Judgment on Jerusalem's Leaders and Social Order
Isaiah 3:1-4:1
Isa.3.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- הנה: PART
- האדון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מסיר: VERB,hiph,ptc,3,m,sg
- מירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומיהודה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- משען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומשענה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,poss3fs
- כל: DET
- משען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- משען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 4:16 (verbal): Ezekiel declares, 'I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem,' using the same image of the 'staff/stay of bread' being removed — a close verbal echo of Isaiah's withdrawal of sustenance.
- Jeremiah 14:3-4 (thematic): Jeremiah depicts people sent to draw water who find none; like Isaiah 3:1's 'stay of water,' both passages portray deprivation of basic provisions as divine judgment.
- 2 Kings 25:3-4 (structural): The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem leads to absence of food and water (no bread, no supply), paralleling Isaiah's announcement that God will take away Jerusalem and Judah's supports of bread and water.
- Deuteronomy 28:23-24 (structural): As part of the covenant curses, these verses describe heavens and land made barren so that sustenance fails (rain/food withheld), thematically matching Isaiah's theme of God removing the nation's supports.
Alternative generated candidates
- For behold, the LORD GOD of hosts is removing from Jerusalem and from Judah both support and stay—every supply of bread and every supply of water.
- For behold, the LORD God of hosts will remove from Jerusalem and from Judah every stay and every support—everystay of bread and everystay of water.
Isa.3.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- גבור: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שופט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונביא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקסם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וזקן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:3 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same pericope: repeats the removal of the 'mighty man,' 'man of war,' 'judge,' 'prophet,' etc., and describes their absence and consequences for the city.
- Hosea 4:6 (thematic): God removes his guiding authorities because of Israel's rejection of knowledge—parallels the theme of leadership taken away and societal ruin when priests/prophets fail.
- Micah 3:5-7 (thematic): Denounces corrupt prophets and leaders whose failure to uphold justice brings divine judgment—connects to Isaiah's listing of vanished civic and religious offices as part of that punishment.
- Jeremiah 5:31 (thematic): Condemns false prophets and self-serving priests who mislead the people; thematically parallels Isaiah's notice that judges, prophets and elders are no longer functioning rightly and are removed.
Alternative generated candidates
- The man of might and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder;
- A hero and a man of war, a judge and a prophet, a diviner and an elder.
Isa.3.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמשים: NUM,card,pl
- ונשוא: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויועץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וחכם: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- חרשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונבון: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- לחש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:2 (structural): Immediate context: verse 2 lists other elite offices (mighty man, judge, prophet, prudent, ancient) — together with 3:3 forming a catalogue of officials whose authority will be removed.
- Micah 3:1-3 (thematic): Denounces leaders, rulers, and counselors who pervert justice and exploit the people; parallels Isaiah's critique of the ruling classes and their impending judgment.
- Ezekiel 34:2-4 (thematic): Accuses shepherds (leaders) of failing their flock and feeding themselves—similar prophetic theme of leadership failure and divine judgment on officials.
- Deuteronomy 16:18 (verbal): Commands appointment of 'judges and officers' for every town—provides a legal/background contrast to Isaiah's announcement that such officials (captains, counselors, judges) will be taken away.
- Jeremiah 23:1-2 (thematic): Condemns corrupt shepherds (leaders) who scatter the flock and announces punishment; echoes Isaiah's theme of the removal and failure of civic and religious leaders.
Alternative generated candidates
- the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skilled artisan, the cunning whisperer and the one wise in secret counsel.
- A captain of fifty, a man of rank, a counselor, a skilled artisan, and a whisperer of secrets.
Isa.3.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- נערים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl_suf
- ותעלולים: NOUN,m,pl,abs,conj_pref
- ימשלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:12 (verbal): Same prophetic context and similar wording—children/young people are described as oppressors and rulers over the people, echoing the collapse of competent leadership.
- 1 Kings 12:6-11 (structural): Narrative parallel: Rehoboam rejects the elders’ counsel and follows the advice of the young men who grew up with him, illustrating the motif of inexperienced/youthful leadership producing poor rule.
- Proverbs 29:2 (thematic): Expresses the theme that bad leadership brings oppression and suffering—when the wicked rule the people groan—resonant with Isaiah’s complaint about juvenile rulers.
- Ezekiel 34:2-4 (thematic): Condemns shepherds (leaders) who fail the flock and feed themselves, thematically connected to Isaiah’s judgment on unfit rulers and leadership collapse.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will make boys their princes, and children shall rule over them.
- I will make youths their princes, and children will rule over them.
Isa.3.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ונגש: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברעהו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ירהבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- הנער: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בזקן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנקלה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- בנכבד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:4 (structural): Immediate context: Isaiah 3:4–5 describes the same social breakdown — children and youths elevated over elders, a reversal of order; v.5 continues and specifies insolence of the young toward the old.
- Micah 7:6 (verbal): Closely parallels the theme and language of social/familial breakdown: 'For the son dishonours the father, the daughter rises against her mother…' — domestic betrayal and role inversion akin to Isaiah 3:5.
- Matthew 10:21 (quotation): Jesus warns that 'brother will betray brother... and a father his child,' echoing the prophetic motif of kin and peers turning against one another found in Isaiah 3:5 (and Micah 7:6).
- Proverbs 30:21–23 (thematic): A proverb list of shocking role-reversals (e.g. a servant reigning, a handmaid displacing her mistress) that parallels Isaiah’s depiction of social inversion and insolence of the low toward the high.
- 2 Timothy 3:1–3 (thematic): Paul’s description of societal decay in the last days ('lovers of selves... boastful, proud, without natural affection') parallels Isaiah’s picture of social disorder, arrogance, and the breakdown of proper respect between young and old.
Alternative generated candidates
- The people will oppress one another—man against man; neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up against the old, the base against the honorable.
- Then the people will oppress one another—man against man; neighbor will be insolent toward neighbor. A youth will be arrogant toward an elder; the contemptible toward the honored.
Isa.3.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יתפש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באחיו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,poss:3ms
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- שמלה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכה: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- קצין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- והמכשלה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- תחת: PREP
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (verbal): Law about taking a neighbor’s garment as a pledge and the requirement to return it by evening—directly parallels the image of clothing taken as security in Isa 3:6.
- Exodus 22:26-27 (verbal): Similar legal injunction forbidding keeping a poor man’s cloak as pledge overnight; reinforces the cultural/legal background for Isaiah’s reference to garments as collateral.
- Isaiah 3:5 (structural): Immediate context in the same chapter: describes mutual oppression and social breakdown among people—Isa 3:6 is a concrete instance of that communal disorder.
- Nehemiah 5:1-5 (thematic): Depicts economic oppression—mortgaging fields and households, selling children, taking pledges—parallels the social injustice and desperation reflected in Isaiah’s image of garments and appeals for leadership.
Alternative generated candidates
- For when a man seizes his brother's house, saying, “You are our shelter; you shall be our leader,” this disgrace shall be on your hand.
- For a man will seize his brother—within his father’s house—saying, “You have a cloak; be our leader; put this ruin under your hand.”
Isa.3.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- אהיה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- חבש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובביתי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- אין: PART,neg
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- שמלה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשימני: VERB,qal,impf,2,NA,sg
- קצין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
Parallels
- Judges 8:22-23 (verbal): Gideon refuses kingship: 'I will not rule over you,' echoing Isa. 3:7's plea not to be set as head over the people — a close verbal and situational parallel about rejecting rulership.
- Hosea 3:4 (thematic): Speaks of Israel living 'many days without king or prince' and lacking cultic provision, paralleling Isaiah's image of absent leadership and material need (no bread, no clothing).
- Ezekiel 34:2-4 (thematic): God condemns shepherds (leaders) who fail to feed and care for the flock; thematically parallels Isaiah's collapse of proper leadership and resulting lack of provision for the people.
- Isaiah 3:1 (structural): Immediate context listing the removal of supports and leaders ('the stay and staff,' judges, soldiers), framing the same social breakdown that produces the refusal recorded in Isa. 3:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- In that day one will say, “I will not be a ruler; in my house there is no bread or garment; do not make me leader of the people.”
- On that day one will cry, “I will not be a leader; in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; do not set me over the people.”
Isa.3.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כשלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויהודה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- לשונם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- ומעלליהם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- למרות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- כבודו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:21-23 (structural): Both passages diagnose Jerusalem’s moral collapse (faithful city become a harlot, corrupt rulers) as the background for impending judgment—an internal Isaiah parallel explaining why Jerusalem/Judah fall.
- Hosea 5:5 (verbal): Hosea uses the same idea of stumbling and couples Israel/Ephraim with Judah ('...Ephraim shall stumble... Judah also shall stumble'), echoing Isaiah’s language about Jerusalem and Judah falling.
- Micah 3:9-12 (thematic): Micah indicts leaders and prophets whose wickedness brings about Zion’s ruin ('therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed'); parallels Isaiah’s link between people’s words/actions against the LORD and the fall of Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (thematic): Describes God’s messengers being scorned and persecuted, leading to final judgment and exile—parallels Isaiah’s claim that people’s words and deeds against the LORD provoke his glory and result in Jerusalem/Judah’s downfall.
Alternative generated candidates
- For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, because their tongue and their deeds are against the LORD, to affront the majesty of his glory.
- For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, because their tongue and their deeds are against the LORD, defying the glorious One.
Isa.3.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הכרת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ענתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וחטאתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3mp
- כסדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הגידו: VERB,hiph,impv,2,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- כחדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנפשם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff3mp
- כי: CONJ
- גמלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 19:24-25 (verbal): Isaiah explicitly likens the people's sin to Sodom; Genesis 19 narrates Sodom's sexual immorality and divine destruction, the prototypical example Isaiah invokes.
- Ezekiel 16:49-50 (verbal): Ezekiel lists Sodom's iniquities (arrogance, ease, neglect of the poor) and divine judgment—an expanded description of the Sodom comparison Isaiah uses to condemn visible, unrepentant sin.
- Isaiah 1:9-10 (structural): Earlier in Isaiah the remnant is warned they would have become 'as Sodom' without mercy—same prophetic trope equating Jerusalem/Judah's corruption with Sodom's guilt and doom.
- Jeremiah 23:14 (thematic): Jeremiah condemns prophets and leaders who openly practise and promote wickedness without shame—paralleling Isaiah's theme of public, unrepentant sin that testifies against the people.
- 2 Peter 2:6 (allusion): The New Testament cites Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of judgment on the ungodly; this echoes Isaiah's use of Sodom as the paradigmatic evidence of guilt and coming punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- The very look on their faces testifies against them—their sin is like Sodom; they have revealed it and have not hidden it. Woe to their souls! For they have earned for themselves evil.
- The look on their faces testifies against them; their sin is like Sodom—they have revealed it, they have not hidden it. Woe to their life, for they have brought judgment upon themselves.
Isa.3.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- מעלליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- יאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:19 (verbal): Both verses promise that the obedient/righteous will “eat” the good/fruit as the direct consequence of their conduct (Isa. 1:19's “you shall eat the good of the land” echoes Isa. 3:10).
- Hosea 10:12 (verbal): Uses agricultural imagery of sowing/ reaping—“sow righteousness, reap the fruit”—paralleling Isa. 3:10's idea that the righteous will eat the fruit of their deeds.
- Psalm 58:11 (thematic): Affirms that there is a reward for the righteous—an assurance that the righteous will be vindicated/blessed—resonating with Isa. 3:10's assurance that the righteous will eat the fruit of their actions.
- Deuteronomy 28:11 (thematic): In the covenant blessings God links obedience/righteousness with material blessing and abundance (e.g., eating the produce of the land), paralleling Isa. 3:10's promise of enjoying the fruits of one’s deeds.
Alternative generated candidates
- Say to the righteous that it shall be well with him, for he shall eat the fruit of his deeds.
- Say to the righteous, “It will be well with you; you shall eat the fruit of your deeds.”
Isa.3.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לרשע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- גמול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ידיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs,suff:3,m,sg
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:31 (thematic): Those who do evil 'shall eat the fruit of their way'—the wicked suffer the consequences of their own deeds, echoing Isaiah's contention that a man's hands' reward comes upon him.
- Psalm 7:16 (verbal): Speaks of evil returning on the doer—'his mischief shall return upon his own head'—a close verbal/image parallel to punishment befalling the wicked for their actions.
- Proverbs 26:27 (verbal): 'Whoever digs a pit will fall into it'—a proverbial expression of the same idea that one's harmful deeds rebound upon oneself.
- Galatians 6:7 (thematic): 'For whatever one sows, that will he also reap'—New Testament formulation of divine/ethical retribution corresponding to Isaiah's principle of recompense.
- Romans 2:6 (thematic): 'God will repay each person according to their deeds'—a theological restatement of the principle that the wicked receive what their hands have earned.
Alternative generated candidates
- Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the return of his hands will be given him.
- Woe to the wicked! Disaster—according to the work of his hands it shall be done to him.
Isa.3.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- נגשיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מעולל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונשים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- משלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- מאשריך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
- מתעים: VERB,qal,ptc,pl
- ודרך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ארחתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
- בלעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isa.3.4 (verbal): Same scene of social reversal: ‘children/babes as princes’ and women ruling—directly echoes the complaint about inverted social order.
- Isa.9.16 (verbal): Parallel charge against leaders: those who guide the people lead them astray and destroy the way of their paths (same wording and theme of misleading guides).
- Jer.5.31 (thematic): Prophets and priests are accused of misleading the people and promoting what the people want to hear—similar theme of leaders causing the people's ruin.
- Mic.3.5 (allusion): Prophets and seers who lead the people into error and sinful confidence—echoes the condemnation of leadership that corrupts and destroys the people's way.
Alternative generated candidates
- My people—its oppressors are juvenile, and women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray and swallow up the way of your paths.
- My people—your oppressors are children, and women rule over you. My people, your guides mislead you and swallow up the way of your paths.
Isa.3.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- נצב: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- לריב: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועמד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לדין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
Parallels
- Joel 3:12–14 (verbal): Joel depicts God as taking his place to judge the nations—Hebrew שׁם אשׁב לדון את כל הגוים—closely echoing Isaiah’s language of the LORD standing up to judge the peoples.
- Psalm 82:8 (verbal): Psalm’s summons “Arise, O God; judge the earth” parallels Isaiah’s declaration that the LORD rises/stands to render judgment, sharing the motif of God’s active intervention against nations/judges.
- Psalm 9:7–8 (thematic): These verses portray Yahweh enthroned to judge the world in righteousness, thematically matching Isaiah’s assertion that the LORD stands up to contend and judge the peoples.
- Psalm 94:1–2 (verbal): An appeal for God as judge—“Rise up, O Judge of the earth”—mirrors the image of God standing and vindicating justice, resonating with Isaiah’s scene of divine litigation against nations.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD rises to contend, and stands to judge the peoples.
- The LORD has taken His stand to contend; He rises to judge the peoples.
Isa.3.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- במשפט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עם: PREP
- זקני: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ושריו: NOUN,m,pl,poss,3,m,sg
- ואתם: CONJ+PRON,2,pl
- בערתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- הכרם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- גזלת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- העני: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בבתיכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:1-7 (allusion): The 'Song of the Vineyard'—God's vineyard is spoiled/ruined; Isaiah 3:14's charge 'you have eaten up the vineyard' echoes this vineyard imagery and divine indictment of failure and injustice.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Condemns those who plot to seize fields and houses and thus oppress the poor—parallels Isaiah 3:14's complaint that the spoil of the poor is in the rulers' houses and announces judgment on leaders.
- Amos 5:11-12 (thematic): Accuses the wealthy and powerful of trampling the needy, taking houses and possessions, and perverting justice—resonates with Isaiah 3:14's charge against elders and princes for exploiting the poor.
- Ezekiel 22:29 (structural): Speaks of princes and people committing robbery and profaning houses (houses full of violence/loot); parallels the portrait of corrupt leaders whose households contain the spoil of the poor and who face God's judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and their princes: “You have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
- The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people: “You have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
Isa.3.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- תדכאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ופני: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עניים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תטחנו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 10:1-2 (verbal): Condemns unjust decrees and decisions that oppress and rob the poor—language and prophetic indictment parallel Isaiah 3:15's charge of crushing the people and grinding the poor.
- Amos 5:11-12 (thematic): Accuses the powerful of trampling the needy, denying justice, and profiting at others' expense—themes of oppression and social injustice echo Isaiah 3:15.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Describes those who devise injustice to seize fields and houses and oppress people—parallels the exploitation and violence against the poor in Isaiah 3:15.
- Jeremiah 22:13-17 (structural): Prophetic denunciation of a ruler who builds and prospers while failing to do justice to the oppressed—mirrors Isaiah's judicial rebuke of oppression and mistreatment of the poor.
Alternative generated candidates
- What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
- What is this that you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor? declares the LORD God of hosts.
Isa.3.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- כי: CONJ
- גבהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- ותלכנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- נטויות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- גרון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומשקרות: VERB,piel,ptc,3,f,pl
- עינים: NOUN,f,du,abs
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- וטפף: VERB,qal,ptc,3,f,pl
- תלכנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- וברגליהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:3,m,pl
- תעכסנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:18-24 (structural): Immediate context/continuation—details the removal of finery and the punitive consequences for the proud daughters of Zion introduced in 3:16.
- Isaiah 2:11 (verbal): Similar condemnation of pride and 'lofty looks'—both passages denounce arrogant appearance as the cause for divine humiliation.
- Proverbs 21:4 (verbal): Uses the phrase 'haughty eyes' (pride of appearance), paralleling Isaiah's critique of 'משקרות עינים' (wanton/haughty eyes).
- Ezekiel 16:11-14 (thematic): Depicts Jerusalem as an adorned, prideful woman decked with jewelry—parallel imagery of female adornment and proud behavior that provokes judgment.
- Micah 1:16 (thematic): Calls for the daughters of Zion to be shamed (baldness, mourning)—parallels Isaiah's theme of humiliation and loss of adornment as punishment for pride.
Alternative generated candidates
- Moreover the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, walking with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, mincing as they go and tinkling with their feet,
- And the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, walking with outstretched necks and wanton eyes—mincing as they go, tripping with their feet—
Isa.3.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ושפח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- קדקד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- ויהוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פתהן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יערה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:16 (structural): Immediate context: announces the pride and haughtiness of the 'daughters of Zion' as the reason for the coming humiliation described in 3:17.
- Isaiah 3:24 (thematic): Continues the punishment motif—removal of ornaments and exposure—echoing the stripping and shame of 3:17.
- Ezekiel 16:37-39 (thematic): God's judgment on Jerusalem portrayed as stripping, exposing and shaming the city—similar imagery of uncovering and public humiliation.
- Ezekiel 23:26-29 (verbal): Uses explicit language of taking away jewelry and uncovering nakedness, paralleling the motif of exposed shame present in Isaiah 3:17.
- Nahum 3:5-6 (verbal): Threatens to expose the city's nakedness and shame before nations—verbal parallel in the threat to 'discover' or 'uncover' the daughters of Zion.
Alternative generated candidates
- therefore the LORD will humble the daughters of Zion; the LORD will make their heads bare.
- the LORD will humble the daughters of Zion; the LORD will uncover their heads and make them bald.
Isa.3.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- יסיר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- תפארת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- העכסים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והשביסים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- והשהרנים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:16 (thematic): Immediate context: Isaiah rebukes the 'daughters of Zion' for pride and predicts the LORD will humble them, setting the stage for the removal of adornment in 3:18.
- Isaiah 3:24 (structural): Continuation/parallel within the same oracle listing specific ornaments that will be taken away and replaced by shame and desolation (further detail of 3:18).
- Ezekiel 16:39 (verbal): God declares he will 'take away' the woman's finery and ornaments as punishment—language and motif closely parallel to Isaiah's removal of jewelry.
- Ezekiel 7:19 (verbal): In the context of imminent judgment people cast away silver and gold; like Isaiah 3:18 this depicts jewelry and wealth becoming worthless and discarded in a day of the LORD.
- Micah 1:16 (thematic): Prophetic image of women being stripped of their adornment and forced into shame and mourning parallels Isaiah's theme of losing finery as part of divine punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- On that day the LORD will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents,
- On that day the LORD will take away their finery—the anklets, the headbands, and the crescent ornaments;
Isa.3.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הנטיפות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והשירות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והרעלות: NOUN,f,pl,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:18–23 (structural): Same poetic catalog of women's jewelry and adornments within which 3:19 occurs; the verse is part of this larger list of items the Lord will remove.
- Ezekiel 16:12–14 (thematic): God's dressing of Jerusalem with jewelry and fine apparel parallels Isaiah's image of adornment—and by implication its removal—as an expression of the city's pride and subsequent judgment.
- Ezekiel 23:40 (verbal): Uses a similar inventory of ornaments (rings, bracelets, pendants, nose‑rings) in a figurative indictment of the city's sexualized adornment, echoing Isaiah's concrete list of jewelry.
- Song of Solomon 1:10–11 (verbal): Poetic use of necklaces, pendants and finery to describe feminine beauty; shares the same lexical field of personal ornaments that Isaiah lists (necklaces, pendants, jeweled adornments).
Alternative generated candidates
- the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils,
- the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
Isa.3.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הפארים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והצעדות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,def
- והקשרים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- ובתי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- הנפש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והלחשים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:18-23 (verbal): Immediate context: an extended catalogue of women's finery and adornment (earrings, bracelets, veils, etc.) that parallels and completes the list in 3:20; same vocabulary and judicial theme.
- Ezekiel 16:11-14 (thematic): God speaks of adorning Jerusalem with bracelets, earrings and fine garments—uses similar imagery of jewelry and ornamentation to describe both blessing and subsequent shame/judgment.
- Hosea 2:8-13 (thematic): Describes Israel's adornment with gifts/ornaments in the context of unfaithfulness and announces their removal in judgment; parallels the motif of decorative finery tied to moral/religious failure.
- Revelation 17:4 (allusion): The vision of a woman decked in purple, scarlet, and gold, bedecked with jewels, evokes the prophetic motif of a richly adorned woman who becomes the object of divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets,
- the elaborate headdresses, the leg chains, the hair-knots, the perfume boxes, and the charms;
Isa.3.21 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הטבעות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- ונזמי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- האף: PART
Parallels
- Genesis 24:22 (verbal): Abraham’s servant gives Rebekah a gold earring and bracelets—explicit mention of personal jewelry (ear/ring ornaments) similar to Isaiah’s 'rings and nose‑rings.'
- Genesis 35:4 (verbal): Jacob’s household hands over 'the rings that were in their ears' along with foreign gods—another direct reference to ear/face ornaments as common personal adornment.
- Judges 8:26 (verbal): The Midianite/Amalekite plunder includes numerous gold ear‑rings and ornaments—parallel language linking jewelry with wealth and spoil.
- Ezekiel 16:11–13 (thematic): God adorns Jerusalem with bracelets, a chain, a jewel on the forehead and earrings—an extended catalogue of ornaments that echoes Isaiah’s listing of feminine adornments.
- Revelation 18:12 (thematic): Babylon’s merchandise includes gold, precious stones, pearls and luxurious goods—a New Testament image equating jewelry and finery with worldly luxury and judgment, thematically resonant with Isaiah’s critique of ostentation.
Alternative generated candidates
- the rings and nose jewels,
- the rings and the nose-rings;
Isa.3.22 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- המחלצות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והמעטפות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והמטפחות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- והחריטים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Ezekiel 16:11-14 (verbal): Ezekiel lists bracelets, necklaces, earrings, fine garments and other adornments given to Jerusalem—language of jewelry and clothing parallels Isaiah’s catalogue of female finery that will be removed.
- Ezekiel 23:40-41 (verbal): Describes the two adulterous sisters decked with nose rings, bracelets, headbands and other ornaments; like Isaiah 3:22 this passage uses a list of personal adornments in depicting sexual/ritual unfaithfulness and ensuing judgment.
- Isaiah 3:18-23 (structural): The immediate context: a sustained catalogue of women's garments and jewelry (mantles, veils, perfumes, ornaments) announced as taken away in the judgment—verse 22 is a line in this larger unit.
- 1 Timothy 2:9 (thematic): Paulic exhortation counsels women to avoid elaborate external adornment—braided hair, gold, pearls—echoing the biblical concern with jewelry and clothing as social/religious markers.
- 1 Peter 3:3-4 (thematic): Contrasts outward adornment (braiding, gold, fine clothes) with the value of inner beauty; thematically parallels Isaiah’s focus on female ornamentation and its moral/social significance.
Alternative generated candidates
- the fine robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags,
- the outer garments, the mantles, the shawls, and the purses;
Isa.3.23 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- והגלינים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והסדינים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והצניפות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- והרדידים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 16:10–13 (verbal): Ezekiel lists the jewelry and fine garments given to Jerusalem (bracelets, chains, a jewel on the forehead, earrings, a crown, fine linen and silk), using language and items closely parallel to Isaiah’s catalogue of ornament—the same vocabulary of adornment later removed as judgment.
- Revelation 18:12,16–17 (thematic): Revelation depicts a fallen, richly adorned city—clothed in fine linen, purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones—and laments its sudden loss, echoing Isaiah’s motif of luxurious ornaments stripped away in judgment.
- Hosea 2:9–13 (thematic): Hosea describes Yahweh taking away her flocks, her wool and flax and making her desolate as punishment—parallel in theme to Isaiah’s removal of women’s fine linens and ornaments as part of divine retribution.
- 1 Peter 3:3–4 (thematic): Peter contrasts external adornment (apparel and jewelry) with inner beauty of the heart, engaging the same cultural concern about feminine ornamentation that Isaiah treats—though Peter’s use is moral/ethical rather than prophetic-judicial.
Alternative generated candidates
- the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the mantles.
- the scarves, the fine robes, the turbans, and the cloaks.
Isa.3.24 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- בשם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ותחת: CONJ+PREP
- חגורה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נקפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותחת: CONJ+PREP
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מקשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קרחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותחת: CONJ+PREP
- פתיגיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מחגרת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- תחת: PREP
- יפי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:18 (structural): Immediate context: a parallel line in the same prophetic unit predicting the removal of women's finery (anklets, headbands, crescents) as part of God's judgment.
- Isaiah 3:20-23 (verbal): Continues the catalogue of ornaments and accessories (earrings, bracelets, veils, perfumes, mirrors) that will be taken away or defiled—closely parallels the items and the theme of humiliation in v.24.
- Ezekiel 16:12-14 (thematic): Describes how God once adorned Jerusalem with jewelry and fine clothes—background imagery of adornment that Isaiah’s verse inverts by portraying those adornments removed as punishment.
- Ezekiel 16:37-39 (thematic): Predicts the humiliation and stripping of Jerusalem (and her lovers) as judgment; parallels Isaiah’s motif of transforming beauty and adornment into shame and exposure.
- Hosea 2:13 (thematic): Links a woman’s ornaments and adornment to unfaithfulness and announces punishment—similar trope of jewelry and perfume associated with sin and then taken away in divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Instead of a sash there shall be a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; instead of beauty, a brand.
- Instead of a sweet fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-arranged hair, baldness; instead of a fine robe, a sheet of sackcloth; instead of beauty, a brand.
Isa.3.25 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מתיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יפלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וגבורתך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 13:15-16 (verbal): Uses nearly identical imagery of survivors being 'found' and pierced or falling by the sword — a depiction of slaughter as divine judgment.
- Jeremiah 46:7-10 (verbal): Describes warriors stumbling and falling in battle under the LORD’s hand; parallels the theme of military defeat and death by the sword as punishment on a nation.
- Deuteronomy 32:25 (thematic): Moses’ song portrays 'the sword without' and destruction of people—similar motif of widespread death and terror by violent means as divine retribution.
- Isaiah 5:25 (thematic): Speaks of the LORD’s anger bringing smiting and corpses—parallels the result of divine wrath in Isa. 3:25 where men fall by the sword in judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your men shall fall by the sword, and your warriors in battle.
- Your men will fall by the sword, and your warriors in war.
Isa.3.26 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- ואבלו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פתחיה: NOUN,m,pl,abs+SUFF,3,f,sg
- ונקתה: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תשב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:8 (structural): Depicts Jerusalem/Zion left desolate ("the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard"), paralleling the image of the city bereft and sitting low in Isa. 3:26.
- Lamentations 1:1 (thematic): Opens with the city solitary and desolate ("How lonely sits the city..."), echoing the mourning and abandonment of Jerusalem expressed in Isa. 3:26.
- Psalm 137:1 (thematic): The exilic lament ("By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion") parallels the theme of gates and people mourning and sitting in sorrow in Isa. 3:26.
- Nahum 3:7-10 (thematic): Describes a city's downfall, humiliation and deserted gates after invasion—comparable imagery of a once-proud city reduced to mourning and desolation as in Isa. 3:26.
Alternative generated candidates
- Her gates shall mourn and lament; she shall sit desolate upon the ground.
- Her gates will mourn and be desolate; she will sit upon the ground.
Isa.4.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- והחזיקו: CONJ+VERB,hiph,perf,3,pl
- שבע: NUM,card
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- באיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לחמנו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+1pl
- נאכל: VERB,qal,cohort,1,pl
- ושמלתנו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,pos:1,pl
- נלבש: VERB,qal,cohort,1,pl
- רק: PRT
- יקרא: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- אסף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חרפתנו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,pos:1,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 3:16-26 (structural): Immediate context and contrast: Isaiah 3 depicts the women's pride and the coming judgment (loss of men, humiliation) that sets up the reversal pictured in 4:1, where women compete for a single man after catastrophe.
- Judges 21:10-24 (thematic): Post‑conflict scarcity of men and the social desperation of women seeking husbands; narrative parallel in how communal violence/war leaves women without mates and forces extraordinary measures to secure husbands.
- Ezekiel 16:37-43 (thematic): Ezekiel portrays the humiliation and stripping of honor inflicted on an unfaithful city/woman; thematically similar to Isaiah's image of shame, loss of status, and desperate appeals tied to judgment.
- Hosea 2:5-7 (thematic): Hosea uses marriage/lover imagery to depict Israel's loss of lovers and resulting shame; like Isaiah 4:1 this links sexual/marital abandonment and communal disgrace to divine punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes; only let us be called by your name— take away our reproach.”
- And seven women will 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.”
For behold, the LORD God of hosts removes from Jerusalem and from Judah both support and stay—every provision of bread and every provision of water.
A valiant and a man of war, a judge and a prophet, and a diviner and an elder.
A commander of fifty, an honored man, a counselor, a skilled artisan and a crafty whisperer.
I will give boys as their princes, and mere children shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another—each against his neighbor; the youth will be insolent toward the aged, and the base against the honorable.
For a man will seize his brother in his father's house, saying, “You have a cloak; you shall be our leader—put on authority over us; this stumbling-block is under your hand.”
On that day he will cry, “I will not be a leader; in my house there is no bread and no garment; do not set me as prince over the people.”
For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, because their tongue and their deeds are against the LORD, to provoke the very presence of his glory.
The look of their faces bears witness against them; their sin is like Sodom—they have declared it, they have not hidden it. Woe to their souls! For they have paid back evil to themselves.
Say to the righteous, “It will be well with him, for he shall eat the fruit of his deeds.”
Woe to the wicked! Evil shall befall him; what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.
O my people—your oppressors are children, and women rule over you; O my people, your guides lead you astray and swallow up the way of your paths.
The LORD rises to contend; he stands to judge the peoples.
The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and with its princes: “You have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor? declares the Lord GOD of hosts. And the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, strutting and mincing as they go, making a tinkling with their feet,
the LORD will humble the crown of the daughters of Zion; the LORD will expose their hair.
In that day the LORD will remove the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents,
the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils,
the necklaces, the charms, the rings, the nose‑jewels, the fine apparel and the cloaks,
the signet‑rings and nose‑ornaments,
the outer garments, the mantles, the wimples and the handbags,
the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans and the veils.
Instead of fragrance there shall be rottenness; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well‑set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of beauty.
Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty in war.
Her gates shall lament and mourn; she shall sit desolate upon the ground. 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.”