Isaiah 3:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.

NIV: Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path.

NASB: My people! Their oppressors treat them violently, And women rule over them. My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths.

CSB: Youths oppress my people, and women rule over them. My people, your leaders mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths.

NLT: Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road.

KJV: As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

NKJV: As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.”

In this verse, Isaiah acknowledges with sadness that the people of Israel are his people. He cries out about the condition they have fallen into because of their sinfulness before God.

He presents new evidence of their sorry circumstances; this could be referring to currently or as part of the coming judgment. The idea that they are oppressed by "infants" may mean that their young and inexperienced leaders are taking advantage of them. Isaiah also says that "women rule over them." This may be a way of describing male leaders as weak or allowing their wives or mothers to exercise power over the people through them.

The problem with these young, oppressive, manipulative leaders is that they are leading the people in the wrong direction. Poetically Isaiah describes how these leaders have made it more difficult to follow the way of the Lord instead of making it easier.

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).