Isaiah 3:17–22

3:17 So43 the sovereign master44 will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women45 with skin diseases,46

the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.”47

3:18 48 At that time49 the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry,50 neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments, 3:19 earrings, bracelets, veils, 3:20 headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets,51 amulets, 3:21 rings, nose rings, 3:22 festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses,

43	tn In the Hebrew text vv. 16–17 and one long sentence, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud and walk …, the sovereign master will afflict.…” In v. 17 the Lord refers to himself in the third person.
44	tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 18 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
45	tn Heb “the daughters of Zion.”
46	tn Or “a scab” (KJV, ASV); NIV, NCV, CEV “sores.”
47	tn The precise meaning of this line is unclear because of the presence of the rare word פֹּת (pot). Since the verb in the line means “lay bare, make naked,” some take פֹּת as a reference to the genitals (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV, CEV). (In 1 Kgs 7:50 a noun פֹּת appears, with the apparent meaning “socket.”) J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:139, n. 2), basing his argument on alleged Akkadian evidence and the parallelism of the verse, takes פֹּת as “forehead.”
48	sn The translation assumes that the direct quotation ends with v. 17. The introductory formula “in that day” and the shift from a poetic to prosaic style indicate that a new speech unit begins in v. 18.
49	tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
50	tn Or “the beauty of [their] ankle jewelry.”
51	tn Heb “houses of breath.” HALOT 124 s.v. בַּיִת defines them as “scent-bottles”; cf. NAB, NRSV “perfume boxes.”