And Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-out neck and wanton eyes, and go along mincing, and making a tinkling with their feet;
Isaiah turns from the leaders of the nation to the women of Jerusalem. The charge lists small things: a posture, a look, a walk, the sound of ornaments on the ankles.
Zion was a real hill in a real city, and the phrase points to real people:
Zion was literally the south-eastern height called David's city. Moriah was the north-eastern one, where the Lord's house stood. But the prophets often use Zion in a figurative way, and as another word for Jerusalem as a whole. "Daughter of Zion" is a poetic expression for the inhabitants of the Jewish capital, and so for the people in general. "Daughters of Zion" would represent rather its female inhabitants.
These are small things, but God reads what they say about the home:
When women live for display in clothing, nothing more is needed to charge them with this: the holiness of the home is spoiled, and there is no real heart for the relationships God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the withering notice of the Judge of all. Dress, walk, glances, are all noticed by the Spirit of God.
The same writer compares this with what human history records:
No historian, in the Bible or outside it, exposes so fully and in such detail the luxury that ruins a people from the inside, in their own homes, as Isaiah does here... Along with the infinitely great, inspired prophecy penetrates and lays bare the smallest things, as coming equally under God's eyes. History in man's hand would be ashamed to go down so low.
The outstretched neck and the tinkling feet were a message, and God read it:
There is no doubt at all that showy, gaudy clothing shows pride of heart. It also shows a desire to attract admiring looks from the people around. We have an instance in Isaiah 3:16 and following... They wanted others to notice their chains and bracelets, rings and nose-jewels, their bonnets and mantles, hoods and veils. All this showed plainly enough that their hearts were as empty of the fear of the Lord as their heads were of any sense of womanly propriety. So the Lord warns them that He will certainly judge them for their worldly ways.
The women shared in the evil of the day, and the men they dressed for would not last:
The evil of the day was not confined to the leaders, or to the men of the nation... The women also were deeply involved. Their state is denounced from verse 16 to the end of the chapter. They used every trick well practised in the pagan world to make themselves more attractive. And, as the closing verses state, the very men they tried to attract would fall by the sword, and so fail them.
The answer is not carelessness about dress, but a better ornament:
Scripture does not tell us to neglect dress, or even adornment. On the contrary, we should pay attention to it, but according to the word of God... Our dress should suit the "meek and quiet spirit," so that dress and character agree. Ornaments are allowed too. But they should be made of good works, not of gold or pearls, "as becomes women professing godliness."
The point does not stay in Isaiah's day:
This chapter describes the corrupt conditions among the professing people of God in Isaiah's day. A similar corruption and worldliness prevailing in our age demands divine judgment.
Judgment is not the last word for Zion's daughters. The same day ends with them washed clean:
The prophet describes the wide-spreading judgment of the day of the Lord in vivid detail. It ends with the cloud of glory, familiar to the people in the wilderness, resting over the earthly Jerusalem, "when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning."
- Seen. God notices dress, walk and glances. Prophecy stoops to details a human historian would be ashamed to record.
- Exposed. The parade of finery is not for husband or family. It reveals pride of heart, a hunger for admiration, and a home whose holiness is already spoiled.
- Failed. The very men they dressed to attract fall by the sword, and so fail them.
- Adorned. The remedy is not neglect but a better ornament. Dress should match a meek and quiet spirit, and the jewellery should be good works.
- Washed. The chapter's judgment ends in mercy — the Lord Himself washes away the filth of the daughters of Zion.
therefore the Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.
Isaiah 3 turns from the nation's rulers to the women of Jerusalem. God's sentence falls on the very things they used for display: the head they crowned, and the body they paraded. Why does God speak so strongly about clothing, walk and glances?
Who is being judged here? One writer sets the singular and the plural side by side:
"Daughter of Zion" (as in Isaiah 1:9) is a poetic phrase for the people who live in the Jewish capital, and so for the people in general. "Daughters of Zion" (as in Isaiah 3:16) stands instead for its women. We may add that it is nothing but ignorance to assume that Zion anywhere means the church of God, even as a picture.
Verse 16 lists the offences in fine detail. That detail is the point: small habits of dress and manner show what has gone wrong at home.
When women live for display in dress, no further proof is needed to charge them with this: the holiness of the home is spoiled, and there is no real heart for the relationships God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the withering notice of the Judge of all. Dress, walk and glances are all noticed by the Spirit of God.
Another writer sums up the chapter in one line:
Divine judgment notices every detail of iniquity, oppression, and even vanity. All must be brought low.
The jewellery was not the real problem. It was evidence. One writer traces the ornaments back to the heart behind them:
There is no doubt at all that showy, flashy clothing shows pride of heart and a wish to attract admiring looks from the people around. We have an example in Isaiah 3:16... They wanted others to notice their chains and bracelets, rings and nose-jewels, their bonnets and cloaks, hoods and veils. All this showed clearly that their hearts were as empty of the fear of the Lord as their heads were of any sense of what is fitting for a woman. So the Lord warns them that He will certainly judge them for their worldly ways... This is one side. And, wrong as this side is, those who rush into the opposite extreme are just as wrong... Dress, we must remember, is only the outward thing. Unless the heart is right, all else is wrong.
The chapter has two halves, and this verse belongs to the second. Both are grounds for God stepping in.
Human pride everywhere must be brought down. But this chapter shows that the blow will fall hardest on Jerusalem and Judah — not only on their public political life, but closely and searchingly on the daughters of Zion, in all their proud little shows of vanity. Here we have this double ground for God stepping in... Everyone left in Jerusalem will then be called holy, when the Lord has washed away the filth of Zion's daughters.
This sentence is not God's last word. The same writer looks past the trouble to what comes after it:
This time of trouble is followed by a shining out of beauty and glory, and abundant mercy for the saved and holy remnant... This one Man, the Messiah, will be the restorer of all breaches, and holiness will be a reality, not a mere name, in Jerusalem. Yet it is not by the gospel of grace as we have it now, but by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning... It is not the church but Israel that is in question, and her purification by judgment.
Commentators apply the chapter beyond Isaiah's day. One puts the parallel plainly:
Similar corruption and worldliness in our own age call for God's judgment.
Another sets the New Testament answer beside the picture in Isaiah:
The daughters of Zion also decked themselves out in fine linen, hoods and veils — until burning came instead of beauty, and desolation came to the gates of the city. Scripture calls the Christian woman to modest dress, modest bearing and self-control, and to a meek and gentle spirit, which in the sight of God is of great worth.
- Pride displayed. The daughters of Zion are the women of Jerusalem. Their ornaments showed a heart that wanted admiration.
- Pride noticed. God notices dress, walk and glances. Nothing is too small for the Judge of all.
- Pride exposed. Judgment strips bare what they paraded — the head struck, the body uncovered.
- Pride brought low. The blow falls on the nation's public life and on private vanity alike. All must be brought low.
- Pride washed away. The same Lord who exposes the filth of Zion's daughters will one day wash it away. That cleansing comes by the spirit of judgment and burning, not by the gospel as now.
In that day the Lord will take away the ornament of anklets, and the little suns and crescents,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
the pearl-drops, and the bracelets, and the veils,
This is not a fashion note but a judgment list. Item by item, the Lord names what He will strip from the proud women of Jerusalem. Behind three small ornaments sits a larger question: why does God notice jewelry at all?
Older translations read "chains… bracelets… mufflers." The first word names an ornament worn at the neck:
A jewel or appendage. Judges 8:26. In the margin it is 'sweet jewels.' The Revised Version has 'pendants.' The same word is translated 'chains' in Isaiah 3:19. In Job 30:18 it is simply the collar of a coat: the mouth or opening for the throat.
The third word is harder. The suggested meanings all circle one idea: something delicate that catches the eye as the wearer moves:
Mentioned among the women's ornaments in Isaiah 3:19. The word is raal, which is translated 'trembling' in Zechariah 12:2. It is thought to refer to some light ornament that would flutter as the wearer moved. The margin renders it 'spangled ornaments.' Gesenius has 'veils.'
The list is long because God's attention is exact. What these women wore was evidence about their homes:
When women live for display in dress, that alone proves the charge against them. The holiness of the home is tainted, and there is no real heart for the relations God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the withering notice of the Judge of all. Dress, gait, glances, are all noticed by the Spirit of God.
Some say prophecy deals only in broad principles, and history in facts. This long list answers that:
Nowhere in the Bible or outside it does any historian expose so fully and in such detail the luxury that ruins a people from within, in their homes, as Isaiah does here. He does so after striking a deadly blow at their dishonour of the true God and their craving for false gods. It would be truer to say this: alongside the infinitely great, inspired prophecy digs down and lays bare the smallest things, as equally under God's eyes. History in man's hand would be ashamed to go down so low.
One writer applies the same test to how Christians furnish their homes:
They speak of separation from the world, but their houses look painfully worldly… Someone may say it is taking low ground to go down to such details. I reply: the daughters of Zion might just as well have said the same about this solemn appeal: "In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets…"
Yet the correction can be overdone. Another writer sees showy dress as a heart wanting admiration — and warns against the opposite error:
There is no doubt at all that bright, showy clothing shows pride of heart and a wish to attract admiring looks from people around… They wanted others to notice their chains and bracelets, rings and nose-jewels, their bonnets and mantles, hoods and veils… This is one side. And, wrong as this side is, those who rush into the other extreme are no less wrong. When the Pharisees fasted, they put ashes on their head and dirtied and disfigured their faces. They looked deeply sad — but only so that people would think they were fasting.
Everything in Isaiah's list could be stripped off. The New Testament names an adornment that cannot be:
"Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." There is a beautiful hint at fashion here, because nothing changes like fashion. But the apostle says you are to have an ornament that is always the same.
The stripping is not the end. In the next chapter the ornament returns — in a Person:
In this connection it is very instructive to compare what is said of ornaments in Isaiah 3 and 4. In the earlier chapter, the Lord takes away all the ornaments of the daughters of Zion, and everything would be ruin and corruption. But chapter 4 speaks of Christ as "a sprout of Jehovah for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth for excellency and for ornament for those that are escaped of Israel."
That last line follows an older translation, which keeps the word "ornament."
- Ornaments named. Neck pendants, bracelets, and a light ornament or veil. The third name comes from a word meaning "trembling" — something that flutters as the wearer walks.
- Ornaments noticed. Dress, walk and glances all come under God's eye; the display was proof that the heart for home and family had gone.
- Ornaments recorded. Inspired prophecy goes down to details that human history would blush to record. The smallest things fall under God's view.
- Ornaments tested. The same test reaches a Christian's home and wardrobe today. Studied plainness can be as much a show as finery.
- Ornaments replaced. What chapter 3 strips away, chapter 4 restores in Christ. The gentle, quiet spirit is the one ornament that never changes, and God calls it precious.
the head-dresses, and the stepping chains, and the girdles, and the scent-boxes, and the amulets;
This verse sits in the middle of a long list. Item after item of jewellery and finery, and the Lord says He will strip it all from the women of Jerusalem. Two questions follow. Why would God list such small things at all? And what were they?
One writer sets the wider frame. Isaiah turns from the coming day of the Lord back to the people as they were.
Having spoken of the day of the Lord and its effects in Isaiah 2, Isaiah deals again in Isaiah 3 with the state the people were in. He also makes plain how God was chastening them, and would go on doing so. The famine, confusion and oppression, with all the misery that came with them, would ruin Jerusalem. It might not come on them at once, but it would come in the end — though God would favour the righteous, as verse 10 shows. The elders and princes of the people were the leaders in the evil of that day.
Some words here are strange even in English. Older translations make them harder still. The "earrings" of the older reading are not jewellery for the ear at all:
The well-known ornament worn by women and men in the East. Genesis 24:22, 30, 47; Job 42:11; Hosea 2:13; etc. In Isaiah 3:20 the allusion is not to a ring for the ear, but to an amulet on which a charm could be written.
The "tablets" of the older reading are likewise something else — the ESV's "perfume boxes":
In the Old Testament the word kumaz signifies ornaments. Exodus 35:22; Numbers 31:50. In Isaiah 3:20 they are supposed to be receptacles for perfume. The margin reads 'houses of the soul,' which agrees with the Hebrew beth nephesh.
So the list mixes fashion with superstition: scent bottles beside charms.
The finery is more than excess. One commentator draws a line from what these women wore to what their homes had become.
When women live for display in clothing, nothing more is needed to lay this charge at their door: the holiness of the home is spoiled, and there is no real heart for the relationships God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the withering notice of the Judge of all. Dress, walk and looks are all noticed by the Spirit of God.
The very smallness of the list is the point.
Nowhere in the Bible, or outside it, does any historian expose so fully and in such detail the luxury that ruins a people from within, in their own homes, as Isaiah does here. And he does it after striking a deadly blow at their dishonour of the true God and their craving for false gods. It would be truer to say that, along with the infinitely great, inspired prophecy searches out and lays bare the smallest things as coming alike under God's eyes. History written by man would be ashamed to go down so low.
Clothing here exposes the heart, and one writer warns that the fault can run in two directions.
There can be no doubt at all that showy, gaudy clothing shows pride of heart and a wish to draw admiring looks from the people around. We have an example in Isaiah 3:16 and the verses after it. There the Lord speaks very sternly to the daughters of Zion... They wanted others to notice their chains and bracelets, rings and nose-jewels, their bonnets and mantles, hoods and veils. All this showed plainly that their hearts were as empty of the fear of the Lord as their heads were of any proper sense of how a woman should behave. So the Lord warns them that He will surely judge them for their worldly ways. This is one side. And wrong as this side is, those who rush to the other extreme are just as wrong.
God takes away every item in this verse. One writer points to an ornament of a different kind.
- Noticed. Dress, walk and looks all come under God's eye. Prophecy lays bare the smallest things, going lower than any historian would stoop.
- Named. The strange words clear up. The "earrings" are amulets with a charm written on them; the "tablets" are perfume boxes. Fashion and superstition side by side.
- Evidence. One writer reads living for display as proof that the home has lost its holiness, since such finery is not for husband or family.
- Taken away. God strips off the whole list, as part of His chastening of a city whose leaders led the way in evil.
- Kept. Nothing changes as fast as fashion. A gentle and quiet spirit is the one ornament that never alters, and God calls it very precious.
the finger-rings, and the nose-rings;
In Isaiah 3 God lists the jewellery of the women of Jerusalem, piece by piece, before He takes it all away. Verse 21 adds two more items to that list, and it raises a question: why does God's word stop to count rings?
One of the two items here is hard for a modern reader to picture:
These were rings decorated with jewels. They usually passed through the right side of the nostril and hung down by the mouth. Proverbs 11:22 points to this way of decorating: "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion." Isaiah 3:21 lists the nose jewels among the other ornaments of women that God would take away in His judgments. Ezekiel 16:12 lists ornaments as a picture of how God adorned Jerusalem, and there the words "a jewel on your forehead" should read "a ring upon your nose."
Jewellery is a small thing. One writer shows what a life built on display says about the home behind it:
When women live for display in clothing, that is proof enough in itself. It lays the charge at their door: the holiness of the home is spoiled, and there is no real heart for the relationships God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the searching notice of the Judge of all. Dress, walk, glances, are all noticed by the Spirit of God.
Some say prophecy deals in broad principles and history in particular facts. This long list of jewellery says otherwise:
Isaiah first deals a deadly blow at their dishonouring of the true God and their craving after false ones. Then he exposes the luxury that ruins a people from within, in their own homes. No other historian, in the Bible or outside it, has exposed it so fully or in such detail. It would be truer to say that inspired prophecy reaches the infinitely great and lays bare the smallest things too. Both alike come under God's eyes. History written by men would be ashamed to stoop this low.
Some say details like these are beneath spiritual teaching. One writer answers that, and then turns the question on our own homes:
The Spirit of God can go down to small details when the details are there to go down to. But someone may object further: "We must furnish our houses according to our rank in life." Wherever people press this objection, it fully reveals the real ground of the objector's soul. That ground is the world, without question. "Our rank in life!" What does this really mean, as applied to those who profess to be dead?
The stripping is not the end of the story. Something far better replaces what is taken away, in words from an older translation:
It is very instructive to compare what Isaiah 3 and 4 say about ornaments. In chapter 3, all the ornaments of the daughters of Zion are to be taken away, and everything would be ruin and corruption. But chapter 4 speaks of Christ as "a sprout of Jehovah for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth for excellency and for ornament for those that are escaped of Israel."
One writer takes up the apostle's words about a wife's adorning, and the ornament God counts precious:
There is a beautiful allusion to fashion here, because nothing changes so fast as fashion. But the apostle says you are to have an ornament that is always the same. Oh, to own what is of great price in the sight of God — the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit! It does not show in the things the world around notices. Only those who are in close contact with the wearer can see it and understand it.
- Named — The nose ring was a jewelled ring worn through the nostril. Proverbs compares gold in the wrong place to a ring in a pig's snout.
- Noticed — Dress, walk and glances all come under the eye of the Judge of all; the small things are not too small for God to see.
- Itemised — Prophecy goes lower than any human historian would dare. It exposes the luxury that ruins a people inside their own homes.
- Applied — The excuse that our homes must match "our rank in life" shows where the heart really stands. Christians profess to have died to that world.
- Exchanged — Chapter 3 strips every ornament away. Chapter 4 sets Christ before Israel as beauty and glory, and the ornament God prizes never goes out of fashion.
the festival-robes, and the tunics, and the mantles, and the wallets;
This verse names four more items in a long list of luxuries God says He will strip from the women of Jerusalem. Why does a prophecy about a nation's collapse stop to count handbags and shawls, and what is God judging?
The last item on the list is not something worn. It is something carried.
Most take these to be bags or purses, richly decorated. Isaiah 3:22. The Hebrew word is charitim, and it is translated 'bags' in 2 Kings 5:23.
The word behind "cloaks" names a large outer covering. It was big enough to serve as a sack.
The wimple, or veil, was a wide outer garment or shawl that covered the head and part of the body. Ruth could carry six measures of barley in such a veil. Ruth 3:15; Isaiah 3:22. There are four other Hebrew words translated 'veils.'
The list is not filler. A wardrobe can report on a home.
When women live to show off their clothes, you need no further proof to lay this charge at their door: the holiness of the home is spoiled, and there is no real heart for the relationships God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the searching notice of the Judge of all. Dress, walk and looks are all noticed by the Spirit of God.
People expect prophecy to deal in broad principles and history in small facts. This chapter turns that around.
Nowhere in the Bible or outside it does any historian expose so fully and in such detail the luxury that ruins a people from the inside, in their own homes, as Isaiah does here. He has just struck a deadly blow at their dishonour of the true God and their craving for false gods. It would be truer to say that, along with the infinitely great, inspired prophecy searches out and lays bare the smallest things, as things that equally come under God's eyes. History written by man would be ashamed to go down so low.
Clothing is evidence. It tells what the heart wants.
There is no doubt at all that showy, flashy clothing shows pride of heart and a desire to draw admiring looks from the people around. We have an example in Isaiah 3:16 and the verses after it. There the Lord speaks very sternly to the daughters of Zion. They walked with their necks stretched out and their eyes full of desire, taking short, dainty steps and jingling the ornaments on their feet. They wanted others to notice their chains and bracelets, rings and nose-rings, their bonnets and mantles, hoods and veils. All this showed clearly that their hearts were as empty of the fear of the Lord as their heads were of any sense of what was fitting for a woman. So the Lord warns them that He will surely judge them for their worldly ways.
If God can list a wardrobe, He can list the furniture in a home. Small details are not beneath Him.
The Spirit of God can go down to details when the details are there to go down to. But someone may object further, "We must furnish our houses to match our rank in life." Wherever people press this objection, it shows exactly what ground their soul is standing on. That ground is the world, without question.
The stripping is not the end of the story. The next chapter names a different ornament.
It is very instructive to compare what is said about ornaments in Isaiah 3 and 4. In chapter 3, all the ornaments of the daughters of Zion are to be taken away, and everything would be ruin and corruption. But in chapter 4, Christ is spoken of as "a sprout of Jehovah for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth for excellency and for ornament for those that are escaped of Israel."
- Named — The verse ends with decorated bags or purses. It also names a wide shawl-like veil, big enough to hold six measures of barley.
- Noticed — God sees dress, walk and looks. Clothing worn for show, not for husband or family, does not escape the Judge of all.
- Exposed — Showy clothing points to pride and a craving for admiration. It marks a heart empty of the fear of the Lord.
- Extended — The same search reaches into the home. The Spirit of God goes down to details when the details are there.
- Exchanged — Chapter 3 takes every ornament away. Chapter 4 speaks of Christ as beauty, glory and ornament for those in Israel who escape.
the mirrors, and the fine linen bodices, and the turbans, and the flowing veils.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And it shall come to pass, instead of perfume there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe of display, a girding of sackcloth; brand instead of beauty.
Just before this verse, Isaiah lists the jewellery and finery of the women of Jerusalem, item by item. This verse is God's answer to that list: five swaps, each one turning something prized into something wretched. Why would God speak in such detail about perfume, belts and hairstyles? And is ruin His last word to a people He once made beautiful?
God's sentence reaches down into the details. One writer sums up the whole chapter in a line.
Divine judgment notices every detail of iniquity, oppression, and even vanity. All must be brought low.
That detail settles an argument about prophecy itself.
Look at this long stretch of detail. How can anyone still claim, as many have, that history gives particular facts while prophecy gives only general principles? No historian, in the Bible or outside it, exposes so fully and in such detail the luxury that ruins a people inside their own homes. Isaiah does it here, straight after striking a deadly blow at their dishonouring of the true God and their craving for false ones. It is truer to say that inspired prophecy reaches the infinitely great and the smallest things alike, because both come under God's eyes. History in man's hand would be ashamed to go down so low. Poor, proud, deceived man!
What people wear points back to what they live for.
The picture of home life is a sorrowful one. When women live for display in clothing, no more proof is needed. The charge lies at their door: the holiness of the home is spoiled, and there is no real heart for the relationships God has set up. Such finery is certainly not for a husband or the family. Small as it is, it does not escape the withering notice of the Judge of all. The Spirit of God notices dress, walk and glances.
The "rich robe" here translates a word found nowhere else in the Bible. Older versions call it a stomacher.
The STOMACHER, apparently a wide ornamented belt. The word occurs only in Isaiah 3:24.
What replaces it is the standard clothing of grief.
A rough cloth made of hair, used for sacks and coarse clothing. As a symbol of sorrow or repentance, people wore it next to the skin and kept it on at night. They often wore ashes with it.
Bald heads had a history in Israel.
God forbade the Israelites to cut themselves or to make themselves bald for the dead, as the nations around them did, because they were a holy people to the Lord. Baldness is one of the judgements of the Lord: perhaps they would make themselves bald in their distress. Isaiah 3:24; Isaiah 15:2; Isaiah 22:12; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; Micah 1:16.
The last swap scorches beauty away. Older translations read "burning instead of beauty" where the ESV has "branding." One writer hears that burning in Song of Solomon, where a woman says, "I am very dark... because the sun has looked upon me."
The blackness she speaks of is on the outside. It is a darkness of complexion — she is sunburnt. The prophet's warning word has come true: "There shall be burning instead of beauty."... The time was when the daughter of Zion was beautiful and glorious, a praise in the earth... But her ingratitude and unfaithfulness had reduced her to the sad condition of a poor sunburnt slave.
Read on one chapter and the stripping is answered. Isaiah 4:2 promises that "the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious."
It is very instructive to compare what Isaiah 3 and 4 say about ornaments. In chapter 3, all the ornaments of the daughters of Zion are to be taken away, and everything would be ruin and corruption. But chapter 4 speaks of Christ as "a sprout of Jehovah for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth for excellency and for ornament for those that are escaped of Israel."
One writer carries the warning into the present.
The daughters of Zion, too, decked themselves out in fine linen, hoods and veils. In the end there was burning instead of beauty, and desolation in the gates of the city. Scripture urges modest clothing, modest bearing and self-control on the Christian woman, along with a meek and gentle spirit. In the sight of God that spirit is of great price.
- Detail. God's judgment reaches down to vanity itself; nothing is too small to be brought low.
- Display. Living for outward show exposes a home with no real heart for the relationships God set up.
- Exchange. Perfume becomes rot. The ornamented belt becomes sackcloth, worn against the skin day and night. Well-set hair becomes the baldness that marks God's judgment.
- Scorching. Beauty burned away leaves the sunburnt slave of Song of Solomon. Her own unfaithfulness ruined a nation that was once a praise in the earth.
- Restoration. Chapter 3 takes every ornament away. Chapter 4 gives Christ Himself as the beauty and ornament of those who escape.