-vous en silence, habitants de l’île! Les marchands de Sidon qui passent par la mer t’ont remplie!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Verstummet, ihr Bewohner der Insel! Zidonische Kaufleute, die das Meer befahren, füllten dich;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Tacete, qui habitatis in insula; negotiatores Sidonis, transfretantes mare, repleverunt te.