King James Version
Isaiah 3
26 verses with commentary
Judgment on Jerusalem
For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
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KJV Study Commentary
The title 'Lord, the LORD of hosts' combines Adonai (sovereign master) with Yahweh Sabaoth (covenant God of armies), emphasizing both authority and power. God's removal of 'stay and staff' (support structures) represents comprehensive judgment—both bread (physical sustenance) and water (life necessity) will be withdrawn. This divine action demonstrates that human survival depends entirely on God's...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**III.**
(1) **For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem . . .**—From the general picture of the state of Judah as a whole, of the storm of Divine wrath bursting over the whole land, Isaiah turns to the Holy City itself, and draws the picture of what he saw there of evil, of that which would be seen before long as the punishment of the evil.
**The stay and the staff ....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21. Specially he desires to secure accuracy, so that his pupil may teach others.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
The changes of human affairs. (Eccl. 3:1-10) The Divine counsels unchangeable. (Eccl. 3:11-15) The vanity of worldly power. (Eccl. 3:16-22)
**Verses 1-10** To expect unchanging happiness in a changing world, must end in disappointment. To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altoge...
Read full commentary →The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
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KJV Study Commentary
God's judgment includes removing competent leadership: mighty men, warriors, judges, prophets, prudent men, and elders. The comprehensive list shows social collapse affecting military, judicial, spiritual, and civic leadership. This reverses the leadership structure Moses established (Exodus 18) and fulfills covenant curses. Leaderless societies fall into chaos, demonstrating that good governance ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **The mighty man, and the man of war.**—The first word points to the aristocracy of landed proprietors, the latter to those who, whether of that class or not, had been prominent as leaders in the king’s armies.
**The judge, and the prophet.**—Each is named as the representative of a class. The latter was that to which Isaiah himself belonged, but in which he found, as Jeremiah did afterwards, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22-23. Here follow ten precepts of two verses each. Though men fail to defend the poor, God will (Pr 17:5; Psa 12:5).
**in the gate--**place of public gathering (Job 5:4; Psa 69:12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
The changes of human affairs. (Eccl. 3:1-10) The Divine counsels unchangeable. (Eccl. 3:11-15) The vanity of worldly power. (Eccl. 3:16-22)
**Verses 1-10** To expect unchanging happiness in a changing world, must end in disappointment. To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altoge...
Read full commentary →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
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KJV Study Commentary
God's removal of 'the captain of fifty' and 'honourable man' indicates judgment through leadership vacuum. The inclusion of 'eloquent orator' (Hebrew 'nebon lachash'—skillful enchanter or persuasive speaker) suggests loss of both civic and spiritual guidance. Divine judgment often manifests through depriving a nation of competent leadership (Job 12:24), leaving society vulnerable to chaos. This an...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **The captain of fifty, and the honourable man.**—The first title implies a division like that of Exodus 18:21, of which “fifty” was all but the minimum unit. So we have the three “captains of fifty” in 2Kings 1:9-15. The “honourable man” (literally, *eminent in countenance*) would seem to occupy a position in the civil service of the State analogous to that of the “captain of fifty” in the mi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22-23. Here follow ten precepts of two verses each. Though men fail to defend the poor, God will (Pr 17:5; Psa 12:5).
**in the gate--**place of public gathering (Job 5:4; Psa 69:12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
The changes of human affairs. (Eccl. 3:1-10) The Divine counsels unchangeable. (Eccl. 3:11-15) The vanity of worldly power. (Eccl. 3:16-22)
**Verses 1-10** To expect unchanging happiness in a changing world, must end in disappointment. To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altoge...
Read full commentary →And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
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KJV Study Commentary
The collapse continues with children ruling and babes governing—imagery of incompetent, immature leadership. This reversal of proper order constitutes judgment, not progress. The Hebrew 'ta'alulim' (capricious ones) suggests whimsical, unreliable rulers. When God gives immature leaders, it exposes and punishes a nation's folly, as He did with Rehoboam (1 Kings 12).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **I will give children to be their princes.**—Better, *youths. *The words may point obliquely to Ahaz, who had ascended the throne at the age of twenty (2Chronicles 28:1). Manasseh was but twelve when he became king; Josiah but eight (2Chronicles 33:1; 2Chronicles 34:1). In an Eastern monarchy the rule of a young king, rash and without experience, guided by counsellors like himself, was natura...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24-25. (Compare Pr 2:12-15; 4:14).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
The changes of human affairs. (Eccl. 3:1-10) The Divine counsels unchangeable. (Eccl. 3:11-15) The vanity of worldly power. (Eccl. 3:16-22)
**Verses 1-10** To expect unchanging happiness in a changing world, must end in disappointment. To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altoge...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Social cohesion disintegrates into mutual oppression—people turning on each other. The generational and social reversals (child against elder, base against honorable) overturn God's ordained order. Honor structures that maintain social peace collapse when divine judgment removes restraining grace. This anticipates Jesus's description of end-times betrayal (Matthew 24:10).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **The people shall be oppressed . . .**—The words paint the worst form of the decadence of an Eastern kingdom. All is chaotic and anarchic; a fierce struggle for existence; the established order of society subverted; the experience of age derided by the petulance of youth. The picture of the corruption of a monarchy is as vivid and complete in its way as that which Thucydides (3:82-84) draws o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24-25. (Compare Pr 2:12-15; 4:14).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
The changes of human affairs. (Eccl. 3:1-10) The Divine counsels unchangeable. (Eccl. 3:11-15) The vanity of worldly power. (Eccl. 3:16-22)
**Verses 1-10** To expect unchanging happiness in a changing world, must end in disappointment. To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altoge...
Read full commentary →When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:
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KJV Study Commentary
Social collapse is evident when leadership defaults to anyone with minimal resources—'thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler.' The desperation reflects total breakdown of normal hierarchical structures; mere possession of garments qualifies for leadership. The phrase 'let this ruin be under thy hand' acknowledges societal devastation yet seeks any governance. This illustrates covenant curses' outwo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6, 7) **When a man shall take hold of his brother **. . .—Disorder was followed by destitution. The elder brother, the impoverished owner of the ruined dwelling, the head of a family or village, turns in his rags to the younger, whose decent garments seem to indicate comparative wealth, and would fain transfer to him the responsibilities of the first-born, though he has but a ruined tenement to g...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26-27. (Compare Pr 6:1; 17:18).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11** A wilderness is an emblem of the world; the believer comes out of it when he is delivered from the love of its sinful pleasures and pursuits, and refuses to comply with its customs and fashions, to seek happiness in communion with the Saviour. A poor soul shall come up, at last, under the conduct of the Comforter; like a cloud of incense ascending from the altar, or the smoke of th...
Read full commentary →In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. swear: Heb. lift up the hand healer: Heb. binder up
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KJV Study Commentary
The refusal—'I will not be an healer'—indicates complete social breakdown when potential leaders reject responsibility. The acknowledgment of lacking food and clothing reveals economic devastation. The phrase 'make me not a ruler' shows that even desperate appeals cannot compel leadership in collapsed society. This reverses biblical patterns where God raises leaders (Judges 2:16); absent divine ap...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26-27. (Compare Pr 6:1; 17:18).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11** A wilderness is an emblem of the world; the believer comes out of it when he is delivered from the love of its sinful pleasures and pursuits, and refuses to comply with its customs and fashions, to seek happiness in communion with the Saviour. A poor soul shall come up, at last, under the conduct of the Comforter; like a cloud of incense ascending from the altar, or the smoke of th...
Read full commentary →For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
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KJV Study Commentary
Isaiah identifies the root cause of judgment: Jerusalem's stumbling and Judah's falling result from their speech and actions being 'against the LORD.' The Hebrew 'lamar' (rebel against) indicates active defiance. Their conduct directly 'provokes the eyes of His glory,' meaning God's manifest presence witnesses their rebellion. Deliberately sinning before God's watchful eyes compounds guilt.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **For Jerusalem is ruined **. . .—The outward evils of the kingdom are traced to their true source. *Men *have provoked, in the prophet’s bold anthropomorphic language, “the *eyes *of His glory,” the manifestation of His being as All-knowing, Almighty, All-holy.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
28. (Compare Pr 23:10). Do not entrench on others (De 19:14; 27:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11** A wilderness is an emblem of the world; the believer comes out of it when he is delivered from the love of its sinful pleasures and pursuits, and refuses to comply with its customs and fashions, to seek happiness in communion with the Saviour. A poor soul shall come up, at last, under the conduct of the Comforter; like a cloud of incense ascending from the altar, or the smoke of th...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Judah's open shamelessness regarding sin parallels Sodom's blatant immorality. The phrase 'they declare their sin' indicates prideful, public wickedness without conscience or concealment. Rather than hiding sin in shame, they parade it openly. The pronouncement 'woe unto their soul' declares self-inflicted judgment—they 'have rewarded evil unto themselves' through their choices.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **They declare their sin as Sodom.**—The comparison is, it should be remembered, of probably an earlier date than that in Isaiah 1:10. In the reign of Ahaz (perhaps the prophet, editing in his old age, thought also of that of Manasseh) there was not even the homage which vice pays to virtue by feigning a virtue which it has not. Men fell into an utter shamelessness, like that of the cities of ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
29. Success rewards diligence (Pr 10:4; 21:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11** A wilderness is an emblem of the world; the believer comes out of it when he is delivered from the love of its sinful pleasures and pursuits, and refuses to comply with its customs and fashions, to seek happiness in communion with the Saviour. A poor soul shall come up, at last, under the conduct of the Comforter; like a cloud of incense ascending from the altar, or the smoke of th...
Read full commentary →Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
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KJV Study Commentary
Amid judgment, Isaiah offers hope to the individual righteous. 'Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him' promises divine protection and blessing even during national judgment. The principle that the righteous will 'eat the fruit of their doings' establishes individual accountability—corporate judgment doesn't nullify personal faith's benefits. This anticipates Ezekiel's teaching on indi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15** The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intruste...
Read full commentary →Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. given: Heb. done to him
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KJV Study Commentary
The contrasting 'woe unto the wicked' establishes the principle of divine retribution. The parallelism with verse 10 emphasizes individual accountability—each person receives according to their deeds. The phrase 'given him' indicates divine justice ensures appropriate consequences. This dual outcome (blessing/curse) reflects the covenant structure Moses established (Deuteronomy 28-30).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 23
Pr 23:1-35.
1. Avoid the dangers of gluttony.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15** The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intruste...
Read full commentary →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. lead: or, call thee blessed destroy: Heb. swallow up
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KJV Study Commentary
The inverted social order where 'children are their oppressors, and women rule over them' describes covenant curse (Deuteronomy 28:30-33) manifesting in societal chaos. While not inherently denigrating women or youth, this indicates abandonment of God-ordained structures (cf. Isaiah 3:4). The phrase 'they which lead thee cause thee to err' indicts corrupt leadership that misdirects God's people. J...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Children are their oppressors **. . .—This points, as before (Isaiah 3:4), to the youth and yet more the character of Ahaz. The influence of the queen-mother or of the seraglio was dominant in his counsels. Cowardly (Isaiah 7:2), idolatrous, delighting in foreign worships and foreign forms of art (2Kings 16:10), such was the king who then sat on the throne of Judah. And the evil worked down...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. put a knife--**an Eastern figure for putting restraint on the appetite.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15** The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intruste...
Read full commentary →The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
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KJV Study Commentary
The courtroom imagery—'the LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge'—depicts God as both prosecutor and judge. The dual role emphasizes that divine justice is comprehensive: God both presents the case against sin and renders verdict. This anticipates the final judgment where Christ judges by the Father's authority (John 5:22, 27). The 'people' (plural 'ammim') facing judgment may indicate ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **The Lord standeth up to plead **. . .—The people may think that the prophet is their censor. He bids them know that Jehovah is their true accuser and their judge. “*Ye,*” he says, with all the emphasis of a sudden change of person, as if turning, as he spoke, to the nobles and elders, “*ye *have devoured the vineyard, *ye *have spoiled the poor.” (Comp. Isaiah 5:1-8; Proverbs 30:12-14.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. are deceitful meat--**though well tasted, injurious.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15** The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intruste...
Read full commentary →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. eaten: or, burnt
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KJV Study Commentary
God's judgment specifically targets 'the ancients' (elders) and 'princes' who exploited the poor, using the metaphor of vineyard consumption—devouring what they should have stewarded. The accusation 'the spoil of the poor is in your houses' indicts systemic economic injustice. Leaders enriched themselves through oppression, violating covenant obligations to protect the vulnerable (Exodus 22:21-27)...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-5. (Compare 1Ti 6:9, 10).
**thine own wisdom--**which regards riches intrinsically as a blessing.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15** The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intruste...
Read full commentary →What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
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KJV Study Commentary
The rhetorical question 'What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?' employs violent imagery for economic exploitation. 'Grinding faces' suggests crushing, dehumanizing treatment. The possessive 'my people' emphasizes that oppressing the poor violates God's ownership and care for His covenant community. This reflects the principle that mistreatment of the vulne...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-5. (Compare 1Ti 6:9, 10).
**thine own wisdom--**which regards riches intrinsically as a blessing.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-15** The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intruste...
Read full commentary →Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: wanton: Heb. deceiving with their eyes mincing: or, tripping nicely
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KJV Study Commentary
The indictment against 'daughters of Zion' being 'haughty' with 'stretched forth necks' and 'wanton eyes' critiques prideful seduction and luxury. While some interpret this as condemning women specifically, the broader context suggests corporate judgment on societal vanity. The imagery parallels chapter 2's judgment on male pride (towers, cedars), demonstrating that divine judgment targets arrogan...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Because the daughters of Zion . . .**—From the princes that worked evil, Isaiah turns to their wives, sisters, concubines, who were showing themselves degenerate daughters of Sarah and Rebecca. A like denunciation meets us in Isaiah 32:9-12, but this is without a parallel in the minuteness of its detail. It is as though the prophet had gone into the boudoir of one of the leaders of the fash...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6-8. Beware of deceitful men, whose courtesies even you will repent of having accepted.
**evil eye--**or purpose (Pr 22:9; De 15:9; Mt 6:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. discover: Heb. make naked
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KJV Study Commentary
God's promise to 'smite with a scab the crown of the head' and 'discover their secret parts' describes humiliating judgment—likely referring to conquest and slavery. Beauty becomes disfigurement, modesty becomes shame. The vivid imagery shows that what was used for seduction and pride becomes the means of disgrace. This anticipates the principle that sin's consequences often mirror its expression ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **The Lord will smite with a scab **. . .—The words point partly to diseases, such as leprosy, causing baldness, engendered by misery and captivity, partly to the brutal outrage of the Assyrian invaders, stripping off the costly garments and leaving the wearers to their nakedness. (Comp. Ezekiel 16:37; Nahum 3:5.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6-8. Beware of deceitful men, whose courtesies even you will repent of having accepted.
**evil eye--**or purpose (Pr 22:9; De 15:9; Mt 6:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, cauls: or, networks
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KJV Study Commentary
The detailed inventory of adornments—'tinkling ornaments' (anklets), 'cauls' (headbands), and 'round tires like the moon' (crescent necklaces)—emphasizes the extent of luxury that will be removed. Some ornaments, like moon crescents, may have pagan associations (cf. Judges 8:21, 26). The comprehensive list demonstrates both material excess and possible idolatrous syncretism. God's judgment strips ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Tinkling ornaments.**—These were anklets, *i.e., *rings of metal, with or without bells, which produced the tinkling of Isaiah 3:16. The “cauls” were probably *wreaths, *or plaits of gold or silver net-work, worn over the forehead from ear to ear, but have been taken by some scholars as sun-like balls worn like a necklace.
**Round tires like the moon.**—The crescent ornaments which were hun...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6-8. Beware of deceitful men, whose courtesies even you will repent of having accepted.
**evil eye--**or purpose (Pr 22:9; De 15:9; Mt 6:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, chains: or, sweet balls mufflers: or, spangled ornaments
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KJV Study Commentary
Chains, bracelets, and mufflers (veils) continue the inventory of luxury items facing removal. The progression through various ornamental categories emphasizes totality of coming loss. This reversal—from abundance to deprivation—illustrates covenant curse outworking (Deuteronomy 28:47-48). The imagery anticipates Jesus' warning against laying up treasure on earth where moth and rust corrupt (Matth...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **The chains.**—Better, as in Judges 8:26, where they are also ornaments of Midianite kings, *earrings. *These and the “bracelets “were probably of gold. The “mufflers” were the long flowing veil, or *mantilla, *worn so as to cover the head, as now in Spain, or Egypt, or Turkey.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. (Compare Pr 9:8). "Cast not your pearls before swine" (Mt 7:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets , and the earrings, tablets: Heb. houses of the soul
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KJV Study Commentary
Bonnets (turbans), leg ornaments, headbands, perfume boxes, and earrings extend the comprehensive catalog. The meticulous detail serves rhetorical purpose: emphasizing both the extent of luxury and completeness of its loss. This thorough enumeration demonstrates that judgment will be comprehensive, sparing nothing of former glory. It reflects the principle that what we treasure reveals our heart's...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **The bonnets **. . .—The English word is perhaps, too modern in its associations, and should be replaced by “diadems” (Exodus 39:28; Isaiah 61:10).
**The ornaments of the legs.**—These were chains connecting the anklets of Isaiah 3:18, and so regulating the “mincing” or “tripping” motion of the wearer.
**The headbands.**—Better, *girdles, *always the most highly ornamented part of an Eastern...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10-11. (Compare Pr 22:22, 23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →The rings, and nose jewels,
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KJV Study Commentary
Rings and nose jewels complete the enumeration of personal ornaments. The nose ring (Hebrew 'nezem ap') was common adornment in ancient Near East (Genesis 24:47). The exhaustive listing serves to heighten the contrast with coming deprivation (v. 24), where finery gives way to degradation. This pattern of reversal—abundance to want—characterizes covenant judgment and anticipates Jesus' teaching on ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **The rings, and nose jewels.**—The first word points to the signet ring, worn both by men and women of wealth (Exodus 35:22; Numbers 31:50; Esther 3:12; Esther 8:8; Jeremiah 22:24); the latter *to *the ornaments worn pendent from the nostrils as by modern Arabian women (Genesis 24:22).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10-11. (Compare Pr 22:22, 23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
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KJV Study Commentary
The inventory shifts to clothing—changeable suits (festive robes), mantles, wimples (cloaks), and crisping pins (purses). The inclusion of multiple garment changes ('changeable suits') suggests excessive wardrobe far beyond necessity, indicating luxury and vanity. Jesus later contrasted Solomon's splendor with lilies that neither toil nor spin (Matthew 6:28-29), teaching that anxiety over clothing...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **The changeable suits of apparel.**—Better, *state, *or *festal, dresses. *The word is used in Zechariah 3:4, of the high priest’s garments, “gold and blue, and purple, and fine linen” (Exodus 28:6).
**The mantles.**—Better, *tunics. *The uppermost of the two garments, commonly richly embroidered.
**Wimples.**—The obsolete English word describes accurately enough the large *shawl, *like a Sc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. Here begins another series of precepts.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
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KJV Study Commentary
The final items—glasses (mirrors), fine linen, hoods, and veils—complete the twenty-one item inventory. Mirrors (likely polished bronze) symbolize self-focus and vanity. The comprehensive catalog serves prophetic purpose: demonstrating that every element of pride and luxury faces judgment. This exhaustive approach parallels the biblical pattern that sin's every manifestation must be addressed, not...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **The glasses**—*i.e., *the polished metal *mirrors *(as in Exodus 38:3; Job 37:18; 1Corinthians 13:12; James 1:23), which the Eastern lady carried in her hand, that she might adjust her toilet. The LXX. rendering, “Laconian [Spartan] garments,” *i.e., *indecently transparent, is curious enough to deserve notice, as throwing light on the social life of Alexandria, if not of Israel.
**The fine...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13-14. While there is little danger that the use of the "divine ordinance of the rod" will produce bodily harm, there is great hope of spiritual good.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
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KJV Study Commentary
The fivefold reversal—sweet smell to stink, girdle to rent (tear), well set hair to baldness, stomacher (sash) to sackcloth, beauty to burning—depicts total humiliation. Each element inverts former glory: fragrance becomes stench, beauty becomes disfigurement, fine clothing becomes mourning garb. The phrase 'burning instead of beauty' likely refers to branding marks of slavery or scars from conque...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **And it shall come to pass.**—Now comes the terrible contrast of the day of destruction that is coming on all this refined luxury. Instead of the balmy perfume of the scent-bottles, there shall be the stench of squalor and pestilence; instead of the embroidered girdle (Isaiah 11:5), not a “rent,” but the *rope *by which they would be dragged in the march of their conquerors; instead of the p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13-14. While there is little danger that the use of the "divine ordinance of the rod" will produce bodily harm, there is great hope of spiritual good.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. mighty: Heb. might
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KJV Study Commentary
The prophecy that 'thy men shall fall by the sword' and 'thy mighty in the war' indicates military defeat and loss of male protectors. In ancient context, this left women vulnerable to exploitation and poverty. The personification of the city as female addresses corporate Judah, warning that covenant unfaithfulness leads to military defeat. This fulfills Deuteronomic curse that enemies would preva...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25-26) **Thy men . . .**(26) **her gates . . .**—The feminine pronoun in both verses points to the daughter of Zion as representing her many daughters. As in Lamentations 1:1, and as in the JUDÆA CAPTA medals that commemorated the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, she is represented as sitting on the ground desolate and afflicted.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Text Courtesy of Bib...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15-16. The pleasure afforded the teacher by the pupil's progress is a motive to diligence.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground. desolate: or, emptied: Heb. cleansed
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery of gates lamenting and mourning while Jerusalem sits desolate 'upon the ground' depicts total devastation. City gates, centers of commerce and justice (Ruth 4:1), become sites of grief rather than prosperity. The personified city 'being desolate shall sit upon the ground' echoes Lamentations' depiction of Jerusalem's post-exile mourning (Lamentations 1:1). This concludes chapter 3's ju...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15-16. The pleasure afforded the teacher by the pupil's progress is a motive to diligence.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-26** The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not bee...
Read full commentary →