Isaiah 3:17
Isaiah 3:17 in Multiple Translations
the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare. ”
Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.
The Lord will send disease on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will let their secret parts be seen.
So the Lord will make their heads full of scabs, and the Lord will expose their private parts.
Therefore shall the Lord make the heades of the daughters of Zion balde, and the Lord shall discouer their secrete partes.
The Lord also hath scabbed The crown of the head of daughters of Zion, And Jehovah their simplicity exposeth.
therefore the Lord brings sores on the crown of the head of the women of Zion, and the LORD will make their scalps bald.”
Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover their secret parts.
The Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters of Sion, and the Lord will discover their hair.
So I, Yahweh, will cause sores to be on their heads, and I will cause those beautiful women in Jerusalem to become bald.”
Berean Amplified Bible — Isaiah 3:17
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Isaiah 3:17 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וְ/שִׂפַּ֣ח
אֲדֹנָ֔/י
קָדְקֹ֖ד
בְּנ֣וֹת
צִיּ֑וֹן
וַ/יהוָ֖ה
פָּתְ/הֵ֥ן
יְעָרֶֽה
וְ/שִׂפַּ֣ח
çâphach
H5596
to attach
Conj | V-Piel-3ms
אֲדֹנָ֔/י
ʼĂdônây
H136
Lord
N-mp | Suff
קָדְקֹ֖ד
qodqôd
H6936
crown
N-ms
בְּנ֣וֹת
bath
H1323
Bath (Shua)
N-fp
צִיּ֑וֹן
Tsîyôwn
H6726
Zion
N-proper
וַ/יהוָ֖ה
Yᵉhôvâh
H3068
The Lord
Conj | N-proper
פָּתְ/הֵ֥ן
pôth
H6596
hinge
N-fs | Suff
יְעָרֶֽה
ʻârâh
H6168
to uncover
V-Piel-Imperf-3ms
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Isaiah 3:17
וְ/שִׂפַּ֣ח
çâphach
H5596
"to attach"
Conj | V-Piel-3ms
To scar or scrape out, often used to describe a scab or lesion, as seen in KJV translations like abiding or smite with scab.
Definition: 1) to join, attach to, join together 1a) (Qal) to join, attach to 1b) (Niphal) to attach oneself 1c) (Piel) joining (participle) 1d) (Pual) to be joined together, hold oneself together 1e) (Hithpael) to join oneself
Usage: Occurs in 6 OT verses. KJV: abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab. See also: 1 Samuel 2:36; Isaiah 3:17; Isaiah 14:1.
אֲדֹנָ֔/י
ʼĂdônây
H136
"Lord"
N-mp | Suff
Adonay is a title used to refer to God, spoken in place of Yahweh as a sign of reverence and respect. It is used throughout the Bible to address God or refer to Him in a formal way. Adonay is a term of worship and devotion.
Definition: Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
Usage: Occurs in 430 OT verses. KJV: (my) Lord. See also: Genesis 15:2; Isaiah 3:17; Psalms 2:4.
קָדְקֹ֖ד
qodqôd
H6936
"crown"
N-ms
Qodqod means the crown of the head, referring to the top or scalp. It describes the upper part of the head, often translated as crown or scalp in the KJV Bible.
Definition: head, crown of head, top of head, hairy crown, scalp
Usage: Occurs in 11 OT verses. KJV: crown (of the head), pate, scalp, top of the head. See also: Genesis 49:26; Job 2:7; Psalms 7:17.
בְּנ֣וֹת
bath
H1323
"Bath (Shua)"
N-fp
The Hebrew word for daughter is used to describe a female child or a woman, and can also be used figuratively. In the Bible, it is used to describe women like Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah and later of King David.
Definition: A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.38.2; daughter of: Shua (H7770); married to Judah (H3063); mother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956) the wife of Uriah whom David had murdered, having had adulterous relations with her; subsequently wife of David and mother of Solomon, Shimea, Shobab, and Nathan (alternate spelling to 'Bathsheba')
Usage: Occurs in 498 OT verses. KJV: apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter, [idiom] first, [idiom] old, [phrase] owl, town, village. See also: Genesis 5:4; Exodus 2:21; Ruth 1:13.
צִיּ֑וֹן
Tsîyôwn
H6726
"Zion"
N-proper
Zion refers to a mountain in Jerusalem, often used as another name for the city, especially in prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Definition: Zion = "parched place" another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
Usage: Occurs in 153 OT verses. KJV: Zion. See also: 2 Samuel 5:7; Isaiah 49:14; Psalms 2:6.
וַ/יהוָ֖ה
Yᵉhôvâh
H3068
"The Lord"
Conj | N-proper
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Definition: Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
Usage: Occurs in 5522 OT verses. KJV: Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה). See also: Genesis 2:4; Genesis 24:42; Exodus 8:8.
פָּתְ/הֵ֥ן
pôth
H6596
"hinge"
N-fs | Suff
This Hebrew word refers to a hinge or a joint, like the ones that connect doors. It is also used to describe private body parts. It appears in the Bible to describe how things are connected.
Definition: 1) sockets, hinges, secret parts (meaning uncertain) 1a) sockets 1b) secret parts
Usage: Occurs in 2 OT verses. KJV: hinge, secret participle See also: 1 Kings 7:50; Isaiah 3:17.
יְעָרֶֽה
ʻârâh
H6168
"to uncover"
V-Piel-Imperf-3ms
This Hebrew word means to uncover or make something bare, and is used in various contexts, including being naked or pouring something out. It appears in Deuteronomy 28:48 and Isaiah 32:11. The KJV translates it as 'uncover' or 'empty'.
Definition: 1) to be bare, be nude, uncover, leave destitute, discover, empty, raze, pour out 1a) (Piel) 1a1) to bare, lay bare 1a2) to lay bare by emptying, empty 1a3) to pour out 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to make naked, strip bare (of sexual offences) 1b2) to pour out 1c) (Niphal) to be poured out, be exposed 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to expose oneself, make oneself naked 1d2) pouring oneself, spreading oneself (participle)
Usage: Occurs in 14 OT verses. KJV: leave destitute, discover, empty, make naked, pour (out), rase, spread self, uncover. See also: Genesis 24:20; Isaiah 3:17; Psalms 37:35.
Study Notes — Isaiah 3:17
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Isaiah 3:17 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 3:17
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 3:17
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
- Trapp's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
- Ellicott's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
- Cambridge Bible on Isaiah 3:17
- Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 3:17
- Whedon's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
- Sermons on Isaiah 3:17
Context — A Warning to the Daughters of Zion
15Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
16The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty— walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—
17the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare. ”
18In that day the Lord will take away their finery: their anklets and headbands and crescents; 19their pendants, bracelets, and veils;Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah 13:22 | And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity that your skirts have been stripped off and your body has been exposed. |
| 2 | Micah 1:11 | Depart in shameful nakedness, O dwellers of Shaphir. The dwellers of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is in mourning; its support is taken from you. |
| 3 | Revelation 16:2 | So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. |
| 4 | Leviticus 13:43–44 | The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the infection on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white like a skin disease, the man is diseased; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean because of the infection on his head. |
| 5 | Leviticus 13:29–30 | If a man or woman has an infection on the head or chin, the priest shall examine the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, an infectious disease of the head or chin. |
| 6 | Isaiah 20:4 | so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame. |
| 7 | Nahum 3:5 | “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms. |
| 8 | Ezekiel 16:36–37 | This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. |
| 9 | Deuteronomy 28:27 | The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you cannot be cured. |
| 10 | Isaiah 47:2–3 | Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams. Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” |
Isaiah 3:17 Summary
This verse is saying that God will punish the daughters of Zion for their pride and sinful behavior, by giving them painful sores on their heads and taking away their beautiful hair and jewelry. This is a warning to all of us to be humble and not to let our love of beauty and material things become an idol in our lives, as warned in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 John 2:15-17. We should remember that our true beauty comes from God, and that we should seek to please Him above all else, as encouraged in Psalm 96:9 and Matthew 5:16. By doing so, we can avoid God's judgment and experience His love and mercy instead, as promised in Romans 8:1 and 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the reason for God's judgment on the daughters of Zion in Isaiah 3:17?
The reason for God's judgment is the daughters of Zion's haughty and wanton behavior, as described in Isaiah 3:16, which is a form of idolatry and rebellion against God, similar to the sins that led to judgment in Ezekiel 16:49 and Proverbs 16:5.
What kind of sores will God bring upon the daughters of Zion?
The Bible does not specify the exact nature of the sores, but it is clear that they will be a form of physical affliction and humiliation, similar to the plagues God sent upon Egypt in Exodus 9:8-12 and the afflictions described in Deuteronomy 28:27, 35.
Will God's judgment be limited to the daughters of Zion, or will it affect others as well?
While Isaiah 3:17 specifically mentions the daughters of Zion, the chapter as a whole describes a broader judgment on the entire nation of Judah, as seen in Isaiah 3:1-15, and the consequences of sin can affect entire communities, as warned in Numbers 16:31-35 and Joshua 7:24-26.
Is there any hope for the daughters of Zion to avoid God's judgment?
Yes, as with all of God's judgments, there is always the possibility of repentance and forgiveness, as seen in Isaiah 1:18-20, Joel 2:12-14, and 1 John 1:9, and it is never too late for individuals to turn to God and seek His mercy and forgiveness.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways in which I may be guilty of haughty or wanton behavior, and how can I humble myself before God?
- How can I balance a desire to look attractive and presentable with the need to avoid pride and vanity, as warned in 1 Peter 3:3-4?
- In what ways can I show compassion and empathy to those who are suffering, as encouraged in Galatians 6:2 and Matthew 25:31-46?
- What are some idols or distractions in my life that may be leading me away from a pure devotion to God, and how can I remove them, as commanded in Matthew 5:29-30 and Colossians 3:5?
Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 3:17
Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,.... This is opposed to the lifting up of their heads in that haughty manner they did, and to the binding, and
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 3:17
Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab - Hebrew, sipach (H5596); cf.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
Will smite with a scab the crown of the head; will by sending scabs, or by other ways, take off the hair of their head, which is a woman’ s glory, , and which doubtless ministered to their pride and wantonness. Others render it, he will make bald, &c. Discover their secret parts, by giving her into the power of those enemies that shall either strip her of all her raiments, not leaving her sufficient to cover her nakedness; or otherwise abuse her by such immodest and contemptuous actions. Compare 23:10,26.
Trapp's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
Isaiah 3:17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.Ver. 17. Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head.] He will not only pull off their rich pantofles off their feet, but also their lovely locks from off their heads, with scabs and scales, perhaps caused by some foul disease, as the lues venerea or plica polonica. And will discover their secret parts.] Not having a rag left to cover them with, while stripped of all by the enemy; they are driven away as those Egyptians were, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt; or as the Albigenses in France at Carcassona had quarter for their lives given them by the Popish bishops and other cruciates that persecuted them, but on this condition, that both men and wmnen should depart the town stark naked in the view of the whole army. Turpe pecus mutilum, turpis sine gramine campus: Et sine fronde frutex, et sine crine caput. - Ovid. Formed like a cross, cross shaped; arranged in the form of a cross. c Rivet. Jesuit. Vapul.
Ellicott's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
(17) The Lord will smite with a scab . . .—The words point partly to diseases, such as leprosy, causing baldness, engendered by misery and captivity, partly to the brutal outrage of the Assyrian invaders, stripping off the costly garments and leaving the wearers to their nakedness. (Comp. Ezekiel 16:37; Nahum 3:5.)
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
Verse 17. The Lord will smite - "Will the Lord humble"] ταπεινωσει, Septuagint; and so Syriac and Chaldee. For שפח sippach they read שפל shaphal. Instead of יהוה Yehovah, many MSS. have אדני Adonai. Will discover their secret parts - "Expose their nakedness"] It was the barbarous custom of the conquerors of those times to strip their captives naked, and to make them travel in that condition, exposed to the inclemency of the weather; and the worst of all, to the intolerable heat of the sun. But this to the women was the height of cruelty and indignity; and especially to such as those here described, who had indulged themselves in all manner of delicacies of living, and all the superfluities of ornamental dress; and even whose faces had hardly ever been exposed to the sight of man. This is always mentioned as the hardest part of the lot of captives. Nahum, Isaiah 3:5; Isaiah 3:6, denouncing the fate of Nineveh, paints it in very strong colours: - "Behold, I am against thee, saith JEHOVAH, God of hosts: And I will discover thy skirts upon thy face; And I will expose thy nakedness to the nations; And to the kingdoms thy shame. And I will throw ordures upon thee; And I will make thee vile, and set thee as a gazing-stock."
Cambridge Bible on Isaiah 3:17
17. smite with a scab] In Heb. a single verb formed from the noun found in Leviticus 13:2; Leviticus 13:6 ff. (the law of leprosy).
Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 3:17
Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab - There is some diversity of rendering to this expression.
Whedon's Commentary on Isaiah 3:17
17. Smite with a scab — Leprosy, no doubt, or its equivalent result. The latter seems the view of the Septuagint, the Targums, and the Syriac. Few things are deemed more degrading to the Hebrew women than baldness.
Sermons on Isaiah 3:17
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Change or Exchange by Lewis Gregory | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that humans have a fundamental flaw that renders their lives worthless. God is calling for a drastic change in their lives, as mere confessi |
|
Why Are These Things Come Upon Me? by Dan Biser | This sermon delves into the reasons behind the challenges faced by individuals, families, churches, and nations, emphasizing the consequences of sin and the need for repentance and |
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Homily 43 on the Acts of the Apostles by St. John Chrysostom | John Chrysostom preaches on the events in Acts 20:1-16, focusing on Paul's journey through Macedonia and Greece, emphasizing the importance of preaching and comforting believers am |
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Day 254, Revelation 16 by David Servant | David Servant delves into the intense final judgments of God upon the earth known as the seven 'bowl judgments,' surpassing the severity of the previous seal and trumpet judgments. |