Acts 12:20

12:20 Now Herod ¹  was having an angry quarrel ²  with the people of Tyre ³  and Sidon. ⁴  So they joined together ⁵  and presented themselves before him. And after convincing ⁶  Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, ⁷  to help them, ⁸  they asked for peace, ⁹  because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country.

Genesis 10:15

10:15 Canaan was the father of ¹⁰  Sidon his firstborn, ¹¹  Heth, ¹² 

Genesis 49:13

49:13 Zebulun will live ¹³  by the haven of the sea

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend to Sidon. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 23:2-4

23:2 Lament, ¹⁵  you residents of the coast,

you merchants of Sidon ¹⁶  who travel over the sea,

whose agents sail over 23:3 the deep waters! ¹⁷ 

Grain from the Shihor region, ¹⁸ 

crops grown near the Nile ¹⁹  she receives; ²⁰ 

she is the trade center ²¹  of the nations.

23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,

for the sea ²²  says this, O fortress of the sea:

“I have not gone into labor

or given birth;

I have not raised young men

or brought up young women.” ²³ 

Isaiah 23:12

23:12 He said,

“You will no longer celebrate,

oppressed ²⁴  virgin daughter Sidon!

Get up, travel to Cyprus,

but you will find no relief there.” ²⁵ 

Zechariah 9:2

9:2 as are those of Hamath also, which adjoins Damascus, and Tyre ²⁶  and Sidon, ²⁷  though they consider themselves to be very wise.

[12:20]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:20]  ² tn Or “was extremely angry.” L&N 33.453 gives the meaning “be angry and quarrel, quarrel angrily” here. However, in L&N 88.180 the alternative “to be violently angry, to be furious” is given. The term is used only once in the NT (BDAG 461 s.v. θυμομαχέω).

[12:20]  ³ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[12:20]  ⁴ sn Sidon was an ancient Phoenician royal city on the coast between Berytus (Beirut) and Tyre (BDAG 923 s.v. Σιδών).

[12:20]  ⁵ tn Or “with one accord.”

[12:20]  ⁶ tn Or “persuading.”

[12:20]  ⁷ tn On the term translated “personal assistant” BDAG 554 s.v. κοιτῶν states, “used as part of a title: ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος the one in charge of the bed-chamber, the chamberlain.” This individual was not just a domestic servant or butler, but a highly respected person who had considerable responsibility for the king’s living quarters and personal affairs. The English word “chamberlain” corresponds very closely to this meaning but is not in common use today. The term “personal assistant,” while it might convey more business associations than management of personal affairs, nevertheless communicates the concept well in contemporary English.

[12:20]  ⁸ tn The words “to help them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:20]  ⁹ tn Or “for a reconciliation.” There were grave political risks in having Herod angry at them. The detail shows the ruler’s power.

[10:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:15]  ¹¹ sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.

[10:15]  ¹² tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[49:13]  ¹³ tn The verb שָׁכַן (shakhan) means “to settle,” but not necessarily as a permanent dwelling place. The tribal settlements by the sea would have been temporary and not the tribe’s territory.

[49:13]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[23:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”

[23:2]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[23:3]  ¹⁷ tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (mil’ukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (mal’akhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvÿmayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.

[23:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.

[23:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”

[23:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”

[23:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”

[23:4]  ²² tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.

[23:4]  ²³ tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).

[23:12]  ²⁴ tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.

[23:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.

[9:2]  ²⁶ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[9:2]  ²⁷ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.