Isaiah 3:8
in Isaiah 3For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they spoke and acted against the LORD, defying His glorious presence.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
KJV
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
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This verse in Isaiah 3
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThe eyes “The cloud” - This word appears to be of very doubtful form, from the printed editions, the MSS., and the ancient versions. The first yod in עיני eyney, which is necessary according to the common interpretation, is in many of them omitted; the two last letters are upon a rasure in two MSS. I think it should be ענן anan, “a cloud,” as the Syriac reads; and the allusion is to the cloud in in which the glory of the Lord appeared above the tabernacle; see Exo 16:9, Exo 16:10; Exo 40:34-38; Num 16:41, Num 16:
This site's exposition
For Jerusalem has stumbled
on Isaiah 3:8-9
Verse 8 states the ruin as accomplished before naming its cause, words and deeds against the LORD. Verse 9 names the manner of the sin: "The expression on their faces testifies against them," guilt worn openly. Flaunting their sin "like Sodom" returns to the comparison of 1:9-10.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 8, 9.) For Jerusalem has fallen, and Judah has collapsed: because their tongue and their inventions are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of His majesty. The recognition of their faces testifies against them, and they declare their sin like Sodom, and do not hide it. The Prophet speaks of this, not as many suppose, that he who was the chosen leader spoke.
The Medieval Church1 voice
109. For Jerusalem is ruined. Here he sets out the cause of this renunciation. And first, he sets out the proximate cause, namely, the punishment of universal ruin; hence is said on the part of the prophet: therefore he will refuse, for, that is, because, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, This is a reason given why the government of them is refused; they were fallen into such a ruinous condition, that there was no probability of recovering them.
It was an aggravation of their sin that God's eye was upon them, and that his glory was manifested among them; but they provoked him to his face, as if the more they knew of his glory the greater pride they took in slighting it, and turning it into shame. And this, this, is it for which Jerusalem is ruined. Note, The ruin both of persons and people is owing to their sins.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Reason given by the prophet, why all shrink from the government. eyes of his glory--to provoke His "glorious" Majesty before His "eyes" (compare Isa 49:5; The Syriac and LOWTH, by a slight change of the Hebrew, translate, "the cloud of His glory," the Shekinah.
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1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For Jerusalem ... - The prophet proceeds to show the cause of this state of things. ‘These are the words of the prophet, and not of him who was chosen leader.’ - “Jerome.” Is ruined - It would be so ruined, and the prospect of preserving it would be so completely taken away, that no one could be induced to undertake to defend and protect it. Judah - The kingdom of Judah, of which Jerusalem was the capital; Note Isa 1:1. Is fallen - Hebrew, “falls;” that is, is about to fall - as a tower or a tree falls to ruin. If the “capital” fell and was ruined, the kingdom would also fall as a matter of course. Because their tongue ... - This is the “reason” why Judah was ruined. By word and deed - that is, in every way they opposed God. The “tongue” here represents their “language,” their manner of speaking. It was proud, haughty, rebellious, perhaps blasphemous. To provoke - To irritate; to offend. The eyes of his glory - This is a Hebrew expression to denote “his glorious eyes.” The eye quickly expresses anger or indignation. We perceive these passions in the flashing of the eye sooner than in any other part of the countenance. Hence, to “provoke the eyes,” is an expression signifying simply to excite to anger, or to excite him to punish them. Lowth proposes to render this ‘to provoke the cloud of his glory’ - referring to the Shekinah or cloud that rested over the ark in the temple. By a slight variation of the Hebrew text, reading ענן ‛ânân instead of עני ‛ēnēy, it may be so read, and the Syriac so translates it: but the change in the Hebrew text does not seem to be authorized.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| כָשְׁלָה֙ | khashelah | it has stumbled | H3782 → | 62 times |
| יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| וִיהוּדָ֖ה | vihudah | and Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| נָפָ֑ל | nafal | it has fallen | H5307 → | 435 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְשׁוֹנָ֤ם | leshonam | tongue their | H3956 → | 117 times |
| וּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶם֙ | umaaleihem | and deeds their | H4611 → | 41 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | [are] against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לַמְר֖וֹת | lamrot | to rebel toward | H4784 → | 45 times |
| עֵנֵ֥י | ʾenei | [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| כְבוֹדֽוֹ׃ | khevodo | glory his | H3519 → | 200 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
כָשְׁלָה֙it has stumbled
khashelahH3782 →62 times
יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
וִיהוּדָ֖הand Judah
vihudahH3063 →819 times
נָפָ֑לit has fallen
nafalH5307 →435 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
לְשׁוֹנָ֤םtongue their
leshonamH3956 →117 times
וּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶם֙and deeds their
umaaleihemH4611 →41 times
אֶל־[are] against
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לַמְר֖וֹתto rebel toward
lamrotH4784 →45 times
עֵנֵ֥י[the] eyes of
ʾeneiH5869 →887 times
כְבוֹדֽוֹ׃glory his
khevodoH3519 →200 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
Ezekiel 8:12“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are…
it leads to
- Isaiah 29:15
Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 9:9
He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken…
- Isaiah 29:15
Through
1 Corinthians 10:22Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:21
They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will…
- Deuteronomy 32:16
They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.
- Deuteronomy 32:21
Through
Ezekiel 9:9He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 8:12
“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are…
- Job 22:13
Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
- Ezekiel 8:12
Through
Hosea 7:16They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in…
it leads to
- Psalms 78:57
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
- Hosea 9:3
They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.
- Psalms 78:57
About Isaiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.