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Isaiah 4:1
ESV And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, "We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach."
NIV In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, "We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!"
NASB For seven women will take hold of one man on that day, saying, 'We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our disgrace!'
CSB On that day seven women will seize one man, saying, "We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothing. Just let us bear your name. Take away our disgrace."
NLT In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, 'Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won’t be mocked as old maids.'
KJV And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
NKJV And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach.”

What does Isaiah 4:1 mean?

Scholars suggest this verse belongs at the end of Isaiah chapter 3, since it completes Isaiah's description of what will happen to the proud and wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah. Isaiah has written that all the ornaments of their beauty will be taken away by the Lord. The foreign invaders who kill and carry off their husbands will leave them behind bald and wearing sackcloth and the brand of the enemy. A "brand," in this context, means a mark on the skin much like the symbols burned into the hide of cattle.

Some men, however, will survive the battles and be left behind when the best and brightest of Judah are carried off into captivity. Many more women will be left behind, though their husbands have been killed, along with perhaps their children.

Because of the nature of this era, those women will be left destitute and humiliated. They no longer have a husband and cannot return to the homes of their fathers. Single women had no standing in society at this time, especially if they had children. Some of them may even have had children as the result of sexual assault by the enemy invaders, making their rejection by the community even more intense.

These women are now so desperate to be made legitimate in their society, through having a husband, that they will compete for whatever men are left available. Isaiah depicts seven grabbing at one man and offering to marry him without expecting him to provide anything for them at all. They will pledge to provide their own support—the exact opposite of a typical ancient marriage arrangement—if only he will give them a valid place in the community. These formerly arrogant women who flaunted their wealth, position, and status will be brought so low as to be begging men to give them the merest form of respectability by marrying them.

These women represent a sinful human instinct in all of us. That is to be independent of the Lord and to glorify ourselves in the eyes of those around us. The Lord wants His people to understand they are fully dependent on Him. His people are to trust Him to provide them all the significance and provision they need. Drawing security from another source only leads to disappoint. He is willing to bring hard circumstances into the lives of His children to draw them close again (Hebrews 12:3–11).
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