Isaiah 20:3-4

Isaiah 20:3-4

[3] 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;  [4] So shall the king  of Assyria  lead away  the Egyptians  prisoners,  and the Ethiopians  captives,  young  and old,  naked  and barefoot,  even with their buttocks  uncovered,  to the shame  of Egypt. 

What does Isaiah 20:3-4 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

For three years, Isaiah appeared in public as God had instructed him, to portray the condition of the Egyptian and Cushite captives that the Assyrians would take in reprisal for stirring up trouble. A Cushite dynasty was in power in Egypt at this time, which accounts for the prominence of Cush in this prophecy. During those three years, Isaiah"s observers doubtless concluded that his condition represented the fate of the people of Ashdod. At the end of three years, God told Isaiah to explain the significance of his strange behavior. That he had portrayed the Egyptians and Cushites, and not the people of Ashdod, would have shocked the Judeans, because many of them favored relying on Egypt and Cush for protection against Assyria. Isaiah"s prophecy was fulfilled in701 B.C. when the Assyrians defeated Egypt at Eltekeh. Another less likely possibility, I think, is Esarhaddon"s conquest of Egypt in671 B.C.