Isaiah 3:4
2 the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder,
3 the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.
“I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.”
5 The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up against the old, and the base against the honorable.
6 A man will seize his brother within his father’s house: “You have a cloak—you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of rubble.”
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.”
- KJV
- And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
- WEB
- I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them.
- ASV
- And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
- DARBY
- And I will appoint youths as their princes, and children shall rule over them.
- BLB
- “And I will give youths as their princes, and infants will rule over them.”
- ÅB
- Og jeg vil sette barn til styrere over dem, og guttekåthet skal herske over dem.
- OTB
- "Jeg vil utnevne bare gutter som deres ledere, og uregjerlige barn skal styre dem."
- B1930
- Og jeg vil sette barn til styrere over dem, og guttekåthet skal herske over dem.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Ecclesiastes 10:16
Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
Read in context2 Chronicles 36:9
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
Read in context2 Chronicles 33:1
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.
Read in context2 Chronicles 36:5
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
Read in context1 Kings 3:7–9
And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.
Read in context2 Chronicles 36:11
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
Read in context2 Chronicles 34:1
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
Read in context2 Chronicles 36:2
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
Read in context