The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Parallel translations
- WEB the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder,
- BSB the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder,
- NKJV The mighty man and the man of war, The judge and the prophet, And the diviner and the elder;
- NASB The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder,
- NLT all their heroes and soldiers, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders,
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 will take away the warriors, judges, prophets, diviners, and elders. The nation's leaders and protectors will be removed.
Overview
The list strips away those who provide military, judicial, religious, and civic stability. Even the diviner is mentioned, perhaps to expose the false guidance the people had relied on. Without godly leadership, society unravels, underscoring the people's need for the true Shepherd-King.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 2 Kgs 24:14–16And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
- Isa 9:14–15Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
- Ezek 8:12Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
- Ps 74:9We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
- Isa 2:13–15And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
- Ezek 17:13And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
- Amos 2:3And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.
- Ezek 9:5And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
- Lam 5:12–14Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 3:2 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.