Yesaya 23:8-9

23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, ¹ 

whose merchants are princes,

whose traders are the dignitaries ²  of the earth?

23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –

to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, ³ 

to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.

Yesaya 23:17-18

23:17 At the end of seventy years ⁴  the Lord will revive ⁵  Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. ⁶  23:18 Her 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. ⁷ 

[23:8]  ¹ tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.

[23:8]  ² tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”

[23:9]  ³ tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”

[23:17]  ⁴ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[23:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”

[23:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”

[23:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”

[23:18]  sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.