Where was Tarshish, and why should the ships from Tarshish wail?
Isaiah 23:1 (ESV)
1The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.
Tarshish was a colony of Tyre. Ships from Tyre sailed to Tarshish and then returned to Tyre with merchandise. With Tyre destroyed, the ships would return to a city without homes or a safe harbour.
1 The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.