1For, 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. 2The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
Chapter 3 begins with the word “for.” Thus, verse 1 is spoken in continuation of the thought and context found at the end of the previous chapter. Verses 10-22 of that chapter spoke of the judgment to come on the earth just prior to the return of Christ, and the last verse of that section said, “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?” Thus, the “for” in verse 1 of chapter 3 introduces support for that exhortation not to put confidence in man.
The LORD will “take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff.” The “stay” refers to the provision of food. The “staff” probably refers to leadership. There will be no food, and all who have strength, ability, and experience to give leadership will be removed from the land. The word translated “the prudent” in verse 2 means “one who divines.” Divination was forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 18:10), but we understand from verse 2 that those who used divination were being counted among those worthy of respect in Judah. The LORD will remove everyone that people were looking to for leadership instead of looking to Him.
These verses, beginning with “for,” continue in the context of the judgment which God will bring on the earth just prior to the return of Christ. But that judgment is prefigured by the Babylonian captivity of history. This prefiguring is appropriate because the book of Revelation foretells another Babylonian captivity in the last days:
“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10)
During the reign in Judah of Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and carried captive to Babylon the leaders, the skilled craftsmen, and those who were strong for war:
“And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.” (II Kings 24:14)
Later, during the reign of Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar’s captain Nebuzaradan burned the temple and all the houses in Jerusalem, broke down the walls of the city, and carried captive to Babylon most of the rest of the people (II Kings 25:1-12).
In that siege there was famine in Jerusalem:
“And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.” (II Kings 25:3)
Verses 1-3 of Isaiah 3 foresee those days.
4And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5And 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. 6When 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: 7in 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.
If we consider these verses in the light of the three verses which precede them, the time frame is the situation in Jerusalem and in Judah after the leaders and skilled workers and many others are carried away to captivity in Babylon. It will also be a time of scarcity of bread and water. Verse 7 again uses the expression “in that day,” as in 2:11,17,20, which points to a further fulfillment during the years of judgment which will precede the second coming of Christ.
Verse 4 can be translated, “And I will give youths to be their princes, and wantonness shall rule over them.” All stable leadership and dependable function of the broad workforce of Judean society would be removed by the invading Babylonians. The people in Judah had not looked to the LORD in faith before the invasion, and those who remained in the land afterward would not do so either. Isaiah prophesies that at that time there will be no restraint to selfishness and attempts by all to take advantage of one another. Verses 6-7 warn that at that time in Jerusalem, even within an extended family, no one will be willing or able to take responsibility for the needs of the rest.
8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. 9The 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. 10Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
These verses, which begin with the word “for,” go back to the situation in Jerusalem and Judah that preceded the judgment of the Babylonian captivity. The first part of verse 8 may be translated, “Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen....” The same two verbs, “stumble” and “fall,” are used in 8:15: “And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” The sequence of the verbs and of the two locations is significant. Jerusalem was the place of the temple and thus the center for the worship of God. When Jerusalem stumbled, Judah fell. When the place of worship was defiled by rebellion against God, the surrounding community was emboldened in sin.
The timelessness of this cause-effect principle is evident today. When some institutions that call themselves churches declare that they are “affirming” of behavior that God has called evil, will not those in the surrounding communities be emboldened to “declare their sin as Sodom”? When the church stumbles, the community falls. As in Jerusalem and Judah, “their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.” God declared that “they have rewarded evil unto themselves.” He said that the reward of the wicked “shall be given him.”
In sharp contrast to the grim scene described in this passage is the wonderful, encouraging telegram in verse 10 that God sent to those who know Him: “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” We know from the example of Abraham’s justification in Genesis 15:6 that it is by faith that a person is counted righteous by God. We also see in the example of Abraham’s response to God’s command to offer up Isaac (Genesis 22:1-3) that justification brings obedience in the life of a believer. Thus, “the righteous” in verse 10 are righteous through faith. God promised that when judgment came to the wicked, He would make things go well for His people. The doings of the wicked were against the LORD (verse 8), but the righteous would eat the fruit of their doings, which were pleasing to the LORD.
A clear example of God’s keeping His promise to make things go well for the righteous in times of judgment is found in the life of the prophet Jeremiah. When Jeremiah warned Judah of God’s coming judgment at the hands of Babylon, he was first put into a dungeon and then kept in the court of the prison. Jeremiah 38:28 says, “So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.”
But when the city fell to the Babylonians, God took care of Jeremiah:
“Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.” (Jeremiah 39:11-12)
God also took care of a man named Ebedmelech, who had helped Jeremiah:
“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 39:15-18).
12As 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. 13The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. 14The 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. 15What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
The first verses of this chapter contain a prophecy of the coming Babylonian captivity (vv 1-3) and its aftermath (vv 4-7). Verses 8-11 describe the sin in Jerusalem and Judah that would precede and precipitate that captivity. Verses 12-15 continue to address that sin.
Manasseh, the son of the good king Hezekiah, was an evil king and led the people of Judah back into idolatry. According to II Kings 21:9, “Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.” The wickedness of his reign was the last straw of rebellion against God. As recorded in II Kings 24:3-4,
“Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.”
Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign (II Kings 21:1); thus, it is likely that his mother and others had great influence in government in Judah at that time. The same is true in the case of Manasseh’s grandson Josiah, who began to reign when he was 8 years old (II Kings 22:1). Both child-leader situations were undesirable and probably represented a giving over of Judah to judgment by God. Josiah grew up to become a very good king, but even his good reign could not turn away the consequences of God’s displeasure with the evil done by Manasseh (II Kings 23:26).
It seems likely that it is with reference to Manasseh and those who influenced him that verse 12 says, “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” Yet, it was not just Manasseh who was to blame. II Chronicles 33:10 states, “And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.” The elders and the princes of Judah (verse 14) were also guilty. In chapter 5, God will say that the house of Israel is His vineyard. The elders and princes of Judah were consuming the vineyard by plundering the already scarce resources of the needy among God’s people. Using His own Name as He spoke, God said, “The LORD will enter into judgment” with those elders and princes.
16Moreover 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: 17therefore 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. 18In 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, 19the chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21the rings, and nose jewels, 22the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. 24And 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.
After the destruction caused by Syria and by the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of king Ahaz, Judah experienced a time of renewed prosperity under the reign of the good king Hezekiah. According to II Kings 18:7, “And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth....” After God saved Jerusalem under Hezekiah’s rule from the attempted invasion by Sennacherib king of Assyria, II Chronicles, 32:23 states, “And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.”
That time of prosperity, which would still have been present when Hezekiah’s son Manasseh took the throne, is probably the time frame for the wealth and pride spoken of in Isaiah 3:16-24. These verses continue the description in verses 8-15 of the spiritual condition in Judah that precipitated the Babylonian captivity. The women in Judah were far from God, as were the men. The women were haughty and preoccupied with showy ornaments and clothing. When the LORD says that He will take those things away, He specifically names 26 items. This detailed description portrays the time and money and social pride that the women were investing in themselves. Their thoughts were not about the LORD.
When the Babylonians came and carried away the people of Jerusalem and Judah, these wealthy women had nothing left. II Chronicles 36:17, 20 state: “Therefore he brought upon them [the people of Jerusalem] the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand....And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.”
Significantly, verse 18 begins with the words, “In that day.” The same words are found in the first verses of chapter 4 of Isaiah, a chapter which clearly looks beyond the Babylonian captivity to the coming kingdom of Christ. Verse 4 of that chapter speaks of the day “when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.” Thus, the judgment which took place in history when Babylon attacked Judah probably prefigured the judgment which will take place during the period of Tribulation prior to the second coming of Christ.
25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
In verse 25, the word “thy” in “thy men” and “thy might” is feminine, just as verse 26 speaks of “her gates” and “she being desolate.” But, unlike verses 16-24 which speak of “the daughters of Jerusalem,” the pronouns used in verses 25-26 are singular in form. This “she” refers to the city of Jerusalem. Clearly, the situation is not that of the Assyrian invasion of Judah, since Sennacherib never entered Jerusalem (II Kings 19:32-36; II Chronicles 32:21). Rather, verses 25-26, like the whole of this chapter, are spoken in the context of the attack on the city by Babylon.
The first verse of chapter 4 continues in the context of this chapter. It seems that 4:1 should have been included at the end of chapter 3 and so will be considered here:
1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
After the attack by Babylon on Jerusalem and the death of the men of the city (verse 25), even the haughty women spoken of in verses 16-24 will lay aside their pride.
As recorded in Lamentations 5:11 concerning that attack, “They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.” It may be for this reason that the women who survived the Babylonian invasion would be insistent in their desire to be known as the accepted wife of a man of Israel.
Like verses 3:7 and 3:18, as well as 4:2, the verse above uses the time expression “in that day.” While the immediate time reference is surely that of the attack on Jerusalem by Babylon, this verse also foresees a similar situation during the period of Tribulation which will precede the second coming of Christ.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.