3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah every source of security, including all the food and water,
In chapter 2, Isaiah informed Jerusalem that judgment was coming. In chapter 3, Jehovah would remove all of the securities in which the people trusted.
First, Jehovah would remove all food and water from Jerusalem. He would bring terrible famine upon the city.
3:2 the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders,
Second, Jehovah would remove the leaders from Israel. The soldiers, righteous judges, and false prophets would be removed from Jerusalem. God was not approving of false prophets. He was going to remove them, because Jerusalem looked to these false prophets for security.
3:3 captains of groups of fifty, the respected citizens, advisers and those skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations.
Third, Jehovah would remove military leaders, skilled workers, and those involved in the occult.
3:4 The Lord says, “I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will rule over them.
Fourth, Jehovah would replace the elder leadership with youthful leaders who were foolish, weak, rash, mean, and inexperienced.
3:5 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.
Fifth, these inexperienced and youthful leaders would not be able to control crime and violence in the city.
3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother right in his father’s house and say, You own a coat— you be our leader! This heap of ruins will be under your control.’
Sixth, mobs would grab anyone who had a jacket and force him to become the next leader. The only thing that these youthful leaders would rule was a city full of broken stones.
3:7 At that time the brother will shout, ‘I am no doctor, I have no food or coat in my house; don’t make me a leader of the people!’ ”
Seventh, the chosen leaders would desire to step down, because they would not have any solutions to the many shortages of the siege.
3:8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles, Judah falls, for their words and their actions offend the Lord; they rebel against his royal authority.
Jerusalem would suffer these judgments, because her words and actions offended Jehovah. Jehovah was King. He established a covenant with His subjects and with His wife, but she rebelled against His authority.
3:9 The look on their faces testifies to their guilt; like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. Too bad for them! For they bring disaster on themselves.
Just as Sodom boasted of her sin, Jerusalem would boast of her sin as well.
3:10 Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for what they have done.
When God judged Jerusalem with the Babylon Captivity, then He would reward all of those who would be righteous. An example was Daniel and his three friends. They were placed in governmental positions of the new Babylonian Empire.
3:11 Too bad for the wicked sinners! For they will get exactly what they deserve.
The wicked sinners of Jerusalem would get what they deserve.
3:12 Oppressors treat my people cruelly; creditors rule over them. My people’s leaders mislead them; they give you confusing directions.
The leaders of Israel were not teaching the people the truth.
3:13 The Lord takes his position to judge; he stands up to pass sentence on his people.
Jehovah was seated in His courtroom. He was ready to judge His people.
3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says, “It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.
From his heavenly courtroom, Jehovah accused the political and religious leaders of Jerusalem of spoiling His vineyard and stealing from the poor.
3:15 Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” The sovereign Lord who commands armies has spoken.
Jehovah accused these Jewish leaders of crushing His people and grinding their faces to the ground.
3:16 The Lord says, “The women 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.
The haughty and wealthy women of Jerusalem were walking down the streets with pride, as though they were really something. These women had coerced their husbands into oppressing the poor so that they could live a prosperous and materialistic lifestyle.
3:17 So the sovereign master will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women with skin diseases, the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.”
Since these wealthy and haughty society women coerced their husbands into fleecing the poor, then Jehovah was going to give these women baldness and sores on their heads. This baldness may refer to the shaving of their heads in mourning, or for medical judgments from the famine.
3:18 At that time the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments, 3:19 earrings, bracelets, veils, 3:20 headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets, amulets, 3:21 rings, nose rings, 3:22 festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses, 3:23 garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns.
The Babylonian soldiers would plunder all of these women’s fine jewelry and wardrobes.
3:24 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 prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
When the Babylonian soldiers arrived, these society women would no longer smell of expensive sweet perfume. After surviving famine, their sores would cause them to have an awful odor. Instead of wearing a belt, they would be pulled into captivity by Babylonian ropes. Instead of possessing long and beautiful braided hair, they would be bald. Instead of wearing beautiful and expensive dresses, they would be wearing black sackcloth of mourning (from goats hair). Instead of being beautiful, they would be branded painfully like animals.
3:25 Your men will fall by the sword, your strong men will die in battle.
The husbands, brothers, and male friends of these society women would die in battle. The Jewish male population would be reduced.
3:26 Her gates will mourn and lament; deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.
The women would mourn, because their would be a shortage of men. It was a great reproach in Jewish society to be unmarried and childless.