The Meaning of Isaiah 20:3 Explained

Isaiah 20:3

KJV: And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

YLT: And Jehovah saith, 'As My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot three years, a sign and a wonder for Egypt and for Cush,

Darby: And Jehovah said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years, a sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning Ethiopia,

ASV: And Jehovah said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning Ethiopia;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the LORD  said,  Like as my servant  Isaiah  hath walked  naked  and barefoot  three  years  [for] a sign  and wonder  upon Egypt  and upon Ethiopia; 

What does Isaiah 20:3 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 20

1  A type prefiguring the shameful captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia

What do the individual words in Isaiah 20:3 mean?

And said Yahweh just as has walked My servant Isaiah naked and barefoot three years [for] a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הָלַ֛ךְ עַבְדִּ֥י יְשַׁעְיָ֖הוּ עָר֣וֹם וְיָחֵ֑ף שָׁלֹ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ א֣וֹת וּמוֹפֵ֔ת עַל־ מִצְרַ֖יִם וְעַל־ כּֽוּשׁ

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר  just  as 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הָלַ֛ךְ  has  walked 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
עַבְדִּ֥י  My  servant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
יְשַׁעְיָ֖הוּ  Isaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְשַׁעְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Amoz, who prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem during the days of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah; author of the prophetic book by his name; tradition has it that he was sawn asunder in the trunk of a carob tree by king Manasseh and that this is the incident referred to in Heb :37.
עָר֣וֹם  naked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָרֹום  
Sense: naked, bare.
וְיָחֵ֑ף  and  barefoot 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יָחֵף  
Sense: barefoot.
שָׁלֹ֤שׁ  three 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
שָׁנִים֙  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
א֣וֹת  [for]  a  sign 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֹות  
Sense: sign, signal.
וּמוֹפֵ֔ת  and  a  wonder 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹופֵת  
Sense: wonder, sign, miracle, portent.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
מִצְרַ֖יִם  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
כּֽוּשׁ  Ethiopia 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כּוּשׁ 
Sense: a Benjamite mentioned only in the title of Ps 7.