Isaiah 20:2

“At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, &c.] Or, “by the hand of Isaiah”, by his means; and it was to him likewise, as the following words show; and so the Septuagint version renders it; he spoke by him, by the sign he used, according to his order, and he spoke to him to use the sign: saying; so the Arabic version, “with him”; and with these versions Noldius agrees: go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins; a token of mourning, and which the prophet wore, as Kimchi thinks, because of the captivity of the ten tribes; and it may be also on account of the miseries that were coming upon the people of the Jews; though some think this was his common garb, and the same with…”

“by--literally, "by the hand of" (compare Eze 3:14). sackcloth--the loose outer garment of coarse dark hair-cloth worn by mourners (Sa2 3:31) and by prophets, fastened at the waist by a girdle (Mat 3:4; Kg2 1:8; Zac 13:4). naked--rather, "uncovered"; he merely put off the outer sackcloth, retaining still the tunic or inner vest (Sa1 19:24; Amo 2:16; Joh 21:7); an emblem to show that Egypt should be stripped of its possessions; the very dress of Isaiah was a silent exhortation to repentance.”

“By Isaiah - Margin, ‘By the hand of Isaiah.’ So the Hebrew. That is, by the instrumentality of Isaiah. He sent him to make known the fate of the Egyptians, and the folly of trusting in them on this occasion. Go, and loose the sackcloth - For the meaning of the word “sackcloth,” see the note at Isaiah 3:24. It was commonly worn as an emblem of mourning. But there is reason to believe that it was worn also by the prophets, and was regarded, in some degree, as their appropriate dress. It was made usually of the coarse hair of the goat, and was worn as a zone or girdle around the loins. That this was the dress of Elijah is apparent from 2 Kings 1:8 : ‘He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle…”

“Sackcloth - Which he wore in token of his grief for the calamities that were already come upon Israel, and were coming upon Judah. Naked - Not wholly naked, but without his upper garment, as slaves and prisoners used to do, whose posture he was to represent. Bare - foot - After the manner of mourners and captives. Isaiah 20:3”

“20:2 Prophets characteristically wore burlap or other rough clothing as a sign of mourning over the sins of the people (see 2 Kgs 1:8; Mark 1:6). • naked: That is, exposed in some way, possibly even completely nude.”

“Isaiah: Heb. the hand of Isaiah Go: Jer 13:1-11, Jer 19:1-15; Eze 4:5; Mat 16:24 the sackcloth: Kg2 1:8; Zac 13:4; Mat 3:4; Rev 11:3 put: Exo 3:5; Jos 5:15; Eze 24:17, Eze 24:23 naked: Sa1 19:24; Sa2 6:20; Job 1:20, Job 1:21; Mic 1:8, Mic 1:11; Joh 21:7; Act 19:16 Isaiah 20:3”