Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Isaiah » Chapter 3

Isaiah 3:1-26 King James Version (KJV)

1 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.

2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

5 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.

6 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:

7 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.

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

17 Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

21 The rings, and nose jewels,

22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

Isaiah 3:1-26 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 For, behold, the Lord, H113 the LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 doth take away H5493 from Jerusalem H3389 and from Judah H3063 the stay H4937 and the staff, H4938 the whole stay H4937 of bread, H3899 and the whole H3605 stay H4937 of water, H4325

2 The mighty man, H1368 and the man H376 of war, H4421 the judge, H8199 and the prophet, H5030 and the prudent, H7080 and the ancient, H2205

3 The captain H8269 of fifty, H2572 and the honourable H5375 man, H6440 and the counsellor, H3289 and the cunning H2450 artificer, H2791 and the eloquent H995 orator. H3908

4 And I will give H5414 children H5288 to be their princes, H8269 and babes H8586 shall rule H4910 over them.

5 And the people H5971 shall be oppressed, H5065 every one H376 by another, H376 and every one H376 by his neighbour: H7453 the child H5288 shall behave himself proudly H7292 against the ancient, H2205 and the base H7034 against the honourable. H3513

6 When a man H376 shall take hold H8610 of his brother H251 of the house H1004 of his father, H1 saying, Thou hast clothing, H8071 be thou our ruler, H7101 and let this ruin H4384 be under thy hand: H3027

7 In that day H3117 shall he swear, H5375 saying, H559 I will not be an healer; H2280 for in my house H1004 is neither bread H3899 nor clothing: H8071 make H7760 me not a ruler H7101 of the people. H5971

8 For Jerusalem H3389 is ruined, H3782 and Judah H3063 is fallen: H5307 because their tongue H3956 and their doings H4611 are against the LORD, H3068 to provoke H4784 the eyes H5869 of his glory. H3519

9 The shew H1971 of their countenance H6440 doth witness against them; H6030 and they declare H5046 their sin H2403 as Sodom, H5467 they hide H3582 it not. Woe H188 unto their soul! H5315 for they have rewarded H1580 evil H7451 unto themselves.

10 Say H559 ye to the righteous, H6662 that it shall be well H2896 with him: for they shall eat H398 the fruit H6529 of their doings. H4611

11 Woe H188 unto the wicked! H7563 it shall be ill H7451 with him: for the reward H1576 of his hands H3027 shall be given H6213 him.

12 As for my people, H5971 children H5953 are their oppressors, H5065 and women H802 rule H4910 over them. O my people, H5971 they which lead H833 thee cause thee to err, H8582 and destroy H1104 the way H1870 of thy paths. H734

13 The LORD H3068 standeth up H5324 to plead, H7378 and standeth H5975 to judge H1777 the people. H5971

14 The LORD H3068 will enter H935 into judgment H4941 with the ancients H2205 of his people, H5971 and the princes H8269 thereof: for ye have eaten up H1197 the vineyard; H3754 the spoil H1500 of the poor H6041 is in your houses. H1004

15 What mean ye that ye beat H1792 my people H5971 to pieces, H1792 and grind H2912 the faces H6440 of the poor? H6041 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts. H6635

16 Moreover the LORD H3068 saith, H559 Because H3282 the daughters H1323 of Zion H6726 are haughty, H1361 and walk H3212 with stretched forth H5186 necks H1627 and wanton H8265 eyes, H5869 walking H1980 and mincing H2952 as they go, H3212 and making a tinkling H5913 with their feet: H7272

17 Therefore the Lord H136 will smite with a scab H5596 the crown of the head H6936 of the daughters H1323 of Zion, H6726 and the LORD H3068 will discover H6168 their secret parts. H6596

18 In that day H3117 the Lord H136 will take away H5493 the bravery H8597 of their tinkling ornaments H5914 about their feet, and their cauls, H7636 and their round tires like the moon, H7720

19 The chains, H5188 and the bracelets, H8285 and the mufflers, H7479

20 The bonnets, H6287 and the ornaments of the legs, H6807 and the headbands, H7196 and the tablets, H5315 H1004 and the earrings, H3908

21 The rings, H2885 and nose H639 jewels, H5141

22 The changeable suits of apparel, H4254 and the mantles, H4595 and the wimples, H4304 and the crisping pins, H2754

23 The glasses, H1549 and the fine linen, H5466 and the hoods, H6797 and the vails. H7289

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell H1314 there shall be stink; H4716 and instead of a girdle H2290 a rent; H5364 and instead of well set H4639 hair H4748 baldness; H7144 and instead of a stomacher H6614 a girding H4228 of sackcloth; H8242 and burning H3587 instead of beauty. H3308

25 Thy men H4962 shall fall H5307 by the sword, H2719 and thy mighty H1369 in the war. H4421

26 And her gates H6607 shall lament H578 and mourn; H56 and she being desolate H5352 shall sit H3427 upon the ground. H776

Isaiah 3:1-26 American Standard (ASV)

1 For, behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water;

2 the mighty man, and the man of war; the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the elder;

3 the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and the expert artificer, and the skilful enchanter.

4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable.

6 When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, `saying', Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

7 in that day shall he lift up `his voice', saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people.

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have done evil unto themselves.

10 Say ye of the righteous, that `it shall be' well `with him'; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! `it shall be' ill `with him'; for what his hands have done shall be done unto him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

13 Jehovah standeth up to contend, and standeth to judge the peoples.

14 Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof: It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses:

15 what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

16 Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet;

17 therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, and the cauls, and the crescents;

19 the pendants, and the bracelets, and the mufflers;

20 the headtires, and the ankle chains, and the sashes, and the perfume-boxes, and the amulets;

21 the rings, and the nose-jewels;

22 the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls, and the satchels;

23 the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the veils.

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit upon the ground.

Isaiah 3:1-26 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 For, lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is turning aside from Jerusalem, And from Judah, stay and staff, Every stay of bread, and every stay of water.

2 Hero and man of war, judge and prophet, And diviner and elder,

3 Head of fifty, and accepted of faces, And counsellor, and the wise of artificers, And the intelligent of charmers.

4 And I have made youths their heads, And sucklings rule over them.

5 And the people hath exacted -- man upon man, Even a man on his neighbour, Enlarge themselves do the youths against the aged, And the lightly esteemed against the honoured.

6 When one layeth hold on his brother, `Of' the house of his father, `by' the garment, `Come, a ruler thou art to us, And this ruin `is' under thy hand.'

7 He lifteth up, in that day, saying: `I am not a binder up, And in my house is neither bread nor garment, Ye do not make me a ruler of the people.'

8 For stumbled hath Jerusalem, and Judah hath fallen, For their tongue and their doings `are' against Jehovah, To provoke the eyes of His glory.

9 The appearance of their faces witnessed against them, And their sin, as Sodom, they declared, They have not hidden! Wo to their soul, For they have done to themselves evil.

10 Say ye to the righteous, that `it is' good, Because the fruit of their doings they eat.

11 Wo to the wicked -- evil, Because the deed of his hand is done to him.

12 My people -- its exactors `are' sucklings, And women have ruled over it. My people -- thy eulogists are causing to err, And the way of thy paths swallowed up.

13 Jehovah hath stood up to plead, And He is standing to judge the peoples.

14 Jehovah into judgment doth enter With elders of His people, and its heads: `And ye, ye have consumed the vineyard, Plunder of the poor `is' in your houses.

15 What -- to you? ye bruise My people, And the faces of the poor ye grind.' An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, And Jehovah saith:

16 `Because that daughters of Zion have been haughty, And they walk stretching out the neck, And deceiving `with' the eyes, Walking and mincing they go, And with their feet they make a tinkling,

17 The Lord also hath scabbed The crown of the head of daughters of Zion, And Jehovah their simplicity exposeth.

18 In that day doth the Lord turn aside The beauty of the tinkling ornaments, And of the embroidered works, And of the round tires like moons,

19 Of the drops, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

20 Of the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, And of the bands, And of the perfume boxes, and the amulets,

21 Of the seals, and of the nose-rings,

22 Of the costly apparel, and of the mantles, And of the coverings, and of the purses,

23 Of the mirrors, and of the linen garments, And of the hoods, and of the vails,

24 And it hath been, instead of spice is muck, And instead of a girdle, a rope, And instead of curled work, baldness, And instead of a stomacher a girdle of sackcloth.

25 For instead of glory, thy men by sword do fall, And thy might in battle.

26 And lamented and mourned have her openings, Yea, she hath been emptied, on the earth she sitteth!

Isaiah 3:1-26 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 For behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will take away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

2 the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the diviner and the elder,

3 the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the clever among artificers, and the one versed in enchantments.

4 And I will appoint youths as their princes, and children shall rule over them.

5 And the people shall be oppressed one by the other, and each by his neighbour; the child will be insolent against the elder, and the base against the honourable.

6 When a man shall take hold of his brother, in his father's house, [and shall say:] Thou hast clothing; be our chief, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

7 he will lift up [his hand] in that day, saying, I cannot be a healer, and in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; ye shall not make me a chief of the people.

8 For Jerusalem stumbleth and Judah falleth, because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The look of their face doth witness against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom: they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have brought evil upon themselves.

10 Say ye of the righteous that it shall be well [with him], for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill [with him], because the desert of his hands shall be rendered unto him.

12 [As for] my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people! they that guide thee mislead [thee], and destroy the way of thy paths.

13 Jehovah setteth himself to plead, and standeth to judge the peoples.

14 Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and their princes, [saying:] It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard: the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the faces of the afflicted? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

16 And Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-out neck and wanton eyes, and go along mincing, and making a tinkling with their feet;

17 therefore the Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the ornament of anklets, and the little suns and crescents,

19 the pearl-drops, and the bracelets, and the veils,

20 the head-dresses, and the stepping chains, and the girdles, and the scent-boxes, and the amulets;

21 the finger-rings, and the nose-rings;

22 the festival-robes, and the tunics, and the mantles, and the wallets;

23 the mirrors, and the fine linen bodices, and the turbans, and the flowing veils.

24 And it shall come to pass, instead of perfume there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe of display, a girding of sackcloth; brand instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the fight;

26 and her gates shall lament and mourn; and, stripped, she shall sit upon the ground.

Isaiah 3:1-26 World English Bible (WEB)

1 For, behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah supply and support, The whole supply of bread, And the whole supply of water;

2 The mighty man, The man of war, The judge, The prophet, The diviner, The elder,

3 The captain of fifty, The honorable man, The counselor, The skilled craftsman, And the clever enchanter.

4 I will give boys to be their princes, And children shall rule over them.

5 The people will be oppressed, Everyone by another, And everyone by his neighbor. The child will behave himself proudly against the old man, And the base against the honorable.

6 Indeed a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, "You have clothing, you be our ruler, And let this ruin be under your hand."

7 In that day he will cry out, saying, I will not be a healer; For in my house is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me ruler of the people.

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; Because their tongue and their doings are against Yahweh, To provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don't hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought disaster upon themselves.

10 Tell the righteous "Good!" For they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them; For the deeds of his hands will be paid back to him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. My people, those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.

13 Yahweh stands up to contend, And stands to judge the peoples.

14 Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, And their leaders: "It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What do you mean that you crush my people, And grind the face of the poor?" says the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts.

16 Moreover Yahweh said, "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks and flirting eyes, Walking to trip as they go, Jingling ornaments on their feet;

17 Therefore the Lord brings sores on the crown of the head of the women of Zion, And Yahweh will make their scalps bald."

18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, the headbands, the crescent necklaces,

19 the earrings, the bracelets, the veils,

20 the headdresses, the ankle chains, the sashes, the perfume bottles, the charms,

21 the signet rings, the nose rings,

22 the fine robes, the capes, the cloaks, the purses,

23 the hand-mirrors, the fine linen garments, the tiaras, and the shawls.

24 It shall happen that instead of sweet spices, there shall be rottenness; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well set hair, baldness; Instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.

25 Your men shall fall by the sword, And your mighty in the war.

26 Her gates shall lament and mourn; And she shall be desolate and sit on the ground.

Isaiah 3:1-26 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 For the Lord, the Lord of armies, is about to take away from Jerusalem and from Judah all their support; their store of bread and of water;

2 The strong man and the man of war; the judge and the prophet; the man who has knowledge of secret arts, and the man who is wise because of his years;

3 The captain of fifty, and the man of high position, and the wise guide, and the wonder-worker, and he who makes use of secret powers.

4 And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them.

5 And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble.

6 When one man puts his hand on another in his father's house, and says, You have clothing, be our ruler and be responsible for us in our sad condition:

7 Then he will say with an oath, I will not be a helper, for in my house there is no bread or clothing: I will not let you make me a ruler of the people.

8 For Jerusalem has become feeble, and destruction has come on Judah, because their words and their acts are against the Lord, moving the eyes of his glory to wrath.

9 Their respect for a man's position is a witness against them; and their sin is open to the view of all; like that of Sodom, it is not covered. A curse on their soul! for the measure of their sin is full.

10 Happy is the upright man! for he will have joy of the fruit of his ways.

11 Unhappy is the sinner! for the reward of his evil doings will come on him.

12 As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.

13 The Lord is ready to take up his cause against his people, and is about to come forward as their judge.

14 The Lord comes to be the judge of their responsible men and of their rulers: it is you who have made waste the vine-garden, and in your houses is the property of the poor which you have taken by force.

15 By what right are you crushing my people, and putting a bitter yoke on the necks of the poor? This is the word of the Lord, the Lord of armies.

16 Again, the Lord has said, Because the daughters of Zion are full of pride, and go with outstretched necks and wandering eyes, with their foot-chains sounding when they go:

17 The Lord will send disease on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will let their secret parts be seen.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the glory of their foot-rings, and their sun-jewels, and their moon-ornaments,

19 The ear-rings, and the chains, and the delicate clothing,

20 The head-bands, and the arm-chains, and the worked bands, and the perfume-boxes, and the jewels with secret powers,

21 The rings, and the nose-jewels,

22 The feast-day dresses, and the robes, and the wide skirts, and the handbags,

23 The looking-glasses, and the fair linen, and the high head-dresses, and the veils.

24 And in the place of sweet spices will be an evil smell, and for a fair band a thick cord; for a well-dressed head there will be the cutting-off of the hair, and for a beautiful robe there will be the clothing of sorrow; the mark of the prisoner in place of the ornaments of the free.

25 Your men will be put to the sword, and your men of war will come to destruction in the fight.

26 And in the public places of her towns will be sorrow and weeping; and she will be seated on the earth, waste and uncovered.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 3

Commentary on Isaiah 3 Matthew Henry Commentary

John Gill   Keil & Delitzsch   Robert Jamieson: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible  

Chapter 3

The prophet, in this chapter, goes on to foretel the desolations that were coming upon Judah and Jerusalem for their sins, both that by the Babylonians and that which completed their ruin by the Romans, with some of the grounds of God's controversy with them. God threatens,

  • I. To deprive them of all the supports both of their life and of their government (v. 1-3).
  • II. To leave them to fall into confusion and disorder (v. 4, 5, 12).
  • III. To deny them the blessing of magistracy (v. 6-8).
  • IV. To strip the daughters of Zion of their ornaments (v. 17-24).
  • V. To lay all waste by the sword of war (v. 25, 26). The sins that provoked God to deal thus with them were,
    • 1. Their defiance of God (v. 8).
    • 2. Their impudence (v. 9).
    • 3. The abuse of power to oppression and tyranny (v. 12-15).
    • 4. The pride of the daughters of Zion (v. 16). In the midst of the chapter the prophet is directed how to address particular persons.
      • (1.) To assure good people that it should be well with them, notwithstanding those general calamities (v. 10).
      • (2.) To assure wicked people that, however God might, in judgment, remember mercy, yet it should go ill with them (v. 11).

O that the nations of the earth, at this day, would hearken to rebukes and warnings which this chapter gives!

Isa 3:1-8

The prophet, in the close of the foregoing chapter, had given a necessary caution to all not to put confidence in man, or any creature; he had also given a general reason for that caution, taken from the frailty of human life and the vanity and weakness of human powers. Here he gives a particular reason for it-God was now about to ruin all their creature-confidences, so that they should meet with nothing but disappointments in all their expectations from them (v. 1): The stay and the staff shall be taken away, all their supports, of what kind soever, all the things they trusted to and looked for help and relief from. Their church and kingdom had now grown old and were going to decay, and they were (after the manner of aged men, Zec. 8:4) leaning on a staff: now God threatens to take away their staff, and then they must fall of course, to take away the stays of both the city and the country, of Jerusalem and of Judah, which are indeed stays to one another, and, if one fail, the other feels from it. He that does this is the Lord, the Lord of hosts-Adon, the Lord that is himself the stay or foundation; if that stay depart, all other stays certainly break under us, for he is the strength of them all. He that is the Lord, the ruler, that has authority to do it, and the Lord of hosts, that has the ability to do it, he shall take away the stay and the staff. St. Jerome refers this to the sensible decay of the Jewish nation after they had crucified our Saviour, Rom. 11:9, 10. I rather take it as a warning to all nations not to provoke God; for if they make him their enemy, he can and will thus make them miserable. Let us view the particulars.

  • I. Was their plenty a support to them? It is so to any people; bread is the staff of life: but God can take away the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water; and it is just with him to do so when fulness of bread becomes an iniquity (Eze. 16:49), and that which was given to be provision for the life is made provision for the lusts. He can take away the bread and the water by withholding the rain, Deu. 28:23, 24. Or, if he allow them, he can take away the stay of bread and the stay of water by withholding his blessing, by which man lives, and not by bread only, and which is the staff of bread (Mt. 4:4.), and then the bread is not nourishing nor the water refreshing, Hag. 1:6. Christ is the bread of life and the water of life; if he be our stay, we shall find that this is a good part not to be taken away, Jn. 4:14; 6:27.
  • II. Was their army a support to them-their generals, and commanders, and military men? These shall be taken away, either cut off by the sword or so discouraged with the defeats they meet with that they shall throw up their commissions and resolve to act no more; or they shall be disabled by sickness, or dispirited, so as to be unfit for business; The mighty men, and the man of war, and even the inferior officer, the captain of fifty, shall be removed. It bodes ill with a people when their valiant men are lost. Let not the strong man therefore glory in his strength, nor any people trust too much to their mighty men; but let the strong people glorify God and the city of the terrible nations fear him, who can make them weak and despicable, ch. 25:3.
  • III. Were their ministers of state a support to them-their learned men, their politicians, their clergy, their wits and virtuoso? These also should be taken away-the judges, who were skilled in the laws, and expert in administering justice,-the prophets, whom they used to consult in difficult cases,-the prudent, who were celebrated as men of sense and sagacity above all others and were assistants to the judges, the diviners (so the word is), those who used unlawful arts, who, though rotten stays, yet were stayed on, (but it may be taken, as we read it, in a good sense),-the ancients, elders in age, in office,-the honourable man, the gravity of whose aspect commands reverence and whose age and experience make him fit to be a counsellor. Trade is one great support to a nation, even manufactures and handicraft trades; and therefore, when the whole stay is broken, the cunning artificer too shall be taken away; and the last is the eloquent orator, the man skilful of speech, who in some cases may do good service, though he be none of the prudent or the ancient, by putting the sense of others in good language. Moses cannot speak well, but Aaron can. God threatens to take these away, that is,
    • 1. To disable them for the service of their country, making judges fools, taking away the speech of the trusty and the understanding of the aged, Job 12:17, etc. Every creature is that to us which God makes it to be; and we cannot be sure that those who have been serviceable to us shall always be so.
    • 2. To put an end to their days; for the reason why princes are not to be trusted in is because their breath goeth forth, Ps. 146:3, 4. Note, The removal of useful men by death, in the midst of their usefulness, is a very threatening symptom to any people.
  • IV. Was their government a support to them? It ought to have been so; it is the business of the sovereign to bear up the pillars of the land, Ps. 75:3. But it is here threatened that this stay should fail them. When the mighty men and the prudent are removed children shall be their princes-children in age, who must be under tutors and governors, who will be clashing with one another and making a prey of the young king and his kingdom-children in understanding and disposition, childish men, such as are babes in knowledge, no more fit to rule than a child in the cradle. These shall rule over them, with all the folly, fickleness, and frowardness, of a child. And woe unto thee, O land! when thy king is such a one! Eccl. 10:16.
  • V. Was the union of the subjects among themselves, their good order and the good understanding and correspondence that they kept with one another, a stay to them? Where this is the case a people may do better for it, though their princes be not such as they should be; but it is here threatened that God would send an evil spirit among them too (as Jdg. 9:23), which would make them,
    • 1. Injurious and unneighbourly one towards another (v. 5): "The people shall be oppressed every one by his neighbour,' and their princes, being children, will take no care to restrain the oppressors or relieve the oppressed, nor is it to any purpose to appeal to them (which is a temptation to every man to be his own avenger), and therefore they bite and devour one another and will soon be consumed one of another. Then homo homini lupus-man becomes a wolf to man; jusque datum sceleri-wickedness receives the stamp of law; nec hospes ab hospite tutus-the guest and the host are in danger from each other.
    • 2. Insolent and disorderly towards their superiors. It is as ill an omen to a people as can be when the rising generation among them are generally untractable, rude, and ungovernable, when the child behaves himself proudly against the ancient, whereas he should rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man, Lev. 19:32. When young people are conceited and pert, and behave scornfully towards their superiors, their conduct is not only a reproach to themselves, but of ill consequence to the public; it slackens the reins of government and weakens the hands that hold them. It is likewise ill with a people when persons of honour cannot support their authority, but are affronted by the base and beggarly, when judges are insulted and their powers set at defiance by the mob. Those have a great deal to answer for who do this.
  • VI. It is some stay, some support, to hope that, though matters may be now ill-managed, yet other may be raised up, who may manage better? Yet this expectation also shall be frustrated, for the case shall be so desperate that no man of sense or substance will meddle with it.
    • 1. The government shall go a begging, v. 6. Here,
      • (1.) It is taken for granted that there is no way of redressing all these grievances, and bringing things into order again, but by good magistrates, who shall be invested with power by common consent, and shall exert that power for the good of the community. And it is probable that this was, in many places, the true origin of government; men found it necessary to unite in a subjection to one who was thought fit for such a trust, in order to the welfare and safety of them all, being aware that they must either be ruled or ruined. Here therefore is the original contract: "Be thou our ruler, and we will be subject to thee, and let this ruin be under thy hand, to be repaired and restored, and then to be preserved and established, and the interests of it advanced, ch. 58:12. Take care to protect us by the sword of war from being injured from abroad, and by the sword of justice from being injurious to another, and we will bear faith and true allegiance to thee.'
      • (2.) The case is represented as very deplorable, and things as having come to a sad pass; for,
        • [1.] Children being their princes, every man will think himself fit to prescribe who shall be a magistrate, and will be for preferring his own relations; whereas, if the princes were as they should be, it would be left entirely to them to nominate the rulers, as it ought to be.
        • [2.] Men will find themselves under a necessity even of forcing power into the hands of those that are thought to be fit for it: A man shall take hold by violence of one to make him a ruler, perceiving him ready to resist the motion: nay, he shall urge it upon his brother; whereas, commonly, men are not willing that their equals should be their superiors, witness the envy of Joseph's brethren.
        • [3.] It will be looked upon as ground sufficient for the preferring of a man to be a ruler that he has clothing better than his neighbours-a very poor qualification to recommend a man to a place of trust in the government. It was a sign that the country was much impoverished when it was a rare thing to find a man that had good clothes, or could afford to buy himself an alderman's gown or a judge's robes; and it was proof enough that the people were very unthinking when they had so much respect to a man in gay clothing, with a gold ring (Jam. 2:2, 3), that, for the sake thereof, they would make him their ruler. It would have been some sense to have said, "Thou hast wisdom, integrity, experience; be thou our ruler.' But it was a jest to say, Thou hast clothing; be thou our ruler. A poor wise man, though in vile raiment, delivered a city, Eccl. 9:15. We may allude to this to show how desperate the case of fallen man was when our Lord Jesus was pleased to become our brother, and, though he was not courted, offered himself to be our ruler and Saviour, and to take this ruin under his hand.
    • 2. Those who are thus pressed to come into office will swear themselves off, because, though they are taken to be men of some substance, yet they know themselves unable to bear the charges of the office and to answer the expectations of those that choose them (v. 7): He shall swear (shall lift up the hand, the ancient ceremony used in taking the oath) I will not be a healer; make not me a ruler. Note, Rulers must be healers, and good rulers will be so; they must study to unite their subjects, and not to widen the differences that are among them. Those only are fit for government that are of a meek, quiet, healing, spirit. They must also heal the wounds that are given to any of the interests of their people, by suitable applications. But why will he not be a ruler? Because in my house is neither bread nor clothing.
      • (1.) If he said true, it was a sign that men's estates were sadly ruined when even those who made the best appearance really wanted necessaries-a common case, and a piteous one. Some who, having lived fashionably, are willing to put the best side outwards, are yet, if the truth were known, in great straits, and go with heavy hearts for want of bread and clothing.
      • (2.) If he did not speak truth, it was a sign that men's consciences were sadly debauched, when, to avoid the expense of an office, they would load themselves with the guilt of perjury, and (which is the greatest madness in the world) would damn their souls to save their money, Mt. 16:26.
      • (3.) However it was, it was a sign that the case of the nation was very bad when nobody was willing to accept a place in the government of it, as despairing to have either credit or profit by it, which are the two things aimed at in men's common ambition of preferment.
    • 3. The reason why God brought things to this sad pass, even among his own people (which is given either by the prophet or by him that refused to be a ruler); it was not for want of good will to his country, but because he saw the case desperate and past relief, and it would be to no purpose to attempt it (v. 8): Jerusalem is ruined and Judah is fallen; and they may thank themselves. They have brought their destruction upon their own heads, for their tongue and their doings are against the Lord; in word and action they broke the law of God and therein designed an affront to him; they wilfully intended to offend him, in contempt of his authority and defiance of his justice. Their tongue was against the Lord, for they contradicted his prophets; and their doings were no better, for they acted as they talked. It was an aggravation of their sin that God's eye was upon them, and that his glory was manifested among them; but they provoked him to his face, as if the more they knew of his glory the greater pride they took in slighting it, and turning it into shame. And this, this, is it for which Jerusalem is ruined. Note, The ruin both of persons and people is owing to their sins. If they did not provoke God, he would do them no hurt, Jer. 25:6.

Isa 3:9-15

Here God proceeds in his controversy with his people. Observe,

  • I. The ground of his controversy. It was for sin that God contended with them; if they vex themselves, let them look a little further and they will see that they must thank themselves: Woe unto their souls! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Alas for their souls! (so it may be read, in a way of lamentation), for they have procured evil to themselves, v. 9. Note, The condition of sinners is woeful and very deplorable. Note, also, It is the soul that is damaged and endangered by sin. Sinners may prosper in their outward estates, and yet at the same time there may be a woe to their souls. Note, further, Whatever evils befals sinners it is of their own procuring, Jer. 2:19. That which is here charged upon then is,
    • 1. That the shame which should have restrained them from their sins was quite thrown off and they had grown impudent, v. 9. This hardens men against repentance, and ripens them for ruin, as much as anything: The show of their countenance doth witness against them that their minds are vain, and lewd, and malicious; their eyes declare plainly that they cannot cease from sin, 2 Pt. 2:14. One may look them in the face and guess at the desperate wickedness that there is in their hearts: They declare their sin as Sodom, so impetuous, so imperious, are their lusts, and so impatient of the least check, and so perfectly are all the remaining sparks of virtue extinguished in them. The Sodomites declared their sin, not only by the exceeding greatness of it (Gen. 13:13), so that it cried to heaven (Gen. 18:20), but by their shameless owning of that which was most shameful (Gen. 19:5); and thus Judah and Jerusalem did: they were so far from hiding it that they gloried in it, in the bold attempts they made upon virtue, and the victory they gained over their own convictions. They had a whore's forehead (Jer. 3:3) and could not blush, Jer. 6:15. Note, Those that have grown impudent in sin are ripe for ruin. Those that are past shame (we say) are past grace, and then past hope.
    • 2. That their guides, who should direct them in the right way, put them out of the way (v. 12): "Those who lead thee (the princes, priests, and prophets) mislead thee; they cause thee to err.' Either they preached to them that which was false and corrupt, or, if they preached that which was true and good, they contradicted it by their practices, and the people would soon follow a bad example than a good exhortation. Thus they destroyed the ways of their paths, pulling down with one hand what they built up with the other. Que te beatificant-Those that call thee blessed cause thee to err; so some read it. Their priests applauded them, as if nothing were amiss among them, cried Peace, peace, to them, as if they were in no danger; and thus they caused them to go on in their errors.
    • 3. That their judges, who should have patronized and protected the oppressed, were themselves the greatest oppressors, v. 14, 15. The elders of the people, and the princes, who had learning and could not but know better things, who had great estates and were not under the temptation of necessity to encroach upon those about them, and who were men of honour and should have scorned to do a base thing, yet they have eaten up the vineyard. God's vineyard, which they were appointed to be the dressers and keepers of, they burnt (so the word signifies); they did as ill by it as its worst enemies could do, Ps. 80:16. Or the vineyards of the poor they wrested out of their possession, as Jezebel did Naboth's, or devoured the fruits of them, fed their lusts with that which should have been the necessary food of indigent families; the spoil of the poor was hoarded up in their houses; when God came to search for stolen goods there he found it, and it was a witness against them. It was to be had, and they might have made restitution, but would not. God reasons with these great men (v. 15): "What mean you, that you beat my people into pieces? What cause have you for it? What good does it do you?' Or, "What hurt have they done you? Do you think you had power given you for such a purpose as this?' Note, There is nothing more unaccountable, and yet nothing which must more certainly be accounted for, than the injuries and abuses that are done to God's people by their persecutors and oppressors. "You grind the faces of the poor; you put them to as much pain and terror as if they were ground in a mill, and as certainly reduce them to dust by one act of oppression after another.' Or, "Their faces are bruised and crushed with the blows you have given them; you have not only ruined their estates, but have given them personal abuses.' Our Lord Jesus was smitten on the face, Mt. 26:67.
  • II. The management of this controversy.
    • 1. God himself is the prosecutor (v. 13): The Lord stands up to plead, or he sets himself to debate the matter, and he stands to judge the people, to judge for those that were oppressed and abused; and he will enter into judgment with the princes, v. 14. Note, The greatest of men cannot exempt or secure themselves from the scrutiny and sentence of God's judgment, nor demur to the jurisdiction of the court of heaven.
    • 2. The indictment is proved by the notorious evidence of the fact: "Look upon the oppressors, and the show of their countenance witnesses against them (v. 9); look upon the oppressed, and you see how their faces are battered and abused,' v. 15.
    • 3. The controversy is already begun in the change of the ministry. To punish those that had abused their power to bad purposes God sets those over them that had not sense to use their power to any good purposes: Children are their oppressors, and women rule over them (v. 12), men that have as weak judgments and strong passions as women and children: this was their sin, that their rulers were such, and it became a judgment upon them.
  • III. The distinction that shall be made between particular persons, in the prosecution of this controversy (v. 10, 11): Say to the righteous, It shall be well with thee. Woe to the wicked; it shall be ill with him. He had said (v. 9), they have rewarded evil to themselves, in proof of which he here shows that God will render to every man according to his works. Had they been righteous, it would have been well with them; but, if it be ill with them, it is because they are wicked and will be so. Thus God stated the matter to Cain, to convince him that he had no reason to be angry, Gen. 4:7. Or it may be taken thus: God is threatening national judgments, which will ruin the public interests. Now,
    • 1. Some good people might fear that they should be involved in that ruin, and therefore God bids the prophets comfort them against those fears: "Whatever becomes of the unrighteous nation, let the righteous man know that he shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners; the Judge of all the earth will not slay the righteous with the wicked (Gen. 18:25); no, assure him, in God's name, that it shall be well with him. The property of the trouble shall be altered to him, and he shall be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. He shall have divine supports and comforts, which shall abound as afflictions abound, and so it shall be well with him.' When the whole stay of bread is taken away, yet in the day of famine the righteous shall be satisfied; they shall eat the fruit of their doings-they shall have the testimony of their consciences for them that they kept themselves pure from the common iniquity, and therefore the common calamity is not the same thing to them that it is to others; they brought no fuel to the flame, and therefore are not themselves fuel for it.
    • 2. Some wicked people might hope that they should escape that ruin, and therefore God bids the prophets shake their vain hopes: "Woe to the wicked; it shall be ill with him, v. 11. To him the judgments shall have sting, and there shall be wormwood and gall in the affliction and misery.' There is a woe to wicked people, and, though they may think to shelter themselves from public judgments, yet it shall be ill with them; it will grow worse and worse with them if they repent not, and the worst of all will be at last; for the reward of their hands shall be given them, in the day when every man shall receive according to the things done in the body.

Isa 3:16-26

The prophet's business was to show all sorts of people what they had contributed to the national guilt and what share they must expect in the national judgments that were coming. Here he reproves and warns the daughters of Zion, tells the ladies of their faults; and Moses, in the law, having denounced God's wrath against the tender and delicate woman (the prophets being a comment upon the law, Deu. 28:56), he here tells them how they shall smart by the calamities that are coming upon them. Observe,

  • I. The sin charged upon the daughters of Zion, v. 16. The prophet expressly vouches God's authority for what he said. lest it should be thought it was unbecoming in him to take notice of such things, and should be resented by the ladies: The Lord saith it. "Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, let them know that God takes notice of, and is much displeased with, the folly and vanity of proud women, and his law takes cognizance even of their dress.' Two things that here stand indicted for-haughtiness and wantonness, directly contrary to that modesty, shamefacedness, and sobriety, with which women ought to adorn themselves, 1 Tim. 2:9. They discovered the disposition of their mind by their gait and gesture, and the lightness of their carriage. They are haughty, for they walk with stretched-forth necks, that they may seem tall, or, as thinking nobody good enough to speak to them or to receive a look or a smile from them. Their eyes are wanton, deceiving (so the word is); with their amorous glances they draw men into their snares. They affect a formal starched way of going, that people may look at them, and admire them, and know they have been at the dancing-school, and have learned the minuet-step. They go mincing, or nicely tripping, not willing to set so much as the sole of their foot to the ground, for tenderness and delicacy. They make a tinkling with their feet, having, as some think, chains, or little bells, upon their shoes, that made a noise: they go as if they were fettered (so some read it), like a horse tramelled, that he may learn to pace. Thus Agag came delicately, 1 Sa. 15:32. Such a nice affected mien is not only a force upon that which is natural, and ridiculous before men, men of sense; but as it is an evidence of a vain mind, it is offensive to God. And two things aggravated it here:
    • 1. That these were the daughters of Zion, the holy mountain, who should have behaved with the gravity that becomes women professing godliness.
    • 2. That it should seem, by the connexion, they were the wives and daughters of the princes who spoiled and oppressed the poor (v. 14, 15) that they might maintain the pride and luxury of their families.
  • II. The punishments threatened for this sin; and they answer the sin as face answers to face in a glass, v. 17, 18.
    • 1. They walked with stretched-forth necks, but God will smite with a scab the crown of their head, which shall lower their crests, and make them ashamed to show their heads, being obliged by it to cut off their hair. Note, Loathsome diseases are often sent as the just punishment of pride, and are sometimes the immediate effect of lewdness, the flesh and the body being consumed by it.
    • 2. They cared not what they laid out in furnishing themselves with great variety of fine clothes; but God will reduce them to such poverty and distress that they shall not have clothes sufficient to cover their nakedness, but their uncomeliness shall be exposed through their rags.
    • 3. They were extremely fond and proud of their ornaments; but God will strip them of those ornaments, when their houses shall be plundered, their treasures rifled, and they themselves led into captivity. The prophet here specifies many of the ornaments which they used as particularly as if he had been the keeper of their wardrobe or had attended them in their dressing-room. It is not at all material to enquire what sort of ornaments these respectively were and whether the translations rightly express the original words; perhaps 100 years hence the names of some of the ornaments that are now in use in our own land will be as little understood as some of those here mentioned now are. Fashions alter, and so do the names of them; and yet the mention of them is not in vain, but is designed to expose the folly of the daughters of Zion; for,
      • (1.) Many of these things, we may suppose, were very odd and ridiculous, and, if they had not been in fashion, would have been hooted at. They were fitter to be toys for children to play with than ornaments for grown people to go to Mount Zion in.
      • (2.) Those things that were decent and convenient, as the linen, the hoods, and the veils, needed not be provided in such abundance and variety. It is necessary to have apparel and proper that all should have it according to their rank; but what occasion was there for so many changeable suits of apparel (v. 22), that they might not be seen two days together in the same suit? "They must have (as the homily against excess of apparel speaks) one gown for the day, another for the night-one long, another short-one for the working day, another for the holy-day-one of this colour, another of that colour-one of cloth, another of silk or damask-one dress afore dinner, another after-one of the Spanish fashion, another Turkey-and never content with sufficient.' All this, as it is an evidence of pride and vain curiosity, so must needs spend a great deal in gratifying a base lust that ought to be laid out in works of piety and charity; and it is well if poor tenants be not racked, or poor creditors defrauded to support it.
      • (3.) The enumeration of these things intimates what care they were in about them, how much their hearts were upon them, what an exact account they kept of them, how nice and critical they were about them, how insatiable their desire was of them, and how much of their comfort was bound up in them. A maid could forget none of these ornaments, though they were ever so many (Jer. 2:32), but they would report them as readily, and talk of them with as much pleasure, as if they had been things of the greatest moment. The prophet did not speak of these things as in themselves sinful (they might lawfully be had and used), but as things which they were proud of and should therefore be deprived of.
  • III. They were very nice and curious about their clothes; but God would make those bodies of theirs, which were at such expense to beautify and make easy, a reproach and burden to them (v. 24): Instead of sweet smell (those tablets, or boxes, of perfume, houses of the soul or breath, as they are called, v. 20, margin) there shall be stink, garments grown filthy with being long worn, or from some loathsome disease or plasters for the cure of it. Instead of a rich embroidered girdle used to make the clothes sit tight, there shall be a rent, a rending of the clothes for grief, or old rotten clothes rent into rags. Instead of well-set hair, curiously plaited and powdered, there shall be baldness, the hair being plucked off or shaven, as was usual in times of great affliction (ch. 15:2; Jer. 16:6), or in great servitude, Eze. 29:18. Instead of a stomacher, or a scarf or sash, there shall be a girding of sackcloth, in token of deep humiliation; and burning instead of beauty. Those that had a good complexion, and were proud of it, when they are carried into captivity shall be tanned and sun-burnt; and it is observed that the best faces are soonest injured by the weather. From all this let us learn,
    • 1. Not to be nice and curious about our apparel, not to affect that which is gay and costly, nor to be proud of it.
    • 2. Not to be secure in the enjoyment of any of the delights of sense, because we know not how soon we may be stripped of them, nor what straits we may be reduced to.
  • IV. They designed by these ornaments to charm the gentlemen, and win their affections (Prov. 7:16, 17), but there shall be none to be charmed by them (v. 25): Thy men shall fall by the sword, and the mighty in the war, The fire shall consume them, and then the maidens shall not be given in marriage; as it is, Ps. 78:63. When the sword comes with commission the mighty commonly fall first by it, because they are most forward to venture. And, when Zion's guards are cut off, no marvel that Zion's gates lament and mourn (v. 26), the enemies having made themselves masters of them; and the city itself, being desolate, being emptied or swept, shall sit upon the ground like a disconsolate widow. If sin be harboured within the walls, lamentation and mourning are near the gates.