Isaiah 3:17 - Foreheads or Secret Parts ?

Written by Kevin Abdullah Karim

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Christians differ over the translation of Isaiah 3:17. There are two different translations of this verse: Therefore the Lord will smite with a s ab the rown of the head of the dau!hters of "ion# and the Lord will dis over their se ret $arts % Isaiah 3:17# K&' ( Therefore the Lord will brin! sores on the heads of the women of "ion) the Lord will ma*e their s al$s bald. %Isaiah 3:17# +I' (

In res$onse to my earlier arti le on Isaiah 3:17# a brother mailed me the ne,t omment made by a Christian:

-n a different matter# you ontinue to ar!ue that Isaiah 3:17 tal*s about women bein! ra$ed be ause they were hau!hty. .ou laim that /most/ modern versions translate the $assa!e as /se ret $arts./ I have ei!hteen 0n!lish translations of the -ld Testament# and only nine of them translate the $assa!e as se ret $arts. The other half use some variation of /layin! the head bare./ .ou laim that the word /s al$/ isn1t in the te,t# but I must $oint out that % and here1s the *ey ( neither is /se ret $arts/ 2 The $assa!e sim$ly refers to somethin! bein! laid bare. 3ome translators on lude that the $assa!e is sayin! that the women1s bodies will be laid bare# while others translate the verse as sayin! that the women1s heads will be laid bare. % laim made by hristian missionary (

Response
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Whi h translation is honest 4 What is bein! laid bare here 4 The a tual 5ebrew of the ,6rated $assa!e reads: vayhwh $othen yaareh % Isaiah 3:17 ( The 7ibli al 8od will e,$ose the /pot/ of the dau!hters of "ion. What is the meanin! of the 5ebrew word /pot/ here 4 /Pot" 9 unt# hen63rd $erson female suffi,. The word /pot/ is the shortened and more vul!ar version of the word whi h is usually used: /potah/ % va!ina (. The 7antam6:e!iddo 5ebrew ; 0n!lish di tionary onfirms that /potah/ means va!ina. Also other 5ebrew di tionaries su$$ort that the word /pot/ in this verse refers to the female $udenda or va!ina# see for e,am$le:

$oth 6 from an unused root meanin! to o$en) a hole# i.e. hin!e or the female $udenda 66 hin!e# se ret $arti i$le % 3tron!1s 5ebrew <i tionary# 0ntry =>?= ( $ot 6 the e,ternal se, or!an of the female# the female na*edness % 0ven63hoshan e,haustive 5ebrew <i tionary (

As one an see the word /poth" % hole# o$enin!# female $udenda ( doesn1t refer to the forehead or s al$# unless one views the forehead as an /o$enin!/ or /hole/. The word /poth" learly refers to the va!ina here. @urther the word /yeareh/ % whi h is used in Isaiah 3:17 ( is the future tense verb from the root ayin6reysh6heh whi h means /to expose, make are, naked/. It is the root whi h forms /ar!m/ % na*ed ( and /er"ah/ % na*edness# nudity (. In 3tron!1s 5ebrew di tionary /yeareh/ is defined as:

a $rimitive root) to be % ausatively# ma*e ( bare) hen e# to em$ty# $our out# demolish:66leave destitute# dis over# em$ty# ma*e na*ed# $our % out (# rase# s$read self# un over. % 3tron!1s 5ebrew <i tionary # 0ntry =1=A (

The word the /yeareh/ is also used in the ne,t verse: BeCoi e and be !lad# - dau!hter of 0dom# that dwellest in the land of DE) the u$ also shall $ass throu!h unto thee: thou shalt be drun*en# and shalt ma*e thyself na*ed % /yeareh/ ( % Lamentations F:G ( In Isaiah 3:17 the word /yeareh/ % to un over# ma*e na*ed ( is used in onne tion with the word /poth" , this fa t also su$$orts the renderin! of the word /poth/ in this $assa!e as the /female $udenda/. &ohnny :iles % AdCun t Instru tor Te,as Christian Dniversity ( onfirms this in the &ournal for the 3tudy of the -ld Testament:

I $ro$ose readin! /$ot/ as a onnotation for the female !enitalia !iven its lose $ro,imity to /yeareh/ % /lay bare/# /e,$ose/# /denude/ ( # a derivative of whi h is /ervah/ % /$udenda/# /na*edness/ (. 3u h a onnotation restores the se,ual violen e within this te,t in order to re6read its miso!ynist ins ri$tion. The $remeditated humiliation for the /dau!hters of "ion/ be omes e,$li itly !ra$hi with the e,$osure of their !enitalia by .5W5 1 There is more !ood news. A re ent study of some /semeti an ient sna*e s$ells/ in an e!y$tian $yramid# hel$ed Bi hard 3teiner# a $rofessor of 3emiti lan!ua!es and literature at +ew .or*1s .eshiva Dniversity# to solve the lon!6standin! dis$ute over the meanin! of the word /pot/ in Isaiah 3:17. +ational 8eo!ra$hi re$orts:

the newly de i$hered s$ells $rovide the first !lim$se of the an estor lan!ua!e to Hhoeni ian and 5ebrew. /#his is a disco"ery o$ !tmost importance#/ 7ar6Asher said. /Almost all the words found %in these te,ts( are also found in the 7ible./ /It1s not as different from bibli al 5ebrew as some $eo$le mi!ht have e,$e ted#/ .eshiva Dniversity1s 3teiner added. /% &ot o$ the characteristics o$ 'e re( that (e kno( $rom the )i &e are a&ready present in these texts./ The lan!ua!e of the newly de i$hered s$ells is so similar to bibli al 5ebrew# in fa t# that 3teiner was able to solve a lon!6 standin! dis$ute over the meanin! of the word 1pot1. Isaiah 3:17 reads# in re!ard to the dau!hters of "ion# /the *ord (i&& !nco"er their pot./ 7y the :iddle A!es there was already a dis$ute amon! bibli al s holars over whether the word referred to the females1 !enitalia or to a $art of their heads# 3teiner said in his le ture. 7ut the use of this rare word in one of the Canaanite s$ells a$$ears to settle the Iuestion. /@rom this te,t it is now lear the 5ebrew term used by Isaiah refers to the female !enitalia,/ 7ar6Asher# of the 5ebrew Dniversity# said. These te,ts also /pro"ide the $irst direct e"idence $or the pron!nciation o$ +,yptian in this ear&y period#/ G

@inally we would li*e to $oint out that the ,6rated $assa!e in it1s ori!inal 5ebrew says nothin! about ma*in! someone1s head or s al$ bald. In 5ebrew there is an a tual root whi h means /to ma*e;be ome bald/ % *uf6reysh6het ( # and this is +-T used. The meanin! of this verse is $retty lear. The dau!hters of "ion will !et

their /$ema&e ,enita&ia/ un overed by the 7ibli al Lord. This fa t be omes more lear when one reads Isaiah 3:1A6GF in whi h the $oet des ribes how these women will be stri$$ed off from their lothes % the mantles# the fine linen# the han!eable suits of a$$arel et . (. The dau!hters of "ion are learly stripped o$ naked in these verses. They were shamed by the 7ibli al Lord. -ne may as*: /why did the 7ibli al Lord un over the female !enetalia of of these women 4/ Isaiah 3:1= answers this Iuestion: 7e ause the dau!hters of "ion are hau!hty# and wal* with stret hed forth ne *s and wanton eyes# wal*in! and min in! as they !o# and ma*in! a tin*lin! with their feet: Therefore the Lord will smite with a s ab the rown of the head of the dau!hters of "ion# and the *ord (i&& disco"er their secret parts % Isaiah 3:1=617 ( +oti e how the 7ibli al Lord ondems the <au!ters of "ion for their self $ride and /sedu tiveness/ # the <au!ters of "ion were out for some male attention % /by ma*in! a tin*lin! with their feet/ (. &ohnny :iles % AdCun t Instru tor Te,as Christian Dniversity ( onfirms this fa t in the -o!rna& $or the St!dy o$ the .&d #estament : 7y belaborin! the !ra$hi de$i tion of the demeanor# !ait# and a$$arel of these women# the Isaiani $oet derives some enCoyment at mo *in! their vanity. 5e des ribes them as wal*in! about town with outstret hed ne *s and astin! sedu tive !lan es. Wildber!er remar*s that 1the women ,&ance $&irtatio!s&y..to see if those who meet them have noti ed and been ta*en with their beauty1...In fa t# this $oeti ima!ery insinuates the /da!,hters o$ 0ion/ as $layin! the harlot 3 In other words be ause the /<au!hters of "ion/ were hau!hty# se,y# beautifull and sedu tive % they were out for male attention ( # the 7ibli al Lord de ides to !ive to them some /male attention/ by un overin! their /se ret $arts/ % female !enitalia (. C. @. Keil and @. <elitEs h write in their lassi ommentary on the -ld Testament: and &ehovah would un over their na*edness# by !ivin! them u$ to violation and abuse at the hand of oarse and barbarous foes 6 the !reatest $ossible dis!ra e in the eyes of a woman# who overs herself as arefully as she an in the $resen e of any stran!er. F The satire % Isaiah 3:1=617 ( is 1JJ K antifeminist. Women are des ribed as harlots and $unished with ra$e for their obsession with beauty and sedu tive behaviour 2 The 7ibli al Lord obvious su$$orts the dis!ustin! view that: /women who a t and dress sedu tive need % or deserve ( to be $unished with ra$e/. In another $assa!e we also read that the 7ibli al Lord himself will send armies to rape the (omen o$ -er!sa&em % see "e haria 1F:16G (. It seems that the 7ibli al Lord has a disli*e for women. LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

References and Notes: %1( &ohnny :iles# "Re-readin, the Po(er o$ Satire: Isaiah/s /1a!,hters o$ 0ion/, Pope/s /)e&inda/, and the Rhetoric o$ Rape", &3-T# 'ol. 31# +o. G# $. GJ16GJG % GJJ= 3a!e Hubli ations ( %G(

+ational 8eo!ra$hi +ews % @ebruary ># GJJ7( : /%ncient Semitic Snake Spe&&s 1eciphered in +,yptian
Pyramid/ by :ati :ilstein# online sour e

%3( &ohnny :iles# "Re-readin, the Po(er o$ Satire: Isaiah/s /1a!,hters o$ 0ion/, Pope/s /)e&inda/, and the Rhetoric o$ Rape", &3-T# 'ol. 31# +o. G# $. 1??6GJJ % GJJ= 3a!e Hubli ations ( %F( Commentary on the -ld Tetament by C. @. Keil M @. <elitEs h# 'ol. 'II# Isaiah % William 7. 0erdmans Hublishin! Com$any# 8rand Ba$ids :i hi!an 1?AJ (# $. 1F361FF