Isaiah 3:17
therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This isn't just about physical stripping; it's a profound reversal of their pride. Their elaborate hairstyles, a symbol of their status and beauty, will be ruined by disease, and their bodies, usually hidden and protected, will be exposed as a consequence of conquest.
God is speaking judgment against the women of Jerusalem, the "daughters of Zion," who have become overly proud and vain in their appearance and conduct. The preceding verses detail their haughty demeanor, their elaborate hairstyles, and their jingling jewelry, all of which are presented as outward expressions of inner corruption. This verse reveals the consequence of their pride: God will inflict them with diseases that cause baldness and, worse, strip them bare, exposing them to the ultimate indignity of capture and humiliation.
Imagine the ultimate public humiliation – stripped bare for all to see. This verse speaks of a profound and devastating disgrace. What does this brutal imagery reveal about God's view of sin?
The phrase "discover their secret parts" is incredibly stark. It signifies a loss of dignity and privacy so complete that it's worse than death.
A Cruel Custom
Conquerors often stripped captives, especially women, naked as a form of ultimate humiliation. This wasn't just about nudity; it was about stripping away identity, honor, and safety. For the women of Zion, who prided themselves on their beauty and modesty, this would be an unbearable fate.
Divine Justice
This judgment is not random cruelty. It's a direct consequence of their pride and vanity. They had "stretched out their necks" and "minced" in their walk (verse 16), flaunting their supposed beauty and status. God, in His justice, turns their cherished ornaments and carefully guarded appearances into a source of ultimate shame.
A woman's hair was considered her glory in ancient times. The judgment here targets not just outward appearance, but the very symbol of her beauty and honor. What does this specific affliction signify?
The "scab" that strikes the "crown of the head" isn't just a minor ailment. It implies diseases that cause hair loss, leading to baldness.
Undoing Pride
This directly counteracts the daughters of Zion's vanity. They likely spent hours styling and adorning their hair, a source of their pride and status. God's judgment renders this effort useless, causing their hair to fall out, leaving them physically marked and stripped of their visible glory.
A Symbol of Captivity
Baldness, whether from disease or forced shaving, was a stark symbol of shame and subjugation. It removed a primary marker of feminine beauty and signaled that they were no longer in control of their own lives or appearances. It was a visible sign of God's displeasure and the brokenness brought upon them.
Understand the original words
Adonay · Hebrew Noun
In a prophetic context, this term often refers to the Sovereign God (Adonai) who asserts His authority over His people. It signifies the One who has the right and power to judge and punish.
saphach · Hebrew Noun
A physical condition or affliction used here as a metaphor for divine judgment. It symbolizes the removal of dignity and the exposure of the internal corruption hidden beneath outward beauty.
ervah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the private or intimate areas of the body. Its exposure is a powerful biblical metaphor for humiliation, the stripping away of glory, and the forced revelation of shame due to disobedience.
The daughters of Zion, characterized by their pride and extravagant adornment, faced divine judgment not just through disease but through the brutal humiliation of being stripped and exposed by conquering armies, a fate that would have been especially devastating to women accustomed to strict social seclusion and elaborate dress.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Influence on Judah
The Assyrian Empire, under kings like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II, exerted significant political and cultural influence over the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This period saw increased interaction with Assyrian customs and a growing Assyrian threat, contributing to the societal anxieties and potential for judgment Isaiah addressed.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria launched a massive campaign against Judah, conquering many fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem. While Jerusalem was spared immediate destruction, the experience of invasion, destruction, and the threat of captivity deeply impacted the people and set the stage for prophetic warnings.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon began its rise to power, leading to the first major deportation of Jewish people, including nobles and skilled workers, to Babylon. This event marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile and demonstrated the stark reality of God's judgment.
This passage echoes the same theme of public humiliation and exposure of shame for a sinful city and its people, mirroring the fate of the daughters of Zion.
Ezekiel 16:37Here, God declares He will uncover the women's nakedness and expose their shame to their lovers and those they worshipped, drawing a parallel to the indignity faced by the daughters of Zion.
Jeremiah 13:22This verse speaks directly to the daughters of Zion about their 'great iniquity' leading to their skirts being discovered and their shame exposed, reinforcing the judgment described in Isaiah.
Isaiah 47:3Similar to the passage in Isaiah 3, this verse describes Babylon's humiliation, where her 'nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, her shame shall be seen,' highlighting the consequence of pride and sin.
gillIsaiah 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 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 plaiting, and curling of their hair, which now will fall off, through the scab or leprosy upon them, or must be obliged to be shaven off. And the L…
clarkeIsaiah 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."
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…
This isn't just about physical stripping; it's a profound reversal of their pride. Their elaborate hairstyles, a symbol of their status and beauty, will be ruined by disease, and their bodies, usually hidden and protected, will be exposed as a consequence of conquest.
God is speaking judgment against the women of Jerusalem, the "daughters of Zion," who have become overly proud and vain in their appearance and conduct. The preceding verses detail their haughty demeanor, their elaborate hairstyles, and their jingling jewelry, all of which are presented as outward expressions of inner corruption. This verse reveals the consequence of their pride: God will inflict them with diseases that cause baldness and, worse, strip them bare, exposing them to the ultimate indignity of capture and humiliation.
God is speaking judgment against the women of Jerusalem, the "daughters of Zion," who have become overly proud and vain in their appearance and conduct. The preceding verses detail their haughty demeanor, their elaborate hairstyles, and their jingling jewelry, all of which are presented as outward expressions of inner corruption. This verse reveals the consequence of their pride: God will inflict them with diseases that cause baldness and, worse, strip them bare, exposing them to the ultimate indignity of capture and humiliation.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Isaiah 3:17 is available in the Sola app.
587/586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
The Babylonians finally conquered Jerusalem, destroyed Solomon's Temple, and deported the majority of the remaining population. This cataclysmic event represented the ultimate fulfillment of prophetic judgment for the sins of Judah.
"therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts." — This isn't just about physical stripping; it's a profound reversal of their pride. Their elaborate hairstyles, a symbol of their status and beauty, will be ruined by disease, and their bodies, usuall…
