ISAIAH 20 A SIGN AGAINST EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA

Isaiah 20

A sign against Egypt and Cush

Isa 20:1  In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it; 

Sargon, the king of Assyria (historically Sargon II, reigned 722–705 BCE), dispatched his commander, Tartan (not a personal name but a military title—turtānu, meaning commander-in-chief) to subdue Ashdod, a chief city of the Philistines. This event occurred in 711 BCE, marking another Assyrian victory over the western lands.

Isa 20:2  At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 

The LORD instructed Isaiah to remove both his sackcloth—the garment often worn as a symbol of mourning and prophetic office (2 Ki 1:8; Zech 13:4; Matt 3:4; Rev 11:3) and his footwear. Sackcloth was typically made from coarse goat’s hair and worn around the loins. In biblical culture, to go barefoot was a sign of mourning, grief, humility, or captivity (2 Sam 15:30).  Isaiah was not literally naked but stripped of his outer garment, retaining only his tunic. In Scripture, to be without one’s official outer attire was regarded as “nakedness” (1 Sam 19:24; 2 Sam 6:20; John 21:7). The act of walking barefoot and without his prophetic attire made Isaiah a living, visible prophecy of the shame and humiliation awaiting Egypt and Ethiopia.

Isa 20:3  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; 

So Isaiah, by divine command, became a living sign to the people. His stripped appearance symbolised the future humiliation of Egypt and Ethiopia, who would be stripped of honour, wealth, and freedom. The LORD had declared this sign, and Isaiah was required to maintain it for the long space of three years, during a critical period when decisive action was needed and the people of Judah were looking to Egypt for help.

Isa 20:4  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. 

As Isaiah walked stripped, so too would the Egyptians and Ethiopians be led away in utter disgrace. Historical records and reliefs from ancient temples depict captives in such a state—stripped, with hair dishevelled, hands bound, and dignity lost. The defeat would be public and shameful, exposing Egypt’s frailty before Assyria’s might.

Isa 20:5  And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory. 

The inhabitants of Judah, who looked to Egypt and Ethiopia for help against Assyria, would be filled with fear and shame when those nations fell. Egypt had been the object of their admiration and pride — their supposed shield and glory in whom they trusted more than in their God. Judah would realise with bitter shame that those they had glorified were powerless even to save themselves, much less deliver others.

Isa 20:6  And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape? 

When the prophecy came to pass, the people of the coastal regions and Judah would condemn their misplaced trust in Egypt, realising their folly. Seeing Egypt and Ethiopia humbled, they would be terrified for their own fate. How could they escape defeat and captivity, now that their allies lay in ruins? This calamity was meant to teach them the vanity of relying on human alliances, no matter how strong they seemed, and to direct their trust to the LORD alone—their true Deliverer. To Him, and to Him only, should they flee for help and deliverance.

  

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ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

1.  Herodotus. The Histories. Book II, Section 157. Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. London: Penguin Classics; 2003.
2. Healy M. The Ancient Assyrians. New York: Osprey Publishing; 1991. p. 52–54.
3. Fall of Ashdod. In: Wikipedia [Internet]. Wikimedia Foundation; [cited 2025 Jul 3]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Ashdod