Isaiah 3:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?" declares the Lord God of hosts.

NIV: What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

NASB: What do you mean by crushing My people And oppressing the face of the poor?' Declares the Lord God of armies.

CSB: Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?" This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.

NLT: How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?' demands the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

KJV: What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.

NKJV: What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord God of hosts.

Now the Lord sounds angry. He stands as a judge in a courtroom making the case against the leaders of His own people, Israel (Isaiah 3:13). He has described their practice of taking what little the poor have for themselves (Isaiah 3:14). One can almost hear God raising His voice as He asks His people to explain themselves and their sin.

The Lord uses language descriptive of the mill used to grind grain into flour. He says the leaders of Judah have been doing the same to the poor: grinding their faces between the heavy stones of the mill to turn them into powder. Isaiah adds that it is the Lord God of hosts bringing this charge. He leaves no question of the severity of the charges laid against His people.

Isaiah 3:1–15 describes what will happen when God removes all the men of importance from Jerusalem . From soldiers to commanders and judges to charms experts. Those left behind will soon turn on each other for survival, oppressing the poor and old. Any man offered the role of Jerusalem's leader will refuse, knowing he cannot bring healing or provision to God's people. The Lord will bring charges against Judah's current leaders for mistreating the poor and taking everything from them.

Isaiah reveals that the Lord will take away all the qualified men from Judah and Jerusalem in His judgment. This includes military, political, and spiritual leaders. After they're gone, the people will turn on each other to survive, trying to convince anyone with the slightest advantage to be their leader. The Lord makes his case against Judah's leaders for taking from the poor instead of providing for them. The Lord will take away from Judah's women all the adornments they displayed in public in their arrogance and immorality. Jerusalem's men will fall, and she will be left empty.

Isaiah 3 picks up where the last verse in Isaiah 2 left off (Isaiah 2:22). There Isaiah warned the people not to trust in mere men and now he proclaims that the Lord will remove all the qualified men from Jerusalem. Those left behind will turn on each other. The Lord will bring charges against Jerusalem's current leaders for mistreating the poor. Because the wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah are arrogant and immoral, the Lord will take away all their adornments, replacing hair with baldness and beauty with enemy brands. Jerusalem's men will die, leaving her broken and empty. This likely refers to the eventual invasion of Jerusalem and the capture of her people (2 Kings 24:14).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 11/21/2024 3:10:40 PM