Bible/Isaiah/3

Isaiah 3:4

3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. the honourable: Heb. a man eminent in countenance eloquent: or, skilful of speech
And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

KJV

Save image

I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them.

And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

3:5 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.

What does Isaiah 3:4 mean?

Isaiah 3:4 is a verse in the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include נָתַן (nâthan), נַעַר (naʻar), שַׂר (sar). It connects to 13 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

Full chapter interlinear →
And
I
will
giveנָתַןnâthan/naw-than'/H5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
childrenנַעַרnaʻar/nah'-ar/H5288(concretely) a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication, a servant; also (by interch. of sex), a girl (of similar latitude in age)
to
be
their
princes,שַׂרsar/sar/H8269a head person (of any rank or class)
and
babesתַּעֲלוּלtaʻălûwl/tah-al-ool'/H8586caprice (as a fit coming on), i.e. vexation; concretely a tyrant
shall
ruleמָשַׁלmâshal/maw-shal'/H4910to rule
over
them.

Commentary on Isaiah 3:4

HENRY_FULL · Isaiah 3:4
iety are the best friends to outward prosperity, giving God the praise that it is so and that we have found it so, and encouraging ourselves and others with it. Blessedness of the Godly. 1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord ; that walketh in his ways. 2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord . 5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel. It is here shown that godliness has the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Genesis 3:19

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Deuteronomy 28:4

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

Deuteronomy 28:11

And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. in goods: or, for good body: Heb. belly

Deuteronomy 28:39

Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

Deuteronomy 28:51

And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

Judges 6:3

And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

Ecclesiastes 5:18

Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. It is good: Heb. there is a good which is comely, etc all the days: Heb. the number of the days

Ecclesiastes 5:19

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 8:12

Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

Isaiah 3:10

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Jeremiah 22:15

Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Ephesians 6:3

That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Topics

Famine

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 3:4.

Daniel 11:5

And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

Frequently asked questions

What does Isaiah 3:4 say?

Isaiah 3:4 (King James Version) reads: "And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them."

Is Isaiah 3:4 in the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 3:4 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.

Reflect

As you read Isaiah 3:4, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

Plan a sermon or study on Isaiah 3:4
3:3Read all of Isaiah 33:5