Free group study handout
Isaiah 23: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Isaiah 23 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Tyre's destruction is announced, and the inhabitants of the coast are called to howl, as their stronghold is laid waste (vv. 1-2). Tyre was a significant player in trade, as it was sustained by the harvests of the Nile and was known as 'the market of nations' (vv.
Key verse
“Yahweh of Armies has planned it, to stain the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.”
Isaiah 23:9 (WEB)
Outline
- Isaiah 23:1–2 Destruction Announced for Tyre
- Isaiah 23:3–5 Tyre's Economic Impact
- Isaiah 23:6–9 The Cause of Judgment
- Isaiah 23:10–12 Call to Mourn
- Isaiah 23:13–14 A Reminder of Judgment
- Isaiah 23:15–17 A Glimpse of Restoration
- Isaiah 23:18 Holiness of Her Merchandise
Discussion questions
- In v1, what is the response called for from the 'ships of Tarshish'?
- What does the sea say about Sidon in v4, specifically regarding 'young men' and 'virgins'?
- Yahweh's plan in v9: how does it aim to 'stain the pride of all glory'?
- The report in v5 causes 'anguish' in Egypt: what does this suggest about Tyre's influence on other nations?
- When have you seen a place or person's 'pride' humbled like Tyre in v9?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Isaiah 23: Ezekiel 27, Ezekiel 26, Revelation 18.
Before next time: read Isaiah 24.