Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon [your] loins.
Tremble {H2729}, ye women that are at ease {H7600}; be troubled {H7264}, ye careless ones {H982}: strip {H6584} you, and make you bare {H6209}, and gird {H2290} sackcloth upon your loins {H2504}.
Tremble, you complacent women! Shudder, you overconfident women! Strip bare, wear sackcloth to cover yourselves.
Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists.
Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.
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Isaiah 3:24
And it shall come to pass, [that] instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; [and] burning instead of beauty. -
James 5:5
Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. -
Hosea 2:3
Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. -
Isaiah 2:21
To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. -
Micah 1:8
¶ Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. -
Micah 1:11
Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing. -
Isaiah 22:4
Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
Isaiah 32:11 delivers a stark prophetic warning to the complacent women of Judah, urging them to abandon their false sense of security and prepare for impending judgment. The imagery calls for a dramatic shift from ease to deep mourning and humility.
Context
This verse is situated within a section of Isaiah that contrasts the glorious future reign of a righteous king (likely the Messiah, described in Isaiah 32:1-8) with the present spiritual apathy and impending desolation facing Judah. The "women at ease" represent the nation's spiritual and social elite who were oblivious to the dangers posed by foreign powers like Assyria and, more importantly, to their own spiritual decay. The prophet calls them to accountability before a period of significant national upheaval, as further detailed in Isaiah 32:13-14.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The Hebrew term for "at ease" (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha'anannot) implies a state of undisturbed tranquility, often carrying a negative connotation of self-satisfaction or presumptuous security. Similarly, "careless ones" (בֹּטְחוֹת, botchot) refers to those who are overly confident, trusting in their own perceived strength or circumstances rather than in God. The actions prescribed—stripping and girding with sackcloth—were universally understood in the ancient Near East as expressions of profound sorrow, distress, and a humble plea for mercy, often associated with a prophetic call to national repentance (e.g., Jonah 3:5).
Practical Application
Isaiah 32:11 serves as a timeless warning against spiritual apathy and false security in any age. It challenges believers to examine whether they are truly vigilant and engaged with God's will, or if they have become "at ease" in their faith, neglecting prayer, study, or service. The call to "tremble" and "be troubled" encourages a healthy fear of God and a sober assessment of personal and communal spiritual health. It reminds us that genuine repentance often involves humbling ourselves and acknowledging our need for God's grace, just as the people of Nineveh did when they donned sackcloth and cried out to God.