Isaiah 23:16
“Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The prophecy paints a picture of Tyre, after its judgment and subsequent revival, attempting to win back customers and influence. It's not just about economic recovery; it's about the city employing its old, seductive tactics—like a forgotten prostitute using music and charm—to draw nations back to its commercial embrace. This highlights how, even after hardship, old habits and the allure of worldly gain can resurface, disguised as prosperity.
After a long period of desolation and being "forgotten" for seventy years, the prophet describes Tyre attempting to revive its former glory. Like a forgotten prostitute trying to attract old lovers, Tyre is commanded to play music and sing, using its commercial wiles and attractions to draw nations back to its trade. This sets the stage for the Lord's eventual interaction with Tyre, which will have profound implications for its future.
After a long period of desolation, the prophet pictures Tyre like a forgotten prostitute trying to regain attention. How does this imagery reveal her strategy for revival?
The verse paints a vivid, almost ironic, picture of Tyre's attempted comeback. After 70 years of being 'forgotten' – a period of ruin and silence – she is commanded to 'take an harp,' 'make sweet melody,' and 'sing many songs.' This isn't about genuine repentance or rebuilding from a place of humility. Instead, it's a call to use her old 'arts' – her seductive charm and skillful enticements – to draw people back. The 'sweet melody' and 'many songs' represent the deceptive practices, the flattering offers, and the superficial allurements that characterized her former success. It’s a strategy of outward performance designed to mask her desolation and remind the world of her commercial power, rather than address the reasons for her fall.
Is this song a sign of genuine hope, or is there a deeper, more critical message behind Tyre’s forced melody?
The prophet's words carry a heavy dose of irony. Tyre is commanded to act like a prostitute trying to attract customers – a metaphor for her seductive commercial practices that enticed nations. The goal is simply 'to be remembered,' not necessarily to be restored in a righteous way. This isn't a divine promise of easy revival, but a depiction of how a fallen city might try to claw its way back using the same manipulative tactics that contributed to its initial judgment. It highlights the superficiality of a recovery based on worldly charm rather than on a transformed character. The melody might sound sweet, but its purpose is self-serving, aiming to recapture past glory through artifice.
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Understand the original words
kinnor · Hebrew Noun
A stringed musical instrument frequently used in the Bible for worship, praise, and in this context, to attract attention or accompany singing. It symbolizes joy, celebration, and spiritual expression.
zonah · Hebrew Noun/Participle
A person who engages in illicit sexual activity for payment; metaphorically used in the prophetic books to describe nations or individuals who are unfaithful to God, pursuing worldly gain, or engaging in idolatry.
The prophecy depicts Tyre, after a period of diminished influence following Nebuchadnezzar's siege, attempting to regain its former glory and attract trade by adopting its old, alluring ways, much like a forgotten prostitute trying to rekindle old flames.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Dominance
The Assyrian Empire exerts significant influence over Phoenician cities like Tyre, demanding tribute and controlling trade routes.
605 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's Rise to Power
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon begins his reign, soon to embark on conquests that will reshape the region.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Captivity
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and exiles many Judeans to Babylon, significantly altering the political and religious landscape.
c. 585-573 BC— this verse
Nebuchadnezzar's Siege of Tyre
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Tyre, a prolonged and difficult military campaign that eventually leads to the city's submission, though not its utter destruction.
c. 573 BC
Tyre's Subjugation and Tribute
After the long siege, Tyre submits to Babylonian rule, paying tribute and entering a period of reduced influence but not complete ruin.
c. 573 BC - 505 BC
The Seventy Years of "Forgetting"
Isaiah's prophecy of Tyre being 'forgotten' for seventy years aligns with the period following Nebuchadnezzar's siege, during which its preeminence is diminished.
332 BC
Alexander the Great's Conquest of Tyre
Alexander the Great undertakes a famously difficult siege, eventually conquering and largely destroying the island city of Tyre, a devastating event far exceeding Nebuchadnezzar's earlier campaign.
This passage uses a similar metaphor of a grieving mother to describe the desolation of Tyre, highlighting the city's loss of status and identity.
Jeremiah 3:8-9This verse describes Israel's unfaithfulness and harlotry with idols, paralleling Tyre's pursuit of worldly gain and alliances over faithfulness to God.
Hosea 2:3-5This passage illustrates the consequences of spiritual adultery, where unfaithfulness leads to shame and loss of status, much like Tyre's eventual downfall after its pursuit of wealth.
Luke 15:13-16The parable of the prodigal son shows a similar theme of squandering resources and ending up in a state of destitution, needing to be 'remembered' and restored.
barnesIsaiah 23:16: "Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered."
Take an harp - This is a continuation of the figure commenced in the previous verse, a direct command to Tyre as an harlot, to go about the city with the usual expressions of rejoicing. Thus Donatus, in Terent. Eunuch., iii. 2, 4, says: 'Fidicinam esse meretricum est;' And thus Horace: 'Nec meretrix tibicina, cujus Ad strepitum salias.' 1 Epi…
pooleIsaiah 23:16: "Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered."
Take an harp, go about the city; as harlots use to do, to allure customers. Thou harlot; so he calleth Tyre, partly because she enticed merchants to deal with her by various artifices, and even by dishonest practices, as harlots use; and partly because of the great and general uncleanness which was both committed and tolerated in it. That tho…
The prophecy paints a picture of Tyre, after its judgment and subsequent revival, attempting to win back customers and influence. It's not just about economic recovery; it's about the city employing its old, seductive tactics—like a forgotten prostitute using music and charm—to draw nations back to its commercial embrace. This highlights how, even after hardship, old habits and the allure of worldly gain can resurface, disguised as prosperity.
After a long period of desolation and being "forgotten" for seventy years, the prophet describes Tyre attempting to revive its former glory. Like a forgotten prostitute trying to attract old lovers, Tyre is commanded to play music and sing, using its commercial wiles and attractions to draw nations back to its trade. This sets the stage for the Lord's eventual interaction with Tyre, which will have profound implications for its future.
After a long period of desolation and being "forgotten" for seventy years, the prophet describes Tyre attempting to revive its former glory. Like a forgotten prostitute trying to attract old lovers, Tyre is commanded to play music and sing, using its commercial wiles and attractions to draw nations back to its trade. This sets the stage for the Lord's eventual interaction with Tyre, which will have profound implications for its future.
"“Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered.”" — The prophecy paints a picture of Tyre, after its judgment and subsequent revival, attempting to win back customers and influence. It's not just about economic recovery; it's about the city employing…
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