Isa 20:2 | KingComments | STEP | In view of the circumstances of the preceding verse Isaiah receives a special commission from the LORD (cf. ; ). He has to portray the conquest of Egypt and Cush by Assyria by walking through Judah without a cloak and shoes for no less than three years. “Naked” does not mean without any clothing, but without an outer garment (cf. ). By walking without a cloak and shoes he behaves like a slave or a prisoner of war. All that time he is also exposed to wind and weather, to cold and rain. Prophets are not just a mouthpiece of God, but are involved in their message with their whole person ( ). His message also has meaning for the end time, because in the end time Assyria, the king of the North, will also invade and conquer Egypt ( ).

‏ Isaiah 20:2

Isaiah Portrays a Message

In view of the circumstances of the preceding verse Isaiah receives a special commission from the LORD (cf. Eze 4:1-8; Hos 1:2-9). He has to portray the conquest of Egypt and Cush by Assyria by walking through Judah without a cloak and shoes for no less than three years. “Naked” does not mean without any clothing, but without an outer garment (cf. 2Sam 6:20).

By walking without a cloak and shoes he behaves like a slave or a prisoner of war. All that time he is also exposed to wind and weather, to cold and rain. Prophets are not just a mouthpiece of God, but are involved in their message with their whole person (Isa 8:18). His message also has meaning for the end time, because in the end time Assyria, the king of the North, will also invade and conquer Egypt (Dan 11:42).