Isaiah 20
AOSNIsaiah 20:1-5
Ashdod’s reliance on Egypt and Ethiopia was useless. As a complement to his words, Isaiah walked about exposed and barefoot, a symbolic action for what God would do.
Isaiah 20:1
Sargon of Assyria is Sargon II, who ruled from 721 to 705 BC.
Ashdod was one of the five Philistine cities that rebelled against Assyria in 713 BC.
Isaiah 20:2
Prophets often wore sackcloth or other rough clothing to show mourning for the people's sins (see 2 Kings 1:8; Mark 1:6).
naked: This means exposed in some way, possibly even completely nude.
Isaiah 20:3-4
This symbolic event happened about three years before Ashdod fell (see Isaiah 20:2). Through this event, Isaiah served as an example for the people (see Isaiah 8:18).
Isaiah 20:5-6
Philistia’s downfall was a warning to the people of Judah, who also relied on Egypt and other alliances rather than on God.
Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
