He, the Lord, expressed Isaiah 23:9, stretched out his hand to strike it, the antecedent being put for the consequent, over the sea; or, against the sea, i.e. against Tyrus, the daughter of the sea, as she was now called; and consequently against all those ships and men which used to traffic with Tyrus, and were enriched by that trade, and therefore suffered in her fall. He shook the kingdoms, Heb. he made the kingdoms to tremble; either,
1. The two kingdoms of Tyre and Sidon; or rather,
2. The neighbouring and confederate kingdoms, as appears by comparing this with Ezekiel 26:15-18, who might justly quake at her fall, partly, for the dreadfulness and unexpectedness of the thing; partly, because Tyre was a bulwark, and a refuge, and a great advantage to them; and partly, because her fall made way for their ruin, as being destroyed by their common enemy. Hath given a commandment; hath contrived and purposed it, as was said, Isaiah 23:8,9; hath put this design into the heads and hearts of her enemies, and given them courage to attempt, and strength to execute, so difficult an enterprise. Against the merchant city, Heb. against Canaan; the word Canaan being taken either,
1. For a merchant, as it is used, Job 41:6 Hosea 12:7; or rather,
2. For the proper name of a place or people, as it is generally used; for the Tyrians and Sidonians were descended from Canaan, Genesis 10:15, and were the only considerable remainders of that cursed race whom God had devoted to destruction. And so this phrase may be here used both as all evidence and as an argument of their intended and approaching ruin.