Isaiah 20:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their boast.

NIV: Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame.

NASB: Then they will be terrified and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their pride.

CSB: Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.

NLT: Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt!

KJV: And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

NKJV: Then they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and Egypt their glory.

Many smaller nations around Egypt hoped that aligning themselves with the Egyptians would save them from Assyria. Isaiah has demonstrated with his humiliating appearance what the Egyptians will look like when they are eventually marched away into Assyrian captivity: exposed and helpless (Isaiah 20:2–3). It is not the picture of a victorious people or a people in a position to save others.

Isaiah now says that those nations will be distraught because they put their hope in Cush. These nations will even be embarrassed that they boasted about Egypt saving them from the Assyrians. Cush was a smaller nation south of Egypt, but its dynasty was ruling over Egypt at this time.

Some in Judah had been attracted to the idea of aligning themselves with Egypt in hopes of being freed from Assyrians oppression. The Lord is insistent: Egypt cannot protect you. Only the Lord their God can save them from this threat, or any future threat.

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).

Accessed 11/21/2024 11:41:48 AM