# Isaiah 03 š: Judgment on Jerusalem's Leaders
[[š Explore the Bible Books]]
[[-Isaiah Overview]] | [[Isaiah 02]] | [[Isaiah 04]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### A Coming Leadership Crisis
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā Look, the SovereignĀ LordĀ of Heavenās Armies
is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
every source of security, including
all the food and water,
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā the mighty men and warriors,
judges and prophets,
omen readers and leaders,
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā captains of groups of fifty,
the respected citizens,
advisers and those skilled in magical arts,
and those who know incantations.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ says,Ā āI will make youths their officials;
malicious young menĀ will rule over them.
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā The people will treat each other harshly;
men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight.
Youths will proudly defy the elderly
and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected.
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his fatherās houseĀ and say,
āYou own a coatā
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.ā
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā At that timeĀ the brother will shout,
āI am no doctor,
I have no food or coat in my house;
donāt make me a leader of the people!āā
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā Jerusalem certainly stumbles,
Judah falls, for their words and their actions offend theĀ Lord;
they rebel against his royal authority.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā The look on their facesĀ testifies to their guilt;
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin.
Woe to them! For they bring disaster on themselves.
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Tell the innocentĀ it will go well with them,
for they will be rewarded for what they have done.
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā Woe to the wicked sinners!
For they will get exactly what they deserve.
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā Oppressors treat myĀ people cruelly;
creditors rule over them.
My people, your leaders mislead you;
they give you confusing directions.
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ takes his position to judge;
he stands up to pass sentence on his people.
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ comes to pronounce judgment
on the leaders of his people and their officials.
He says,Ā āIt is youĀ who have ruinedĀ the vineyard!
You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?ā
The SovereignĀ LordĀ of Heavenās ArmiesĀ has spoken.
### Washing Away Impurity
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ says,
āThe womenĀ of Zion are proud.
They walk with their heads high
and flirt with their eyes.
They skip along
and the jewelry on their ankles jingles.
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā SoĀ the LordĀ will afflict the foreheads of Zionās womenĀ with skin diseases;
theĀ LordĀ will make the front of their heads bald.ā
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā Ā At that timeĀ the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry,Ā neck ornaments, crescent-shaped ornaments,Ā
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā earrings, bracelets, veils,Ā
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets,Ā amulets,Ā
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā rings, nose rings,Ā
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses,
[[#Verse 23.]]Ā garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns.
[[#Verse 24.]] A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, a rope will replace a belt, baldness will replace braided locks of hair, a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe, and a prisonerās brand will replace beauty.
[[#Verse 25.]]Ā YourĀ men will fall by the sword,
your strong men will die in battle.
[[#Verse 26.]]Ā Her gates will mourn and lament;
deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The list in 3:2-3 includes soldiers, judges, prophets, elders, and craftsmen, the people who held society together.
2. Children ruling (3:4) was seen in the ancient world as a sign of a society in collapse.
3. The leaders are pressured to rule because one of them merely owns a coat (3:6), showing how desperate things had become.
4. Isaiah 3:18-23 contains one of the longest lists of clothing and jewelry in the Old Testament, including anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, and purses.
5. Some of the Hebrew words in that list appear nowhere else in the Bible, so translators are not always certain of their exact meaning.
6. The people show their sin openly like Sodom (3:9) instead of hiding it in shame.
7. God pictures Himself as both prosecutor and judge in a courtroom (3:13-14).
8. Leaders are accused of grinding the faces of the poor (3:15), a vivid picture of oppression.
9. Branding (3:24) was sometimes used to mark captives and slaves in the ancient world.
10. Sitting on the ground (3:26) was a traditional posture of mourning.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the righteous Judge who stands to judge His people (3:13). God has fixed a day when He will judge the world by the Man He appointed (Acts 17:31), yet He promises that it will go well for the righteous (3:10).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. God removes leaders, warriors, and skilled people from Jerusalem (3:1-4). What happens to a community when wise leadership disappears?
2. The people's words and deeds were against the Lord (3:8). How do our words reveal what is in our hearts?
3. The women of Zion were proud of their outward beauty (3:16-24). How can we keep appearance from becoming more important than character?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 8: Jerusalem stumbles because its words and deeds defy the Lord.
- š verses 10-11: It will go well for the righteous, but disaster comes on the wicked.
- š verse 13: The Lord takes His place to judge His people.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Acts 17#Verse 31.|Acts 17:31]] - God will judge the world by the Man He appointed.
- š [[1 Peter 03#Verse 03.|1 Peter 3:3-4]] - Beauty that comes from within.
- š [[Proverbs 29#Verse 02.|Proverbs 29:2]] - When the righteous rule, people rejoice.
- š [[Galatians 06#Verse 07.|Galatians 6:7-8]] - A person reaps what he sows.
- š [[Romans 02#Verse 05.|Romans 2:5-8]] - God will repay each person by his deeds.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Isaiah 03 - SOAP|God is Just]]
## š Internal Notes