Isaiah 20 · Scripture · Fisherman's Friend

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In the year when Tanathan came to Azotus, when he was sent by Arna king of the Assyrians, and warred against Azotus, and took it;

ΤΟΥ ἔτους οὗ εἰσῆλθεν Τανάθαν εἰς ῎Αζωτον, ἡνίκα ἀπεστάλη ὑπὸ ᾿Αρνᾶ βασιλέως ᾿Ασσυρίων καὶ ἐπολέμησε τὴν ῎Αζωτον καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτήν,

Въ лѣ́то, въ не́же вни́де танаѳа́нъ во а҆зѡ́тъ, є҆гда̀ по́сланъ бы́сть ѿ а҆рны̀, царѧ̀ а҆ссѷрі́йскагѡ, и҆ воева̀ на а҆зѡ́тъ и҆ взѧ̀ є҆го̀,

Ambrose of Milan †397

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Someone perhaps will say, “Was it not disgraceful for a man to walk naked among the people since he must meet both men and women? Must not his appearance have shocked the gaze of all, but especially that of women? Do we not ourselves generally abhor the sight of naked men? And are not men’s private parts covered with clothing that they may not offend the gaze of onlookers by their unsightliness?” I agree, but you must consider what this act represented and what was the reason for this outward show; it was that the young Jewish youths and maidens would be led away into exile and walk naked, “as my servant Isaiah walked,” he says, “naked and barefoot.” This might have been expressed in words, but God chose to enforce it by an example that the very sight might strike more terror, and what they shrank from in the body of the prophet they might utterly dread for themselves. Wherein lay the greater abhorrence: in the body of the prophet or in the sins of the disbelievers?
Letter 58.10-11

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That it may be more fully clear that prophets look not to themselves or what lies at their feet but to heavenly things, Stephen, when he was being stoned, saw the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Then he did not feel the blows of the stones, he did not heed the wounds of his body, but, fastening his eyes on Christ, he clung to him. So, too, Isaiah did not notice his nakedness but made himself the instrument of God’s voice, that he might proclaim what God spoke within him.
Letter 58.13

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Truly I grieve that while falsehood is so respected, there should be such negligence as regards the truth, that many are ashamed of seeming too devoted to our holy religion, not considering his words who says, “Whosoever shall be ashamed of me before men, of him will I also be ashamed before my Father which is in heaven.” But Moses was not thus ashamed, for though invited into the royal palace he “esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” David was not thus ashamed when he danced before the ark of the testimony in the sight of all the people. Isaiah was not thus ashamed when he walked naked and barefoot through the people, proclaiming the heavenly oracles.…But the things that viewed corporeally are unseemly, when viewed in regard to holy religion become venerable, so that they who blame such things will involve their own souls in the net of blame. Thus Michal reproves David for his dancing and says to him, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of his handmaids!” And David answered her, “It was before the Lord, who chose me before your father and before all his house to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel.”
Letter 58.4-6

Jerome †420

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“And the Spirit entered me and set me upon my feet and spoke to me, saying, ‘Go and enclose yourself within your house.’ ” Unable to bear the glory of the Lord standing before him, he fell on his face, only to be raised up by the indwelling Spirit. When the Spirit set him upon his feet and spoke, saying, “Go and enclose yourself within your house,” this is what he meant: “Because you were strengthened by the appearance of the Lord’s majesty, you should neither fear nor be terrified of anything, but return to your house (either to tend to the needs of the body, as some think, or to signify the future siege) and, as a barefoot, naked Isaiah announced for three years the coming captivity and nakedness of the people, so also your own enclosure in the house will itself be a prophet announcing the siege of the city of Jerusalem.”
Commentary on Ezekiel 1:3.23B-24

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Isaiah goes naked without blushing as a type of captivity to come.
Letter 40

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(Chapter 20, verses 1 and following) In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and took it, at that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet," and he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the Lord said, "As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush. Thus the king of Assyria will threaten the captivity of Egypt, and the migration of Ethiopia, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, the shame of Egypt. And they will fear and be ashamed because of Ethiopia, and because of Egypt, their glory. And the inhabitants of this island will say on that day, Is this our hope? To whom did we flee for help, to be delivered from the face of the king of Assyria? And how can we escape? Pro Thartan LXX Thanatan transtulerunt: et pro Sargon, Arna: quod quid interpretetur, scire non possumus. Neque enim falsorum nominum falsas possumus etymologias fingere. Sunt autem nomina non Hebraea, sed Assyria, e quibus sonare cognovimus Thartan, turrem dedit, vel superfluus, sive elongans. Sargon autem princeps horti. Hic rex Assyrius quem supra legimus sensum magnum, habet duces plurimos, quorum unus est Thartan, elatus in superbiam, et longe procedens in scelere,et amplior caeteris: et mittitur ad impugnandam Azotum, quae Hebraice dicitur Asdod (), et interpretatur, ignis generationis; expugnatque dux regis Assyrii eos qui generationi et libidini serviunt. And beautifully the king of the Assyrians, Sargon the prince of gardens, is said to be dedicated to pleasure and luxury. Finally, even Ahab, the king of Israel, desired to turn Naboth's vineyard into a garden, understanding the figurative meaning according to the laws of tropology, he preferred to die rather than to do it, so that his paternal inheritance and ancient possession would not be turned into the delights of an impious king. Moreover, the prophet is commanded to walk naked and barefoot, with his sack and shoes removed, as a sign and wonder to the Egyptians and Ethiopians who persecuted the people of God, and to humble them because of their pride. For Egypt means pursuing or afflicting; the Ethiopians, are humble and dejected; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. (Luke 14:11). And those who are to be led into captivity and suffer torment for three years, as we read in the Psalms: I considered the days of old and years long past. (Psalm 77:5). These are not small punishments, but ones extended for long periods of time. But in the very captivity and transmigration in Egypt, both young and old, who have been strengthened in evil and have reached the vices of perfect age, will go naked so that all their crimes may be exposed (For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed), and barefoot, because they will not be able to eat the Pascha of the Lord: whoever eats it has his loins girded and holds a staff in his hand and stands with feet shod, so that while passing through the desert of this world he may not be bitten by serpents. Then their buttocks will be exposed, from which excrement is produced, and all the shame of Egypt will be revealed, so that those who had hope in Egypt and Ethiopia will be confounded, and they will see that their glory has been changed into confusion; to such an extent that the inhabitant of this island, that is, of this world, who is not a stranger and foreigner, but desired to have perpetual possession of the world, says in confusion: This is Egypt, and this is Ethiopia, from which we hoped for help, in order that they would free us from the prince of this world. How then can we escape, since those in whom we had hope are captured? And it should be noted that before Azotus is captured, he is clothed in a sackcloth and with feet shod, so that he may indeed bewail those who have been wounded by the burning darts of the devil and serve their lust; but nevertheless, he himself walks shod, so that he may tread upon serpents and scorpions, and walk securely through the wilderness of this world, in which there are serpents and scorpions, and a thirst for good things. But after Ashdod was captured, he walks barefoot and naked as a sign of the captivity of Egypt and the exile of Ethiopia. For he could not stand or walk in the holy land, to which he hurried to go, dressed in a sackcloth and with his feet covered with skins, as the Lord said: Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy (Exodus 3:5).
Commentary on Isaiah

(Chapter 20, Verse 1) In the year that Tharhaka came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and fought against Ashdod and took it. At that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush. Thus the king of Assyria will threaten the captivity of Egypt, and the exile of Ethiopia, the young and old stripped and barefoot, with naked buttocks, the disgrace of Egypt. And they will be afraid and ashamed because of their hope in Ethiopia, and because of their glory in Egypt. And the inhabitants of this island will say on that day: Behold, this was our hope, to whom we fled for help, that he might deliver us from the face of the king of Assyria, and how will we be able to escape? We have set the whole content of this chapter, so that we may discuss each part separately. Azotus, which is called Ashdod in Hebrew, was a very powerful city in Palestine among the five cities. It was captured and held by Sargon, the king of the Assyrians, who is also known by seven names, by sending his general named Tartan. At the time when the neighboring city was captured, Isaiah is commanded to walk naked and barefoot, after taking off his sackcloth garment (for this was the prophetic attire of a people grieving for their sins) and his sandals, which the Greek translation calls caligas, thus symbolizing the captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia, who were allies of the Egyptians. In this way, just as Isaiah walked naked and showed his bare buttocks as a sign of disgrace to those who saw, all of Egypt and Ethiopia would become naked and bare, with nothing remaining on the land, as the Assyrians ravaged the region. Nor let anyone think that this is contrary to the previous happiness promised to the Egyptians, because there they are taught about future bliss after the evils. Here, however, the present captivity is narrated, through which Israel, Damascus, and the Philistines were devastated, and the right way to Egypt was taken, and both the Ethiopians and the Egyptians were conquered. And so that it does not seem ambiguous to anyone, let us consider the testimony of Isaiah himself: But when Sennacherib returned, he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish; and he heard about Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, saying, 'He has come out to fight against you.' (2 Kings 19:8-9). At the same time, we learn obedience from the prophets, because a noble man (for the Hebrews report that Isaiah was the father-in-law of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah) did not hesitate to walk naked; but considering nothing more honorable than God's commands, he removed the sackcloth in which he had been clothed, and being stripped naked, he first had a tunic, and that itself made of haircloth. And when it is said: It shall be a sign and a wonder for three years upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia, it signifies that Egypt and Ethiopia shall be devastated by the Assyrians for three years. Then, he said, the inhabitant of this island, that is Jerusalem, which is battered by the waves of neighboring nations, will say: Is this our hope? And did we flee to them for help, who could not rescue themselves from the evil of captivity? Therefore, this is the order of God's providence, disposing of all human kind with ineffable judgment. In contrast, Israel hoped in Damascus against the wrath of God: let the city be destroyed, which offers assistance to the wicked against His will. Judas hoped in the Egyptians: and let Egypt be destroyed. The Egyptians put their trust in the Ethiopians: let the Ethiopians also be conquered by the Assyrians. The Assyrians became proud, considering victory to be not of God, but of their own strength: and let them be conquered by the Babylonians. Babylon raised its head against God: and let it be overcome by the Medes and Persians. The Persians and Medes persecuted the people of God to some extent, and a fierce ram scattered all peoples to the East and West; let Alexander the goat come and crush him under his feet. And he who is beyond measure upright, let him perish by poison, and let his kingdom be divided into parts; and when over a long period of time they have clashed against each other, with the Roman conquering, let it be plundered. The Roman himself, with teeth and claws of iron, tore the flesh of the saints, and with a bloody mouth, he mutilated: let the stone be cut out from the mountain without hands, and let it crush the first kingdom, most powerful and iron, then fragile and weak, like a potter's vessel (Daniel 2).
Commentary on Isaiah

Thomas Aquinas †1274

In the year that. Here the time of destruction is set out, and it is divided into three parts. And first is set out something that signifies, namely a prophetic deed; second, the signification of the deed: and the Lord said (Isa 20:3); third, he shows the effect of the thing signified: and they shall be afraid, and confounded (Isa 20:5).
Concerning the first, he does three things. First, the time of the prophecy is set out: in the year that Tharthan entered into Azotus, a city of the Philistines, Amos 1:7–8: where also is Gaza, Geth, Accaron, Ascalon, Azotus. Sargon, who is Sennacherib, according to Jerome, for he had six names, which were Sargon, Senach, Phua, Salmanasar, Theglathphalasar and Asarad. By the hand, that is, in a work concordant with his words: I have used similitudes by the hands of the prophets (Hos 12:10).
Commentary on Isaiah

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then the Lord spoke to Esaias the son of Amos, saying, Go and take the sackcloth off thy loins, and loose thy sandals from off thy feet, and do thus, going naked and barefoot.

τότε ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς ᾿Ησαΐαν υἱὸν ᾿Αμὼς λέγων· πορεύου καὶ ἄφελε τὸν σάκκον ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος σου καὶ τὰ σανδάλιά σου ὑπόλυσαι ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν σου· καὶ ποίησον οὕτως πορευόμενος γυμνὸς καὶ ἀνυπόδετος.

тогда̀ речѐ гдⷭ҇ь ко и҆са́їи сы́нꙋ а҆мѡ́совꙋ, гл҃ѧ: и҆дѝ и҆ све́рзи вре́тище со чре́слъ свои́хъ, и҆ санда̑лїѧ твоѧ̑ и҆ззꙋ́й съ но́гъ твои́хъ, и҆ сотворѝ си́це, ходѧ̀ на́гъ и҆ бо́съ.

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And the Lord said, As my servant Esaias has walked naked and barefoot three years, there shall be three years for signs and wonders to the Egyptians and Ethiopians;

καὶ εἶπε Κύριος· ὃν τρόπον πεπόρευται ὁ παῖς μου ῾Ησαΐας γυμνὸς καὶ ἀνυπόδετος τρία ἔτη, τρία ἔτη ἔσται εἰς σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ Αἰθίοψιν·

И҆ речѐ гдⷭ҇ь: ꙗ҆́коже ходи́лъ ра́бъ мо́й и҆са́їа на́гъ и҆ бо́съ трѝ лѣ̑та, трѝ лѣ̑та бꙋ́дꙋтъ зна́мєнїѧ и҆ чꙋдеса̀ є҆гѵ́птѧнѡмъ и҆ є҆ѳїо́плѧнѡмъ:

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for thus shall the king of the Assyrians lead the captivity of Egypt and the Ethiopians, young men and old, naked and barefoot, having the shame of Egypt exposed.

ὅτι οὕτως ἄξει βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Αἰγύπτου καὶ Αἰθιόπων, νεανίσκους καὶ πρεσβύτας, γυμνοὺς καὶ ἀνυποδέτους, ἀνακεκαλυμμένους τὴν αἰσχύνην Αἰγύπτου.

ꙗ҆́кѡ та́кожде ѿведе́тъ ца́рь а҆ссѷрі́йскъ плѣ́нъ є҆гѵ́петскъ и҆ є҆ѳїо́пскъ, ю҆́ношы и҆ ста́рцы, на́ги и҆ бо́сы, ѿкровє́ны во стыдѣ́нїе є҆гѵ́птꙋ.

5

And the Egyptians being defeated shall be ashamed of the Ethiopians, in whom they had trusted; for they were their glory.

καὶ αἰσχυνθήσονται ἡττηθέντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐπὶ τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν, ἐφ᾿ οἷς ἦσαν πεποιθότες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, ἦσαν γὰρ αὐτοῖς δόξα.

И҆ постыдѧ́тсѧ побѣжде́ни є҆гѵ́птѧне ѡ҆ є҆ѳїо́плѧнѣхъ, на ни́хже ᲂу҆пова́хꙋ є҆гѵ́птѧне, бѧ́хꙋ бо и҆̀мъ сла́ва.

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And they that dwell in this island shall say in that day, Behold, we trusted to flee to them for help, who could not save themselves from the king of the Assyrians: and how shall we be saved?

καὶ ἐροῦσιν οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ταύτῃ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ· ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς ἦμεν πεποιθότες τοῦ φυγεῖν εἰς αὐτοὺς εἰς βοήθειαν, οἳ οὐκ ἠδύναντο σωθῆναι ἀπὸ βασιλέως ᾿Ασσυρίων· καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς σωθησόμεθα;

И҆ рекꙋ́тъ живꙋ́щїи на ѻ҆́стровѣ се́мъ въ де́нь ѻ҆́ный: сѐ, мы̀ бѣ́хомъ ᲂу҆пова́юще бѣжа́ти къ ни̑мъ на по́мощь, и҆̀же не мого́ша спасти́сѧ ѿ царѧ̀ а҆ссѷрі́йска, и҆ ка́кѡ мы̀ спасе́мсѧ;