Isaiah 47:3
“Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God will execute justice, exposing what was hidden and holding Babylon accountable.
Context
The oracle shifts to God as the active judge. To 'take vengeance' in Hebrew poetry means to execute justice on behalf of the wronged (especially God's people). The phrase 'not meet thee as a man' suggests God will act in a way no human warrior could.
What Does Isaiah 47:3 Mean?
Nakedness and shame are the mirror of pride. What Babylon has hidden behind power and pretense will be exposed. All the cruelties inflicted on captive peoples, all the arrogance masked by gold and stone, will be brought into the light. God's justice is not petty retaliation but the restoration of truth and order.
And yet there is mercy in this exposure. We need not hide our shame before God because he already sees it and yet offers us Christ's covering. His vengeance against evil is the same act by which he saves us from it. We come naked and ashamed before him and find not condemnation but redemption.
In the Original Language
nakam (נקם), 'take vengeance' - to execute justice and restore what was wronged; in God's hand, always righteous.
Application
Nothing we do is hidden from God. Rather than fear this exposure, we confess it and find that his justice is mercy, his sight is healing.