Isaiah 20 explained: Isaiah Walks Barefoot as a Warning

The fall of Ashdod (v. 1)

Ashdod was a Philistine city on the coast that rebelled against Assyria and hoped Egypt would back it up. Around 711 BC the Assyrian king Sargon sent his top general, and the city was captured.

Isaiah strips down (v. 2)

Isaiah took off his sackcloth, a rough garment worn in mourning and often by prophets, along with his sandals. Interpreters differ on whether he went fully naked or kept a thin undergarment, but either way he looked like a prisoner of war.

What the sign meant (vv. 3-4)

Egypt and Cush, a kingdom south of Egypt whose rulers then controlled Egypt, would be marched off by Assyria stripped and humiliated, the way ancient artwork shows captives being led. It is unclear whether Isaiah went barefoot the whole three years, now and then over that time, or whether the three years refers to the coming disaster.

When your rescuer falls (vv. 5-6)

The people living along the coast, probably the Philistines and their neighbors, had pinned their hopes on Egypt and would be stunned to see it beaten. The warning was likely also aimed at leaders in Judah who wanted to join Egypt against Assyria.

Key verse: Isaiah 20:6

Something to think about

When something you counted on for safety turned out weaker than you thought, what did that change about where you looked next?