The Meaning of Isaiah 23:3 Explained

Isaiah 23:3

KJV: And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

YLT: And in many waters is the seed of Sihor, The harvest of the brook is her increase, And she is a mart of nations.

Darby: And on great waters, the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the market of the nations.

ASV: And on great waters the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the mart of nations.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And by great  waters  the seed  of Sihor,  the harvest  of the river,  [is] her revenue;  and she is a mart  of nations. 

What does Isaiah 23:3 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 23

1  The miserable overthrow of Tyre
15  Her restoration and unfaithfulness

What do the individual words in Isaiah 23:3 mean?

And on waters great the grain of Shihor the harvest of the Nile [is] her revenue and she is a marketplace for the nations
וּבְמַ֤יִם רַבִּים֙ זֶ֣רַע שִׁחֹ֔ר קְצִ֥יר יְא֖וֹר תְּבֽוּאָתָ֑הּ וַתְּהִ֖י סְחַ֥ר גּוֹיִֽם

וּבְמַ֤יִם  And  on  waters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
רַבִּים֙  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
זֶ֣רַע  the  grain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
שִׁחֹ֔ר  of  Shihor 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שִׁיחֹור  
Sense: a river or canal on east border of Egypt and a branch of the Nile.
קְצִ֥יר  the  harvest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
יְא֖וֹר  of  the  Nile 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְאֹר  
Sense: river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal.
תְּבֽוּאָתָ֑הּ  [is]  her  revenue 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: תְּבוּאָה  
Sense: produce, product, revenue.
וַתְּהִ֖י  and  she  is 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
סְחַ֥ר  a  marketplace  for 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סָחַר  
Sense: traffic, gain, profit, gain from merchandise.
גּוֹיִֽם  the  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.