Isaiah 3:4

Isaiah 3:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
• New International Version (NIV)“I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.

Context of Isaiah 3:4

2The brave man and the warrior [He is also removing], The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, 3The captain of fifty and the man of honor, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter. And I will make mere boys their princes, And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them. 5And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The boy will be arrogant and insolent toward the elder And the vulgar (common) toward the honorable [person of rank]. 6When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, “You have a robe, you shall be our judge and ruler, And this pile of ruins will be under your control,”

Isaiah 3:4 word by word

וְנָתַתִּ֥י נְעָרִ֖ים שָׂרֵיהֶ֑ם וְתַעֲלוּלִ֖ים יִמְשְׁלוּ־בָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And I will giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
• childrenנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
• their princesשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
• and babesתַּעֲלוּלִיםta‛ălûl · capriceH8586
• shall ruleמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910

Cross-references for Isaiah 3:4

• 1 Kings 3:7So now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father; and as for me, I am but a little boy [in wisdom and experience]; I do not know how to go out or come in [that is, how to conduct business as a king].
• 2 Chronicles 33:1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
• 2 Chronicles 34:1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
• 2 Chronicles 36:2Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned [only] three months in Jerusalem.
• Ecclesiastes 10:16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning.

Commentaries on Isaiah 3:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4I will give children to be their princes "I will make boys their princes" - This also was fully accomplished in the succession of weak and wicked princes, from the death of Josiah to the destruction of the city and temple, and the taking of Zedekiah, the last of them, by Nebuchadnezzar. Babes shall rule over them - Dymennysche men schul lordschopen to hem. - Old MS. Bible.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And I will give children - Not children in respect to age so much as in regard to talent for governing. I will commit the land to the government of weak and imbecile princes. This would naturally occur when the wise and great were removed; compare Ecclesiastes 10:16: Wo to thee, O land, when thy king is a child;‘ compare Isaiah 3:12. And babes shall rule … - That is, babes in experience and knowledge. This was fully accomplished in the succession of weak…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Conditions would be so severe that even boys and toddlers could become candidates for office. Isaiah might have meant that adult leaders would be so reduced in number that only children would be left to take on the role. Alternatively, he might have meant that the new leaders would be as immature, unwise, strong-willed, and inexperienced as children.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. children--in ability for governing; antithesis to the "ancient" (see Is 3:12; Ec 10:16). babes--in warlike might; antithesis to "the mighty" and "man of war."Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 3:4

• Famine
• Jerusalem
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Ancient
• Babe
• Base
• Bravery
• Cunning
• Fruit
• Girding
• Grind
• Ornament
• Stay

Commentaries on Isaiah 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings