Isaiah 23:15
In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse likens Tyre's eventual recovery to a forgotten prostitute singing to regain attention, a vivid image of commerce returning through alluring but ultimately hollow means. This hints that even after periods of judgment and obscurity, the drive for wealth and worldly success might re-emerge, fueled by the same deceptive practices that led to her downfall.
This passage marks a shift in Isaiah's prophecy concerning Tyre. After detailing the city's impending judgment and downfall due to its pride and commercial exploitation, the prophet now turns to foretell its eventual restoration. This promise of recovery is framed by a specific duration of seventy years, a period linked to the Babylonian exile and the reign of a single dynasty.
Why seventy years? This isn't just a random number of years for Tyre's downfall. It points to a specific, significant period in history and God's consistent way of dealing with nations.
The prophecy speaks of Tyre being 'forgotten for seventy years, according to the days of one king.' This number, seventy years, is deeply symbolic in the Bible.
A Fixed Time
The 'Days of One King'
This phrase is often understood in a few ways:
Either way, it emphasizes a defined period of obscurity and loss for Tyre, tied to the historical realities of the ancient Near East, particularly the rise and fall of empires like Babylon.
After seventy years of being 'forgotten,' Tyre doesn't just reappear—it 'sings as the harlot.' What does this strange image of revival tell us about Tyre and God's intricate dealings?
The prophecy doesn't end with Tyre’s obscurity. At the close of the seventy years, a striking metaphor emerges: 'it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute.'
Understand the original words
zonah · Hebrew Noun
A term often used in the Old Testament to describe one who is unfaithful, particularly in a spiritual sense. It implies selling oneself to idols, foreign alliances, or worldly gains rather than remaining faithful to the Lord.
The prophecy of Tyre being 'forgotten for seventy years' directly aligns with the duration of the Babylonian Empire and the Jewish exile, a period of seventy years frequently referenced in Scripture as a time of oppression and eventual restoration.
c. 605 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's First Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins his conquest of the region, leading to the first exile of Judeans. This marks the start of the Babylonian dominion over many nations, which would last seventy years.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon
Jerusalem is destroyed and its people exiled, intensifying the period of Babylonian control. Tyre was subjugated by Nebuchadnezzar around this time.
c. 573 BC— this verse
Tyre's Subjugation
After a long siege, the island city of Tyre is conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, fulfilling part of the prophecy against it.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, ending the Babylonian empire. This event marks the end of the seventy-year period of Babylonian dominance prophesied by Jeremiah.
This passage directly references the seventy-year period of Babylonian exile and dominion, which aligns with the timeframe mentioned for Tyre's 'forgetting'.
Ezekiel 26:3-5Ezekiel describes Tyre's desolation and judgment in vivid terms, echoing Isaiah's prophecy and offering a complementary perspective on the city's downfall.
Revelation 17:1-2The imagery of a 'harlot' city is used in Revelation to describe a great city's corrupting influence and its eventual judgment, paralleling Isaiah's metaphor for Tyre's deceptive prosperity.
Daniel 4:29-33This passage details the pride and eventual humbling of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire, providing context for the seventy-year period that influenced Tyre's fate.
barnesIsaiah 23:15: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot."
Tyre shall be forgotten - Shall cease to be a place of importance in commerce; shall be unheard of in those distant places to which ships formerly sailed. Seventy years, according to the days of one king - 'That is, of one kingdom (see Daniel 7:17; Daniel 8:20).' (Lowth) The word 'king' may denote dynas…
bensonIsaiah 23:15: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot."
Isaiah 23:15-17 . And it shall come to pass, &c. — Here begins the second part of this discourse, which contains an alleviation of the judgment decreed against Tyre. The prophet foretels, 1st, “That God would circumscribe within certain bounds his severity to Tyre, and within seventy years restore it to…
The verse likens Tyre's eventual recovery to a forgotten prostitute singing to regain attention, a vivid image of commerce returning through alluring but ultimately hollow means. This hints that even after periods of judgment and obscurity, the drive for wealth and worldly success might re-emerge, fueled by the same deceptive practices that led to her downfall.
This passage marks a shift in Isaiah's prophecy concerning Tyre. After detailing the city's impending judgment and downfall due to its pride and commercial exploitation, the prophet now turns to foretell its eventual restoration. This promise of recovery is framed by a specific duration of seventy years, a period linked to the Babylonian exile and the reign of a single dynasty.
This passage marks a shift in Isaiah's prophecy concerning Tyre. After detailing the city's impending judgment and downfall due to its pride and commercial exploitation, the prophet now turns to foretell its eventual restoration. This promise of recovery is framed by a specific duration of seventy years, a period linked to the Babylonian exile and the reign of a single dynasty.
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A City's Character
Divine Restoration, Not Just Chance
After 539 BC
Tyre's Restoration and Resurgence
Following the fall of Babylon, Tyre gradually recovers its trade and prosperity, fulfilling the prophecy of its return to prominence after seventy years.
"In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:" — The verse likens Tyre's eventual recovery to a forgotten prostitute singing to regain attention, a vivid image of commerce returning through alluring but ultimately hollow means. This hints that even…
