Isaiah 3:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;

NIV: In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,

NASB: On that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments,

CSB: On that day the Lord will strip their finery: ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents,

NLT: On that day of judgment the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful: ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,

KJV: In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

NKJV: In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;

Isaiah has described the arrogance of the wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah. They walk around in expensive and seductive clothing while openly and shamelessly participating in Israel's sins before the Lord (Isaiah 3:16–17). As part of their punishment, God will turn their beautiful hair into scabby baldness. Their opulent clothes will be replaced with shameful nakedness and embarrassment.

The Lord will continue to take away the arrogant women's material ability to glorify themselves . All that these women held dear, while rejecting God's glory, Isaiah will list systemically in the next few verses. (Isaiah 3:19–24).

Ankle bracelets were solid rings of bronze and twisted chains. These were common adornments during this period. Crescents were moon-shaped ornaments, likely symbols of the moon god. The word "headbands" may also be translated as "sunbands," perhaps referring to decorative protection from the sun or an ornament symbolizing a sun deity.

Even the jewelry worn by these Israelite women apparently displayed their dependence on false gods instead of on the Lord.

Isaiah 3:16–4:1 describes the wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah from the Lord's perspective. He describes them as conceited, casting seductive looks all around. Because of their open rebellion, the Lord will take away all their adornments, from their moon-god crescent ornaments to their veils. When the judgment comes, their perfume will be replaced by stench and their styled hair with baldness. They will wear sackcloth with rope belts. They will be destitute and lonely enough to beg any living man to simply say he is their husband. Jerusalem's men will fall in battle, leaving the city exposed. Jerusalem will sit empty and in mourning.

Isaiah reveals that the Lord will take away all the qualified men from Judah and Jerusalem in His judgment. This includes military, political, and spiritual leaders. After they're gone, the people will turn on each other to survive, trying to convince anyone with the slightest advantage to be their leader. The Lord makes his case against Judah's leaders for taking from the poor instead of providing for them. The Lord will take away from Judah's women all the adornments they displayed in public in their arrogance and immorality. Jerusalem's men will fall, and she will be left empty.

Isaiah 3 picks up where the last verse in Isaiah 2 left off (Isaiah 2:22). There Isaiah warned the people not to trust in mere men and now he proclaims that the Lord will remove all the qualified men from Jerusalem. Those left behind will turn on each other. The Lord will bring charges against Jerusalem's current leaders for mistreating the poor. Because the wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah are arrogant and immoral, the Lord will take away all their adornments, replacing hair with baldness and beauty with enemy brands. Jerusalem's men will die, leaving her broken and empty. This likely refers to the eventual invasion of Jerusalem and the capture of her people (2 Kings 24:14).

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).