Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 3:1–7

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A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies1

is about to remove from Jerusalem2 and Judah

every source of security, including3

all the food and water,4

3:2the mighty men and warriors,

judges and prophets,

omen readers and leaders,5

3:3captains of groups of fifty,

the respected citizens,6

advisers and those skilled in magical arts,7

and those who know incantations.

3:4The Lord says,8 “I will make youths their officials;

malicious young men9 will rule over them.

3:5The people will treat each other harshly;

men will oppose each other;

neighbors will fight.10

Youths will proudly defy the elderly

and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected.11

3:6Indeed, a man will grab his brother

right in his father’s house12 and say,13

‘You own a coat—

you be our leader!

This heap of ruins will be under your control.’14

3:7At that time15 the brother will shout,16

‘I am no doctor,17

I have no food or coat in my house;

don’t make me a leader of the people!’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at .
  2. 2 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
  3. 3 Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See §122.v.
  4. 4 Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”
  5. 5 Heb “elder” (so , , , ); “older leaders.”
  6. 6 Heb “the ones lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.
  7. 7 Heb “and the wise with respect to magic.” On the meaning of חֲרָשִׁים (kharashim, “magic”), see III חרשׁ. Some understand here a homonym, meaning “craftsmen.” In this case, one could translate, “skilled craftsmen” (cf. , ).
  8. 8 The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The prophet speaks in vv. 1–3 (note the third person reference to the Lord in v. 1), but here the Lord himself announces that he will intervene in judgment. It is unclear where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s pick up again. The prophet is apparently speaking again by v. 8, where the Lord is referred to in the third person. Since vv. 4–7 comprise a thematic unity, the quotation probably extends through v. 7.
  9. 9 תַעֲלוּלִים (ta’alulim) is often understood as an abstract plural meaning “wantonness, cruelty” (cf. ). In this case the chief characteristic of these leaders is substituted for the leaders themselves. However, several translations make the parallelism tighter by emending the form to עוֹלְלִים (’olélim, “children”; cf. ESV, , , , , ). This emendation is unnecessary for at least two reasons. The word in the highlights the cruelty or malice of the “leaders” who are left behind in the wake of God’s judgment. The immediate context makes clear the fact that they are mere youths. The coming judgment will sweep away the leaders, leaving a vacuum which will be filled by incompetent, inexperienced youths.
  10. 10 Heb “man against man, and a man against his neighbor.”
  11. 11 Heb “and those lightly esteemed those who are respected.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) does double duty in the parallelism.
  12. 12 Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ); “at his father’s home.”
  13. 13 The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
  14. 14 Heb “your hand”; “under your charge.” The man’s motives are selfish. He tells his brother to assume leadership because he thinks he has some wealth to give away.
  15. 15 Or “in that day” ().
  16. 16 Heb “he will lift up [his voice].”
  17. 17 Heb “wrapper [of wounds]”; , , “healer.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For behold, the Lord God of hosts

is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah

support and supply,

all support of bread,

and all support of water;

the mighty man and the soldier,

the judge and the prophet,

the diviner and the elder,

the captain of fifty

and the man of rank,

the counselor and the skillful magician

and the expert in charms.

And I will make boys their princes,

and infants shall rule over them.

And the people will oppress one another,

every one his fellow

and every one his neighbor;

the youth will be insolent to the elder,

and the despised to the honorable.

For a man will take hold of his brother

in the house of his father, saying:

“You have a cloak;

you shall be our leader,

and this heap of ruins

shall be under your rule”;

in that day he will speak out, saying:

“I will not be a healer;

in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;

you shall not make me

leader of the people.”

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

See now, the Lord,

the Lord Almighty,

is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah

both supply and support:

all supplies of food and all supplies of water,

the hero and the warrior,

the judge and the prophet,

the diviner and the elder,

the captain of fifty and the man of rank,

the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

“I will make mere youths their officials;

children will rule over them.”

People will oppress each other—

man against man, neighbor against neighbor.

The young will rise up against the old,

the nobody against the honored.

A man will seize one of his brothers

in his father’s house, and say,

“You have a cloak, you be our leader;

take charge of this heap of ruins!”

But in that day he will cry out,

“I have no remedy.

I have no food or clothing in my house;

do not make me the leader of the people.”

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Note this: The Lord God of Armies

is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah

every kind of security:

the entire supply of bread and water,

heroes and warriors,

judges and prophets,

fortune-tellers and elders,

commanders of fifty and dignitaries,

counselors, cunning magicians, and necromancers.

“I will make youths their leaders,

and unstable rulers will govern them.”

The people will oppress one another,

man against man, neighbor against neighbor;

the young will act arrogantly toward the old,

and the worthless toward the honorable.

A man will even seize his brother

in his father’s house, saying,

“You have a cloak—you be our leader!

This heap of rubble will be under your control.”

On that day he will cry out, saying,

“I’m not a healer.

I don’t even have food or clothing in my house.

Don’t make me the leader of the people!”

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,

will take away from Jerusalem and Judah

everything they depend on:

every bit of bread

and every drop of water,

all their heroes and soldiers,

judges and prophets,

fortune-tellers and elders,

army officers and high officials,

advisers, skilled sorcerers, and astrologers.

I will make boys their leaders,

and toddlers their rulers.

People will oppress each other—

man against man,

neighbor against neighbor.

Young people will insult their elders,

and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.

In those days a man will say to his brother,

“Since you have a coat, you be our leader!

Take charge of this heap of ruins!”

But he will reply,

“No! I can’t help.

I don’t have any extra food or clothes.

Don’t put me in charge!”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For look, the Lord Yahweh of hosts is removing every source of support

from Jerusalem and from Judah:

all of the supplies of bread

and all of the supplies of water,

mighty warrior and man of war,

judge and prophet,

and diviner and elder,

captain of fifty and the honorable men of rank,

and counselor and skillful magicians and skillful enchanter.

And I will make boys their princes,

and children shall rule over them.

And the people will be oppressed by each other

and a man by his neighbor.

The boy will act arrogantly toward the elder,

and the dishonorable toward the honorable.

Indeed, a man will seize his brother

in the house of his father:

“You have a cloak;

you shall be a leader for us,

and this heap of ruins shall be under your hand!”

He will lift up his voice on that day, saying,

“I will not be a healer;

in my house there is no bread

and there is no cloak.

You shall not make me the leader of the people!”

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,

Doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff,

The whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

The mighty man, and the man of war,

The judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

The captain of fifty, and the honourable man,

And the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

And I will give children to be their princes,

And babes shall rule over them.

And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour:

The child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient,

And the base against the honourable.

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying,

Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler,

And let this ruin be under thy hand:

In that day shall he swear, saying,

I will not be an healer;

For in my house is neither bread nor clothing:

Make me not a ruler of the people.

Public Domain