At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

ISAIAH 20:2KJV
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Isaiah 20:2 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 20:2 mean?

Isaiah 20:2 describes God telling Isaiah to make his own appearance a warning. By removing his sackcloth and shoes and walking “naked and barefoot,” Isaiah would visibly portray the shame and hardship that would come upon people taken away as captives.

The command follows the mention of an Assyrian attack on Ashdod in verse 1. Isaiah’s actions would have made the warning visible to people who saw him, rather than leaving them with words alone.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 20:2

  • “sackcloth” — שַׂק (saq): This was coarse cloth often worn as a sign of grief or distress. Isaiah was told to remove the sackcloth he had been wearing around his waist.
  • “naked” — עָרוֹם (ʿarom): This word can describe someone who is completely naked or inadequately clothed. The word alone does not settle how much clothing Isaiah removed.

Why Isaiah 20:2 matters

  • Isaiah’s appearance was a sign of what would happen to Egypt and Ethiopia. In verses 3–4, the LORD explains that the king of Assyria would lead their people away “naked and barefoot,” exposing them to shame.
  • The act had a particular audience in view: people who looked to Egypt and Ethiopia for help. Verse 5 describes their fear and shame when those nations proved unable to provide the security they expected.

Where else these words appear

“barefoot” Hebrew H3182 · used in 5 verses

  • 2 Samuel 15:30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
  • Isaiah 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
  • Isaiah 20:4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

“Amoz” Hebrew H531 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Kings 19:2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
  • Isaiah 13:1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

“naked” Hebrew H6174 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
  • Job 24:7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
  • Isaiah 20:4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

“shoe” Hebrew H5275 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 14:23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
  • Joshua 9:5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
  • Song of Solomon 7:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.