John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 23:6

"Pass ye over to Tarshish; wail, ye inhabitants of the coast." — Isaiah 23:6 (ASV)

Pass ye over to Tarshish. He addresses not only the inhabitants of Tyre but also foreigners who were connected with them by trade. He urges them to go elsewhere and seek new harbours. He also mentions Cilicia, which was opposite Tyre, as if he had said, “That shore, which used to be well supplied with harbours, will from now on be forsaken, so that ships will sail in a very different direction.” For when a harbour or a mercantile city has been ruined, merchants commonly go in search of another.

Howl, ye inhabitants of the island. “Island,” as we have previously explained, is here used for “islands”; for the change of number is very common for Hebrew writers. He foretells that they will lament, because their support depended entirely on that trade, and because their accounts and reckonings were scattered about in all directions.