New Living Translation
Isaiah 3:16
16The Lord says, “Beautiful Zion is haughty: craning her elegant neck, flirting with her eyes, walking with dainty steps, tinkling her ankle bracelets.
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 forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: “You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. 15How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?” demands the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The Lord says, “Beautiful Zion is haughty: craning her elegant neck, flirting with her eyes, walking with dainty steps, tinkling her ankle bracelets. 17So the Lord will send scabs on her head; the Lord will make beautiful Zion bald.” 18On that day of judgment the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful: ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,
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 1:8Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege.
- Isaiah 4:4The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment.
- Matthew 21:5“Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
- Luke 23:28But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
- Isaiah 24:4The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away.
- Isaiah 32:9Listen, you women who lie around in ease. Listen to me, you who are so smug.
- Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
- Proverbs 30:13They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances.
- Ezekiel 16:49Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.
- Zephaniah 3:11On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
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
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