Isaiah 3:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder,

NIV: the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder,

NASB: The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder,

CSB: heroes and warriors, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders,

NLT: all their heroes and soldiers, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders,

KJV: The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

NKJV: The mighty man and the man of war, The judge and the prophet, And the diviner and the elder;

The previous chapter ends with this warning from Isaiah to God's unfaithful people in Judah and Jerusalem: "Stop trusting in mere humans" (Isaiah 2:22 NIV).

The people of the Lord have been unfaithful to Him. They have been putting their trust in everything except the Lord (Isaiah 2:12–18). Isaiah now says that all men of any consequence in Judah will be removed.

His list of those who will be removed begins with the "mighty man and the soldier;" these are the "hero and the warrior" in the NIV translation. These are the military men, the fighters: the ones who stand in the gap during times of trouble. They will be absent in this time to come.

Also missing will be the judge and the elder. These are the political leaders who provide practical wisdom, make hard decisions, and resolve disputes between the people. The prophet and the diviner will also be gone, those who provide spiritual direction and connection to the Lord. Diviners may also refer to the men that the people turned to for ungodly, forbidden spiritual direction. Even those would be taken away.

This removal of leadership from Jerusalem took place very specifically when Judah and Jerusalem were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon (2 Kings 24:14). All officials and "mighty men" and craftsmen were removed. Only the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak remained. Anyone of use or value, in the eyes of the enemy, was captured or killed.

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).