Isaiah 3:18 kjv
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,
Isaiah 3:18 nkjv
In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;
Isaiah 3:18 niv
In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,
Isaiah 3:18 esv
In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;
Isaiah 3:18 nlt
On that day of judgment
the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful:
ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,
Isaiah 3 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 2:11 | The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. | God humbles the proud |
| Isa 2:17 | And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. | God humbles the proud (repetition) |
| Isa 3:24-26 | Instead of perfume there will be rottenness... instead of beauty, branding... Zion will be plowed as a field... | Consequence: reversal of beauty into shame |
| Isa 4:1 | In that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes..." | Desperate women, loss of providers |
| Hos 2:3 | Lest I strip her naked and expose her as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness... | Stripping naked as judgment |
| Hos 2:9-13 | Therefore I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season. I will take away My wool and My linen, which were to cover her nakedness. | God removes blessings due to unfaithfulness |
| Eze 16:39 | And I will give you into the hand of your lovers, and they shall pull down your mounds and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes... | Stripping of clothes for harlotry |
| Lam 1:8 | Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy... All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness. | Nakedness as result of sin, public shame |
| Deut 28:43-48 | The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher, and you shall sink lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him... | Consequences of disobedience: loss, decline |
| Rev 17:16 | And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast—these will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. | Stripping for judgment in Revelation |
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. | Pride's outcome is destruction |
| Jas 4:6 | But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | God's opposition to the proud |
| 1 Pet 5:5 | Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | Call to humility |
| Judg 8:21 | Then Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels. | Crescent ornaments (idolatrous connection) |
| Judg 8:26 | And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments... | Crescent ornaments (pagan associations) |
| Gen 35:4 | So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree... | Removal of pagan items and jewelry |
| Ex 32:2-3 | So Aaron said to them, "Take off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off their golden earrings... | Idolatry associated with jewelry |
| 2 Ki 23:5 | He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings on the high places in the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon... | Moon worship condemned |
| Jer 44:17-19 | But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, we and our fathers... | Worship of "queen of heaven" (pagan deity) |
| Job 1:21 | And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." | God's sovereignty over possessions |
| 1 Sam 2:7 | The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. | God's power over status and wealth |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes exaltation, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. | God's role in elevation/debasement |
| Mal 4:1 | For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble... | "Day of the Lord" for judgment |
| Zep 1:14-16 | The great Day of the Lord is near... A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation... | "Day of the Lord" for judgment (prophetic) |
Isaiah 3 verses
Isaiah 3 18 Meaning
In Isaiah 3:18, the prophet declares that on the appointed Day of the Lord, a time of divine judgment, the Lord Himself will actively remove the lavish and superficial ornaments worn by the proud women of Jerusalem and Judah. This act symbolizes a complete reversal of their self-perceived glory and status into public shame and humiliation, stripping away the material signs of their vanity, societal position, and implied spiritual deviation. The focus is on God's sovereign hand executing justice by dismantling what these women treasured and relied upon for their perceived worth and influence.
Isaiah 3 18 Context
Isaiah chapter 3 is a detailed prophetic indictment against the leadership and populace of Judah and Jerusalem, particularly focusing on the self-indulgent and proud women of Zion. This chapter follows a broader prophecy in Isaiah 2 which announces the coming "Day of the Lord"—a period of divine judgment when God will humble all human pride and exalt Himself. Chapter 3 begins by foretelling a removal of Judah's leaders and a breakdown of societal order due to their rebellion against the Lord and their oppressive treatment of the poor. Verses 16-26 specifically turn to the haughty daughters of Zion, whose extravagant dress, gaudy ornaments, and arrogant demeanor exemplify the nation's spiritual depravity and misplaced trust in material splendor. Isaiah 3:18 thus names specific items that symbolize their vanity, linking their outward display of luxury with their internal pride and idolatry, prophesying that God will strip them of these very objects as a form of divine punishment and public disgrace.
Isaiah 3 18 Word analysis
- In that day (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא - ba-yōm ha-hū): This is a key prophetic idiom, denoting the "Day of the Lord." It refers to a definite future time when God decisively intervenes in human history to judge sin and restore righteousness. In this context, it signals a period of severe divine reckoning for Judah's arrogance and idolatry, implying the inevitability and certainty of God's action.
- the Lord (אֲדֹנָי - Adonai): This divine title emphasizes God's supreme authority, sovereignty, and ownership. It highlights that the action of stripping away their finery is a deliberate, authoritative judgment carried out by the absolute Master, not a random occurrence.
- will take away (יָסִיר - ya-sīr): Derived from the verb sūr, meaning "to turn aside," "remove," or "cause to depart." In the Hiphil stem, it implies an active, causative action by God. It signifies a forceful, intentional removal, directly reversing the women's attempts to adorn themselves and highlighting the active role of God's judgment in dispossessing them. This is not passive loss but divine intervention.
- the finery of (תִּפְאֶרֶת - tifʾeret): This significant Hebrew word translates to "glory," "beauty," "splendor," "magnificence," or "honor." Its use here indicates that God is not merely removing objects, but actively dismantling the perceived "glory" or "honor" that these items conferred upon the women. What they deemed as their splendor will be stripped away, revealing their true shame and worthlessness without God.
- the anklets (הַכְּעָכִים - hak-kəʿāḵîm): These were often chains or bracelets worn around the ankles, sometimes connected by a short chain, which would produce a tinkling or jingling sound when walking. They were a symbol of luxury and were associated with a delicate, affected walk. Their removal would not only mean loss of luxury but also loss of a distinct form of public self-display.
- the headbands (וְהַשְּׁבִיסִים - və-ha-šəbîsîm): These are understood as various forms of ornate headwear, such as headnets, turbans, or other decorative caps. They represented status, beauty, and often part of a woman's adorned hair. Their removal would contribute significantly to the disfigurement and shame of those who prided themselves on their appearance.
- and the crescent ornaments (וְהַשַּׂהֲרֹנִים - və-ha-śśaḥărōnîm): These were moon-shaped pendants or necklaces. They hold particular significance due to their association with pagan worship, specifically the worship of lunar deities (as seen with the Midianites in Judges 8:21, 26, where similar items were found on their camels). Their mention suggests that the women's love for elaborate adornments extended into, or at least bordered on, idolatry, thus merging their pride with spiritual apostasy.
Words-group analysis:
- "the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescent ornaments": This specific catalog of items demonstrates the prophet's detailed condemnation of the excessive luxury and vanity of the women. The listing moves from relatively common articles of luxury (anklets, headbands) to items with direct pagan/idolatrous connections (crescent ornaments). This progression highlights the increasing spiritual decay linked to their outward display. By explicitly naming these cherished possessions, God's judgment is portrayed as precise and targeting the very objects of their pride and potential idolatry. The emphasis is on the totality of their materialistic lifestyle and the impending, comprehensive stripping of their perceived grandeur from head to foot.
Isaiah 3 18 Bonus section
The detailed catalog of twenty-one items of luxury from Isaiah 3:18-23 serves not just as an inventory of specific fashionable articles of the day, but as a comprehensive picture of the profound materialistic indulgence and spiritual bankruptcy of Judah's elite women. The transition in the list, concluding with items like "crescent ornaments," subtly hints at the religious apostasy underpinning their extravagant display. The very act of God taking these away underscores His complete sovereignty over both their wealth and their destiny. This passage challenges societies that equate outward appearance or material possessions with inner worth or divine favor, demonstrating that such human pride is subject to divine reckoning, transforming perceived "glory" into profound shame. This prophecy was likely fulfilled in part through the Babylonian exile, where Jerusalem's glory was indeed laid waste and its inhabitants stripped of all possessions and social standing.
Isaiah 3 18 Commentary
Isaiah 3:18 concisely encapsulates a significant aspect of God's judgment on Judah: the divine reversal of human pride and reliance on worldly appearances. The specific ornaments mentioned—anklets, headbands, and crescent ornaments—represent the zenith of luxury and personal display for the women of Jerusalem, symbols of their status, beauty, and perceived power. By prophesying that "the Lord will take away" these very items, Isaiah declares that God Himself will actively dismantle their sources of pride. This judgment goes beyond mere material deprivation; it is a public humiliation and stripping away of their "finery" (glory/honor), demonstrating that their splendor was ultimately superficial and derived from their rebellion against God. The inclusion of "crescent ornaments" suggests a deeper layer of idolatry, linking their vanity to a forbidden allegiance to false gods. Ultimately, this verse serves as a potent reminder that all human pride and external display, especially when divorced from righteousness, will be brought to nothing by a sovereign God who exalts the humble and opposes the proud.For example, this prophecy anticipates the complete social and economic breakdown where former signs of status become instruments of shame, or where a society that prided itself on wealth finds itself utterly impoverished.