How does Isaiah 23:2 connect with other prophecies about Tyre in Ezekiel?

Isaiah 23:2 – The Verse in Focus

“Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched.”

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Shared Vocabulary and Imagery

• Coastlands, shipping, and merchants—images repeated word-for-word in Ezekiel 26–28

• A commercial hub that drew its wealth “from the sea” (cf. Ezekiel 27:3)

• Divine command for silence, signaling the abrupt end of bustling trade

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Parallels with Ezekiel 26

• Ezekiel 26:2–3 pictures Tyre’s pride over Jerusalem’s fall; Isaiah 23:2 answers with God’s own verdict of silence on Tyre’s coastlands.

• Ezekiel 26:13: “I will put an end to the music of your songs” mirrors Isaiah’s call for hush—both announce a silenced harbor.

• Both prophets promise literal destruction by invading forces (Isaiah 23:1, Ezekiel 26:7–14).

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Echoes in Ezekiel 27

• Ezekiel 27:3 calls Tyre “merchant of the peoples to many coastlands,” the same commercial identity Isaiah addresses.

• Isaiah 23:2 cites “merchants of Sidon”; Ezekiel 27:8–9 lists Sidonians as Tyre’s oarsmen and pilots—showing how intertwined their economies were.

• Ezekiel 27:27–34 laments the sudden sinking of cargo and crews; Isaiah 23:2 foretells the silence that follows that catastrophe.

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Further Links in Ezekiel 28

• Ezekiel 28:5—“By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth,” exposing the same mercantile arrogance hinted at in Isaiah 23:2.

• Ezekiel 28:7–8 announces foreign judgment; Isaiah’s “be silent” anticipates that moment when no negotiation or fleet can save Tyre.

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Why These Connections Matter

• Isaiah 23:2 sets the theme: a once-noisy port struck dumb by God’s decree. Ezekiel supplies the details—who attacks, how the ships sink, why the prideful prince falls.

• Together, they form a united, literal prophecy: God humbles international trade centers that exalt themselves above Him.

• The harmony of language, imagery, and outcome across the two books confirms Scripture’s internal consistency and its reliability in foretelling historical events.