Isaiah 20

Isaiah 13–23 is a collection of prophecies concerning the nations, and chapter 20 belongs to this section. The warning against Egypt in the preceding chapter, Isaiah 19, is followed in chapter 20 by an account that conveys a warning about Egypt and Cush through action rather than words.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The events take place in the year the commander of the army of Sargon king of Assyria attacked and captured Ashdod. The LORD commands Isaiah the son of Amoz to loose the sackcloth (a garment of coarse cloth) from his loins and to remove his shoes. Isaiah obeys and goes about naked and barefoot.
• Verses 3–5 The LORD declares that Isaiah's walking in this manner for three years is a sign concerning Egypt and Cush. The captives of Egypt and Cush, young and old alike, will be led away naked by the king of Assyria. Those who had looked to these nations and boasted in them will then be dismayed and ashamed.
• Verse 6 On that day the inhabitants of the coastland will lament that the very nation to which they had looked for help against Assyria has met this fate; how, then, can they themselves escape?

Key Verses

• Isaiah 20:3 "My servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years" — a prime example of a prophet's own body and life becoming the means of delivering the prophecy.
• Isaiah 20:6 "And how shall we escape?" — summarizes the chapter's theme that relying on great powers is futile.

People and Places

• Isaiah the prophet: The prophet who performs the symbolic act in this chapter.
• Sargon: King of Assyria. This verse is said to be the only place in Scripture where he is mentioned by name.
• The commander: In Hebrew tartan (rendered "Tartan" in the KJV), understood to be the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer.
• Ashdod: A city of Philistia on the Mediterranean coast.
• Assyria and Egypt: The great powers that appear in this chapter.
• Cush: A nation south of Egypt, in the region of present-day Sudan (rendered "Ethiopia" in the KJV).

Notes for Reading

• The meaning of "naked": Interpretations differ. Some take it to mean completely unclothed. Others understand it to mean that Isaiah removed only the outer garment of sackcloth and went about in his undergarments. The three-year period is likewise debated: some interpreters hold that he went about this way continuously, while others hold that he did so intermittently during that time.
• The son of Amoz: The Hebrew spelling of the name of Isaiah's father, Amoz, differs from that of the prophet Amos, and the two are regarded as different people.
• Symbolic acts: Prophets conveying a message through action also appear in Ezekiel 4 and Jeremiah 13. The warning not to rely on Egypt recurs in Isaiah 30 and Isaiah 31.