◄ Isaiah 3:23 ►
and their mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and shawls.
Study Bible
and mirrors
The mention of "mirrors" in this context reflects the ancient Near Eastern culture where mirrors were often made of polished metal, such as bronze or copper. These mirrors were luxury items, symbolizing vanity and self-adornment. In a spiritual sense, the focus on mirrors can be seen as a metaphor for self-reflection and the superficial nature of external beauty. The Hebrew word for mirror, "מַרְאָה" (mar'ah), can also imply a deeper introspection, urging the faithful to look beyond the surface and examine their inner spiritual state.

and linen garments
Linen was a prized fabric in ancient Israel, often associated with purity and high status. The Hebrew word "שֵׁשׁ" (shesh) denotes fine linen, which was used in the garments of priests and the tabernacle, symbolizing holiness and righteousness. The reference to linen garments here highlights the contrast between the external display of wealth and the internal call to righteousness. It serves as a reminder that true spiritual adornment comes from a life of purity and devotion to God.

and tiaras
Tiaras, or headbands, were ornamental headpieces worn by women of status and wealth. The Hebrew term "פְּאֵרִים" (pe'erim) suggests a sense of pride and splendor. In the biblical context, tiaras can symbolize authority and honor, but also the potential for pride and self-exaltation. This phrase challenges believers to consider where they place their value and to seek the crown of life promised by God rather than earthly accolades.

and shawls
Shawls, or cloaks, were common garments in biblical times, providing warmth and modesty. The Hebrew word "רְדִידִים" (redidim) implies a covering or mantle. In a spiritual sense, shawls can represent the protective covering of God's grace and the call to clothe oneself with humility and compassion. This phrase encourages believers to wrap themselves in the virtues of Christ, serving as a testament to their faith and commitment to living a life that honors God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah's ministry spanned the reigns of several kings of Judah. He is known for his prophecies concerning both judgment and redemption.

2. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which Isaiah primarily addressed. During Isaiah's time, Judah was facing social and spiritual decline.

3. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, often symbolic of the nation's spiritual state. Isaiah's prophecies frequently targeted the leaders and people of Jerusalem.

4. Women of Zion
The specific group addressed in this passage, representing the affluent and prideful women of Jerusalem who were more concerned with outward adornment than inner righteousness.

5. Prophetic Judgment
The broader context of Isaiah 3 is a prophecy of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem for their pride and moral decay.
Teaching Points
The Danger of Vanity
The focus on external adornment can lead to spiritual neglect. Isaiah 3:23 serves as a warning against prioritizing physical beauty over spiritual health.

True Beauty in God's Eyes
God values inner beauty and righteousness over outward appearances. Believers are encouraged to cultivate a heart that reflects God's character.

Cultural Reflections
The cultural emphasis on appearance is not new. Isaiah's message is relevant today, urging Christians to resist societal pressures and focus on spiritual growth.

Judgment and Repentance
Isaiah's prophecy serves as a call to repentance. Recognizing areas of pride and superficiality in our lives can lead to spiritual renewal.

Role of Women in Scripture
The Bible consistently elevates the role of women who fear the Lord and live righteously, offering a counter-narrative to cultural standards of beauty.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Isaiah 3:23 reflect the spiritual state of Judah at the time, and what can we learn from this about the consequences of prioritizing outward appearance over inner character?

2. In what ways does the New Testament reinforce the message of Isaiah 3:23 regarding the importance of inner beauty?

3. How can we apply the lessons from Isaiah 3:23 to modern-day pressures regarding physical appearance and materialism?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that our focus remains on cultivating a heart that is pleasing to God rather than conforming to societal standards of beauty?

5. How does understanding the cultural context of Isaiah's time enhance our interpretation and application of this passage in our lives today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Peter 3:3-4
This passage contrasts external adornment with the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God's sight. It echoes the theme of Isaiah 3:23, emphasizing the importance of inner character over outward appearance.

Proverbs 31:30
This verse highlights that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. It aligns with the critique of superficiality in Isaiah 3:23.

Matthew 23:27-28
Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their outward appearance of righteousness while being inwardly corrupt, paralleling the critique of the women of Zion.
Sermons
A Jerusalem Fashion PlateT. De Witt Talmage, D. D.Isaiah 3:16-24
A Mincing GaitF. Delitzsch.Isaiah 3:16-24
Comely Clothing NaturalT. De Witt Talmage, D. D.Isaiah 3:16-24
Costume and MoralsT. De Witt Talmage, D. D.Isaiah 3:16-24
God-Defying Extravagance of Modern SocietyT. De Witt Talmage, D. D.Isaiah 3:16-24
Pride of Beauty and Attire ReprovedIsaiah 3:16-24
The Wanton EyesA. B. Davidson, LL. D.Isaiah 3:16-24
Wanton EyesF. Delitzsch.Isaiah 3:16-24
The Vanity of VanityW. Clarkson Isaiah 3:16-26
People
Isaiah
Places
Jerusalem, Sodom, Zion
Topics
Bodices, Fair, Fine, Flowing, Garments, Gauze, Glasses, Hand-mirrors, Head-dresses, Hoods, Linen, Looking-glasses, Mantles, Mirrors, Robes, Shawls, Tiaras, Turbans, Undergarments, Vails, Veils
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 3:23

     5392   linen
     5411   mirror

Isaiah 3:16-24

     5476   property
     8308   modesty

Isaiah 3:18-23

     5139   bracelet

Isaiah 3:18-24

     5419   mourning

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 Scripture

Marching 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

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