Isaiah
Chapter 20
Symbolic Action: Against Egypt and Nubia
In the year when the general sent by Sargon, king of Assyria, made an assault on Ashdod, capturing it,
the Lord issued a warning through Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying:“Hang the sackcloth from your hips, take off your sandals, and go.” He did so, and walked naked and barefoot.
Then the Lord said: “Just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and warning for Egypt and Ethiopia,
so will the king of Assyria lead away captives from Egypt and exiles from Ethiopia, both young and old, naked and barefoot, their buttocks exposed, to the shame of Egypt.”
Those who placed their hope on Ethiopia and boasted about Egypt will be frightened and ashamed.
On that day, the people of this coastland will say, “Look at what happened to those we trusted and fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! What are we going to do now to save ourselves?”
Commentaries
Symbolic Action: Against Egypt and Nubia.
Ashdod, a Philistine city supported by Egypt, had rebelled against Assyria; Sargon II, king of Assyria, attacked Ashdod in 711 B.C., without the Egyptians providing any support. Meanwhile, the Egyptians encouraged Judah to join them in fighting against Assyria. The prophet opposed this plan, but the king of Judah hesitated. In response, the prophet performed the symbolic gesture described in this passage. Using symbolic signs and gestures to reinforce their message was common among prophets (cf. Jr 13:1-11; Ez 4:1-5, 17). The prophet’s final message is clear: if the Egyptians are defeated and humiliated by the Assyrians, then what is the point of making a pact with them?