Discovery BoxIsaiah 3:17 
Context3:17 So 1 the sovereign master 2 will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women 3 with skin diseases, 4
the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.” 5
Isaiah 3:24
Context3:24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, 6
a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair,
a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,
and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
1 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.
2 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 18 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
3 tn Heb “the daughters of Zion.”
4 tn Or “a scab” (KJV, ASV); NIV, NCV, CEV “sores.”
5 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.”
6 tn Heb “and it will be in place of spices there will be a stench.” The nouns for “spices” and “stench” are right next to each other in the MT for emphatic contrast. The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
