Isaiah 3:1

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;)

Isaiah 3:1 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 3:1

For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts
These titles of Jehovah, expressive of power and authority, are used to show that he is able to execute what he threatens to do; and the word "behold" is prefixed, to excite attention to what is about to be said: doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judea;
the present tense is used for the future, because of the certainty of what would be done to the Jews, both in city and country; for as in the preceding chapter ( Isaiah 2:1-22 ) it is foretold what shall befall the antichristian party among the nations of the world, this is a prophecy of the destruction of the Jews by the Romans; at which time there would be a dreadful famine, signified by the taking away the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay
of water;
bread and water being the stay and staff of man's life, which support and maintain it; and, in case of disobedience, a famine was threatened this people very early, and in much such terms as here, ( Leviticus 26:26 ) and as there was a very sore famine at the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, ( Jeremiah 52:6 ) so there was a very dreadful one when the city was besieged by the Romans, as related by Josephus, and predicted by Christ, ( Matthew 24:7 ) .

Isaiah 3:1 In-Context

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.)