Isaiah 3:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets;

NIV: the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms,

NASB: headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets,

CSB: headdresses, ankle jewelry, sashes, perfume bottles, amulets,

NLT: scarves, ankle bracelets, sashes, perfumes, and charms;

KJV: The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

NKJV: The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms,

The different kinds of adornments that the Lord will take away from the prideful women of Judah (Isaiah 3:18–19, 21–24) is continued in this verse. These are women who have rejected God while displaying their wealth and likely their allegiance to false gods on their person (Isaiah 3:16–17). The Lord will no longer allow these women to adorn themselves this way.

A headdress was likely a circlet of gold or silver worn on the head, or it may be a kind of turban. The word for "armlets" refers to bracelets worn above the elbow, but the same word may also be translated as "ankle chains." These were connected links worn between the ankles that would require the wearer to take small delicate steps (Isaiah 3:16). The word for "perfume boxes" literally means "houses of breath" or, suggesting occult practices, "houses of the soul." Amulets may be charms worn for good luck or to ward off evil spirits (Isaiah 3:3).

These women were apparently displaying their allegiance and dependence on false gods through the items they were wearing on their bodies. The Lord would not allow them to continue to believe that their charms and gods were providing for and protecting them.

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).