Isaiah 3:14
in Isaiah 3The LORD brings this charge against the elders and leaders of His people: “You have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof: It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses:
KJV
The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
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This verse in Isaiah 3
Commentary
15 notes on this verse(Ver. 13, 14.) The Lord stands to judge: and he stands to judge the people. The Lord will come to judgment with the elders of his people, and with his princes. The people, who were deceived because of their simplicity and lack of knowledge, are still called the people of God: and therefore they are judged, that they may be saved.
This site's exposition
The LORD arises to contend
on Isaiah 3:13-15
Verse 13 resumes the courtroom scene of chapter 1. Verse 14 names the accused, the elders and leaders, and the charge, "You have devoured the vineyard," leaders meant to tend it stripping it. The question of verse 15, why they "grind the faces of the poor," makes the oppression concrete.
This site's exposition
You have devoured the vineyard
The vineyard is Israel, as the song of 5:1 to 7 will spell out, and the leaders set to keep it have eaten it themselves. The plunder of the poor sits in their houses. Augustine, reading with the elders, took them as saints who judge beside the Lord.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
But, says someone, "Are these things to be understood of the Lord? Could the Lord be held prisoner by men and dragged to judgment?" Of this also the same prophet shall convince you. For he says, "The Lord himself shall come into judgment with the elders and princes of the people." The Lord is judged then according to the prophet's testimony, and not only judged but scourged and slapped on the face with the palms [of men's hands], and spit on, and suffers every insult and indignity for our sake.
For not alone he shall come to judgment but with the elders of his people, to whom he has promised that they shall sit upon thrones to judge, who even shall judge angels. These are the clouds Isaiah is speaking of.
Therefore, coming with all angels, together with him he shall have the saints also. For plainly says Isaiah also, "He shall come to judgment with the elders of the people." Those "elders of the people," then, those called "angels" in this passage, those thousands of many people made perfect coming from the whole world, are called "heaven."
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, the matter is introduced; hence he says: the Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, namely, with the priests, and its princes, kings and leaders: behold I will judge between cattle and cattle, between rams and he goats (Ezek 34:17). …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Or the vineyards of the poor they wrested out of their possession, as Jezebel did Naboth's, or devoured the fruits of them, fed their lusts with that which should have been the necessary food of indigent families; the spoil of the poor was hoarded up in their houses; when God came to search for stolen goods there he found it, and it was a witness against them.
7 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Note, The greatest of men cannot exempt or secure themselves from the scrutiny and sentence of God's judgment, nor demur to the jurisdiction of the court of heaven. The indictment is proved by the notorious evidence of the fact: "Look upon the oppressors, and the show of their countenance witnesses against them (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
) that they might maintain the pride and luxury of their families. The punishments threatened for this sin; and they answer the sin as face answers to face in a glass,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The ancient - Whose wisdom was increased by long experience. Oppressed - By thy command or permission of such childish rulers. Thou hast - We are utterly undone, and have neither food nor raiment; but thou hast something left to support the dignity which we offer to thee.
The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof,.... Both civil and ecclesiastical; the princes, chief priests, and elders of the people, who set themselves and took counsel together against the Lord and his Christ; would not suffer the people to be gathered to him; sought his life, and at last took it away.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
With the ancients ... - With the old men, the counselors. Ye have eaten up the vineyard - Hebrew ‘Ye have burnt up’ - that is, you have oonsumed or destroyed it. By the vineyard is represented the Jewish republic or people; Psa 80:9-13; compare the notes at Isa 5:1-7. The princes and rulers had, by their exactions and oppressions, ruined the people, and destroyed the country. The spoil of the poor - The “plunder” of the poor; or that which you have taken from the poor by exactions and oppressions.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
ancients--Hence they are spoken of as "taken away" (Isa 3:1, 2). vineyard--the Jewish theocracy (Isa 5:1-7; Ps 80:9-13). eaten up--"burnt"; namely, by "oppressive exactions" (Isa 3:12). Type of the crowning guilt of the husbandmen in the days of Jesus Christ (Mt 21:34-41). spoil . . . houses-- (Mt 23:14).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The vineyard. “My vineyard” - כרמי - ”dr carmi, Septuagint, Chaldee, Jerome.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of His people For they should have protested (Shabbath 55a), and to the nations He says, And you have ravaged My vineyard. I became slightly incensed [against them,] and you helped to do harm.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
stands to plead [i.e., to judge the case] of Israel standing, so to speak, so as not to be strict in their judgment.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט | bemishpat | in judgment | H4941 → | 422 times |
| יָב֔וֹא | yavo' | he will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| זִקְנֵ֥י | ziknei | [the] elders of | H2205 → | 178 times |
| עַמּ֖וֹ | amo | people his | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| וְשָׂרָ֑יו | vesarav | and leaders its | H8269 → | 421 times |
| וְאַתֶּם֙ | veatem | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֣ם | biartem | you have consumed | H1197 → | 94 times |
| הַכֶּ֔רֶם | hakerem | the vineyard | H3754 → | 92 times |
| גְּזֵלַ֥ת | gezelat | [the] plunder of | H1500 → | |
| הֶֽעָנִ֖י | heani | the poor | H6041 → | 73 times |
| בְּבָתֵּיכֶֽם׃ | bevateikhem | [is] in houses your | H1004 → | 2046 times |
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣טin judgment
bemishpatH4941 →422 times
יָב֔וֹאhe will come
yavo'H935 →2568 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
זִקְנֵ֥י[the] elders of
zikneiH2205 →178 times
עַמּ֖וֹpeople his
amoH5971 →1873 times
וְשָׂרָ֑יוand leaders its
vesaravH8269 →421 times
וְאַתֶּם֙and you
veatemH859 →1094 times
בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֣םyou have consumed
biartemH1197 →94 times
הַכֶּ֔רֶםthe vineyard
hakeremH3754 →92 times
גְּזֵלַ֥ת[the] plunder of
gezelatH1500 →
הֶֽעָנִ֖יthe poor
heaniH6041 →73 times
בְּבָתֵּיכֶֽם׃[is] in houses your
bevateikhemH1004 →2046 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 143:2Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
- Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
- Job 25:4
How then can a man be just before God? How can one born of woman be pure?
- Psalms 130:3
If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?
- 1 John 1:10
If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.
- Ecclesiastes 7:20
Through
Amos 4:1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
it leads to
- Psalms 22:12
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
- Psalms 22:12
Through
Psalms 14:4Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.
it leads to
- Psalms 79:6
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name,
- Psalms 79:6
Through
Job 22:4Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you and enters into judgment against you?
it leads to
- Job 14:3
Do You open Your eyes to one like this? Will You bring him into judgment before You?
- Job 14:3
About Isaiah
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 50 (49).11; Augustine of Hippo, EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 68 (67).39; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah and Tyrannius Rufinus, COMMENTARY ON THE APOSTLES' CREED 21.