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Isaiah 3:6

in Isaiah 3

A man will seize his brother within his father’s house: “You have a cloak—you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of rubble.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

KJV

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

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This verse in Isaiah 3

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Isaiah · Written before 420.

(Verse 6) For a man shall seize his brother, the kinsman of his father. The garment is yours, be our prince; but this ruin is under your control. Regarding ruin, Symmachus and Theodotio transferred infirmity, 70 food items. But it signifies a scarcity of people, and the most serious shortage of all, so that whoever has food and clothing is considered powerful, wealthy, and famous. And when he says according to the Hebrew: But this ruin is under your control, it has this meaning: Our misery and calamity will be sustained and protected by your assistance.

This site's exposition

I will make mere lads

on Isaiah 3:4-7

Verse 4 names the judgment that follows the removal of leaders, "mere lads" as rulers, incompetent rule in place of none. A man begs his own brother to lead, because no one qualified is left. The brother refuses, "I am not a healer," having no food or clothing.

This site's exposition

You have a cloak

The men are so poor that owning a cloak qualifies a man to rule. Changes of clothing counted as wealth in the East, as at 2 Kings 5:5, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note. What he is offered to rule is a heap of rubble.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on Isaiah · Written before 1274.

proposed

106. Shall take hold. Here he shows the subversion of the government as to the refusal of office of those invited to rule, as if it were something ruinous. And this is divided into two parts: in the first, the invitation of the electors is …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Here therefore is the original contract: " Be thou our ruler, and we will be subject to thee, and let this ruin be under thy hand, to be repaired and restored, and then to be preserved and established, and the interests of it advanced, ch. lviii.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Of the house of his father “Of his father’s house” - For בית beith, the house, the ancient interpreters seem to have read מבית mibbeith, from the house; του οικειου του πατρος αυτου, Septuagint; domesticum patris sui, Vulgate; which gives no good sense. But the Septuagint MS. 1. D. 2: for οικειου has οικου. And, his brother, of his father’s house, is little better than a tautology.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Thou hast clothing--which none of us has. Changes of raiment are wealth in the East (2Ki 5:5). ruin--Let our ruined affairs be committed to thee to retrieve.
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

When a man shall take hold ... - In this verse, and the following verses, the prophet continues to describe the calamitous and ruined state that would come upon the Jews; when there would be such a want of wealth and people, that they would seize upon anyone that they thought able to defend them. The act of “taking hold” here denotes “supplication” and “entreaty,” as when one in danger or distress clings to that which is near, or which may be likely to aid him; compare Isa 4:1; 1Sa 15:27, His brother - His kinsman, or one of the same tribe and family - claiming protection because they belonged to the same family. Of the house of his father - Descended from the same paternal ancestors as himself. Probably this refers to one of an ancient and opulent family - a man who had kept himself from the civil broils and tumults of the nation, and who had retained his property safe in the midst of the surrounding desolation. In the previous verse, the prophet had said that one characteristic of the times would be a want of respect for “the aged” and “the honorable.” He here says that such would be the distress, that a man would be “compelled” to show respect to rank; he would look to the ancient and wealthy families for protection. Thou hast clothing - In ancient times wealth consisted very much in changes of garments; and the expression, ‘thou hast clothing,’ is the same as ‘you are rich, you are able to assist us;’ see Exo 12:34; Exo 20:26; Gen 45:22; 2Ki 5:5. And let this ruin ... - This is an expression of entreaty. ‘Give us assistance, or defense. We commit our ruined and dilapidated affairs to thee, and implore thy help.’ The Septuagint reads this, ‘and let my food,’ that is, my support, ‘be under thee’ - do thou furnish me food. There are some other unimportant variations in the ancient versions, but the sense is substantially given in our translation. […]

The words behind it

15 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • כִּֽי־for

    ki-H3588 →4482 times

  • יִתְפֹּ֨שׂhe will seize

    yitposH8610 →

  • אִ֤ישׁeach

    ʾishH376 →1663 times

  • בְּאָחִיו֙<in> brother his

    beachivH251 →630 times

  • בֵּ֣ית[the] house of

    beitH1004 →2046 times

  • אָבִ֔יוfather his

    ʾavivH1 →1212 times

  • שִׂמְלָ֣הa cloak

    simlahH8071 →29 times

  • לְכָ֔ה[belongs] to you

    lekhah

  • קָצִ֖יןa ruler

    katzinH7101 →12 times

  • תִּֽהְיֶה־you will be

    tihyeh-H1961 →3559 times

  • לָּ֑נוּof us

    lanu

  • וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלָ֥הand the heap of ruins

    vehamakhshelahH4384 →

  • הַזֹּ֖את<the> this

    hazotH2063 →603 times

  • תַּ֥חַת[will be] under

    tachatH8478 →505 times

  • יָדֶֽךָ׃hand your

    yadekhaH3027 →1618 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Isaiah 4:1In 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!”5 worksZechariah 8:23This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”4 worksJohn 6:15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.3 worksJudges 11:6–8“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”3 works1 Chronicles 25:2From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.2 works1 Samuel 21:3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”2 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Numbers 4:33This is the service of the Merarite clans according to all their work at the Tent of Meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Isaiah 4:1

    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…

    it leads to

    • Genesis 30:23

      and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

    • Isaiah 2:17

      So 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,

    • Isaiah 13:12

      I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.

    • 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 21:22

      For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

  • Through

    John 6:15

    Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

    it leads to

    • John 18:36

      Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”

    • John 7:3–4

      So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.

    • John 6:15–21

      Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

About Isaiah

The Prophet Isaiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Prophet Isaiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Isaiah: the study guide →Read Isaiah 3 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.

Read on in Isaiah 3 →