God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 3:5
5People will oppress each other, and everyone will oppress his neighbor. The young will make fun of the old, and common people will make fun of their superiors.
Isaiah 3:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder, And the base toward the honorable.”
Context of Isaiah 3:5
3military leaders and civilian leaders, counselors, skilled workers, and experts in magic. 4“I will make boys their leaders. Children will govern them.” People will oppress each other, and everyone will oppress his neighbor. The young will make fun of the old, and common people will make fun of their superiors. 6A person will grab one of his relatives from his father’s family and say, “You have a coat. You’ll be our leader. This pile of ruins will be under your control.” 7When that day comes the relative will cry out, “I’m not a doctor! I don’t have any food or a coat in my home. Don’t make me a leader of our family.”
Read all of Isaiah 3Isaiah 3:5 word by word
וְנִגַּ֣שׂ הָעָ֔ם אִ֥ישׁ בְּאִ֖ישׁ וְאִ֣ישׁ בְּרֵעֵ֑הוּ יִרְהֲב֗וּ הַנַּ֙עַר֙ בַּזָּקֵ֔ן וְהַנִּקְלֶ֖ה בַּנִּכְבָּֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- shall be oppressedנָגַשׂnâgaώ · to oppressH5065
- every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- by anotherאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- by his neighbourרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
- the childנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
- shall behave himself proudlyרָהַבrâhab · to be assertiveH7292
- against the ancientזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
- and the baseקָלָהqâlâh · to dishonorH7034
- against the honourableכָּבֵדkâbad kâbêd · to honor: honourH3513
Cross-references for Isaiah 3:5
- Isaiah 9:19The land is scorched by the fury of the Lord of Armies, and the people are like fuel for the fire. No one shows concern for others:
- Isaiah 11:13Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s opponents will come to an end. Ephraim won’t be jealous of Judah, and Judah won’t oppose Ephraim.
- Jeremiah 9:3They use their tongues like bows that shoot arrows. Lies and dishonesty rule the land. They go from one evil thing to another, and they don’t know me,” declares the Lord.
- Jeremiah 22:17“But your eyes and your mind are set on nothing but dishonest profits. You kill innocent people and violently oppress your people.”
- Ezekiel 22:6“ ‘See how all the princes of Israel who live in you have used their power to murder people.
- Amos 4:1Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria. You women oppress the poor and abuse the needy. You say to your husbands, “Get some wine! Let’s drink!”
- Micah 3:1Then I said: Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel. You should know justice.
- Micah 3:11Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the Lord when they say, “After all, the Lord is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.”
- Zechariah 7:9“This is what the Lord of Armies says: Administer real justice, and be compassionate and kind to each other.
- Malachi 3:5“I will come to judge you. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, lying witnesses, and those who cheat workers out of their wages and oppress widows and orphans. I will also testify against those who deprive foreigners of their rights. None of them fear me,” says the Lord of Armies.
- James 2:6Yet, you show no respect to poor people. Don’t rich people oppress you and drag you into court?
- James 5:4The wages you refused to pay the people who harvested your fields shout ⌞to God⌟ against you. The Lord of Armies has heard the cries of those who gather the crops.
- Isaiah 1:4“How horrible it will be for a nation that sins. ⌞Its⌟ people are loaded down with guilt. They are descendants of evildoers and destructive children. They have abandoned the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their backs on him.
- Leviticus 19:32“Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your God. I am the Lord.
- 2 Kings 2:23From there he went to Bethel. As he walked along the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him. They said, “Go away, baldy! Go away!”
- Job 30:1“But now those who are younger than I am laugh at me. I didn’t think their fathers were fit to sit with the dogs of my flock.
Commentaries on Isaiah 3:5
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And the people shall be oppressed - This describes the state of anarchy and confusion which would exist under the reign of children and babes Isaiah 3:4, when all law would be powerless, and all rights violated, and when the feeble would be oppressed and borne down by the strong. The word used here, properly denotes that “unjust exactions or demands” would be made, or that the people would be “urged” to fulfill them. Every one by another - In turn they…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-12These verses continue discussing judgment against Israel's leaders (see Isaiah 1:23–25). Removing leaders at all levels would let the mob take over. Chaos and famine would turn Judah and Jerusalem into a social wasteland.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. The anarchy resulting under such imbecile rulers (Is 3:4); unjust exactions mutually; the forms of respect violated (Le 19:32). base--low-born. Compare the marks of "the last days" (2Ti 3:2).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 3:5
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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