Isaiah 20:3

[Jemoh66]

Jonathan,

I don't think the king will lead them in exile 3 years.

I didn't say that. For brevity I didn't expand on it. What I was saying is from a semantic perspective it is easier to tie a duration to the act of walking than it is to tie duration to the act of leading away. I said nothing about duration with respect to the exile.

I think Isaiah 20:1 says that he sent someone to capture Ashdod, so I am sure someone else does the work for the king.

Of course, we all understand this kind of phrase as an expression, since we know Kings carry their will out through delegation. But this has nothing to do with the point I was making.

It probably means that Egypt and Ethiopia will be driven out of the two lands over a three year period because there are a lot of people or maybe all of the exiles will walk for three years, I don't know which one.

You are confusing translation and meaning with speculation and extrapolation.
If Isaiah walked NAB for three years as a sign, then it is not unreasonable to extrapolate that the three years might have some bearing on how long the process might take. Extrapolation is not a bad thing in of itself, but you have to recognize it for what it is. FYI, we got the "three" wisemen through the same process. The Gospel writer does not tell us how many magi there were, only how many gifts.

I think the quote can be read as Isaiah walked for three years naked and barefoot or Egypt and Ethiopia will,

That's the main issue. And the answer is, NO, the grammar does not support it. The phrase shalosh shanim is embedded in the first proposition (the "AS" phrase). If you could produce a manuscript that had shalosh shanim on the other side of the conjunction (I referred to it as a preposition before, but I actually think it's more correct to say conjunction) ken, then it would be clearly understood as applying to that phrase. However, the text is unambiguous here. Grammatically, this is a straight forward trouble free sentence.

but the sign is for Ashdod who will also walk naked and barefoot in the future. The sign for Ashdod is upon Egypt and Ethiopia because they will walk three years naked and barefoot. Isaiah is just representing the sign that is on those two nations.

In this sentence, it is precisely because Isaiah walks NAB for 3 years that it becomes a sign. Moreover, it would be a difficult reading if "has walked" was left without the complement "three years." If you strip the verb "has walked" from its complement "three years," you leave the VERB naked and barefoot. Also, neither the nouns "sign" and "omen," nor the verb "will lead away" call for a complement.

It would not make sense for Isaiah to do that for three years,

I don't know why this doesn't make sense to you. I think it just makes you uncomfortable. And I don't mean this in a mean way. But this is where you start. You're uncomfortable with something, then you imagine something more acceptable to your sensitivities, and then set about to conform the text to your instinct. But that is not exegesis. You are not letting the language speak.

but if he did do it, then you could say that the sign for Egypt and Ethiopia would be that they would also walk for three years, since they will walk naked and barefoot like Isaiah did. I don't think this is right, but this would fit the sign of him walking three years.

Yes I agree, but again it would be extrapolation only, since Isaiah chooses not to provide that detail.

I think that it is possible that Isaiah did not walk three years. This is one time I have to disagree, even though I can't say the other translation is wrong.

Again, the text itself disagrees with you. You could say however, that based on the text (that Isaiah walked NAB 3 yrs), it is possible that the deportation efforts took three years, but you can't say that it is possible Isaiah didn't walk for 3 years; the text won't let you. And let's just suppose hypothetically that shalosh shanim was in the ken phrase. We would be reasonably inclined to wonder if Isaiah walked for the same duration.

[Kenneth Greifer]

I have another possible explanation. Maybe it says :"And the L-rd said: Like My servant Isaiah walked naked and barefoot, three years a sign and a wonder (a sign) is upon Egypt and Ethiopia."

The sign and wonder (sign) on Egypt and Ethiopia for three years could be the walking naked and barefoot like Isaiah did for a short time and not three years.

"Thus the king of Assyria will lead (will drive)" their captivities naked and barefoot. The part after "thus" is the explanation of how the sign and wonder (sign) is upon Egypt and Ethiopia.

And then it says "...and they (the inhabitants of the coast) (Ashdod)" will be dismayed because they fled to Ethiopia or Egypt to be saved from the king of Assyria.

[Isaac Fried]

Seems to me that פ P is the sole radical letter in מוֹפֵת, as in יפה, יפע, פאה, פעה, 'appear, seem'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Jemoh66]

Seems to me that פ P is the sole radical letter in מוֹפֵת, as in יפה, יפע, פאה, פעה, 'appear, seem'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Seems quite possible. The tav looks like a feminine suffix, and the mem could be a participle prefix.

Interestingly, Swahili has a related FA word Fanana, resemble, to be similar

[Jemoh66]

I have another possible explanation. Maybe it says :"And the L-rd said: Like My servant Isaiah walked naked and barefoot, three years a sign and a wonder (a sign) is upon Egypt and Ethiopia."

The sign and wonder (sign) on Egypt and Ethiopia for three years could be the walking naked and barefoot like Isaiah did for a short time and not three years.

"Thus the king of Assyria will lead (will drive)" their captivities naked and barefoot. The part after "thus" is the explanation of how the sign and wonder (sign) is upon Egypt and Ethiopia.

And then it says "...and they (the inhabitants of the coast) (Ashdod)" will be dismayed because they fled to Ethiopia or Egypt to be saved from the king of Assyria.

1. Doing this breaks up the tight structure of the ka'asher...ken. The idea behind this structure is "just as"..."in the same way". Plus, it just doesn't make any sense.
2. The sign is for those who thought they could put their trust in Egypt. So they are the ones who witnessed Isaiah's walking naked and barefoot three years. The object lesson is for them.

[Jemoh66]

Here's a sample of how Hebrew writers handle expressions of time in numbers of years. Notice they are always phrase-final. What's interesting here also is how Late BH has evolved with a preference for prepositional phrase structure as a opposed to the appositives of Classic BH.


וישׁר אבימלך על ישׁראל שלש שנים Judges 9:22

ויהי שם שלש שנים Sam 13:38

ויאמר לאברם ידע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך בארץ לא להם ועבדום וענו אתם ארבע מאות  שנה Gen 15:13

ויחזקו את מלכות יהודה ויאמצו את רחבעם בן שלמה לשנים שלוש כי הלכו בדרך דויד ושלמה לשנים שלוש 2Ch 11:17

והימים אשר מלך דוד על ישׁראל ארבעים שנה בחברון מלך שבע שנים ובירושלם מלך  שלשים ושלש שנים 1Kings 2:11

וישפט את ישׁראל עשׁרים ושלש שנה וימת ויקבר בשמיר Judges 10:2

ויהי כל ימי חנוך חמש וששים שנה ושלש מאות שנה Gen 5:23

ויחי נח אחר המבול שלש מאות שנה וחמשים שנה Gen 9:28

ויעל מלך אשור בכל הארץ ויעל שמרון ויצר עליה שלש שנים 2Ki 17:5

[Kenneth Greifer]

Jonathan,

You gave examples of quotes with numbers of years that are at the end of a sentence or phrase or whatever. There are examples of quotes with numbers of days at the beginning of sentences. For examples, see Exodus 16:26, 20:9, 20:11, 31:15, 31:17, Deuteronomy 5:13, and Leviticus 23:3. I think all of the quotes are about working six days and resting on the seventh, but I am not sure.

[Kenneth Greifer]

Jonathan,

Above I listed quotes with numbers of days before the verb. Here are some quotes with numbers of years before the verb. Psalm 95:10, Joshua 5:6, 2 Kings 22:1, 1 Samuel 13:1, 2 Samuel 2:10, and 2 Samuel 5:4. There might be more. I stopped looking.

[Jemoh66]

Jonathan,

You gave examples of quotes with numbers of years that are at the end of a sentence or phrase or whatever. There are examples of quotes with numbers of days at the beginning of sentences. For examples, see Exodus 16:26, 20:9, 20:11, 31:15, 31:17, Deuteronomy 5:13, and Leviticus 23:3. I think all of the quotes are about working six days and resting on the seventh, but I am not sure.

Exodus 16:26 doesn't help since it doesn't describe the duration of an activity.
Exodus 20:9-11 gives us something to work with. So what's different?
1. the NP ששת ימים is in genitival construct. Not שש ימים, but ששת ימים. Why does Moses choose this construct relation for "six days?" Because he is emphasizing the six days as a SET, rather than as a duration of time.
2. This is supported by the fact that he has topicalized the "set of six days" by fronting the NP. So when he continues in verse 10, he contrasts the "seventh day" with the "six-day set," and also topicalizes it by fronting it as the subject of the verb.
So the idea ofששת ימים is not duration, but identity in contrast with the seventh day.
3. But let's have fun with this. If Isaiah had intended on expressing a similar contrast in Isaiah he would have written something like שלש ימים תלך ושלש שנימ ינהג מלך אשור את שבי מצרים or שלש ימים תלך כשלש שנימ ינהג מלך אשור את שבי מצרים

My main contention is not related to the discomfort we feel at the thought of Isaiah walking naked for such a long period. My contention is that the text as we have it doesn't seem to support any other rendering.

I think the only way to rescue the passage is to suggest an emendation.
I browsed through some commentaries and found that your theories have been put forth by others. Here's what Barnes writes:

Hath walked ... three years - A great deal of difficulty has been felt in the interpretation of this place, from the strong improbability that Isaiah should have gone in this manner for a space of time so long as our translation expresses. The Septuagint renders this, 'As my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years, three years shall be for signs and wonders to the Egyptians and Ethiopians.' The phrase in the Hebrew, 'three years,' "may" either be taken in connection with the preceding part of the sentence, as in our translation, meaning that he actually walked so long; or it may be taken with that which follows, and then it will denote that he was a sign and wonder with reference to the captivity of the Egyptians and Ethiopians; and that by this symbolic action he in some way indicated that they would be carried away captive for that space of time; or, as Aben Ezra and Abarbanel suppose, that he signified that their captivity would commence after three years. Lowth supposes that it means that his walking was for three days, and that the Hebrew text bas been corrupted. Vitringa also seems to suppose that this is possible, and that a day was a symbolic sign for a year. Rosenmuller supposes that this prophetic action was continued during three years "at intervals," so that the subject might be kept before the mind of the people. But the supposition that this means that the symbolic action of walking naked and barefoot continued for so long a time in any manner, is highly improbable.

(1) The Hebrew does not necessarily require it. It "may" mean simply that his actions were a sign and wonder with reference to a three years' captivity of the Egyptians.

(2) It is in itself improbable that he should so long a time walk about Jerusalem expressly as a sign and wonder, when a much shorter period would have answered the purpose as well.

(3) Such a sign would have hardly met the circumstances of the case. Asdod was taken. The Assyrian king was advancing.

[Jemoh66]

The MT reading is quite old. It goes back to Jonathan's Targum, and even back to the Hebrew behind the LXX.

TJBU (English): And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and Cush:

LXX: καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὃν τρόπον πεπόρευται Ησαιας ὁ παῖς μου γυμνὸς καὶ ἀνυπόδετος τρία ἔτη ἔσται σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ Αἰθίοψιν

But note
Brenton Septuagint Translation: 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; 4for thus shall the king