New English Translation
Isaiah 3:16
16The Lord says, “The women of Zion are proud. They walk with their heads high and flirt with their eyes. They skip along and the jewelry on their ankles jingles.
Isaiah 3:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Moreover the Lord says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, Making a jingling with their feet,
Context of Isaiah 3:16
14The Lord comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says, “It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. 15Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” The sovereign Lord who commands armies has spoken. The Lord says, “The women of Zion are proud. They walk with their heads high and flirt with their eyes. They skip along and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. 17So the sovereign master will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women with skin diseases, the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.” 18At that time the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments,
Read all of Isaiah 3Isaiah 3:16 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה יַ֚עַן כִּ֤י גָֽבְהוּ֙ בְּנ֣וֹת צִיּ֔וֹן וַתֵּלַ֙כְנָה֙ נְטוּי֣וֹת גָּר֔וֹן וּֽמְשַׂקְּר֖וֹת עֵינָ֑יִם הָל֤וֹךְ וְטָפֹף֙ תֵּלַ֔כְנָה וּבְרַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם תְּעַכַּֽסְנָה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Moreover the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Becauseיַעַןya‛an · becauseH3282
- the daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- of Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726
- are haughtyגָּבַהּgâbahh · be highH1361
- and walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- with stretched forthנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
- necksגָּרוֹןgârôn gârôn · throatH1627
- and wantonשָׂקַרώâqar · to ogleH8265
- eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- walkingהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- and mincingטָפַףţâphaph · to minceH2952
- and making a tinklingעָכַס‛âkas · to tinkleH5913
- with their feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
Cross-references for Isaiah 3:16
- Isaiah 1:8Daughter Zion is left isolated, like a hut in a vineyard, or a shelter in a cucumber field; she is a besieged city.
- Isaiah 4:4At that time the sovereign master will wash the excrement from Zion’s women, he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, as he comes to judge and to bring devastation.
- Matthew 21:5“Tell the people of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
- Luke 23:28But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
- Isaiah 24:4The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and withers; the prominent people of the earth fade away.
- Isaiah 32:9You complacent women, get up and listen to me! You carefree daughters, pay attention to what I say!
- Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- Proverbs 30:13There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully.
- Ezekiel 16:49“‘See here – this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy.
- Zephaniah 3:11In that day you will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me, for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill.
Commentaries on Isaiah 3:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16And wanton eyes "And falsely setting off their eyes with paint" - Hebrew, falsifying their eyes. I take this to be the true meaning and literal rendering of the word; from שקר shakar . The Masoretes have pointed it, as if it were from שקר sakar, a different word. This arose, as I imagine, from their supposing that the word was the same with סקר sakar, Chaldee, "intueri, innuere oculis;" or that it had an affinity with the noun סיקרא sikra, which the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Moreover, the Lord saith - In the previous parts of this prophecy, the prophet had rebuked the princes, magistrates, and the people generally. In the remainder of this chapter, he reproves with great severity the pride, luxury, and effeminacy of the female part of the Jewish community. Some interpreters have understood this as designed to reprove the pride and luxury of the “cities” and “towns” of Judah, regarded as “daughters of Zion;” see the note at…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-26Verses 16-26 The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not been in fashion, would have been ridiculed then as now. Their…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16The dramatic descriptions show how the people of Jerusalem loved their refined way of life. They proudly showed their self-reliance, power, and prestige. daughters of Zion: See “Zion” Theme Note.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, &c.--Luxury had become great in Uzziah's prosperous reign (2Ch 26:5). stretched forth--proudly elevated (Psa 75:5). wanton--rather, "making the eyes to glance about," namely, wantonly (Pr 6:13) [Maurer]. But Lowth, "falsely setting off the eyes with paint." Women's eyelids in the East are often colored with stibium, or powder of lead (see on Job 42:14; Jr 4:30, Margin). mincing--tripping with short steps…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 3:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries