Upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the beautiful sloops.
Parallel translations
- WEB For all the ships of Tarshish, and for all pleasant imagery.
- KJV And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
- BSB against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.
- NASB Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the delightful ships.
- NLT He will destroy all the great trading ships and every magnificent vessel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The great ships of Tarshish and all beautiful craft will be brought low. Commercial wealth and prized possessions will share in the judgment.
Overview
Ships of Tarshish symbolize far-reaching trade and prosperity, sources of national pride. 'Pleasant imagery' covers all that humans admire and treasure. Together these complete the picture that nothing humanity prizes can escape God's leveling judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Kgs 10:22For the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
- Isa 23:1The burden of Tyre. Howl, 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.
- Ps 47:7For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding.
- Isa 60:9Surely the islands will wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.
- 1 Kgs 22:48–49Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go; for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber.
- Rev 18:11The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more;
- Rev 18:17–19For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.’ Every ship master, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away,
- Num 33:52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 2:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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