“And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 23:12 Mean?
"And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest." Isaiah addresses Tyre (identified through Sidon, her mother city) as an "oppressed virgin" — a city whose glory has been violated by conquest. The instruction is devastating: flee to Chittim (Cyprus, across the Mediterranean). But even there — even in exile, even in the farthest refuge available — there's no rest. The fleeing doesn't produce safety. The distance doesn't produce peace. Wherever you go, the judgment follows.
The phrase "no more rejoice" captures the end of an era. Tyre's famous wealth, commerce, and celebration — done. And the flight to Cyprus (the last resort of the ancient Mediterranean) offers no alternative rest.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where are you running — hoping distance will provide rest from consequences?
- 2.What does 'there also shalt thou have no rest' teach about the futility of geographic escape from spiritual problems?
- 3.When has a 'change of location' failed to produce the peace you expected — and what was actually needed?
- 4.Where do you need to stop running and address the root issue rather than seeking rest in a new setting?
Devotional
No more rejoicing. No rest, even in exile. Tyre — the commercial capital of the ancient world, the city whose ships sailed every sea and whose wealth filled every market — is told: it's over. The celebration is done. And running won't help.
Arise, pass over to Chittim. Flee. Cross the Mediterranean to Cyprus — the farthest point west you can go. Pack what's left and run. And when you arrive, expecting the distance to provide safety, expecting the sea crossing to buy you peace — there also shalt thou have no rest.
The last four words are the cruelest: there also. The one place you thought you could escape to? The judgment is already waiting. The island you planned to hide on isn't out of range. There also. Wherever you go, the consequence follows. Not because you can't run fast enough. Because the one you're running from doesn't have geographical limits.
This is the message for every person, institution, or nation that thinks a change of location will outrun a moral reckoning. The city that relocates. The leader who moves to a new organization. The person who runs to a new relationship, a new country, a new identity — thinking the distance will provide rest from the consequences they're fleeing.
There also shalt thou have no rest. The rest you're looking for can't be found by running. Because rest isn't a place. It's a relationship. And if your relationship with the God who judges is broken, no island in any sea has what you're searching for. The distance doesn't heal what the departure didn't address.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he said, thou shalt no more rejoice,.... Not meaning that she should never more rejoice, but not for a long time, as…
And he said - God said Isa 23:9. Thou shalt no more rejoice - The sense is, that Tyre was soon to be destroyed. It does…
Tyre being a sea-port town, this prophecy of its overthrow fitly begins and ends with, Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for…
And he said What follows may be regarded as the "commandment" referred to in Isa 23:23.
O thou oppressed(or ravished)…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture