Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Parallel translations
- WEB Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war.
- BSB Your men will fall by the sword, and your warriors in battle.
- NKJV Your men shall fall by the sword, And your mighty in the war.
- NASB Your men will fall by the sword And your mighty ones in battle.
- NLT The men of the city will be killed with the sword, and her warriors will die in battle.
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
Isaiah turns from the women to the city's defenders, declaring that its men and warriors will fall in battle. The loss of protectors leaves Jerusalem exposed and grieving.
Overview
The downfall of the proud women is matched by the death of the soldiers who might have defended them. This military catastrophe is part of the larger judgment Isaiah foresees coming upon Judah through invasion. It underscores that no human strength can stand when God withdraws His protection from an unfaithful people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Jer 11:22Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
- Amos 9:10All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
- Jer 19:7And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
- 2 Chr 29:9For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
- Jer 14:18If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.
- Lam 2:21The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.
- Jer 18:21Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
- Isa 1:20But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
- Jer 21:9He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
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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 3:25 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
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