The big picture
Isaiah 3 opens in verse 1 with “For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 13 with “The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.”, and closes in verse 26 with “And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, people, instead, stay, ancient. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Isaiah · King James Version · 26Isaiah 3:1-7
1–7: For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem…
Isaiah 3:1–7 opens with “For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay…” and reaches “In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by stay, ancient, bread.
Context that brings the passage to life
“For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,” The line’s distinctive content terms include ancient, judge, mighty. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Isaiah 3:1-7
King James Version1For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
2The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
3The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
6When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:
7In 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.
Isaiah 3:8-14
8–14: For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and…
Isaiah 3:8–14 opens with “For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against…” and reaches “The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by people, LORD, doings.
Context that brings the passage to life
“For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD , to provoke…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe…” Naming Sodom and Woe keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Isaiah 3:8-14
King James Version8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD , to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
10Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12As 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.
13The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
Isaiah 3:15-21
15–21: What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of…
Isaiah 3:15–21 opens with “What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord…” and reaches “The rings, and nose jewels,” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by LORD, daughters, feet.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Isaiah 3:15-21
King James Version15What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
16Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
18In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21The rings, and nose jewels,
Isaiah 3:22-26
22–26: The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and…
Isaiah 3:22–26 opens with “The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,” and reaches “And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by instead, apparel, baldness.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,” The line’s distinctive content terms include apparel, changeable, crisping. Its relationship to verses 23 shows what work it does in this passage.
Isaiah 3:22-26
King James Version22The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Isaiah 3:1 begins with “For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay…”
Where the chapter turns
Isaiah 3:15 forms a natural hinge: “What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.”
The final note
Isaiah 3:26 leaves the reader with “And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, people, instead, stay, ancient, bread help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does blame move through the conversation?
The man points to the woman and indirectly to God; the woman points to the serpent. Neither response repairs trust.
Where does mercy appear?
Continued life, the promise involving offspring, and clothing accompany the expulsion.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.