The Meaning of Isaiah 47:3 Explained

Isaiah 47:3

KJV: Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

YLT: Revealed is thy nakedness, yea, seen is thy reproach, Vengeance I take, and I meet not a man.

Darby: thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will meet none to stay me. ...

ASV: Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and will spare no man.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thy nakedness  shall be uncovered,  yea, thy shame  shall be seen:  I will take  vengeance,  and I will not meet  [thee as] a man. 

What does Isaiah 47:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In the ancient world, people regarded nakedness as a shame because it left them open to the gaze of others, and so rendered them defenseless. People seen naked were often taken advantage of. Thus to be uncovered was to be shamefully exposed. Babylon had regarded herself as someone special and superior, but now it would become clear that she was just like every other nation. God promised to take vengeance on Babylon for exalting herself to a place that He alone deserves. He would not spare anyone deserving humiliation.

Context Summary

Isaiah 47:1-15 - The Penalty Of Trusting In Wickedness
Babylon dwelt in careless security. She was given to pleasures, Isaiah 47:8; and said in her heart that her vast crowd of astrologers, magicians, and priests, would certainly warn her of impending evil and deliver her. But nothing could be more absolute than her fall. For centuries she has been buried under mounds of desolation, while the Hebrew people, whom she so cruelly oppressed, are the monument of God's preserving mercy. The fact is that Babylon exceeded her duty. She was used as Jehovah's chastising rod upon the Hebrews, but she was merciless in the extreme in her behavior and for this excess she suffered. Compare Isaiah 47:6 with Zechariah 1:15.
Notice Isaiah 47:4. The prophet turns from the overthrow of the proud city to remind his people that Babylon's tribulation is due to the redeeming arm of God; and we must never forget that in the midst of her overthrow there was a thread of golden mercy. The loved that brooded over Nineveh must have been there. See Jonah 4:10-11. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 47

1  God's judgment upon Babylon and Chaldea
6  For their unmercifulness
7  Pride
10  And over-boldness
11  Shall be irresistible

What do the individual words in Isaiah 47:3 mean?

Shall be uncovered Your nakedness Yes will be seen your shame vengeance I will take and not I will arbitrate with a man -
תִּגָּל֙ עֶרְוָתֵ֔ךְ גַּ֥ם תֵּרָאֶ֖ה חֶרְפָּתֵ֑ךְ נָקָ֣ם אֶקָּ֔ח וְלֹ֥א אֶפְגַּ֖ע אָדָֽם ס

תִּגָּל֙  Shall  be  uncovered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
עֶרְוָתֵ֔ךְ  Your  nakedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֶרְוָה  
Sense: nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda.
גַּ֥ם  Yes 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
תֵּרָאֶ֖ה  will  be  seen 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
חֶרְפָּתֵ֑ךְ  your  shame 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חֶרְפָּה  
Sense: reproach, scorn.
נָקָ֣ם  vengeance 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָקָם  
Sense: vengeance.
אֶקָּ֔ח  I  will  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
וְלֹ֥א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֶפְגַּ֖ע  I  will  arbitrate 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
אָדָֽם  with  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation