“The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 23:9 Mean?
God's purpose against Tyre — the wealthiest commercial city in the ancient world — is stated plainly: to stain the pride of all glory and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth. God targets glory and honor specifically. Not infrastructure. Not economics. Pride.
The word "stain" (chalal — to profane, to pollute, to defile) means God will make what was glorious profane. The pride of Tyre's glory — the commercial achievement, the naval dominance, the architectural splendor — will be defiled. What was impressive will become degraded. The glory that produced the pride will be stained by the God who opposes it.
"All the honourable of the earth" — the scope extends beyond Tyre. God's purpose isn't just to humiliate one city. It's to bring into contempt everyone who derives their honor from earthly glory. Every honored person on earth whose honor is built on human achievement is a target of this purpose. Tyre is the example. The principle is universal.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What glory in your life might God be 'staining' — not the achievement itself, but the pride it produces?
- 2.Does God targeting 'all the honourable of the earth' include the honor you've built?
- 3.How do you hold earthly achievement without the pride that attracts God's staining purpose?
- 4.Does this verse make you more or less ambitious — and is that the right response?
Devotional
God's purpose: stain the pride. Bring the honored into contempt. Pollute the glory. That's what He's doing — deliberately.
Tyre was the richest, most commercially powerful city in the ancient world. Ships. Trade routes. Wealth beyond measure. And the pride that comes with unprecedented success. And God says: my purpose — my deliberate, intentional, sovereign purpose — is to stain that. To pollute the glory. To make what was honored contemptible.
"Stain the pride of ALL glory" — not just Tyre's glory. All glory. Every form of human achievement that produces pride is targeted by this divine purpose. The commercial empire. The political dynasty. The cultural achievement. The personal brand built on earthly success. All of it. God's purpose is to stain the pride inside every form of glory.
The word "stain" is chalal — to profane, to make common, to defile what was sacred. The glory that humans treated as untouchable, God treats as profanable. What the world worshipped as magnificent, God degrades to ordinary. The purpose isn't to destroy beauty. It's to destroy the pride the beauty produces.
"All the honourable of the earth" — the scope is global. Not one city's honorable people. The earth's. Everyone whose honor comes from earthly glory is included in God's purpose. The CEO and the senator and the celebrity and the mogul — all the honourable of the earth. Brought into contempt. By the LORD of hosts.
The purpose is active and ongoing: God is still staining pride. Every proud achievement still attracts His purpose. Every glory that produces arrogance still provokes His profaning. The LORD of hosts has purposed it. And His purposes don't expire.
The glory that makes you proud is the glory God is targeting. Not the glory itself. The pride inside it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it,.... To destroy Tyre; who is wonderful in counsel, capable of forming a wise scheme,…
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it - (see the note at Isa 1:9). It is not by human counsel that it has been done.…
Tyre being a sea-port town, this prophecy of its overthrow fitly begins and ends with, Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for…
Jehovah has purposed it in accordance with a fixed principle of His government.
to stain(render to desecrate) the pride…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture