“What do you mean by crushing My people And oppressing the face of the poor?” Declares the Lord God of armies.
Parallel translations
- WEB What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
- KJV What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
- BSB Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
- NKJV What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord God of hosts.
- NLT How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?” demands the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God rebukes the leaders for crushing His people and grinding the faces of the poor. Their oppression of the weak is a grave offense against the LORD.
Overview
The vivid language of crushing and grinding conveys brutal exploitation of the helpless. God identifies the poor as 'my people,' showing how personally He takes their mistreatment. This anticipates the Messiah who would bring good news to the poor and judge oppressors righteously.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Mic 3:2–3You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones;
- Ps 94:5They break your people in pieces, Yahweh, and afflict your heritage.
- Amos 2:6–7Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes;
- Amos 8:4–6Hear this, you who desire to swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail,
- Ezek 18:2“What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
- Exod 5:14The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?”
- Isa 58:4Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
- Jonah 1:6So the ship master came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 3:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.