Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame. Instead of fragrance there will be a stenchThe Hebrew word for "fragrance" is "bosem," which often refers to sweet-smelling spices or perfumes used in anointing oils and incense, symbolizing joy, celebration, and divine favor. In contrast, "stench" is derived from "maq," indicating decay and corruption. This phrase highlights a reversal of fortune and divine judgment, where the blessings and joys of life are replaced by the consequences of sin and rebellion. Historically, perfumes were a luxury in ancient Israel, signifying wealth and status. The loss of fragrance symbolizes the loss of God's favor and the onset of suffering and disgrace. instead of a belt, a rope
The "belt" or "girdle" in Hebrew is "chagor," a symbol of strength, readiness, and dignity. It was an essential part of a person's attire, often ornate and indicative of one's social status. The "rope," or "niqpa," suggests bondage and humiliation. This transformation from a belt to a rope signifies a shift from freedom and honor to captivity and shame. In the historical context, this reflects the impending judgment and exile of the people, where their dignity and autonomy are stripped away due to their disobedience. instead of styled hair, baldness
"Styled hair" refers to "ma'aseh," indicating carefully arranged or adorned hair, a sign of beauty and pride. "Baldness," or "qorchah," was often associated with mourning, disgrace, or disease in ancient cultures. This phrase underscores the theme of humiliation and loss, as what was once a source of pride becomes a mark of shame. In the scriptural context, this serves as a metaphor for the spiritual barrenness and desolation that result from turning away from God. instead of fine clothing, sackcloth
"Fine clothing" translates to "pethigil," representing luxury, wealth, and celebration. "Sackcloth," or "saq," is a coarse material worn during times of mourning or repentance. This stark contrast illustrates the depth of the people's fall from grace, as their opulence is replaced by the garments of grief and penitence. Historically, sackcloth was a physical manifestation of inner sorrow and contrition, often worn during periods of national crisis or personal lamentation. and branding instead of beauty
"Branding," or "ki," refers to a mark or scar, often associated with slavery or punishment. "Beauty," or "yophi," signifies physical attractiveness and divine favor. The transition from beauty to branding symbolizes the ultimate degradation and loss of identity, as the people bear the marks of their rebellion and the consequences of their actions. In a broader theological context, this serves as a warning of the spiritual and physical ramifications of forsaking God's covenant, urging a return to righteousness and faithfulness. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsaiahA major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book. He prophesied during the reigns of several kings of Judah and is known for his messages of both judgment and hope. 2. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, which is the primary audience of Isaiah's prophecies. During Isaiah's time, Judah was experiencing moral and spiritual decline. 3. JerusalemThe capital city of Judah, often symbolizing the spiritual state of the nation. Isaiah's prophecies frequently address the city directly. 4. JudgmentThe event being described in this passage is a pronouncement of judgment upon the people of Judah for their sins and rebellion against God. 5. ExileAlthough not directly mentioned in this verse, the context of Isaiah's prophecies often points to the coming Babylonian exile as a consequence of Judah's unfaithfulness. Teaching Points The Consequences of PrideThe verse highlights the downfall that comes from pride and vanity. In our lives, we must be cautious of allowing external appearances to overshadow our spiritual health. True Beauty in GodlinessWhile the world often values outward beauty, God values the beauty of a humble and contrite heart. We should strive to cultivate inner beauty through our relationship with God. The Reality of Divine JudgmentThis passage serves as a reminder that God's judgment is real and that it comes as a result of persistent sin and rebellion. It calls us to repentance and obedience. The Transience of Earthly ThingsThe shift from luxury to lamentation in this verse reminds us of the temporary nature of worldly possessions and status. Our focus should be on eternal treasures. Hope Beyond JudgmentWhile this verse speaks of judgment, the broader message of Isaiah includes hope and restoration for those who turn back to God. We can find comfort in God's promise of redemption. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Isaiah 3:24 reflect the broader theme of judgment found throughout the book of Isaiah? 2. In what ways can pride and vanity manifest in our lives today, and how can we guard against them? 3. How does the imagery of transformation from beauty to mourning in Isaiah 3:24 challenge our understanding of what is truly valuable? 4. What other biblical passages speak to the theme of divine judgment, and how do they compare to Isaiah 3:24? 5. How can we find hope and assurance in God's promises, even when facing the reality of judgment as described in Isaiah 3:24? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 3:16-23These preceding verses describe the pride and vanity of the women of Zion, setting the stage for the judgment described in verse 24. Amos 8:10This verse also speaks of mourning and lamentation, using similar imagery of sackcloth and baldness as signs of judgment and sorrow. Revelation 18:16This verse describes the fall of Babylon, using imagery of lost luxury and beauty, which parallels the loss of beauty and adornment in Isaiah 3:24. People IsaiahPlaces Jerusalem, Sodom, ZionTopics Baldness, Band, Beautiful, Beauty, Belt, Brand, Branding, Burning, Clothes, Clothing, Cord, Curled, Cutting-off, Display, Donning, Evil, Fair, Fine, Fragrance, Free, Girding, Girdle, Hair, Instead, Mark, Muck, Odor, Offensive, Ornaments, Pass, Perfume, Plucked-out, Prisoner, Putrefaction, Rags, Rent, Rich, Robe, Rope, Rottenness, Sackcloth, Sash, Scalp, Shame, Smell, Sorrow, Spice, Spices, Stench, Stink, Stomacher, Sweet, Thick, Well-dressed, Well-setDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 3:24 4040 beauty
5128 baldness
5155 hair
5183 smell
5258 cloth
6742 sackcloth and ashes Isaiah 3:16-24 5476 property
8308 modesty Isaiah 3:18-24 5419 mourning Isaiah 3:24-26 5899 lament Library A Paradox of Selling and Buying
'Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.'--ISAIAH iii. 3. THE first reference of these words is of course to the Captivity. They come in the midst of a grand prophecy of freedom, all full of leaping gladness and buoyant hope. The Seer speaks to the captives; they had 'sold themselves for nought.' What had they gained by their departure from God?--bondage. What had they won in exchange for their freedom?-- only the hard service of Babylon. As Deuteronomy puts it: …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureMarching Orders
'Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. 12. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your reward.'--ISAIAH iii. 11, 12. These ringing notes are parts of a highly poetic picture of that great deliverance which inspired this prophet's most exalted strains. It is described with constant allusion to the first Exodus, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Christian view of Sorrow
"A man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief" Is. Iii. 3. There is one great distinction between the productions of Heathen and of Christian art. While the first exhibits the perfection of physical form and of intellectual beauty, the latter expresses, also, the majesty of sorrow, the grandeur of endurance, the idea of triumph refined from agony. In all those shapes of old there is nothing like the glory of the martyr; the sublimity of patience and resignation; the dignity of the thorn-crowned Jesus. …
E. H. Chapin—The Crown of Thorns The Personal History of Herod - the Two Worlds in Jerusalem.
It is an intensely painful history, [581] in the course of which Herod made his way to the throne. We look back nearly two and a half centuries to where, with the empire of Alexander, Palestine fell to his successors. For nearly a century and a half it continued the battle-field of the Egyptian and Syrian kings (the Ptolemies and the Seleucidæ). At last it was a corrupt High-Priesthood - with which virtually the government of the land had all along lain - that betrayed Israel's precious trust. …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah How those are to be Admonished who Praise the Unlawful Things of which they are Conscious, and those who While Condemning Them, in no Wise Guard
(Admonition 32.) Differently to be admonished are they who even praise the unlawful things which they do, and those who censure what is wrong, and yet avoid it not. For they who even praise the unlawful things which they do are to be admonished to consider how for the most part they offend more by the mouth than by deeds. For by deeds they perpetrate wrong things in their own persons only; but with the mouth they bring out wickedness in the persons of as many as there are souls of hearers, to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great "But Whereunto Shall I Liken this Generation?"
Matth. xi. 16.--"But whereunto shall I liken this generation?" When our Lord Jesus, who had the tongue of the learned, and spoke as never man spake, did now and then find a difficulty to express the matter herein contained. "What shall we do?" The matter indeed is of great importance, a soul matter, and therefore of great moment, a mystery, and therefore not easily expressed. No doubt he knows how to paint out this to the life, that we might rather behold it with our eyes, than hear it with our …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Brief Memoir of Thomas Watson
Compiled by C. H. Spurgeon Thomas Watson's Body of Practical Divinity is one of the most precious of the peerless works of the Puritans; and those best acquainted with it prize it most. Watson was one of the most concise, racy, illustrative, and suggestive of those eminent divines who made the Puritan age the Augustan period of evangelical literature. There is a happy union of sound doctrine, heart-searching experience and practical wisdom throughout all his works, and his Body of Divinity is, beyond …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Of Civil Government.
OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. This chapter consists of two principal heads,--I. General discourse on the necessity, dignity, and use of Civil Government, in opposition to the frantic proceedings of the Anabaptists, sec. 1-3. II. A special exposition of the three leading parts of which Civil Government consists, sec. 4-32. The first part treats of the function of Magistrates, whose authority and calling is proved, sec. 4-7. Next, the three Forms of civil government are added, sec. 8. Thirdly, Consideration …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Letter Li to the virgin Sophia
To the Virgin Sophia He praises her for having despised the glory of the world: and, setting forth the praises, privileges, and rewards of Religious Virgins, exhorts her to persevere. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, to the Virgin Sophia, that she may keep the title of virginity and attain its reward. I. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised (Prov. xxxi. 31). I rejoice with you, my daughter, in the glory of your virtue, whereby, as I hear, you …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux "All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags, and we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6, 7.--"All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Not only are the direct breaches of the command uncleanness, and men originally and actually unclean, but even our holy actions, our commanded duties. Take a man's civility, religion, and all his universal inherent righteousness,--all are filthy rags. And here the church confesseth nothing but what God accuseth her of, Isa. lxvi. 8, and chap. i. ver. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning "Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother. "
From this Commandment we learn that after the excellent works of the first three Commandments there are no better works than to obey and serve all those who are set over us as superiors. For this reason also disobedience is a greater sin than murder, unchastity, theft and dishonesty, and all that these may include. For we can in no better way learn how to distinguish between greater and lesser sins than by noting the order of the Commandments of God, although there are distinctions also within the …
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &C.
Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &c. [1273] Seeing the chief end of all religion is to redeem men from the spirit and vain conversation of this world and to lead into inward communion with God, before whom if we fear always we are accounted happy; therefore all the vain customs and habits thereof, both in word and deed, are to be rejected and forsaken by those who come to this fear; such as taking off the hat to a man, the bowings and cringings of the body, and such other salutations of that …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 3:24 NIVIsaiah 3:24 NLTIsaiah 3:24 ESVIsaiah 3:24 NASBIsaiah 3:24 KJV
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