The Meaning of Isaiah 23:8 Explained

Isaiah 23:8

KJV: Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

YLT: Who hath counselled this against Tyre, The crowning one, whose traders are princes, Her merchants the honoured of earth?'

Darby: Who hath purposed this against Tyre, the distributor of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose dealers were the honourable of the earth?

ASV: Who hath purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who hath taken this counsel  against Tyre,  the crowning  [city], whose merchants  [are] princes,  whose traffickers  [are] the honourable  of the earth? 

What does Isaiah 23:8 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 23

1  The miserable overthrow of Tyre
15  Her restoration and unfaithfulness

What do the individual words in Isaiah 23:8 mean?

Who has taken counsel this against Tyre the crowning [city] Whose merchants [are] princes Whose traders [are] the honorable of the earth
מִ֚י יָעַ֣ץ זֹ֔את עַל־ צֹ֖ר הַמַּֽעֲטִירָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר סֹחֲרֶ֙יה֙ שָׂרִ֔ים כִּנְעָנֶ֖יהָ נִכְבַּדֵּי־ ؟ אָֽרֶץ

יָעַ֣ץ  has  taken  counsel 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄועֵץ 
Sense: to advise, consult, give counsel, counsel, purpose, devise, plan.
זֹ֔את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
צֹ֖ר  Tyre 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צֹור 
Sense: the Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast.
הַמַּֽעֲטִירָ֑ה  the  crowning  [city] 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, feminine singular
Root: עָטַר 
Sense: to surround.
אֲשֶׁ֤ר  Whose 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
סֹחֲרֶ֙יה֙  merchants  [are] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: סָחַר  
Sense: to go around, go about, travel about in, go about in trade.
שָׂרִ֔ים  princes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
כִּנְעָנֶ֖יהָ  Whose  traders  [are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: כִּנְעָן 
Sense: descendant of inhabitant of Canaan n.
נִכְבַּדֵּי־  the  honorable 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
؟ אָֽרֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.