Isaiah 23:9 kjv
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.
Isaiah 23:9 nkjv
The LORD of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.
Isaiah 23:9 niv
The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.
Isaiah 23:9 esv
The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
Isaiah 23:9 nlt
The LORD of Heaven's Armies has done it
to destroy your pride
and bring low all earth's nobility.
Isaiah 23 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 14:13 | "You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high..." | Pride and exaltation |
| Jeremiah 50:31 | "Behold, I am against you, O proud one," declares the Lord GOD of hosts... | Lord against the proud |
| Ezekiel 28:2 | "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your heart is proud..." | Tyre's pride and fall |
| Daniel 4:30 | "...this great Babylon, which I have built as a royal residence, by the might of my strength and for the glory of my majesty?" | Nebuchadnezzar's pride |
| Romans 1:30 | "...displacers, hater of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents," | God against the proud |
| 1 Peter 5:5 | "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | Humility vs. Pride |
| James 4:6 | "...God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." | Grace for the humble |
| Proverbs 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Consequences of pride |
| Isaiah 2:11 | "The lofty eyes of man will be humbled, and the pride of man will be abased. And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day." | LORD exalted, man humbled |
| Isaiah 5:15 | "Man is humbled, and each one is abased, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled." | God's judgment on haughty |
| Isaiah 23:8 | "Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?" | Tyre's former glory |
| Isaiah 23:1 | "The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for it is laid waste, with no house to enter, no place to dwell..." | Judgment on Tyre |
| Isaiah 10:33 | "Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will strike down the majestic tree with terror..." | Lord striking down proud |
| Ezekiel 26:16 | "Then all the princes of the sea will go down from their thrones; they will put off their robes and strip off their embroidered garments..." | Fall of Tyre's princes |
| Amos 6:1 | "Woe to those who are complacent in Zion, and to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria..." | Complacency and security |
| Micah 1:11 | "Pass on, O inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame; the inhabitant of Zaanan does not come out..." | Shame and nakedness |
| Zephaniah 2:10 | "This shall be their requital, their punishment for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the LORD of hosts." | Reproach against the LORD |
| Zephaniah 3:11 | "On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the evil you have done to me, for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exulting people..." | Removal of proud people |
| Luke 1:52 | "He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts," | God scatters the proud |
| Acts 12:22 | "And the people were shouting, 'The voice of a god, and not of a man!'" | Herod's pride |
| Revelation 18:7 | "To the degree that she glorified herself and played the seductress, to that degree give her torment and mourning..." | Babylon's self-glorification |
| Psalm 73:3 | "For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." | Envy of the proud |
| Job 40:10-12 | "Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with splendor and radiance. Let the overflowings of your anger be poured out..." | God's power vs. man's pride |
| Psalm 10:4 | "The wicked, through their pride, do not seek God; in all their thoughts there is no God." | Wicked and pride |
Isaiah 23 verses
Isaiah 23 9 Meaning
The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.
Isaiah 23 9 Context
This verse is found within Isaiah's prophecy against Tyre. Tyre, a prosperous Phoenician city renowned for its trade and wealth, symbolized human pride and self-sufficiency. The preceding verse (23:8) asks who is responsible for Tyre's downfall, given its former glory and the influence of its merchants. Isaiah 23:9 reveals the divine answer: the "Lord of hosts" has ordained this devastation. This judgment is not arbitrary but a direct consequence of Tyre's "pride of all glory" and the contempt it held for the honorable. The chapter depicts a broader judgment on nations that rely on their material wealth and power rather than on God. Historically, Tyre faced significant destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II and later by Alexander the Great. The prophecy underscores God's sovereignty over nations and his opposition to arrogance and worldly splendor detached from Him.
Isaiah 23 9 Word Analysis
- וְ(wə-): "And" - A conjunction connecting this verse to the preceding one, showing a continuation of the thought and explanation.
- חָשַׁב (ḥāšǎḇ): "has purposed" / "has thought" / "has planned" - This Hebrew verb signifies a deep, deliberate, and sovereign intention of the Lord. It speaks to divine planning and predestination. The perfect tense indicates a completed or established purpose.
- יְהוָה (YHWH): "LORD" - The covenant name of God, emphasizing His relationship with His people and His sovereign power as the eternal God of Israel and the universe.
- צְבָאוֹת (ṣəḇāʾōṯ): "of hosts" / "of armies" - Refers to the vast heavenly armies (angels) and earthly armies under God's command. It highlights God's ultimate power and authority over all forces.
- זֹאת (zōṯ): "this" - Refers back to the destruction and downfall of Tyre, the subject of the preceding verses.
- לְמַעַן (ləmaʿǎn): "to," "for the purpose of," "in order to" - Indicates the objective or goal of the Lord's purpose.
- חֹל (ḥōl): "to profane," "to defile," "to desecrate," "to treat as common" - Implies bringing something sacred or esteemed down to a low or impure state.
- גַּאֲוַת (gaʾăwǎṯ): "pride" / "arrogance" / "haughtiness" - Refers to excessive self-esteem, a spirit of boasting, and self-reliance. This is a key sin often condemned in Scripture.
- כָּל (kōl): "all" - Emphasizes the completeness of the pride; no aspect of Tyre's boasting is excluded.
- תִּפְאָרָה (ṯipʾā rāh): "glory" / "splendor" / "magnificence" - Encompasses the nation's esteemed qualities, achievements, wealth, and beauty that they relied upon and boasted in.
- וּלְהָבִיא (ū·lə·hā·ḇî): "and to bring" / "and to cause" - Conjunction linked to "לְמַעַן (ləmaʿǎn)," indicating a parallel purpose for God's action.
- בִּזּוּי (biz·zūy): "contempt" / "dishonor" / "scorn" - The state of being despised or held in low regard.
- כָּל (kōl): "all" - Again, signifies completeness.
- עִצּוּמֵי (ʿiṣ·ṣū·mê): "strength" / "power" / "nobility" / "honorable" (rendered here contextually as "honorable of the earth") - This word implies significant ones, the esteemed individuals who were prominent and respected in their society.
- הָאָרֶץ (hā·ʾā · reṣ): "the earth" / "the land" - Refers to the distinguished individuals of the earth or of that particular region, who represented Tyre's elite.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "the Lord of hosts has purposed this": This phrase emphasizes God's sovereign and intentional plan. It's not chance or human endeavor alone; YHWH Tzevaot, the powerful commander of all armies, has decreed Tyre's downfall. This connects to His ultimate control over history and His judgment on human pride.
- "to defile the pride of all glory": The intent is to desecrate and dishonor that which Tyre boasted in—its extensive glory, wealth, beauty, and its perceived superiority. It’s about stripping away the artificial brilliance they clung to.
- "and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth": This refers to the demeaning and casting down of Tyre's most esteemed leaders, nobles, and influential figures, showing that their supposed honor and strength were superficial and ultimately subject to God's judgment.
Isaiah 23 9 Bonus Section
This verse functions as a theological explanation for Tyre's imminent downfall, directly linking the nation's esteemed status and pride to divine judgment. The mention of "pride of all glory" encapsulates the sin of materialism, self-idolatry, and a denial of God's sovereignty, common themes throughout Isaiah's prophecy concerning proud nations like Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt. Tyre's naval and mercantile power, its splendid architecture, and its influential merchant princes ("honorable of the earth") are precisely the elements that draw God's divine retribution. The prophecy implies that what man esteems most highly can be precisely what God targets for humiliation, especially when it leads to arrogance and forgetfulness of the divine source of all blessings.
Isaiah 23 9 Commentary
The Lord of Hosts, the supreme commander, has decreed Tyre's ruin. This destruction is intentionally planned to tarnish and humble the excessive pride and boastful glory of the city. God's purpose is to reduce to utter disgrace those individuals who are held in high esteem on earth, highlighting that true honor belongs to God alone. This judgment reveals that worldly achievements and human status are ultimately insignificant when contrasted with divine authority and moral uprightness. It’s a profound statement on divine retribution against haughtiness, which blinds individuals and nations to their dependence on the Creator. The verse acts as a stark warning against self-reliance and excessive confidence in material success.