Isaiah 20:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt.

NIV: so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame.

NASB: so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

CSB: so the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, stripped and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.

NLT: For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt.

KJV: So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

NKJV: so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

God is explaining why He commanded Isaiah to walk around barefoot and uncovered for three years before Ashdod was defeated by the Assyrians (Isaiah 20:2–3). Commentators emphasize that Isaiah almost certainly wore an undergarment, such as a loincloth, during this time. The Hebrew term translated in these verses has a broader range of meaning than the English word "naked." Being seen in public, "stripped" to the humbling level of a war prisoner or criminal, on some regular basis for three years, certainly would have drawn the attention of many people.

It was a common practice in this time to strip prisoners either naked or down to the bare minimum of clothing. In a practical sense, this also made it more difficult for prisoners to run away and easier to identify. On a psychological level, the humiliation of forced nakedness drove home the point that they were truly beaten. It made them less likely to hope they could overcome the enemy that had defeated them.

Why did the Lord command Isaiah to behave so oddly? This seems to be for the same reasons God commanded some of His other prophets to engage in bizarre public displays (Jeremiah 27:1–85; Ezekiel 4:1–8). The Lord wanted to draw His people's attention to a striking visual example: how the conquered people of Egypt and Cush would look as they were marched into captivity by the king of Assyria. The people of Judah thought the Egyptians to be powerful and potential allies against the Assyrians. They could provide no refuge for Judah if they would be conquered themselves.

What did any of this have to do with the defeat of Ashdod? Some understand the Egyptians to have encouraged people, like the king of Ashdod, to rebel against Assyria. This encouragement was coupled with promises of help from Egypt. Not only did Egypt not help, but their supposed strength was also eventually stripped bare.

Isaiah 20:1–6 describes a specific moment in history: 711 BC, when the Assyrian army crushed and took possession of the rebellious city of Ashdod. At the command of the Lord, Isaiah had been walking around without his outer garment or sandals to demonstrate how the Egyptians will look when they are also conquered by the Assyrians. Those counting on Egypt's protection will have nowhere to hide. Judah must trust the Lord to protect them and not any foreign nations.

The defeat of the Philistine city of Ashdod by the Assyrian king Sargon is the fulfillment of a strange sign. At the Lord's command, Isaiah spent three years regularly walking around barefoot and without his outer garment. This is to show what the Egyptian captives will look like once Assyria defeats them. Then all who boasted Egypt would protect them from Assyria will lose that confidence. The Lord wants Judah to trust Him to save them and not to look to other nations, or their gods.

Chapter 20 concludes Isaiah's oracle against Egypt, which began in chapter 19. This message includes a visual example of why Judah must not turn to Egypt for protection from the Assyrians. God tells Isaiah to walk around uncovered and barefoot for three years until the city of Ashdod is defeated by Assyria. Ashdod's alliance with Egypt did not save them. Eventually, Assyria will conquer Egypt and they also will be barefoot and exposed in their captivity. This will leave everyone counting on Egypt for protection without hope. Judah must place all their hope in the Lord to save them.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).