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ISAIAH 3

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 3:1-12
¹For behold, the Lord God of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread
And the whole supply of water;
²The mighty man and the warrior,
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
³The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
⁴And I will make mere lads their princes,
And capricious children will rule over them,
⁵And the people will be oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor;
The youth will storm against the elder
And the inferior against the honorable.
⁶When a man lays hold of his brother in his father's house, saying,
"You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,
And these ruins will be under your charge,"
⁷He will protest on that day, saying,
"I will not be your healer,
For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
You should not appoint me ruler of the people."
⁸For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To rebel against His glorious presence.
⁹The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to them!
For they have brought evil on themselves.
¹⁰Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
¹¹Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For what he deserves will be done to him.
¹²O My people! Their oppressors are children,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths."

3:1 Chapter three continues the prophet's surprising prediction of YHWH's judgment on Jerusalem and Judah.

▣ "Lord God of hosts" This title ("Adon" plus "YHWH of Hosts") for Israel's Deity is used several times early in Isaiah (cf. Isa. 1:24; 3:1; 10:16,33; 19:4). See full note at Isa. 1:24.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LORD OF HOSTS

SPECIAL TOPIC: LORD (Adon and Kurios)

▣ "is going to remove" This VERB (BDB 693, KB 747, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) in the Hiphil stem means "remove" or "take away."

1. YHWH to remove Israel's sickness, Exod. 23:25; Deut. 7:15
2. Israel to remove the accursed things (i.e., Achan's sin), Josh 7:13
3. Israel to put away foreign gods, Jdg. 10:16
4. Saul removes mediums and spiritists, 1 Sam. 28:3
5. individuals did not put away God's laws, 2 Sam. 22:23; Ps. 18:23

But notice here it is God who removes all of Judah's support, strength, and idolatrous leadership.

1. supply (lit. "staff," BDB 1044) of bread, Isa. 3:1
2. supply (lit. "staff") of water, Isa. 3:1
3. mighty men, Isa. 3:2
4. warriors, Isa. 3:2
5. judge, Isa. 3:2
6. prophet, Isa. 3:2, cf. Isa. 9:14-15; 28:7; 29:10
7. diviner, Isa. 3:2
8. elder, Isa. 3:2, cf. Isa. 9:14-16
9. captain of fifty, Isa. 3:3
10. honorable man, Isa. 3:3
11. counselor, Isa. 3:3
12. expert artisan, Isa. 3:3, cf. Isa. 40:20 (idol maker)
13. skillful enchanter, Isa. 3:3

Remember this judgment was YHWH, the loving parent, disciplining His children so that they might be strong, stable, happy, and a light to the nations. His personal attention to Judah was a sign of His love and concern. He loved them enough not to leave them in their sin!

SPECIAL TOPIC: JUDGE, JUDGMENT, and JUSTICE (שפט) IN ISAIAH

The MT has MASCULINE and FEMININE forms which BDB 1044 defines as "support and staff" (cf. 2 Sam. 22:19). In Leviticus 26:26 it is "the staff of bread."

3:2 "diviner" See SPECIAL TOPIC: DIVINATION

The NOUN (BDB 538, KB 527) means "whispering" or "charming." It originally referred to snake charming (cf. Ps. 58:5; Eccl. 10:11; Jer. 8:17). It came to denote soft speaking (cf. Isa. 26:16; 2 Sam. 12:19; Ps. 41:7).

The same term is used in Isa. 3:20 for idolatrous amulets worn by Judean women. It refers to magical practices and charms, forbidden to Israel and Judah.

The JPSOA footnote suggests an emendation to "expert craftsman" (see NET Bible footnote, p. 1188, #6).

3:4 Judah's elder leadership will be removed (by YHWH Himself) even to the highest levels. Ineffective and senseless young people will lead (cf. Eccl. 10:16).

The difference is between the MT עלולים (BDB 760, "wantonness," cf. Deut. 22:14,17; Ps. 141:4, NET) and an emendation to עוללים (BDB 760, "children," cf. Ps. 8:3), which seem to fit the context.

3:5-6 The oppression and abuse are described.

1. oppressed by one another
2. oppressed by neighbors
3. generational tensions
4. societal tensions
5. family tensions

3:7-12 The person the family chooses to lead will not accept the position because of the current crisis (Judah is wounded [1:6], only God can heal [30:26]) and the family's (i.e., Judah) rebellion against YHWH.

1. their speech is against YHWH, Isa. 3:8
2. their actions are against YHWH, Isa. 3:8
3. they rebel against His glorious presence, Isa. 3:8
4. their partiality shows on their faces, Isa. 3:9
5. their sin is displayed like Sodom's, Isa. 3:9
6. they have brought evil on themselves, Isa. 3:9
7. they reap what they sow, Isa. 3:10-11
   1. the righteous
   2. the wicked
8. they are oppressed by youthful leaders (cf. Isa. 3:4), Isa. 3:12
9. they are ruled over by women, Isa. 3:12
10. their leaders lead them astray, Isa. 3:12
11. their paths (i.e., plans and goals) are confused, Isa. 3:12

These consequences of rebellion are a reflection of Deut. 28:15-68.

JPSOA puts Isa. 3:10 and 11 in a parenthesis.

The MT is followed closely by NKJV. The "eyes" represented God's personal presence.

The term "glory" (kabod, BDB 458) is common, but has a wide semantic flield.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE USED TO DESCRIBE GOD

SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (kabod)

3:9 "The expression of their faces bears witness against them" The Aramaic Targums have "their partiality in judgment (legal abuses and bribery) accuse them" (cf. Deut. 1:17; 16:19). This may be a play on the eyes of the Lord mentioned in Isa. 3:8 versus the look of sinful Judeans in Isa. 3:9.

▣ "They display their sin like Sodom" Again, as in Isa. 1:10, Isaiah compares the sins of Judean society to the sins of Sodom (cf. Genesis 19). These Judean leaders (and their families) were flaunting publicly their pride, wealth, and exploitation of the weak and powerless of society.

Sodom was arrogant (Ezek. 16:50) and YHWH destroyed them, so too, now Judah (Isa. 3:16) and they also will be destroyed (Isa. 3:16-26, the subject moves from prideful women to prideful Jerusalem).

▣ "brought evil on themselves" They reap what they sow (cf. Isa. 3:10-11). This is a spiritual principle. God is ethical/moral and so is His creation. Humans break themselves on God's standards. We reap what we sow. This is true for believers (but does not affect salvation) and unbelievers (cf. Job 34:11; Ps. 28:4; 62:12; Prov. 24:12; Eccl. 12:14; Jer. 17:10; 32:19; Matt. 16:27; 25:31-46; Rom. 2:6; 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:8; 2 Cor. 5:10; Gal. 6:7-10; 2 Tim. 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; 20:12; 22:12).

3:10-11 Contrasting proverb, like Psalm 1.

The MT has "my people, their oppressors, children and women rule over them." Obviously TEV, NJB, and REB follow the LXX (change "women," נשים, BDB 61 to "creditors"

1. BDB 673 I, cf. Isa. 24:2, ACTIVE PARTICIPLE PLURAL of נשא, cf. Isa. 24:2
2. BDB 674 I, ACTIVE PARTICIPLE PLURAL of נשה, cf. Exod. 22:25)

The UBS Text Project, p. 9, accepts this emendation but gives it a C rating (considerable doubt).

These phrases could be

1. literal
   1. child king
   2. controlled by
      (1) a strong "Queen mother"
      (2) the child king's wives
      (3) the women at court
2. figurative of weak and inexperienced leadership

The VERB (BDB 118, KB 134, Piel PERFECT) means "engulf" or "swallow up" (cf. Exod. 15:12; Num. 16:30,32,34; 26:10; Deut. 11:6). In the Piel stem it also denotes "shallowing," but is also used as imagery for destruction or something being confounded (cf. Isa. 9:16; 19:3; 28:7).

Scholars are still discussing the possibility of one, two, or three Hebrew roots/cognates using these same three letters (בלע).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 3:13-15
¹³The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
¹⁴The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
"It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
¹⁵What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?"
Declares the Lord God of hosts.

3:13-15 YHWH enters into a dispute (i.e., court scene, cf. Isa. 1:2) with His people's leaders (elders and princes). They have destroyed His community (i.e., "vineyard," Isa. 3:14). They have taken advantage of the poor, helpless, and powerless of society.

They used the legal system inappropriately (cf. Isa. 3:9) to their advantage, and must now stand before YHWH's judgment.

The prophets hold Israel/Judah accountable to the requirements of the Mosaic covenant, obedience had consequences and disobedience had consequences (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28)!

The SINGULAR comes from the LXX followed by the Peshitta. The MT has the PLURAL. In this context the SINGULAR fits best because the prophet is addressing Judea (i.e., Isa. 3:14). In other contexts in Isaiah "the nations," "the peoples," is used. Context, context, context! The MT is not inerrant! Context must be the final guide!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 3:16-26
¹⁶Moreover, the Lord said, "Because the daughters of Zion are proud
And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes,
And go along with mincing steps
And tinkle the bangles on their feet,
¹⁷Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,
And the Lord will make their foreheads bare."
¹⁸In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, ¹⁹dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, ²⁰headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, ²¹finger rings, nose rings, ²²festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, ²³hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.
²⁴Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp;
Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.
²⁵Your men will fall by the sword
And your mighty ones in battle.
²⁶And her gates will lament and mourn,
And deserted she will sit on the ground.

3:16-26 YHWH condemns the wives and daughters of the wealthy, elite leadership.

1. prideful walk ("head high" or "outstretched neck")
2. seductive (i.e., painted eyes)
3. flirtatious steps (i.e., quick, small steps, like a child)
4. attractive, musical ankle jewelry

YHWH will (typical biblical reversal)

1. afflict the scalp with scabs (only here, BDB 705, KB 764)
2. strip away their jewelry
3. strip away their festive clothes
4. take away their cosmetics and perfumes
5. kill their husbands and lovers

The Jewish Study Bible, using the JPSOA translation and footnotes, mentions that many of the items in Isa. 3:18-24 are uncertain. They may refer to specific items of beauty or idolatrous symbols. They were worn by men and women.

The VERB (BDB 747, KB 824, Piel IMPERFECT) denotes the sound made by ankle bracelets as a person walks (i.e., to draw attention). The root is found only here and Prov. 7:22.

The MT uses a rare word (BDB 834) meaning

1. sockets (for a door), 1 Kgs. 7:50
2. secret parts (feminine reproductive organs), Isa. 3:17 (?)

There is an Akkadian root (KB 983) which means "forehead," which is also an option. These proud, well-dressed, wealthy exploiters will be humbled by having their veils removed in public!

3:18 "in that day" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THAT DAY

▣ "headbands" The IVP Biblical Background Commentary says these refer to "sun ornaments." So as the "crescent ornaments" reflect moon worship these represent sun worship.

▣ "crescent ornaments" This (BDB 962) was a symbol of moon worship.

1. on the military camels, Jdg. 8:21
2. on Midianite kings, Jdg. 8:26
3. on wealthy Judean women, Isa. 3:18

Another example of their open idolatry!

SPECIAL TOPIC: MOON WORSHIP

3:20 "perfume boxes" The term (BDB 108) translated "boxes" is literally "houses." In the Tyndale OT Commentaries, J. Alec Motyer thinks it may refer to a "high collar" (p. 58). There is so much that we moderns do not know about the details of ANE cultures that often our interpretations are educated guesses based on cognates and context. None of these details are crucial to an understanding of the larger context and theological issues. The vast majority are interesting, but not important to understanding the central truth of the strophe or paragraph. Do not focus on the minutia.

3:24 "Instead of a belt, a rope" This seems to refer to prisoners being tied together and marched into exile by Assyria.

The MT has "instead of beauty." The term "branding," from BDB 464 (burn, scorch, brand), is assumed. However, the word "shame" in NRSV and TEV is also not in the MT, but is found in the Isaiah scroll from the DSS (1QIsa.).

3:26 Jerusalem ("her," FEMININE, Isa. 3:25,26) is personified as weeping over the losses. Zion's festival clothing is restored in Isa. 61:3, also note Zech. 3:4 (only Isa. 3:22 and Zech. 3:4 share the same rare term for festival clothing).

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