Isaiah 3:7

7 But at that time the brother will cry out, "I can't help you. I don't have any food or clothing in my house. Don't make me the leader of these people."

Isaiah 3:7 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 3:7

In that day shall he swear
Or "lift up", that is, his hand ^F5, which was a gesture used in swearing, and therefore is so rendered; the meaning is, that he shall at once immediately give an answer, and for the solemn confirmation of it shall say an oath with it, saying, I will not be a healer,
or "a binder"; that is, of wounds, of political wounds, made in the nation, and which were incurable. See ( Isaiah 1:6 ) for the meaning is, that he neither was fit to be, nor could he be, a healer of the distempered state of the nation, it was so desperately bad. The Targum is,

``I am not fit to be a head or governor;''

and so Kimchi explains it of a governor, who, he says, is so called, because he binds and imprisons those that transgress his commands; and to this sense Jarchi and Abarbinel: for in my house [is] neither bread nor clothing;
not a sufficiency of either to support such grandeur and dignity; not enough to keep a proper table, and a suitable equipage: make me not a ruler of the people;
this shows that the state of the nation must be very bad indeed, that men, who are naturally ambitious of power and honour, should refuse government when offered to them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 (avy) "attollet manum", Piscator.

Isaiah 3:7 In-Context

5 People will crush one another. They will fight against each other. They will fight against their neighbors. Young people will attack old people. Ordinary people will attack those who are more important.

6 A man will grab hold of one of his brothers at his father's home. He will say, "You have a coat. So you be our leader. Take charge of all of these broken-down buildings!"

7 But at that time the brother will cry out, "I can't help you. I don't have any food or clothing in my house. Don't make me the leader of these people."

8 Jerusalem is about to fall. And so is Judah. They say and do things against the Lord. They dare to disobey him to his very face.

9 The look on their faces is a witness against them. They show off their sin, just as the people of Sodom did. They don't even try to hide it. How terrible it will be for them! They have brought trouble on themselves.