Discovery BoxIsaiah 3:5-8 
Context3:5 The people will treat each other harshly;
men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight. 1
Youths will proudly defy the elderly
and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected. 2
3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his father’s house 3 and say, 4
‘You own a coat –
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ 5
3:7 At that time 6 the brother will shout, 7
‘I am no doctor, 8
I have no food or coat in my house;
don’t make me a leader of the people!’”
3:8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,
Judah falls,
for their words and their actions offend the Lord; 9
they rebel against his royal authority. 10
1 tn Heb “man against man, and a man against his neighbor.”
2 tn Heb “and those lightly esteemed those who are respected.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) does double duty in the parallelism.
3 tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”
4 tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”
sn The man’s motives are selfish. He tells his brother to assume leadership because he thinks he has some wealth to give away.
6 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
7 tn Heb “he will lift up [his voice].”
8 tn Heb “wrapper [of wounds]”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “healer.”
9 tn Heb “for their tongue and their deeds [are] to the Lord.”
10 tn Heb “to rebel [against] the eyes of his majesty.” The word כָּבוֹד (kavod) frequently refers to the Lord’s royal splendor that is an outward manifestation of his authority as king.
