In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own clothing: only let us be called by your name. Take away our reproach.”
- KJV And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
- NKJV And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach.”
- NASB For seven women will take hold of one man on that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our disgrace!”
- NLT In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, “Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won’t be mocked as old maids.”
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
So many men will die that seven women cling to one man, willing to forgo support if only they can escape the shame of being unmarried and childless. It vividly conveys the social devastation left by war.
Overview
This verse completes the judgment scene of chapter 3, where the loss of men in battle leaves women desperate. In a culture where marriage and children removed a woman's reproach, the imbalance pictures a society in collapse. The bleakness here makes the sudden turn to hope in the next verse all the more striking.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Gen 30:23and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.
- Isa 2:17So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
- Luke 1:25“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
- Luke 21:22For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
- Isa 13:12I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.
- 2 Th 3:12We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.
- 1 Sam 1:6Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her and taunt her viciously.
- Isa 3:25–26Your men will fall by the sword, and your warriors in battle.
- Isa 10:20On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
- Isa 2:11The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
- Isa 17:7In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:1 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.