Isaiah chapter 20
Isaiah is fully naked for three years.
ISAIAH IS FULLY NAKED FOR THREE YEARS
NOTE. The prophet Micah also ministered while fully naked. See Micah 1:8 and following.
VERSE 1. In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
the year that Tartan came to Ashdod. In 711 BC, the Philistine city of Ashdod was captured by the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian king Sargon.
VERSE 2. at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loosen the sackcloth from off your waist, and take your sandals from off your feet.” He did so, walking naked and barefoot.
BBE translation. At that time the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and take off your robe, and your shoes from your feet; and he did so, walking unclothed and without shoes on his feet.
take off your robe … walking unclothed. The LORD God called Isaiah to be stark naked, everywhere he went, for three years. Micah also ministered while fully naked. Read more »
VERSE 3. The LORD said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning Ethiopia,
BBE translation. And the Lord said, As my servant Isaiah has gone unclothed and without shoes for three years as a sign and a wonder to Egypt and Ethiopia,
unclothed and without shoes for three years. The LORD God called Isaiah to be stark naked, everywhere he went, for three years. Micah also ministered while fully naked. Read more »
for a sign and a wonder. Isaiah’s nakedness was a symbolic act. It was meant to convey that the Egyptians and Ethiopians would be led away naked, as we see in the next verse.
VERSE 4. so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
NLT translation. 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.
Assyria … Egypt … Ethiopia. Assyria will rain down great trouble upon Egypt and Ethiopia.
make them walk naked. In this chapter, Isaiah is not the only naked person.
There are vast crowds of naked people.
VERSE 5. They will be dismayed and confounded, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
VERSE 6. The inhabitants of this coast land will say in that day, ‘Behold, this is our expectation, where we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria. And we, how will we escape?’ ”
ISAIAH
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, True Fasting
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.