In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights that God sees and will remove the "bravery"—the boastful, ostentatious display—of the women's adornments. It's not just about the specific items like anklets and crescents, but about the pride and vanity they represent, which God will strip away.
In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah has been detailing the impending judgment on Jerusalem and Judah due to the arrogance and sinful extravagance of its people, particularly the women. This verse continues that theme, directly listing specific items of adornment—anklets, headbands, and moon-shaped ornaments—that God will strip away from the women as a consequence of their pride and idolatry.
The prophet Isaiah lists a series of ornate accessories worn by the women of Zion. But these weren't just fashion statements—they held deeper meaning and carried a spiritual weight.
In Isaiah 3:18, the Lord declares He will remove "the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon." This wasn't simply a divine decluttering of a closet. These ornaments were symbols:
Tinkling Ornaments: Worn on the feet, these likely produced a noticeable sound as the women walked. This isn't just about noise; it signifies a deliberate, ostentatious display, drawing attention to themselves with every step. It speaks to a pride that wants to be heard and seen.
Cauls: These were likely intricate head coverings or nets, possibly adorned with jewels, that framed the face. They represented an effort to enhance their beauty and perhaps signify their status or attractiveness.
Round Tires like the Moon: These crescent-shaped ornaments, often worn around the neck, are particularly interesting. Some scholars suggest they may have been linked to the worship of pagan deities like Ashtaroth (often associated with the moon). Even if not directly idolatrous, they represented a focus on worldly adornment and potentially superstitious practices.
The "bravery" (or finery) of these items was directly linked to their pride and a misplaced trust in their own beauty and possessions rather than in God.
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When God takes away something precious, it's often to reveal what we've been depending on—and what we should be depending on instead.
The stripping away of these ornaments in Isaiah 3:18 is a profound act of judgment and a lesson in misplaced trust.
Loss of Security: These items, whether for beauty, status, or even perceived protection (as some crescent ornaments were thought to ward off evil), represented what the women relied on for their sense of worth and security. When the Lord takes them away, He is demonstrating their ultimate emptiness and inability to provide true safety or fulfillment.
Divine Discipline: This removal is a consequence of their spiritual condition. The context (Isaiah 3:16-17) highlights their haughtiness, wanton eyes, and pride. Their finery was an outward expression of an inward rebellion. God's action is a form of discipline, designed to break their reliance on worldly things and expose their vulnerability.
A Call to Repentance: By taking away their adornments, God forces them to confront their sin. It's a stark demonstration that their perceived beauty and attractiveness, derived from these trinkets, is fleeting and offensive to Him. This judgment serves as an urgent call to turn back to Him, seeking value and security in His steadfast love rather than in temporary, superficial things.
Understand the original words
bayom hahu · Hebrew Phrase
A common prophetic idiom referring to the time of divine intervention, usually involving judgment, purification, or the restoration of God’s rule over His people.
tiphereth · Hebrew Noun
A general term for worldly ornaments, jewelry, or excessive decoration. It represents the vanity and materialism that distract people from spiritual devotion.
This prophecy comes at a time of immense political pressure and impending doom for Judah, with the mighty Assyrian Empire on its borders. The luxurious ornaments symbolize a misplaced trust in worldly wealth and status rather than in God, making them targets for removal when judgment falls.
c. 740 BC
Assyrian Empire's Growing Power
The Assyrian Empire was a major superpower in the Near East, exerting significant military and economic influence over surrounding nations, including Judah and Israel.
c. 740 BC— this verse
Prophecies of Judgment Against Judah
Isaiah delivers prophecies of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, detailing social corruption, idolatry, and pride, and warning of impending divine retribution.
734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimite War
Judah, under King Ahaz, is drawn into a conflict with Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel, leading to further political instability and reliance on Assyria.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrians, leading to the exile of its people and serving as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, besieging Jerusalem and devastating many cities. While Jerusalem is miraculously spared, the invasion brings great hardship.
This passage directly parallels Isaiah's warning by describing the people's continued devotion to pagan practices and adornments, specifically mentioning 'tinkling ornaments' and 'necklaces' which are associated with idolatrous worship.
Ezekiel 16:11This verse vividly describes Jerusalem's beautification with fine jewelry, including anklets and necklaces resembling moons, highlighting the same kind of outward adornment that Isaiah condemns as a sign of spiritual corruption.
Song of Solomon 7:1This passage uses similar imagery of adornment, describing the 'graceful feet' and 'exquisite thighs' adorned with 'fine wrought ornaments,' showing how such items were considered beautiful in a different context, but in Isaiah's message, they symbolize a turning away from God.
1 Timothy 2:9This New Testament passage echoes the sentiment of Isaiah by cautioning against excessive adornment like elaborate hairstyles and jewelry, linking outward beauty to vanity and a lack of inner godliness.
jfbIsaiah 3:18: "In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,"
- bravery—the finery.tinkling—(See Isa 3:16).cauls—network for the head. Or else, from an Arabic root, "little suns," answering to the "tires" or neck-ornaments, "like the moon" (Jud 8:21). The chumarah or crescent is also worn in front of the headdress in West Asia.
pooleIsaiah 3:18: "In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,"
Cauls: as for this and the other Hebrew words here following, I judge it unnecessary and improper to trouble the English reader with the differing interpretations given of them by learned men, which the curious may find in my Latin Synopsis. It is agreed by all that they were ornaments used by that people in those times, and made fuel…
This verse highlights that God sees and will remove the "bravery"—the boastful, ostentatious display—of the women's adornments. It's not just about the specific items like anklets and crescents, but about the pride and vanity they represent, which God will strip away.
The prophet Isaiah has been detailing the impending judgment on Jerusalem and Judah due to the arrogance and sinful extravagance of its people, particularly the women. This verse continues that theme, directly listing specific items of adornment—anklets, headbands, and moon-shaped ornaments—that God will strip away from the women as a consequence of their pride and idolatry.
The prophet Isaiah has been detailing the impending judgment on Jerusalem and Judah due to the arrogance and sinful extravagance of its people, particularly the women. This verse continues that theme, directly listing specific items of adornment—anklets, headbands, and moon-shaped ornaments—that God will strip away from the women as a consequence of their pride and idolatry.
"In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;" — This verse highlights that God sees and will remove the "bravery"—the boastful, ostentatious display—of the women's adornments. It's not just about the specific items like anklets and crescents, but…
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Last reviewed October 2026