The Meaning of Isaiah 3:4 Explained

Isaiah 3:4

KJV: And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

YLT: And I have made youths their heads, And sucklings rule over them.

Darby: And I will appoint youths as their princes, and children shall rule over them.

ASV: And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

Discover Isaiah 3:4

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Isaiah 3:4?

MEANING: What does Isaiah 3:4 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Isaiah 3:4 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Isaiah 3:4?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will give  children  [to be] their princes,  and babes  shall rule  over them. 

What does Isaiah 3:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 3:1-12 - An Exhortation To Humility And Reverence
If men will not repent, they must suffer. If they will not voluntarily put away their idols and sorceries, they will be compelled to do so in the anguish of their disappointment with their helpless deities, Isaiah 2:20. Nothing in that great civilization would be spared. High towers, fenced walls, ships, treasures, armor-all would perish. Their vaunted faith in man would cease. Life would become elemental in its simplicity amid the shelter of the ragged rocks. In sarcastic phrase the prophet depicts a despairing nation choosing for ruler the first man that came along with a decent coat on his back, Isaiah 2:6; but in vain. We can almost hear the sob of the prophet's soul in Isaiah 2:8-9, and recall the tears of a greater than Isaiah, Who wept over this same Jerusalem eight hundred years afterward. Patriotism is one of the purest passions that can burn in the heart of man! "Lives there a man, with soul so dead, that never to himself has said, This is my own, my native land!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 3

1  The great calamities which come by sin
10  The different rewards of the righteous and wicked
12  The oppression and covetousness of the rulers
16  The judgments which shall be for the pride of the women
25  The general desolation

What do the individual words in Isaiah 3:4 mean?

And I will give [to be] children their princes and babes shall rule over them
וְנָתַתִּ֥י נְעָרִ֖ים שָׂרֵיהֶ֑ם וְתַעֲלוּלִ֖ים יִמְשְׁלוּ־ בָֽם

וְנָתַתִּ֥י  And  I  will  give  [to  be] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
נְעָרִ֖ים  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
שָׂרֵיהֶ֑ם  their  princes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
וְתַעֲלוּלִ֖ים  and  babes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: תַּעֲלוּלִים  
Sense: wantonness, caprice, vexation.
יִמְשְׁלוּ־  shall  rule 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מָשַׁל  
Sense: to rule, have dominion, reign.
בָֽם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 3:4?

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Similar Scriptures for Isaiah 3:4

Ecclesiastes 10:16 [6]
1 Kings 3:7-9 [2]
2 Chronicles 36:2 [2]
2 Chronicles 36:9 [2]
2 Chronicles 36:11 [2]
2 Chronicles 34:1 [2]
2 Chronicles 36:5 [2]
2 Chronicles 33:1 [2]