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Isaiah 3:5
ESV And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.
NIV People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.
NASB And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The youth will assault the elder, And the contemptible person will assault the one honored.
CSB The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will act arrogantly toward the old, and the worthless toward the honorable.
NLT People will oppress each other — man against man, neighbor against neighbor. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at 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.
NKJV The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder, And the base toward the honorable.”

What does Isaiah 3:5 mean?

When leaders are weak and ineffective, a power vacuum forms. Recognizing there will be no consequences for their actions and no protection from others, people will turn on each other to try to provide for their own. The standards for right and wrong in the community will vanish.

Isaiah describes that moment coming for Judah when all her strong men and leaders are taken away, leaving only the inexperienced to rule over the people (Isaiah 3:2–4). In response, the people will turn on each other, taking what they can from their neighbors to provide for themselves when resources are scant.

With no strong leaders to hold them accountable, the strong will take advantage of the weak. The young will be disrespectful to the older ones. Those who are despised, or "nobodies" in the NIV, will treat those who should be honored with open disrespect and harshness. The implication here is more than rudeness: Isaiah foresees abuse and manipulation.

The Lord will remove Judah's leaders to show that His people should trust Him first and above all.
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