{"id":66106,"date":"2019-11-24T21:35:37","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T19:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=66106"},"modified":"2023-06-19T10:49:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T07:49:31","slug":"a-prophecy-for-the-twin-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-prophecy-for-the-twin-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"A Prophecy for the \u201cTwin\u201d Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[366,506],"acf":{"old_id":"66106","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"357","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"That their children had never been born at all","content":"

The Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon (today, in Lebanon) were renowned in the ancient world for their commercial prowess. In this chapter, Isaiah foresaw both their destruction by the Babylonians and their subsequent restoration after a hiatus of seventy years\u2014the same length of time later prophesied by Jeremiah for the restoration of Judah (29:10).<\/span><\/p>\n

Alluding to their rivalry for primacy (which was generally achieved by Tyre), the prophet said: <\/span><\/p>\n

Be ashamed, O Sidon! For the sea\u2014this stronghold of the sea\u2014declares, \u2018I am as one who has never labored, never given birth, never raised youths or reared maidens!\u2019 (4). <\/span><\/p>\n

Rashi, followed here by the other medieval exegetes, interpreted \u201cnever given birth\u201d as an indication that the youths and maidens of Sidon \u201chad all been slain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Malbim\u2019s* take on the verse is somewhat different:<\/span><\/p>\n

Sidon said, I wish I had never endured labor pains since [eventually] they all perished. And if I had labor pains, I wish I had not given birth and they had been stillborn. And if they had been born, I wish I had not raised them to their youth but that they had died in childhood nor had I raised maidens to be prominent, because the deaths of youths cause greater anguish as in the curse of Eli \u201cmost of your family will die in adulthood\u201d (1 Samuel 2:33).<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a deadly metaphor for Sidon: with respect of one who dies elderly, or of an infant or stillborn, this does not cause much grief; however, the grief over a youth who is cut down in his prime is very great. Therefore, had Sidon been able to extend its tranquility like Tyre, the grief [over its destruction] would not have been so great. However, since it did not last that long, it might have been better had it not been \u201cborn\u201d at all or been \u201cstillborn;\u201d i.e., if it had never begun to prosper at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Malbim\u2019s distinction between \u201craised\u201d (<\/span>gidalti<\/span><\/em>) and \u201creared\u201d (<\/span>romamti<\/span><\/em>) is one he originally drew apropos of 1:2, which he interpreted as \u201cI raised children\u201d in the physical sense of growing older, and \u201cI reared them\u201d in the sense of nurturing their mental and spiritual growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Image: The prophesied destruction of Tyre as painted by John Martin, c. 1840 \/ wikipedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":66107,"id":66107,"title":"is23-John_Martin_-_Destruction_of_Tyre","filename":"is23-John_Martin_-_Destruction_of_Tyre.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is23-John_Martin_-_Destruction_of_Tyre.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-prophecy-for-the-twin-cities\/is23-john_martin_-_destruction_of_tyre\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is23-john_martin_-_destruction_of_tyre","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":66106,"date":"2019-11-24 19:35:01","modified":"2019-11-24 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