Isaiah 23:7Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her far away to travel?
The setting
Tyre, Lebanon, ~700 BC. Isaiah sees the mighty Phoenician trading empire in ruins. Modern-day Sur, Lebanon still bears ancient foundations.
The emotion here: heartbroken but obedient to deliver hard words
The original word
massos (מַשֹּׂא) — burden, oracle of judgment carried by the prophet
Why it matters
Tyre was built on an island and connected to mainland by Alexander's causeway in 332 BC
Read with care
What most readers miss in Isaiah 23:7
Tyre's 'feet carried her far' refers to their ships — feet of commerce, not literal travel
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about ancient Tyre, but Isaiah is showing how all human pride and commerce will eventually face God's judgment. Every empire falls.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Isaiah 23:7
Bible Genome reading
Isaiah 23:7 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Isaiah 23:7 comes from the book of Isaiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Isaiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include judgment, pride fallen. Notable phrases: joyous city; ancient days. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Isaiah 23:7 mean to you, today?
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