TRV
Translation
King James Version
As 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.
Complete Jewish Bible
My people - children oppress them, and women are ruling over them. My people! Your guides lead you astray and obliterate the paths you should follow.
Berean Standard Bible
Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn you from your paths.
American Standard Version
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
World English Bible Messianic
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Children are extortioners of my people, and women haue rule ouer them: O my people, they that leade thee, cause thee to erre, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Young's Literal Translation
My people--its exactors are sucklings, And women have ruled over it. My people--thy eulogists are causing to err, And the way of thy paths swallowed up.
In the KJVVerse 17,720 of 31,102
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Commentary on Isaiah 3 verses 9–15
9 ¶ The 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.
10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 As 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.
13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The 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.
15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Here God proceeds in his controversy with his people. Observe,
I. The ground of his controversy. It was for sin that God contended with them; if they vex themselves, let them look a little further and they will see that they must thank themselves: Woe unto their souls! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Alas for their souls! (so it may be read, in a way of lamentation), for they have procured evil to themselves, Isa 3:9. Note, The condition of sinners is woeful and very deplorable. Note, also, It is the soul that is damaged and endangered by sin. Sinners may prosper in their outward estates, and yet at the same time there may be a woe to their souls. Note, further, Whatever evils befals sinners it is of their own procuring, Jer 2:19. That which is here charged upon then is, 1. That the shame which should have restrained them from their sins was quite thrown off and they had grown impudent, Isa 3:9. This hardens men against repentance, and ripens them for ruin, as much as anything: The show of their countenance doth witness against them that their minds are vain, and lewd, and malicious; their eyes declare plainly that they cannot cease from sin, Pe2 2:14. One may look them in the face and guess at the desperate wickedness that there is in their hearts: They declare their sin as Sodom, so impetuous, so imperious, are their lusts, and so impatient of the least check, and so perfectly are all the remaining sparks of virtue extinguished in them. The Sodomites declared their sin, not only by the exceeding greatness of it (Gen 13:13), so that it cried to heaven (Gen 18:20), but by their shameless owning of that which was most shameful (Gen 19:5); and thus Judah and Jerusalem did: they were so far from hiding it that they gloried in it, in the bold attempts they made upon virtue, and the victory they gained over their own convictions. They had a whore's forehead (Jer 3:3) and could not blush, Jer 6:15. Note, Those that have grown impudent in sin are ripe for ruin. Those that are past shame (we say) are past grace, and then past hope. 2. That their guides, who should direct them in the right way, put them out of the way (Isa 3:12): "Those who lead thee (the princes, priests, and prophets) mislead thee; they cause thee to err." Either they preached to them that which was false and corrupt, or, if they preached that which was true and good, they contradicted it by their practices, and the people would soon follow a bad example than a good exhortation. Thus they destroyed the ways of their paths, pulling down with one hand what they built up with the other. Que te beatificant - Those that call thee blessed cause thee to err; so some read it. Their priests applauded them, as if nothing were amiss among them, cried Peace, peace, to them, as if they were in no danger; and thus they caused them to go on in their errors. 3. That their judges, who should have patronized and protected the oppressed, were themselves the greatest oppressors, Isa 3:14, Isa 3:15. The elders of the people, and the princes, who had learning and could not but know better things, who had great estates and were not under the temptation of necessity to encroach upon those about them, and who were men of honour and should have scorned to do a base thing, yet they have eaten up the vineyard. God's vineyard, which they were appointed to be the dressers and keepers of, they burnt (so the word signifies); they did as ill by it as its worst enemies could do, Psa 80:16. Or the vineyards of the poor they wrested out of their possession, as Jezebel did Naboth's, or devoured the fruits of them, fed their lusts with that which should have been the necessary food of indigent families; the spoil of the poor was hoarded up in their houses; when God came to search for stolen goods there he found it, and it was a witness against them. It was to be had, and they might have made restitution, but would not. God reasons with these great men (Isa 3:15): "What mean you, that you beat my people into pieces? What cause have you for it? What good does it do you?" Or, "What hurt have they done you? Do you think you had power given you for such a purpose as this?" Note, There is nothing more unaccountable, and yet nothing which must more certainly be accounted for, than the injuries and abuses that are done to God's people by their persecutors and oppressors. "You grind the faces of the poor; you put them to as much pain and terror as if they were ground in a mill, and as certainly reduce them to dust by one act of oppression after another." Or, "Their faces are bruised and crushed with the blows you have given them; you have not only ruined their estates, but have given them personal abuses." Our Lord Jesus was smitten on the face, Mat 26:67.
II. The management of this controversy. 1. God himself is the prosecutor (Isa 3:13): The Lord stands up to plead, or he sets himself to debate the matter, and he stands to judge the people, to judge for those that were oppressed and abused; and he will enter into judgment with the princes, Isa 3:14. Note, The greatest of men cannot exempt or secure themselves from the scrutiny and sentence of God's judgment, nor demur to the jurisdiction of the court of heaven. 2. The indictment is proved by the notorious evidence of the fact: "Look upon the oppressors, and the show of their countenance witnesses against them (Isa 3:9); look upon the oppressed, and you see how their faces are battered and abused," Isa 3:15. 3. The controversy is already begun in the change of the ministry. To punish those that had abused their power to bad purposes God sets those over them that had not sense to use their power to any good purposes: Children are their oppressors, and women rule over them (Isa 3:12), men that have as weak judgments and strong passions as women and children: this was their sin, that their rulers were such, and it became a judgment upon them.
III. The distinction that shall be made between particular persons, in the prosecution of this controversy (Isa 3:10, Isa 3:11): Say to the righteous, It shall be well with thee. Woe to the wicked; it shall be ill with him. He had said (Isa 3:9), they have rewarded evil to themselves, in proof of which he here shows that God will render to every man according to his works. Had they been righteous, it would have been well with them; but, if it be ill with them, it is because they are wicked and will be so. Thus God stated the matter to Cain, to convince him that he had no reason to be angry, Gen 4:7. Or it may be taken thus: God is threatening national judgments, which will ruin the public interests. Now, 1. Some good people might fear that they should be involved in that ruin, and therefore God bids the prophets comfort them against those fears: "Whatever becomes of the unrighteous nation, let the righteous man know that he shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners; the Judge of all the earth will not slay the righteous with the wicked (Gen 18:25); no, assure him, in God's name, that it shall be well with him. The property of the trouble shall be altered to him, and he shall be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. He shall have divine supports and comforts, which shall abound as afflictions abound, and so it shall be well with him." When the whole stay of bread is taken away, yet in the day of famine the righteous shall be satisfied; they shall eat the fruit of their doings - they shall have the testimony of their consciences for them that they kept themselves pure from the common iniquity, and therefore the common calamity is not the same thing to them that it is to others; they brought no fuel to the flame, and therefore are not themselves fuel for it. 2. Some wicked people might hope that they should escape that ruin, and therefore God bids the prophets shake their vain hopes: "Woe to the wicked; it shall be ill with him, Isa 3:11. To him the judgments shall have sting, and there shall be wormwood and gall in the affliction and misery." There is a woe to wicked people, and, though they may think to shelter themselves from public judgments, yet it shall be ill with them; it will grow worse and worse with them if they repent not, and the worst of all will be at last; for the reward of their hands shall be given them, in the day when every man shall receive according to the things done in the body.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 9–15. Public domain.
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CyprianAD 258
Treatise III. On the Lapsed 14
But now, what wounds can the conquered show, what injuries to gaping vitals, what tortures of the limbs, when faith did not fail in combat but perfidy arrived before the combat? Nor does the necessity of the crime excuse the one who was caught, where the crime is of the will. I do not say this to burden the cases of the brothers but rather to stimulate the brothers to prayers of satisfaction. For since it is written, “They that call you blessed send you into error and destroy the way of your steps,” one who consoles the sinner with flattering blandishments furnishes the means for sinning and does not check transgressions but nourishes them. But one who rebukes at the same time that he instructs with firmer counsels urges a brother on to salvation.
CyprianAD 258
Treatise II. On the Dress of Virgins 13
Isaiah also, filled with the Holy Spirit, cries out and chides the daughters of Zion who have been defiled by gold and raiment, and he reproves those who have an abundance of harmful riches and withdraw from God for the sake of the pleasures of time.… This, God blames; this, he brands with reproach. By this he declares that they have been defiled; by this they have departed from the true adornment and have merited disgrace and shame. Having put on silk and purple, they cannot put on Christ; adorned with gold and pearls and necklaces, they have lost the adornments of the heart and soul. Who would not detest and shun what has caused another’s ruin? Who would seek and take what has served as a sword and weapon for the death of another? If, on draining the cup, he who had taken the potion should die, you would know that what he drank was poison; if, after taking food, he who had taken it should perish, you would know that what could kill, when taken, was deadly. Seeing this you would not eat nor would you drink from that which had been used by those who died. Now what ignorance of the truth it is, what madness of mind to wish for what has always been and still is harmful, and to think that you yourself will not perish from the same causes from which you know that others have perished!
JeromeAD 420
LETTER 125.19
The Lord speaks by the mouth of Isaiah, saying, “O my people, they who call you happy cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.” How do you help me by telling my misdeeds to others? You may, without my knowing of it, hurt someone else by telling of my sins (or rather of those sins you slanderously attribute to me). While you are eager to spread the news everywhere, you may pretend to confide in individual people, giving them the impression that you have not talked to anyone else. This behavior is not intended to correct me but to indulge your own failings. The Lord commands that those who sin against us are to be approached privately or in the presence of a witness. If the one who is confronted continues in sin, then he or she is to be regarded as a heathen and a publican.
JeromeAD 420
Against the Pelagians 2.24
Let us hearken to God, as he proclaims through Isaiah: “O my people, they that call you blessed lead you astray, throw you down headlong.” Who is more guilty of throwing the people of God down headlong? He who relies on the power of the free will and scorns the help of the Creator and is secure in his own will, or he who fears the judgment of God at every thought of his precepts?
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 12.) My people have been plundered by their own exactors, and women have been dominated by them. Concerning the women, whom Symmachus alone has interpreted, they are called Nasim () in Hebrew: Aquila and the LXX translated it as ἀπαιτοῦντας, which means exactors; Theodotion translated it as δανειστὰς, which means moneylenders. The prophetic discourse is speaking against the Scribes and Pharisees, who, for the sake of shameful gain, denied the Son of God in order to receive tithes and firstfruits. And he does not call them teachers, scribes, and doctors, but tax collectors (Luke 20), who think that making a profit is piety: and they devour, not only the houses of widows, contrary to the Apostle, but the entire population; and accusing their extravagance and shameful conduct, he calls them not only tax collectors, as if they were demanding money from the unwilling; but also women: because they do everything for the sake of pleasure, and are devoted to indulgence. Therefore, let us be careful that we do not become extortioners among the people; that our senate does not resemble the impious Porphyry ruling over matrons and women in the churches, and that favoritism towards women does not judge the priestly order.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE 9:9
Those who are zealous in the service of God, however, do not get a reward of praise, nor indeed do those who are concerned about the laws of God look for this return. For praise is often known to injure many, since it makes them less attuned and slows their pace. If a person thinks he has reached the goal of his endeavor—and praise gives him to understand that he has—he stops his race and victory eludes him. This was revealed by the God of the universe, speaking through the prophet: “My people, they that call you blessed, the same deceive you and destroy the way of your steps.” For praise slackens the intensity of their zeal and prevents them from reaching the goal.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 3:12 serves as a profound prophetic lament, vividly depicting the dire consequences of Judah's spiritual apostasy and moral decay. It portrays a society under divine judgment, where incompetent and unsuitable leaders—symbolized by "children" and "women" within a patriarchal framework—not only fail to govern justly but actively mislead the people, causing them to stray from the righteous path and ultimately leading to societal ruin and the destruction of their foundational way of life. This verse powerfully underscores God's method of judgment, which can manifest as the withdrawal of wise and righteous leadership, leaving the nation vulnerable to internal collapse and the bitter fruits of its own rebellion.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 3:12 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its message of judgment and profound societal decay. The most prominent is Metaphor, where the terms "children" and "women" are not to be taken literally as the age or gender of the rulers, but are used symbolically to represent leadership that is incompetent, weak, illegitimate, or lacking in the expected wisdom and authority. This Metaphor functions as a form of Hyperbole, exaggerating the perceived unsuitability of the leaders to underscore the profound depth of Judah's moral and spiritual decline and the severity of God's judgment. The poignant repetition of "O my people" serves as a powerful instance of Apostrophe, directly addressing the nation with a lamenting and sorrowful tone, thereby drawing the audience into the prophet's anguish and highlighting the divine concern. Furthermore, the verse exhibits clear Parallelism in its structure, particularly in the second half, where the phrases "cause thee to err" and "destroy the way of thy paths" present two complementary aspects of the leaders' destructive influence, reinforcing the comprehensive and devastating nature of their misguidance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 3:12 profoundly illustrates the theological principle that righteous leadership is a divine blessing, and its absence or corruption is a tangible form of divine judgment. When a nation, particularly God's covenant people, persistently turns away from Him and His righteous statutes, God may allow the natural and painful consequences of their rebellion to manifest, including the rise of incompetent, oppressive, or destructive leaders. This verse highlights that true societal well-being and stability are intrinsically linked to a nation's adherence to God's ways and His covenantal principles. Deviation from this divine path inevitably leads to internal decay, moral confusion, and increased vulnerability. The "way" that is destroyed is not merely a physical road but the moral, spiritual, and covenantal path that God intended for His people, leading to a complete breakdown of order, justice, and their unique identity as God's chosen nation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 3:12 stands as a timeless and sobering warning, resonating far beyond ancient Judah to every generation and society. It compels us to recognize that the quality of leadership, across all spheres—governmental, ecclesiastical, familial, and communal—serves as a critical barometer of a society's spiritual health and moral integrity. When a people collectively drifts from God's foundational principles and covenantal obligations, it often manifests in a corresponding decline of leadership, where those in authority lack wisdom, integrity, discernment, or a true commitment to righteousness. This verse challenges us to consider not only the impact of external forces but also the profound internal decay that can lead to self-inflicted wounds through poor or corrupt guidance. It calls us to earnestly pray for our leaders, to hold them accountable to righteous and biblical standards, and, most importantly, to critically examine our own hearts and the spiritual state of our communities and nations. For ultimately, the quality of leadership often reflects the spiritual condition of the people being led. Our responsibility extends to discerning who truly leads us toward God's truth and who leads us astray, and to align ourselves resolutely with the path of righteousness, even when the broader society deviates.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that "children are their oppressors, and women rule over them"? Is this verse anti-women?
Answer: This verse is not a general condemnation of women or children, nor is it anti-women in its theological intent. Instead, it employs powerful Metaphor and Hyperbole to describe a state of profound societal breakdown and divine judgment in ancient Israel. In the patriarchal culture of the time, mature, wise male leadership was the established norm and expectation for stability, strength, and effective governance. Therefore, the imagery of "children" (symbolizing immaturity, capriciousness, and a severe lack of experience) and "women" (representing a reversal of traditional power structures, perceived weakness, or a lack of traditional authority in governance) was a potent rhetorical device for Isaiah. It conveyed that Judah's leadership was utterly unfit, lacking the wisdom, strength, and integrity required for their roles. It symbolized a catastrophic leadership vacuum and a chaotic state where those least equipped were in charge, leading to oppression and misdirection. The verse highlights the consequences of a nation turning from God, resulting in the withdrawal of competent, divinely-blessed leadership, rather than making a theological statement about the inherent capabilities or worth of women or children. The primary focus is on the quality and suitability of the leadership, not their gender or age per se.
How does this verse relate to God's judgment?
Answer: Isaiah 3:12 vividly illustrates a specific and profound form of God's judgment, often referred to as "judgment by abandonment" or "consequential judgment." Rather than directly inflicting a plague, famine, or foreign invasion, God allows the natural and painful consequences of a people's sin, rebellion, and unfaithfulness to unfold. Because Judah had persistently turned from God, neglected justice, embraced idolatry, and corrupted their societal structures, God withdrew His blessing of wise and righteous leadership. The incompetent, oppressive, and destructive leaders described in this verse are not merely a random misfortune; they are a direct result and a tangible manifestation of God's judgment upon a rebellious nation. Their misguidance and the subsequent destruction of the people's "way" are the bitter, painful outcomes of deep societal and spiritual decay that God permits as a consequence of their unfaithfulness, serving as a severe warning and a call towards repentance, as powerfully articulated in Isaiah 1:19-20.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 3:12, with its lament over the devastating failure of human leadership, powerfully foreshadows humanity's ultimate and desperate need for a perfect, divine leader—Jesus Christ. The "children" and "women" who "oppress" and "rule over" God's people, causing them to "err" and "destroy the way of thy paths," starkly highlight the inherent inadequacy, corruptibility, and ultimate futility of all human governance apart from God. This profound need for true, unwavering guidance finds its complete and glorious fulfillment in Christ, who is the Good Shepherd who perfectly leads, protects, and nourishes His sheep, in stark contrast to the destructive and self-serving shepherds of Isaiah's day. He declares Himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, who not only prevents His people from erring but actively guides them in the true "way" of salvation, righteousness, and eternal life. While human leaders in their fallen state destroy the "paths" of their people, Christ establishes an eternal path of life and peace, leading His followers into the very kingdom of God's dear Son. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, whose righteous reign is marked by perfect justice, unfailing wisdom, and boundless love, offering the ultimate and eternal solution to humanity's perpetual crisis of leadership and its devastating consequences.