Isaiah 20:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the LORD said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush,

NIV: Then the LORD said, 'Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush,

NASB: Then the Lord said, 'Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and symbol against Egypt and Cush,

CSB: the Lord said, "As my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,

NLT: Then the Lord said, 'My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign — a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.

KJV: And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

NKJV: Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia,

The sequence of events in Isaiah 20 seems to be as follows: The Lord tells Isaiah to walk around stripped of his shoes and outer garments (Isaiah 20:2). Three years later, the Assyrians defeated the Philistine city of Ashdod. Ashdod had made an alliance with Egypt against the Assyrians. But when that attack came from Assyria, Egypt did not help (Isaiah 20:4–5).

Now the Lord reveals the point of Isaiah's humiliating exposure. His physical appearance was a symbol against Egypt and Cush. A "sign and portent" is a prophecy about something big that is going to happen, usually something momentous and tremendously negative. In this case, the fulfillment of that sign would show that God was right. And a further sign that Judah should not rely on Egypt to save them from the Assyrians.

Cush, sometimes called Nubia, was south of Egypt. It was also known as Ethiopia, though this is not the same nation as modern-day Ethiopia. An Ethiopian dynasty ruled Egypt at this time. Cush and Egypt would suffer the same fate together at the hands of the Assyrians.

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 5/2/2024 7:16:06 AM