New English Translation
Isaiah 3:4
4The Lord says, “I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will rule over them.
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 mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders, 3captains of groups of fifty, the respected citizens, advisers and those skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations. The Lord says, “I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will rule over them. 5The 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. 6Indeed, 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.’
Read all of Isaiah 3Isaiah 3:4 word by word
וְנָתַתִּ֥י נְעָרִ֖ים שָׂרֵיהֶ֑ם וְתַעֲלוּלִ֖ים יִמְשְׁלוּ־בָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 3:4
- 1 Kings 3:7Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.
- 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 36:2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
- Ecclesiastes 10:16Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, and your 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
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
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