Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 23:3

"And on great waters the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the mart of nations." — Isaiah 23:3 (ASV)

And by great waters - This means by the abundant waters, or the overflowing of the Nile. Tyre was the market to which the superabundant produce of Egypt was carried (see Ezekiel 27).

The seed of Sihor - There can be no doubt that ‘Sihor’ here means the river Nile in Egypt (1 Chronicles 13:5; Jeremiah 2:18). The word שׁחר (shichor) is derived from שׁחר (shachar)—meaning “to be black” ()—and this name is given to the Nile because of its color when it brings down the slime or mud by which Egypt is rendered so fertile.

The Greeks gave the river the name Μέλας (Melas) (“black”), and the Latins called it “Melo” (Servius on Virgil’s Georgics 4.291). It was called “Siris” by the Ethiopians, perhaps the same as Sihor. The upper branches of the Nile in Abyssinia all receive their names from the “color” of the water and are called the White River, the Blue River, etc.

The harvest of the river - This refers to the produce resulting from the overflowing of the river. Egypt was celebrated for producing grain, and Rome and Greece derived no small part of their supplies from that fertile country.

It is also evident that the inhabitants of Palestine were early accustomed to go to Egypt in times of scarcity for supplies of grain (see Genesis 37:25, 37:28, and the history of Joseph in Genesis 41–43).

That the Tyrians traded with Egypt is also well known. Herodotus (2.112) mentions one entire quarter of the city of Memphis that was inhabited by the Tyrians.

Is her revenue - Her resources are brought from there.

She is a mart of nations - How true this was, see Ezekiel 27. No place was more favorably situated for commerce, and she had nearly engrossed the trade of all the world.