Isaiah 3:1-8

1 For lo! the lordly governor, the Lord of hosts, shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judah, a mighty man, and strong, and all the strength of bread, and all the strength of water; (For lo! the Lordly Governor, the Lord of hosts, shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judah, the mighty and the strong, and all the food and water;)

2 a strong man, and a man a warrior, and a doomsman, and a prophet, and a false diviner in altars, and an eld man, (yea, a strong man, and a warrior, a judge, and a prophet, a false diviner of altars, and an old man,)

3 a prince over fifty men, and a worshipful man in cheer (a leader of fifty men, and an honourable man), and a counsellor, and a wise man of principal craftsmen, and a prudent man of mystic, either ghostly, speech.

4 And I shall give children to be the princes of them, and men of women's conditions shall be lords of them. (And I shall make children to be their leaders, and young boys to be their lords and masters.)

5 And the people shall fall down, a man to a man, each man to his neighbour; a child shall make noise against an eld man, and an unnoble man against a noble man. (And the people shall fall down, one by one, each by his neighbour; a child shall not respect an old man, and an ignoble man shall not respect a noble man.)

6 For a man shall take his brother, the menial of his father, and shall say, A cloth is to thee, be thou our prince; forsooth this falling be under thine hand. (And a man shall take hold of his brother, in the house of his father, and shall say, Thou hath a cloak, so thou be our leader; and then this time of trouble shall be under thy hand.)

7 And he shall answer in that day, and say, I am no leech, and neither bread, neither cloth is in mine house; do not ye make me prince of the people. (And he shall answer on that day, and say, I am no physician, and there is no bread, or cloak, in my house; do not ye make me to be the leader of the people.)

8 For why Jerusalem fell down, and Judah fell down (al)together; for the tongue of them, and the findings of them (for their words, and their deeds), were against the Lord, for to stir to wrath the eyes of his majesty.

Isaiah 3:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 3

In this chapter the Jews are threatened with various calamities, on account of their sins, which would issue in their entire ruin and destruction. They are threatened with a famine, Isa 3:1 with a removal of useful men in church and state, and in common life, Isa 3:2,3 with ignorant and effeminate governors; the consequences of which would be oppression and insolence, Isa 3:4,5 yea, that such would be their state and condition, that men, though naturally ambitious of honour, would refuse to have the government of them, Isa 3:6,7 the reasons of these calamities, and of this ruin and fall of them, are their evil words and actions against the Lord, which were highly provoking to him; and their impudence in sinning like Sodom, which was to their own harm, Isa 3:8,9 yet, in the midst of all this, it is the will of God that the righteous should be told it shall be well with them, with the reason of it; when it shall be ill with the wicked, as a just recompence of reward, Isa 3:10,11 the errors and mistakes of the people are attributed to their childish and effeminate governors, Isa 3:12 wherefore the Lord determines to plead their cause, and contend with their elders and rulers, because they had spoiled and devoured the poor, Isa 3:13-15 and particularly the women are threatened, for their pride and luxury, to have their ornaments taken from them, which are particularly mentioned, Isa 3:16-24 and the chapter is concluded with a prophecy, that their mighty men should perish by the sword in war, and the city should be desolate, Isa 3:25,26.