Original Word: צִידוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tsiydown
Pronunciation: tsee-DONE
Phonetic Spelling: (tsee-done')
KJV: Sidon, Zidon
NASB: Sidon
Word Origin: [from H6679 (צּוּד - hunt) in the sense of catching fish]

1. fishery
2. Tsidon, the name of a son of Canaan, and of a place in Israel

Sidon, Zidon

Or Tsiydon {tsee-done'}; from tsuwd in the sense of catching fish; fishery; Tsidon, the name of a son of Canaan, and of a place in Palestine -- Sidon, Zidon.

see HEBREW tsuwd

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast, also a son of Canaan
NASB Translation
Sidon (22).

צִידוֺן and (Genesis 10:15,19; 49:3) צִידֹן proper name, of a location Sidon, Σιδων, ancient Phoenician city, on coast north of Tyre (in Assyrian ‚idum( n)u, COT^Gloss; Tel Amarna ‚iduna, Phoenician צדן, Old Aramaic צידן; in Egyptian D±-(d)u-na, WMM^As.u.Eur.184); — 'first-born' of Canaan Genesis 10:15 = 1 Chronicles 1:13; northern limit of Canaanite Genesis 10:19, compare Genesis 49:13 defined as רַבָּה ׳צ Joshua 11:8 (so Joshua 19:28 below); also Judges 1:31; Judges 10:6 (׳אֱהֵֹי צ), Judges 18:28; 1 Kings 17:9; named with Tyre Joshua 19:28 (compare Joshua 19:29), 2 Samuel 24:6 (compare 2 Samuel 24:7), Isaiah 23:2,4 and ׳בְּתוּלַת בַּתצֿ Isaiah 23:12 (compare Isaiah 23:5 etc.), Jeremiah 25:22; Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 47:4; Ezekiel 27:8; Ezekiel 28:21,22 (compare Ezekiel 28:2; Ezekiel 28:12), Zechariah 9:2; Joel 4:4. — See Pietschm^{Phöniz. 54 ff.} Prutz^{Aus Phönicien (1876), 98 ff.} Rob^{BR ii.478 ff.} de Luynes^{Voyage à la mer Morte i 18 ff., and Plural vi-xi.} Bd^{Pal 3 (1898), 313 ff.}

Geographical Setting

Sidon stood on the Mediterranean coast about twenty-five miles north of Tyre and was long counted the foremost Phoenician harbor. Scripture frequently calls it “Great Sidon” (Joshua 11:8) or “Sidon the Great,” underscoring its prominence. Fertile plains behind the city, abundant fresh-water springs, and two natural harbors made it a hub for agriculture, purple-dye manufacture, and far-reaching maritime trade.

Genealogical Origin and Early Mention

In the Table of Nations Sidon appears as the firstborn of Canaan: “Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn” (Genesis 10:15). From the start the city is therefore entwined with the peoples Israel would later displace. Its name re-emerges when the border of Canaanite territory is mapped: “The territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon toward Gerar” (Genesis 10:19). Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun looks forward to commerce with the port: “his border shall extend toward Sidon” (Genesis 49:13).

Territorial Interaction with Israel

Although never conquered, Sidon shaped the northern frontier of the Promised Land. After Joshua’s victory at the Waters of Merom, the fleeing kings were chased “all the way to Great Sidon” (Joshua 11:8). Portions of Asher’s allotment reached “as far as Great Sidon” (Joshua 19:28), yet Judges notes Asher “failed to drive out the inhabitants … of Sidon” (Judges 1:31). Thus the city became a constant reminder of incomplete obedience.

Commercial Might and Maritime Skill

Biblical writers depict Sidonians as consummate seafarers. Ezekiel likens Tyre’s oared galleys to “the men of Sidon … your rowers” (Ezekiel 27:8). Sidonian artisans assisted Hiram of Tyre in providing timber and craftsmen for Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 5:6, though the text highlights Tyre, the labor force was distinctly Phoenician and included Sidonians). Their renowned skill explains why Zebulun’s future “haven for ships” (Genesis 49:13) stretched toward this port.

Religious Character and Idolatrous Influence

Along with prosperity came entrenched paganism. When Israel again “did evil,” they “served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab” (Judges 10:6). Sidonian religion, dominated by Ashtoreth worship, later ensnared Israel’s kings; Ahab’s wife Jezebel was a Sidonian princess (1 Kings 16:31), and through her the cult of Baal spread in the Northern Kingdom. The city thus represents the seductive pull of syncretism.

Prophetic Pronouncements and Divine Judgment

Several prophets target Sidon together with Tyre. Isaiah warns, “Be ashamed, O Sidon” (Isaiah 23:4), and later declares, “You will rejoice no more, O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon” (Isaiah 23:12). Jeremiah includes the city among those forced to drink the cup of God’s wrath (Jeremiah 25:22) and instructs envoys “to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon” to submit to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27:3). Ezekiel devotes a short oracle: “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will gain glory within you” (Ezekiel 28:22). Joel and Zechariah echo the warning (Joel 3:4; Zechariah 9:2). History records repeated judgments—Assyrian subjugation, Babylonian siege, Persian domination, and finally Alexander the Great—each verifying the prophetic word.

Mercy Amid Judgment: The Widow of Zarephath

God’s grace shone on Sidonian soil when He sent Elijah to “Zarephath in Sidon” (1 Kings 17:9). The widow who believed the prophet received a never-failing jar of flour and cruse of oil and witnessed her son’s resurrection. Jesus later highlighted this event to show divine concern for Gentiles (Luke 4:25-26). Thus, even while prophets denounced Sidon’s pride, the narrative of Zarephath proclaims God’s readiness to bless believing outsiders.

Sidon in Redemptive History

By New Testament times Tyre had eclipsed Sidon politically, yet the region retained significance. Crowds from “the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon” flocked to hear Jesus (Mark 3:8), and He withdrew to that area to heal a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:24-30). Paul later sailed from Caesarea and “put in at Sidon” where he found Christian friends (Acts 27:3). The port that once modeled pagan arrogance also became a waypoint in apostolic mission, illustrating the gospel’s power to reach former centers of idolatry.

Theological and Ministry Lessons

1. God’s sovereignty over nations: Sidon’s rise and fall confirm that maritime strength and commercial genius cannot thwart divine purpose (Ezekiel 28:22–23).
2. The peril of incomplete obedience: Israel’s failure to dislodge Sidon foreshadowed the spiritual compromise that Jezebel later exploited.
3. Judgment mingled with mercy: The widow of Zarephath and the later Sidonian believers show that, even amid condemnation, God preserves a remnant who respond in faith.
4. Mission beyond Israel: Prophetic warnings against Sidon prepare the way for Christ’s expansion of salvation to the Gentile coasts, demonstrating Scripture’s unified redemptive arc.

Principal References

Genesis 10:15, 19; Genesis 49:13

Joshua 11:8; Joshua 19:28

Judges 1:31; Judges 10:6

2 Samuel 24:6

1 Kings 17:9

Isaiah 23:2, 4, 12

Jeremiah 25:22; Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 47:4

Ezekiel 27:8; Ezekiel 28:21–23

Joel 3:4

Zechariah 9:2

וְצִיד֔וֹן וּלְצִיד֔וֹן ולצידון וצידון לְצִיד֔וֹן לצידון מִצִּיד֗וֹן מִצִּידֹ֔ן מצידון מצידן צִיד֑וֹן צִיד֔וֹן צִיד֗וֹן צִיד֛וֹן צִיד֜וֹן צִיד֣וֹן צִיד֥וֹן צִידֹ֥ן צִידֹֽן׃ צִידֽוֹן׃ צִידוֹן֙ צידון צידון׃ צידן צידן׃ lə·ṣî·ḏō·wn ləṣîḏōwn letziDon miṣ·ṣî·ḏō·wn miṣ·ṣî·ḏōn miṣṣîḏōn miṣṣîḏōwn mitztziDon ṣî·ḏō·wn ṣî·ḏōn ṣîḏōn ṣîḏōwn tziDon ū·lə·ṣî·ḏō·wn ūləṣîḏōwn uletziDon vetziDon wə·ṣî·ḏō·wn wəṣîḏōwnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts