Introduction: The Burden of Tyre
Chapter 23 of Yeshayahu is a prophecy concerning the fall of Tyre at the hands of Nevuchadnetzar. Tyre was the central port city of the Phoenicians, that nation that dwelt along the coast from Tyre in Lebanon down to the coast of Akko, famed for its many ships, its warriors, and above all, its merchants. All the merchandise of that era passed through its port. Beside it lay Zidon, likewise a celebrated commercial city, and far off in Spain lay Tarshish (Tartessos), whose ships were linked to Tyre in trade. The chapter describes the ripple effect: Tyre falls, Zidon flourishes for a brief moment and falls in its wake, Egypt is terrified, and the ships of Tarshish wail. And at the end of it all - one moral lesson: whoever makes money and prestige their primary focus, ultimately the Holy One, Blessed be He, debases their pride.
Verse 1: The Tidings Arrive from the Land of Kittim
מַשָּׂא צֹר, הֵילִילוּ אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ כִּי שֻׁדַּד מִבַּיִת מִבּוֹא, מֵאֶרֶץ כִּתִּים נִגְלָה לָמוֹ. - The burden of Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for it is laid waste so that there is no house, no entering in; from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.
"Wail" (Heililu) - an expression of lamentation. In those days news did not travel in two minutes as it does today; a messenger was needed to arrive and announce it. Who announced the fall of Tyre? The refugees who fled from there to the land of Kittim, and there they related the report for the first time. The ships of Tarshish, whose custom was to pass through the land of Kittim on their way to trade in Tyre, heard the tidings there - hence, "from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them."
And what is the meaning of "it is laid waste so that there is no house, no entering in"? That there will not be found in Tyre even a house or an inn to lodge in. The Malbim explains: after Nevuchadnetzar conquered Tyre, all the houses were destroyed, and the sea surged over it and flooded everything, to the extent that even the shoreline where the ships used to anchor disappeared. There is nowhere to enter, and nowhere to lodge.
Verse 2: Zidon - Why Are You Weeping?
דֹּמּוּ יֹשְׁבֵי אִי, סֹחֵר צִידוֹן עֹבֵר יָם מִלְאוּךְ. - Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland; the merchants of Zidon, who pass over the sea, have replenished you.
Zidon was situated close to Tyre, and as long as Tyre sat secure in its place, Zidon was considered a small, insignificant city beside it. Once Tyre fell, all trade shifted to Zidon and it grew exceedingly wealthy - as is the way of the world, when a central competitor falls, its rival doubles and triples its clientele. And yet Zidon mourns the destruction of Tyre. Why? The Malbim explains: because their investments were in Tyre itself, and when Tyre is destroyed, Zidon is damaged as well. Such is the way of the world: one country falls, and the collapse is not merely local - everyone invested there and everyone who holds assets there falls along with it.
Concerning this, the prophet tells them: "Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland" - cease your weeping. And in particular you, merchant of Zidon, why should you weep? For from now on, "those who pass over the sea have replenished you" - the seafaring merchants who once turned to Tyre will fill you with merchandise, and you have become the substitute destination for Tyre. On the contrary, you have reason to rejoice.
Verse 3: All the Trade of Egypt Will Pass to You
וּבְמַיִם רַבִּים זֶרַע שִׁחֹר, קְצִיר יְאוֹר תְּבוּאָתָהּ, וַתְּהִי סְחַר גּוֹיִם. - And on great waters, the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the marketplace of nations.
"The seed of Shihor" refers to the produce of the Nile in Egypt. Egypt was a fertile land, irrigated by the rising Nile, and from there they would send grain over great waters as merchandise to distant isles. The prophet says to Tzidon: Everything that used to arrive from Egypt to Tzor will now arrive at the ports of Tzidon.
The Malbim details three categories: "seed" - what is sown and grown there; "the harvest of the Nile" - grain sold with the straw and stalk just as it was harvested; "her revenue" - grain that has been winnowed and heaped in piles, with the chaff and straw already removed, ready for consumption. All of this, which was the "marketplace of nations" in Tzor, will now pass to Tzidon. If so, Tzidon, you have reason to rejoice.
Verse 4: Premature Rejoicing
בּוֹשִׁי צִידוֹן, כִּי אָמַר יָם מָעוֹז הַיָּם לֵאמֹר: לֹא חַלְתִּי וְלֹא יָלַדְתִּי וְלֹא גִדַּלְתִּי בַּחוּרִים רוֹמַמְתִּי בְתוּלוֹת. - Be ashamed, O Tzidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: I have not travailed, nor given birth, nor have I reared young men, nor raised maidens.
Here the prophet walks back what he said: You began to rejoice too soon, Tzidon. Over what would you rejoice - over the fact that all commerce shifted to you? This joy is short-lived, for the very same enemy who brought destruction upon Tzor will come and do likewise to you.
And this is the parable: The sea, and specifically the "stronghold of the sea" - that fortified place in the sea, a fortified island inhabited by people - says to itself: If only I had never suffered birth pangs; and if I did suffer birth pangs, if only I had not given birth; and if I gave birth, if only I had not reared young men nor raised maidens. "Reared" refers to raising them, and "raised" elevates them to a higher stature. For when a person rejoices in the greatness of his children and then witnesses their downfall, the grief is immeasurably greater. This is what was said in the curse upon Eli, "and all the increase of your house shall die as men" - that they will die as grown men, which is an agonizing sorrow. Mourning a child who passes away at age twenty is not comparable to mourning an infant of one week, to whom one has not yet become so deeply bonded and whom one has not yet raised.
And this is the lesson for Tzidon: Had you enjoyed a prolonged tranquility like Tzor did, the grief would not be so intense. But you grew in a single moment - Tzor fell, all commerce shifted to you, you became great all at once - and immediately the downfall came, as Nevuchadnezzar arrived and seized your wealth as well. Thus, it would have been better for you not to have grown at all, for it was precisely this sudden rise that drew Nevuchadnezzar's eyes toward you: he conquered Tzor because it was great, and when he saw that Tzidon had grown, he came for it as well.
Rashi cites a Midrash of Chazal on this verse: The sea said - I, who have no sons or daughters to worry about lest they be punished for my iniquity, do not deviate from the command of my Creator; the Holy One, blessed be He, set a boundary for me and I do not cross it. Even though, as it were, I have nothing to lose - "I have not travailed, nor given birth, nor reared young men." How much more so you, Tzidon, who have sons and young men, and should have been concerned lest they be taken from you if you rebel against the word of Hashem - yet you showed no concern. Tzidon should have derived an a fortiori lesson from the sea.
Verse 5: The Tremor in Egypt
כַּאֲשֶׁר שֵׁמַע לְמִצְרָיִם, יָחִילוּ כְּשֵׁמַע צֹר. - When the report reaches Egypt, they will shudder as at the report of Tzor.
"They will shudder" - they will be filled with dread and trembling. When the report of Tzidon's downfall reaches Egypt, the very same terror will seize them that gripped them when hearing of the fall of Tzor. And why? Because Egypt was Tzor's primary supplier. When a major client collapses, the seller collapses with him: the funds are invested there, outstanding debts are tied up there, and Tzor did not merely become insolvent; it ceased to exist - the sea engulfed it. From there, the Egyptians turned and invested in Tzidon, and when Tzidon falls as well, the exact same shudder returns.
Rashi explains differently: Just as mankind heard concerning Egypt that I brought ten plagues upon them and they drowned in the sea, so will they be dismayed upon hearing of the plagues of Tzor, which mirrored the plagues of Egypt - blood and fire, as written in Yoel, echoing the plague of blood, and the noisy croaking of frogs, and its streams turned to pitch. Whoever hears of these plagues will be seized with trembling just like one hearing of the plagues of Egypt.
Verse 6: Flee to Tarshish
עִבְרוּ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה, הֵילִילוּ יֹשְׁבֵי אִי. - Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you inhabitants of the coastland.
Here the prophet concludes what he began with. Initially he said, "Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland" - do not mourn for Tyre, for its commerce is passing to you; and then he reversed this and said that you too are destined to drink from that very same cup of poison. If so, he says now, do not be silent and do not rejoice, but wail - because what happened to them proves that you are next in line. And this is my counsel: "Cross over to Tarshish" - flee immediately to Tarshish before it is too late.
Verse 7: How Completely Illogical This Is
הֲזֹאת לָכֶם עַלִּיזָה, מִימֵי קֶדֶם קַדְמָתָהּ, יֹבִלוּהָ רַגְלֶיהָ מֵרָחוֹק לָגוּר. - Is this your joyous one, whose antiquity is from days of old, whose feet carry her afar off to dwell?
The prophet is like an observer standing aside, watching and describing. Now he turns to the inhabitants of the world in astonishment: Have you ever seen such a city, joyful from days of old, abandon its place and go into exile in a distant land? This defies nature and logic - and our inevitable conclusion is that the Holy One, Blessed is He, is the One Who did this. And there are two dimensions here: the place from which they departed, and the place to which they arrived.
From the perspective of the place they departed from: sometimes a nation exiles itself because the place is wretched, where people live in depression and suffering. But here - "is this your joyous one" - it was a place where people rejoiced, a good and thriving place. Furthermore: a group that has lived in a place for a short time and finds it unappealing might move elsewhere, but one who has dwelled in a place for generation upon generation does not abandon it even if it is not perfect. And that is what is meant by "whose antiquity is from days of old" - that already from ancient days it was considered an ancient city, the oldest of the old.
Here it is worth recalling the statement of Chazal, "The charm of a place rests upon its inhabitants." There is a place called Pompeii, which was preserved because a volcano covered it in lava - and excavations there uncovered people sitting, eating, and drinking in the middle of their day, frozen in place. People lived right at the mouth of a volcano! And what is the explanation? The charm of a place rests upon its inhabitants. A person lives in Haifa, where statistically cancer rates are among the highest and the air is among the most polluted, yet he continues to live there come what may, and even boasts: "Come see the view of the sea from my balcony." There is no logic to it - it is simply that the charm of a place rests upon its inhabitants.
And from the perspective of the place to which they went: someone who relocates certainly knows that the new location is better and more prosperous, and has a defined destination. But here, "whose feet carry her" - wherever my feet may carry me, without an address. Moreover: a person might travel to a distant place without knowing its fine details, but he at least knows the country in general terms. Here it says "afar off" - like a nation whose language you do not understand, a place that is entirely unfamiliar. Today one can get to know a country from photographs and encyclopedias, but in their day, a distant land was simply unknown. And a third point: sometimes a person sets out to scout a place, without taking along his household goods and furnishings; but one who uproots with all his household possessions is leaving completely to establish himself elsewhere. This is "afar off to dwell" - not to scout, but to dwell. To abandon an established, prosperous, ancient, and joyful place, and to wander wherever your feet carry you, without even knowing the land, and to settle there permanently - does this make any sense? There is no natural explanation for it.
Verse 8: Who Has Planned This?
מִי יָעַץ זֹאת עַל צֹר הַמַּעֲטִירָה, אֲשֶׁר סֹחֲרֶיהָ שָׂרִים כִּנְעָנֶיהָ נִכְבַּדֵּי אָרֶץ. - Who has planned this against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the honorable of the earth?
Once you see how contrary to logic this is, you must investigate and reflect: Who planned this, and who possesses such immense power to decree such a fate upon Tyre? Here the prophet details its greatness. "The crowning city" - not merely that she wears a crown, but in the causative sense: she is the one who crowns kings; within her they would crown kings and determine who would reign here and who would reign there. "Whose merchants are princes" - the wealth was legendary, to the point that its major merchants were princes and rulers. And not only that, but "whose traders are the honorable of the earth" - even the petty peddlers who went from town to town, who everywhere else were considered lowly, were in Tyre regarded as wealthy and the honorable of the land.
The Malbim distinguishes between them: "Merchants" (socharim) refers to large-scale merchants, as in the phrase "She was like the merchant ships" - a person does not transport haberdashery by ship, but rather major merchandise. "Canaanites" (kna'anim) refers to petty retailers, like "Canaan in whose hand are deceitful scales," who sits and weighs and sells little by little, and like "There shall no longer be a Canaanite in the House of Hashem." And why were merchants called Canaanites? Because the inhabitants of the coastal strip between Acre and Tyre, the Phoenicians, were traced back to Canaan son of Cham, and they were the merchant people - and ever since, the name "Canaanite" became a synonym for a merchant.
Pasuk 9: The Answer - And Why
יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת יְעָצָהּ, לְחַלֵּל גְּאוֹן כָּל צְבִי, לְהָקֵל כָּל נִכְבַּדֵּי אָרֶץ. - Hashem of Hosts planned it, to desecrate the pride of all glory, to demean all the honorable of the earth.
It is none other than Hashem Who planned to bring Tyre down. And if you ask for what purpose - because there were two things in Tyre detested before the Omnipresent. The first: "To desecrate the pride of all glory (tzvi)." Tzvi connotes desire (as also in Aramaic), anything a person covets, as in "the glory of kingdoms" (tzvi mamlachot) which all kingdoms covet. The people of Tyre attributed pride, importance, and power to every coveted object, to everything of monetary value. Their entire pursuit was after materialism.
And this is reminiscent of what has happened to America in the past decade. They worshipped the dollar, and today people are fleeing from the dollar, and slowly this will happen to the Euro as well. Such is the way of someone who worships a particular thing: the first criterion by which a person is measured is how much he earns a year, what your income is, what your profession is. They do not ask whether he is a person of virtue, whether he treats his fellow man well - it is all dismissed as nonsense, only "how much are you worth." This is the golden calf, and this is what is detestable in the eyes of Hashem. Therefore, the Holy One, Blessed be He, came "to desecrate the pride of all glory" - to show that there is no real substance to it.
And the second thing: they pursued honor and authority, turning them into strength and power. Therefore, "to demean all the honorable of the earth" - the Holy One, Blessed be He, came and lowered their honor, to show that this is not true power, this is not true honor, and this is not what is essential. Rather, one must value spiritual matters and genuine virtues, not wealth and prestige, which are fleeting vanity.
Pasuk 10: There Is No Girdle Any Longer
עִבְרִי אַרְצֵךְ כַּיְאֹר, בַּת תַּרְשִׁישׁ אֵין מֵזַח עוֹד. - Pass through your land like a river, O daughter of Tarshish, there is no girdle any longer.
Until now, the prophet addressed the world and asked: Have you ever seen such a thing? Is it not obvious that this is from Hashem? Now he addresses Tyre itself, in the second person. After Nevuchadnetzar conquered it, the sea surged over it and flooded it. Therefore: your land has become like a river; pass through to the daughter of Tarshish - flee entirely to Tarshish in Spain.
And why? "There is no girdle any longer" - there is no barrier or belt to hold back the sea and prevent it from surging over the dry land. The sea has breached all boundaries, and there is nothing left to stop it. The Malbim explains that a ye'or is a body of water filled by rainwater or seasonal flow, like the Nile River which rises and overflows its banks. The Egyptians were great experts in irrigation canals, channeling them over many kilometers so that when the Nile rose it watered all the fields - "and irrigated with your foot like a vegetable garden." And just as the river surges when the waters swell, so the sea surged over the land of Tyre and flooded it.
And what is a mezach? The Malbim cites Chapter 109 in Tehillim. By the way, that chapter is entirely full of "blessings" in quotation marks; in Yemen, when there was a tyrannical or corrupt king, they would enter the synagogue and recite Chapter 109 against him, and usually by the time they walked out it was already announced that he had departed this life. And there it says: "May it be to him like a garment in which he wraps himself, and as a belt (u-lemezach) with which he is constantly girded." A mezach is a belt, the sash tied around the body. And what is the difference between it and an ezor or avnet? A mezach is a belt fastened over long garments when the garment is too long, in order to hitch it up so that it does not drag along the ground and will fit his size properly. Hence, "that the breastplate not be loosened (lo yizach) from the ephod" - that it not rise above it, which is why it was tied down. Thus, zach denotes lifting or elevation, and hence also zechuchei lev (haughty of heart) and zach rucho (his spirit grew haughty) - an expression of height. And this is the meaning of the verse there: "He clothed himself with a curse like his garment" - that it fit him to his exact measure; "and may it be to him like a garment in which he wraps himself" - that it enfold him; and lest you say that sometimes a garment is longer than the body, it therefore adds, "and as a belt (u-lemezach) with which he is constantly girded" - the curse itself will gird him like a mezach, fitting him precisely to his measure. And from that same root comes "He loosens the belt (mezi'ach) of the mighty" in Iyov.
Pasuk 11: Hashem Is the One Who Commanded
יָדוֹ נָטָה עַל הַיָּם, הִרְגִּיז מַמְלָכוֹת, יְהֹוָה צִוָּה אֶל כְּנַעַן לַשְׁמִד מָעֻזְנֶיהָ. - He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook kingdoms; Hashem commanded concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds.
The Malbim explains that the order is understood as: "He shook kingdoms - He stretched out His hand over the sea." That is, Nevuchadnezzar, after shaking kingdoms on the mainland ("shook kingdoms" - passing from realm to realm, toppling them, subjugating them beneath him, and exiling them), was not satisfied, and stretched out his hand against the seafaring dwellers as well. And who is this shaker of kingdoms? The prophet speaks of him here in the third person, and will clarify his identity in verse 13.
Yet the essential point here is: know that this conqueror did not act of his own accord - "Hashem commanded concerning Canaan," on account of Canaan, for Tzor and Tzidon are descendants of Canaan, and it was Hashem Who commanded the destruction of their strength and might. And if you ask why - it has already been explained: "To desecrate the pride of all beauty, to dishonor all the honorable of the earth." Those who pursued wealth and those who pursued honor - therefore Hashem commanded "to destroy its strongholds [ma'ozneha]," meaning its fortresses, the place that served as their stronghold.
Verse 12: You Shall No Longer Exult
וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא תוֹסִיפִי עוֹד לַעְלוֹז, הַמְעֻשָּׁקָה בְּתוּלַת בַּת צִידוֹן, כִּתִּים קוּמִי עֲבֹרִי, גַּם שָׁם לֹא יָנוּחַ לָךְ. - And he said: You shall no longer exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Tzidon; arise, cross over to Kittim, even there you will have no rest.
That shaker of kingdoms, Nevuchadnezzar, says to Tzidon: You will no longer rejoice as you have rejoiced until now over the fall of Tzor, celebrating that commerce would turn to you, that everyone would come to trade with you, and that you would become the trade capital. You will exult no longer.
"O oppressed [hameshakah] virgin daughter of Tzidon" - from the word oshek, meaning that she will be plundered and oppressed. The Malbim asks: Why is Tzidon specifically referred to as "oppressed/plundered," whereas Tzor was not described in this way? Because the sea swept over Tzor after Nevuchadnezzar arrived and washed everything away; consequently, he had nothing left to take and could not plunder her. In Tzidon, however, the sea did not rise, and when he conquered it, there was plenty to take and he was able to plunder her. Through this, what is stated in Yechezkel 29 is wonderfully explained: "Nevuchadrezzar king of Babylon made his army labor with great labor against Tzor... yet he and his army had no wages" - for at Tzor the sea washed everything away, leaving him with nothing with which to pay his army after wearing them down with great labor.
"Arise, cross over to Kittim" - flee to the land of Kittim. And do not think that you will return to your land from there, for "even there you will have no rest": after you flee to Kittim, Nevuchadnezzar will come and conquer Kittim as well, and you will suffer blow after blow.
Verse 13: Who Is the Shaker - The Land of the Chaldeans
הֵן אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים זֶה הָעָם לֹא הָיָה, אַשּׁוּר יְסָדָהּ לְצִיִּים, הֵקִימוּ בַחוּנָיו, עוֹרְרוּ אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ, שָׂמָהּ לְמַפֵּלָה. - Behold the land of the Chaldeans, this nation that was not; Assyria founded it for fleet-dwellers; they set up its siege towers, they demolished its palaces, he reduced it to a ruin.
Now the prophet returns to verse 11, where he had not revealed who it was that "stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook kingdoms," and explains: Behold, it is the land of the Chaldeans - they did this. "This is the nation that was not" - not that it did not exist at all, for it certainly did, but that it was of no account in ancient times, deemed as nothing; as though it were said "it was not" - it existed, but as if insignificant.
And who raised it from the ash heap? "Assyria founded it for ships" - the king of Assyria, who ruled over the land, was the one who established it and taught them to navigate in fleets and ships, that is, the ways of maritime trade and warfare, and built them a fleet.
"They raised its watchtowers" (*hekimu vachonav*) - they put this fleet to the test, to test the prowess of the king of Assyria. Much like an army that establishes an air squadron or a missile defense array and waits for the decisive hour to test the system "live," to see how it works; after Iron Dome was built, they waited for the first rockets - we always pray there will be none, but they were waiting to see how the system performed. In this way, the Kasdim put the fleets to the test, to see if the ships the king of Assyria had built for them were truly powerful and strong.
And in that very test - "they laid bare its palaces" (*oreru armenoteha*), an expression of demolition, as in "Raze it, raze it to its very foundation" (*aru aru ad hayesod bah*). They demolished the palaces of Tyre, "made it a ruin" (*samah lemapalah*) - bringing it down completely.
Pasuk 14: The Wailing of the Ships of Tarshish
הֵילִילוּ אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ, כִּי שֻׁדַּד מָעֻזְּכֶן. - Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste.
The ships of Tarshish would come to trade; at first in Tyre, and once it was destroyed, in Sidon. Now, after Nevuchadnetzar brought down Sidon as well, what could they do? Therefore: wail and weep - "for your stronghold is laid waste" (*shudad ma'uzchen*); the place that was your commercial stronghold and security was plundered, and Nevuchadnetzar brought everything down.
Pasuk 15: Seventy Years - Like the Days of One King
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וְנִשְׁכַּחַת צֹר שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה כִּימֵי מֶלֶךְ אֶחָד, מִקֵּץ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה יִהְיֶה לְצֹר כְּשִׁירַת הַזּוֹנָה. - And it shall come to pass on that day that Tyre shall be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king; at the end of seventy years it shall befall Tyre like the song of the harlot.
Tyre will remain in its downfall and humiliation for seventy years, corresponding to the duration of Israel's exile. "Like the days of one king" - like the span of the Babylonian Empire, which lasted seventy years. That entire dynasty - Nevuchadnetzar, his son Evil-Merodach, and his grandson Belshazzar - is considered as a single reign, and throughout those seventy years Tyre will be forgotten.
At the end of seventy years, its resurgence will begin. And what is the meaning of "the song of the harlot"? The Malbim explains that the prophet used a parable drawn from a reality well known in those days: Just as Tyre was a city to which many traveled to trade, catering to their needs and receiving wealth from them, it was akin to a harlot visited by many who pay her hire. Now that it was ruined, it was like a harlot abandoned by her suitors, who is told: If you wish to renew your days of old, take a harp, go about the marketplaces and streets, and play music so that people will see you and remember you, and those who once took an interest in you will return. Tyre will do the same: it will begin sending missives to all the nations - "Remember, we are the land of merchants; we have rebuilt the harbor and restored the ruins; come back and trade with us." The city that once had merchants begging to trade with it will now beg them to come.
Pasuk 16: Play Sweetly, Sing Many Songs
קְחִי כִנּוֹר סֹבִּי עִיר זוֹנָה נִשְׁכָּחָה, הֵיטִיבִי נַגֵּן הַרְבִּי שִׁיר לְמַעַן תִּזָּכֵרִי. - Take a harp, go about the city, O forgotten harlot; play sweetly, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
So they will sing about it: Your stock has fallen, so take a harp and go about the city, for you are a forgotten harlot, and you must play sweetly - playing with a pleasant melody - and sing many songs, so that they may remember you and return to you.
The Malbim distinguishes between nagen (playing an instrument) and shir (song): Niggun refers to an instrument, as in playing a lyre, whereas shir pertains also to vocal singing. Instrumental melody is the musical harmony shaped by the art of music - according to the notes, the rises, and the falls - which is the expertise of the instrumentalist. Song, on the other hand, is the beauty of words structured in meter, namely poetic verse written in a rhythmic form, opening in a specific manner and concluding in a specific manner. Therefore, both are stated: "play skillfully" - that the melody be pleasing, and "multiply songs" - that the lyrics also be beautiful. And all this is "that you may be remembered", for after seventy years, who remembers you? You must begin to play and advertise so people recall that there once was a place named Tyre.
Verse 17: And She Shall Return to Her Hire
וְהָיָה מִקֵּץ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה יִפְקֹד יְהֹוָה אֶת צֹר, וְשָׁבָה לְאֶתְנַנָּהּ, וְזָנְתָה אֶת כָּל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה. - And it shall come to pass at the end of seventy years, that Hashem will remember Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall play the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
At the end of seventy years, already in the days of Cyrus, Tyre was rebuilt and raised its head once more. Hashem would remember her to restore her former status. "And she shall return to her hire" - the prophet continues his allegory, in which commerce is likened to harlotry and the profit gained from it to a harlot's hire, meaning she will return to her trade and her profits. One may also note a play on words here: shavah le'eitana (she returned to her strength) and shavah le'etnana (she returned to her hire) at once. "And shall play the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world" - she will engage in commerce with all the kingdoms of the earth.
Verse 18: Her Merchandise Holy to Hashem
וְהָיָה סַחְרָהּ וְאֶתְנַנָּהּ קֹדֶשׁ לַיהֹוָה, לֹא יֵאָצֵר וְלֹא יֵחָסֵן, כִּי לַיֹּשְׁבִים לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה יִהְיֶה סַחְרָהּ לֶאֱכֹל לְשָׂבְעָה וְלִמְכַסֶּה עָתִיק. - And her merchandise and her hire shall be holy to Hashem; it shall not be stored up nor treasured, for her merchandise shall be for those who dwell before Hashem, to eat to the full and for stately clothing.
"Her merchandise" refers to the actual goods she traded - grain, various metals, and the like; "her hire" refers to the silver and coins she received in exchange for them. Both will be holy to Hashem: during the Second Temple era, Tyre maintained peaceful relations with Israel, and when the Beis HaMikdash was rebuilt, they would send offerings to it, both of their goods and of their wealth, serving as a merit and a contribution to the Beis HaMikdash.
However, "it shall not be stored up" - the goods will not be brought into the storehouse of the Beis HaMikdash to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices from them, whether animals, fine flour, or wine. "Nor treasured" - nor will the money be kept in treasuries, nor will it be used to reinforce the Beis HaMikdash, from the root chosen, meaning strength and fortification.
What, then, will be done with them? "For her merchandise shall be for those who dwell before Hashem, to eat to the full" - the Kohanim serving in the Beis HaMikdash will distribute the goods among themselves, the animals and produce, and have their fill. "And for stately clothing" (limchaseh atik) - with the money, they will purchase distinguished, valuable garments. Atik also connotes strength and durability, as in "that speak insolence (atak) against the righteous in pride and contempt", while the Midrash Rabbah explains it from the root of "and he moved (vaye'tek) from there to the mountain", an expression of changing and renewing, which is why fine attire is called atik. Thus we find that although Tyre will send its wealth to the Beis HaMikdash, it will not be used for the sanctuary itself, but only for auxiliary needs: food and clothing for the Kohanim. But to overlay the Beis HaMikdash with it or to offer actual sacrifices from it - even of that Tyre will not be worthy.
In Summary:
Chapter 23 depicts the fall of Tyre, the commercial capital of the ancient world, at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and the ripple of consequences that followed: Sidon rejoices for a fleeting moment only to fall after her, Egypt is seized with terror, and the ships of Tarshish wail over the loss of their stronghold. The prophet demonstrates with simple logic that there is no natural explanation for this downfall - a joyous city, the most ancient of ancient cities, does not abandon its dwelling place to wander into the unknown to settle there - and hence all of this is from Hashem: "Hashem of Hosts has planned it", to desecrate the pride of all glory and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth, for Tyre had made wealth and prestige its ultimate pursuit. For seventy years, corresponding to the lifespan of the Babylonian Empire, she will be forgotten, after which she will once again court her clients like a forgotten harlot playing the harp so that she may be remembered. And ultimately, she too will send an offering to the House of Hashem - yet only for needs auxiliary to the sanctuary, and not for the sanctuary itself.