Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The command to "pass over to Tarshish" isn't just advice for escape; it carries a sting of irony. Tyre, once a hub for bringing riches from faraway places like Tarshish, is now so devastated that its people must flee to those same distant lands for refuge.
Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a heavy message of judgment against the wealthy and powerful city of Tyre. Having described Tyre's far-reaching trade and influence, the prophecy now turns to the consequence of this impending destruction: the city's inhabitants are advised to flee to their distant colonies like Tarshish, and those on the coast are called to mourn the impending doom and the end of their flourishing commerce.
The powerful city of Tyre, known for its immense wealth and far-reaching trade, is given a stark command: flee. This isn't a strategic relocation, but a desperate act of survival.
The command to 'Pass ye over to Tarshish' is laced with heavy irony. Tarshish, a distant trading outpost for Tyre, was usually a destination for their goods and wealth. Now, it's a place of exile, a last resort for fleeing inhabitants.
For centuries, Tyre was a bustling hub, a 'crowning city' whose influence spanned the known world. Its end wasn't just the fall of a city, but the disruption of global commerce.
This verse signals the abrupt end of Tyre's dominance. The city, once a vibrant center of trade and culture, is reduced to a place of despair.
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Understand the original words
abar · Hebrew Verb
In the context of judgment or exile, to pass over or through a territory, often implying a journey into displacement or migration to a foreign land.
Tarshish · Hebrew Noun
A Phoenician port city often associated with the furthest reaches of the Western Mediterranean; it symbolizes distant, wealthy, and autonomous seafaring centers.
yalal · Hebrew Verb
A high-pitched cry of grief or mourning, often associated with divine judgment or impending catastrophe upon a city or nation.
This verse is a stark prophecy, delivered during a time when Tyre was a dominant maritime power. The command to 'pass over to Tarshish' and 'howl' reflects the desperate flight of its inhabitants during sieges, particularly the one by Alexander the Great, highlighting the fall of a once-mighty city.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Campaign
The Assyrian king Sennacherib campaigned in Phoenicia, leading to the flight of some inhabitants of Sidon, a nearby Phoenician city, to Cyprus.
586 BC
Siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar II
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon besieged Tyre for 13 years. While the island city itself was not taken, its mainland population was devastated and many fled.
332 BC— this verse
Siege of Tyre by Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great besieged and eventually conquered Tyre after a difficult seven-month siege, building a causeway to reach the island city. During the siege, many Tyrians fled with their families and possessions to colonies like Carthage.
c. 70 years
Seventy Years of Forgetting
Following its destruction, Tyre would be forgotten for a period of seventy years, signifying a time of desolation and loss of commercial influence.
This passage describes a similar scene of judgment and flight, where Moab is told to howl and flee because its cities are devastated, mirroring the fate of Tyre and the command to wail.
Ezekiel 27:35-36This prophecy against Tyre echoes the lament for its destruction, describing the terror and astonishment of those who witness its fall, much like the 'howl' of Tyre's inhabitants.
Revelation 18:17-19This New Testament passage describes the fall of a great commercial city, Babylon, and the lament of merchants and sailors, paralleling the economic devastation and mourning associated with Tyre's judgment.
Luke 10:13-14Jesus uses the example of Tyre and Sidon to illustrate a greater degree of judgment due to their rejection of His message, highlighting Tyre's historical significance and the seriousness of divine condemnation.
barnesIsaiah 23:6: "Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle."
Pass ye over - That is, ye inhabitants of tyre. This is an address to Tyre, in view of her approaching destruction; and is designed to signify that when the city was destroyed, its inhabitants would flee to its colonies, and seek refuge and safety there. As Tarshish was one of its principal colonies, and as the ships employed by Tyre would naturally sail to Tarshish, the inhabitants are represented as fleeing there on th…
ellicottIsaiah 23:6: "Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle."
(6) Pass ye over to Tarshish . . . —The words have the ring of a keen irony. The Tyrians are told to go to Tarshish, the extreme point of their commerce; not, as before, to bring back their wealth, but to seek safety there as exiles. No nearer asylum would give them safety. So, in the siege of Tyre by Alexander the Great, the Tyrians sent their old men, women, and children to Carthage (Diod. Sic. xvii. 41). So Layard ( N…
The command to "pass over to Tarshish" isn't just advice for escape; it carries a sting of irony. Tyre, once a hub for bringing riches from faraway places like Tarshish, is now so devastated that its people must flee to those same distant lands for refuge.
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a heavy message of judgment against the wealthy and powerful city of Tyre. Having described Tyre's far-reaching trade and influence, the prophecy now turns to the consequence of this impending destruction: the city's inhabitants are advised to flee to their distant colonies like Tarshish, and those on the coast are called to mourn the impending doom and the end of their flourishing commerce.
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a heavy message of judgment against the wealthy and powerful city of Tyre. Having described Tyre's far-reaching trade and influence, the prophecy now turns to the consequence of this impending destruction: the city's inhabitants are advised to flee to their distant colonies like Tarshish, and those on the coast are called to mourn the impending doom and the end of their flourishing commerce.
"Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast!" — The command to "pass over to Tarshish" isn't just advice for escape; it carries a sting of irony. Tyre, once a hub for bringing riches from faraway places like Tarshish, is now so devastated that i…
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Last reviewed October 2026