Isaiah 3:5
3 the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.
4 “I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.”
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.”
7 On that day he will cry aloud: “I am not a healer. I have no food or clothing in my house. Do not make me leader of the people!”
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
- 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.
- KJV
- 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.
- WEB
- 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 wicked against the honorable.
- ASV
- 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.
- DARBY
- 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.
- BLB
- And the people will be oppressed, each man by a man and each man by his neighbor; the child will rage against the elder, and the one despised against the honored.
- ÅB
- Blant folket skal den ene undertrykke den andre, hver mann sin neste; den unge skal sette seg opp mot den gamle, den ringeaktede mot den høyt ærede.
- OTB
- Og folket vil bli undertrykt, hver av en annen og hver av sin nabo; ungdommen vil reise seg mot den eldre, og den lave mot den ærede.
- B1930
- Blandt folket skal den ene undertrykke den andre, hver mann sin næste; den unge skal sette sig op mot den gamle, den ringeaktede mot den høit ærede.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Jeremiah 9:3–8
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
Read in contextMalachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Read in contextMicah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”
Read in contextMark 14:65
Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.
Read in contextEzekiel 22:12
In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.
Read in contextJames 2:6
But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
Read in contextZechariah 7:9–11
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.
Read in contextEcclesiastes 10:5–7
There is an evil I have seen under the sun— an error that proceeds from the ruler:
Read in context