Isaiah 3:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: in that day he will speak out, saying: “I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me leader of the people.”

NIV: But in that day he will cry out, 'I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.'

NASB: He will protest on that day, saying, 'I will not be your healer, For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people.'

CSB: On that day he will cry out, saying, "I'm not a healer. I don't even have food or clothing in my house. Don't make me the leader of the people! "

NLT: But he will reply, 'No! I can’t help. I don’t have any extra food or clothes. Don’t put me in charge!'

KJV: In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

NKJV: In that day he will protest, saying, “I cannot cure your ills, For in my house is neither food nor clothing; Do not make me a ruler of the people.”

In this chapter Isaiah is describing a scene in Jerusalem's future. The Lord has removed all men of consequence from Judah. Everyone the people may have been trusting for provision and protection instead of their God will be taken away (Isaiah 3:2–3).

Without good leadership, the community has descended into chaos and lawlessness. Jerusalem is reduced to heaps of rubble, and the people live in poverty. It's so bad that owning a cloak is a luxury (Isaiah 3:6). Seeing a man with a cloak, one man says to another that he should become the leader of the people and rule over what is left of Judah.

Now in Isaiah 3:7 the man with the cloak responds. Instead of being arrogant, as Jerusalem's former leaders were, the man sees clearly that he cannot do anything to make the community better. He cries out that he cannot fix what Jerusalem and Judah have become. He insists that he, too, doesn't have enough food or clothing in his own home. He flatly refuses being appointed their leader.

When even those barely qualified to lead refuse the role, a community is truly in despair.

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 5/8/2024 6:21:00 PM