Deeper Commentary

 

Isaiah 3:1 For, behold, the Lord Yahweh of Armies takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah supply and support, the whole supply of bread, and the whole supply of water- And yet Hezekiah's tunnel aimed to make Jerusalem have a water supply that could not be cut off by invaders and besiegers. 2 Kings 20:20 credits him for how he made "the pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city". It would seem that he did this as it were to get around what Isaiah prophesied here. The reality was that Jerusalem was saved by grace, and also by the repentance and intercession of a minority; and so food and water were not totally removed from the city. Jerusalem's salvation was not, therefore, by dint of Hezekiah's ingenuity in apparently avoiding the judgments here given. Finally these words came true at the Babylonian invasion; see on Is. 1:1.

Isaiah 3:2 The mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder- This continues the theme of Is. 2, that all human strength in whatever form was to be brought down and humbled, so that Judah would trust in Yahweh alone. We note that 'diviners' and 'enchanters' (:3) featured within the leadership of the people; see on Is. 2:6.

Isaiah 3:3 The captain of fifty, the honourable man, the counsellor, the skilled craftsman and the clever enchanter- Enchanters and diviners (:2) were embedded throughout society. As lamented on Is. 2:6, Isaiah and other prophets were stating clearly what would be Judah's fate; and yet they turned to divination and the wisdom of the East to try to tell the future, acting no better than their historical enemies the Philistines- who were renowned for their claims to foretell the future by divination (1 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 1:2).

Isaiah 3:4 I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them- LXX "mockers". This didn't come true in Hezekiah's time because the potential scenario didn't happen at the time due to some repentance; but it could be seen as having a fulfilment in the young sons of Josiah ruling Judah in the last days before the Babylonian invasion. But "children" is s.w. "delusions" in Is. 66:4. As noted on :3, they deluded themselves by false teaching and supposed revelations from idols; and God would allow these delusions to take a psychological grip upon them which would dominate them.

Isaiah 3:5 The people will be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbour- Oppression of each other was the characteristic of society (Is. 1:17,21,23). But the same word is used of the oppression of Judah by their enemies; their judgment was but an extension of how they themselves had lived.

The child will behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honourable- The picture is of anarchy in the final days of the siege of Jerusalem. But this didn't happen, because Jerusalem was saved from this judgment by grace. However the idea of the elderly not being respected is likely a way of saying that the principles of the Law would be ignored (Lev. 19:32)

Isaiah 3:6 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- See on :5. This is a picture of the final days of the siege of Jerusalem. The royal family would be no more. And yet even in the fulfilment under the Babylonians, Zedekiah was preserved by grace. "Ruin" is literally a stumblingblock (s.w. Zeph. 1:3), and refers specifically to Jerusalem as a city (:8). Their pride in the city of Zion was their stumblingblock. In the restored Jerusalem there would be no more such a stumblingblock (Is. 57:14) because God would live in the hearts of His people rather than in any restored building.

Isaiah 3:7 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- Instead of everyone jockeying for position in the leadership, nobody would want it. This again is a feature of all condemnation- that what was so desperately sought after in this life will be seen to be of no value, just as gold and silver will be thrown to the animals (Is. 2:20).

Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen- For the significance of Jerusalem being a ruin, see on :6. The historical Judah fell before Joseph in repentance (Gen. 44:14 s.w.). In all God's judgments there is the hope of restoration, and this must ever be our hope and intention if ever we have to judge righteous judgment over issues we face.

Because their tongue and their doings are against Yahweh- The fact is, by our words we will be condemned and by our use of words we will be counted as righteous. The importance of our words cannot be overstressed. Judah were condemned  “because their tongue and their words are against the Lord” (Is. 3:8). All their idolatry, perversion etc. was summarized in their words. Again and again, Isaiah and the prophets say that the reason for Israel’s condemnation was their words, even those they said under their breath- “your tongue hath muttered perverseness” (Is. 5:24). “Their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue” (Hos. 7:16). “The inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins” (Mic. 6:12,13). Truly  “death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Prov. 18:21).

To provoke the eyes of His glory- LXX "Cloud of glory". The shekinah glory was still present in the temple in Isaiah's time, perhaps reflecting how God's Angel eyes still were literally present there; and they were provoked by Judah's behaviour and words.

Isaiah 3:9 The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don’t hide it- They were witnesses against themselves. Their body language indicated their abandonment to sin; Jeremiah says they had a "whore's forehead" (Jer. 3:3). It was this psychological hardening in sin and impenitence which merited condemnation, rather than the occasional failures of an otherwise righteous person. But again we recall the grace of Is. 1:9,10- that although they were as Sodom, they would not be judged as Sodom because of the remnant and God's grace.

Woe to their soul! For they have brought judgment upon themselves- Isaiah repeatedly pronounces “woe” upon the people (Is. 3:9; 5:8,11,18,20,21,22; 8:11), and yet in that very context he can exclaim: “Woe is me” in chapter 6; he identified with them to the point of also feeling unworthy and under woe [in this clearly typifying the Lord’s identity with us].

Isaiah 3:10 Tell the righteous Good! For they shall eat the fruit of their deeds- Just as the wicked were witnesses against themselves (:9). LXX: "Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying against themselves, Let us bind the just, for he is burdensome to us: therefore shall they eat the fruits of their works". This would imply that they persecuted "the just", perhaps Isaiah and the righteous remnant of prophets, just as they were to later do to Jeremiah in the Babylonian context. Isaiah was killed by Manasseh, according to Jewish tradition.

Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them; for the deeds of his hands will be paid back to him- The impression given in these verses is that pay back time will come for the righteous and the wicked, with eternal outcomes. This is nothing less than saying that the day of judgment was about to come. The same word for "paid back" is used of what would happen in the day when Yahweh would be revealed and Judah saved (Is. 35:4; 59:18; 66:6). But that day was deferred in Isaiah's time, as Assyria didn't destroy Jerusalem; and the full nature of it likewise didn't fall at the time of the Babylonian invasion, to which Is. 1-35 was reapplied (see on Is. 1:1). But it will come finally true at the last day.

Isaiah 3:12 As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them- As noted on :7, instead of everyone jockeying for position in the leadership, nobody would want it. This again is a feature of all condemnation- that what was so desperately sought after in this life will be seen to be of no value, just as gold and silver will be thrown to the animals (Is. 2:20). But as suggested on :5, the "oppressors" were to be their invaders, oppressing them as they had each other. Even young men in the Babylonian army and perhaps women amongst them, would oppress the defeated people.

My people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths- As noted on Is. 1:1, despite the attempts at reform by individual kings, the leadership structure was apostate and was not reformed. The implication of this verse is that the ordinary people ought to have refused that leadership.

Isaiah 3:13 Yahweh stands up to contend, and stands to judge the peoples- As a judge stands to deliver a verdict. The "peoples" around Judah were to be judged at the same time, and thus would have been ushered in God's restored Kingdom, which would have included penitent individuals from amongst "the peoples".

Isaiah 3:14 Yahweh will enter into judgement with the elders of His people, and their leaders- Despite the attempts at reform by individual kings, the leadership structure was apostate and was not reformed. The implication of this verse is that the ordinary people ought to have refused that leadership. For God was punishing the whole society, and not just a corrupt leadership.

It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The spoil of the poor is in your houses- The language of eating up and spoiling is used of the invaders; again, judgment was to be in essence what Judah had done to each other.

Isaiah 3:15 What do you mean that you crush My people, and grind the face of the poor? says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies- LXX "shame the face of the poor". Out of all the things the leadership could have been condemned for, not least gross idolatry, God focuses upon their attitude to the vulnerable and taking advantage of them. And not just in the material theft from them; but in shaming them. That was so obnoxious to God. His judgment differs from how we would have judged the situation, because shaming a poor man would likely have been far down the list of sins we would have listed.
 

Isaiah 3:16 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- Reflection upon the omniscience of God leads us to marvel at His sensitivity to human behaviour. He noticed even the body language of the women in Is. 3:16- and condemned them for the way they walked. This is how closely He observes human behaviour. This is the language of prostitution. The daughter of Zion had become a whore through seeking alliances with the surrounding nations. See on Is. 1:21. But it seems such luxury had become possible in Uzziah's prosperous reign (2 Chron. 26:5).

Isaiah 3:17 Therefore the Lord brings sores on the crown of the head of the women of Zion, and Yahweh will make their scalps bald- LXX "The Lord will expose their form", display them as naked, as foreseen also in Jer. 13:22,26. This was the punishment for prostitution; see on :16. Sores on the crown of the head again recalls Job, who is set up as representative of Judah, although personally righteous. Isaiah likewise was faithful but was asked to walk naked, as representative of his condemned people (see on Is. 20:2).

 

Isaiah 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, the headbands, the crescent necklaces- Crescent necklaces recall the jewelry taken from the Midianites by Gideon. These women are portrayed as prostitutes, in that Jerusalem had prostituted herself to the nations around her in hope of getting help against Assyria. And the price for that was that they adopted their gods and symbols, which they willingly did.

Isaiah 3:19 The earrings, the bracelets, the veils- We marvel at how God noticed the body language of these people (:9,16) and also their precise jewelry. And His record of these things has been preserved all the centuries to this day. He knows all things.  

Isaiah 3:20 The headdresses, the ankle chains, the sashes, the perfume bottles, the charms- These charms were part of their attraction to divination and soothsaying. Isaiah and other prophets were stating clearly what would be Judah's fate; and yet they turned to divination and the wisdom of the East to try to tell the future, acting no better than their historical enemies the Philistines- who were renowned for their claims to foretell the future by divination (1 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 1:2). See on Is. 3:2.

Isaiah 3:21 The signet rings, the nose rings- Signet rings meant that these women were within the royal family, and is evidence that Hezekiah's reforms didn't even touch his own family.

Isaiah 3:22 The fine robes, the capes, the cloaks, the purses- AV "the changeable suits of apparel", as if they had multiple sets of clothing.

Isaiah 3:23 The hand mirrors, the fine linen garments, the tiaras, and the shawls- LXX "The Spartan transparent dresses, and those made of fine linen, and the purple ones, and the scarlet ones, and the fine linen, interwoven with gold and purple, and the light coverings for couches". This all recalls the priestly garments and the tapestry of the tabernacle. And yet they were being used as part of the prostitution of these women. They mixed the things of Yahweh worship with their idolatry, and the "Spartan dresses" were clearly part of idol worship. This was how they justified accepting the gods of the nations- they worshipped them in the name of Yahweh worship. And this is our abiding temptation.

Isaiah 3:24 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 wearing of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty- They were to go into captivity in shame, ropes upon their heads, and perhaps literally with shaved heads and branded as if in a Nazi concentration camp. The similarity is so exact that it is clear that this prophecy had some incipient fulfilment then, in the humiliation of Europe's wealthy Jewish women; but the worst is yet to come, when all these prophetic words come to their climax in the last day.

Isaiah 3:25 Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war- LXX "And thy most beautiful son whom thou lovest shall fall by the sword". The prophecy initially applied to the times of the Assyrian invasion under Hezekiah, but was reapplied to the Babylonian invasion. In this case, we have here a prophecy of the death of Zedekiah similar to that made by Jeremiah. But by grace, Zedekiah was spared, and did not die by the sword, although many of the royal family did. The prophesy about him, like that about Nineveh's destruction in forty days, was changed in outcome because he repented; just as Jeremiah had said God operates.

Isaiah 3:26 Her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit on the ground- LXX "levelled with the ground". This didn't happen when the Assyrians invaded, but the prophecy came true in the Babylonian invasion. Often Jeremiah in Lamentations laments that the walls had not just been knocked down a bit, but had actually been levelled with the ground, at the cost of huge effort by the Babylonians.