Isaiah 3:7

Geneva Bible

In that day hee shall sweare, saying, I cannot bee an helper: for there is no bread in mine house, nor clothing: therefore make me no prince of the people.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
in that day he will speak out, saying: "I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me leader of the people."

Christian Standard Bible®
On that day he will cry out, saying:“I’m not a healer.I don’t even have food or clothing in my house.Don’t make me the leader of the people!”

Hebrew Names Version
In that day he will cry out, saying, I will not be a healer; For in my house is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me ruler of the people.

Darby Translation
he will lift up [his hand] in that day, saying, I cannot be a healer, and in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; ye shall not make me a chief of the people.

Easy-to-Read Version
But the brother will refuse and say, "I cannot help you. I don't have enough food or clothes for my own family. You will not make me your leader."

Amplified Bible
He will protest on that day, saying, "I will not be a governor; For in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; You should not make me a judge and ruler of the people."

American Standard Version
in that day shall he lift up his voice, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people.

Contemporary English Version
But the answer will be, "I can't do you any good. Don't make me your leader. There's no food or clothing left in my house."

Complete Jewish Bible
But on that day, he will protest, "I don't have a remedy, I lack food and clothing for my own house; don't put me in charge of people!"

JPS Old Testament (1917)
In that day shall he swear, saying: 'I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor a mantle; ye shall not make me ruler of a people.'

King James Version (1611)
In that day shall he sweare, saying, I will not be an healer: for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall answer in that day, and say, I will not be thy ruler; for I have no bread in my house, nor raiment: I will not be the ruler of this people.

English Revised Version
in that day shall he lift up his voice, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people.

Berean Standard Bible
On that day he will cry aloud: "I am not a healer. I have no food or clothing in my house. Do not make me leader of the people!"

Lexham English Bible
He will lift up his voice on that day, saying, "I will not be a healer; in my house there is no bread and there is no cloak. You shall not make me the leader of the people!"

Literal Translation
In that day he shall swear, saying, I will not be one who binds up; for there is no bread nor a cloak in my house; you shall not make me a ruler of the people.

New Century Version
But that brother will stand up and say, "I cannot help you, because I do not have food or clothes in my house. You will not make me your leader."

New English Translation
At that time the brother will shout, ‘I am no doctor, I have no food or coat in my house; don't make me a leader of the people!'"

New King James Version
In that day he will protest, saying, "I cannot cure your ills, For in my house is neither food nor clothing; Do not make me a ruler of the people."

New Living Translation
But he will reply, "No! I can't help. I don't have any extra food or clothes. Don't put me in charge!"

New Life Bible
In that day he will call out, "I can not be of help to you. For in my house there is no bread or coat. You should not choose me to be ruler of the people."

New Revised Standard
But the other will cry out on that day, saying, "I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me leader of the people."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He will swear, in that day, saying - I will take no control, When in mine own house, is neither food nor clothing, - Ye must not set me for a ruler of people!

Douay-Rheims Bible
In that day he shall answer, saying: I am no healer, and in my house there is no bread, nor clothing: make me not ruler of the people.

George Lamsa Translation
In that day he shall answer, and say, I will not be a leader; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler over the people.

Good News Translation
But he will answer, "Not me! I can't help you. I don't have any food or clothes either. Don't make me your leader!"

New American Standard Bible
He will protest on that day, saying, "I will not be your healer, For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people."

King James Version
In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shall he sweare and say, I can not helpe you: there is neither meate nor clothyng in my house, make me no ruler of the people.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he schal answere in that dai, and seie, Y am no leche, and nether breed, nether cloth is in myn hous; nyle ye make me prince of the puple.

Young's Literal Translation
He lifteth up, in that day, saying: `I am not a binder up, And in my house is neither bread nor garment, Ye do not make me a ruler of the people.'

World English Bible
In that day he will cry out, saying, I will not be a healer; For in my house is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me ruler of the people.

Revised Standard Version
in that day he will speak out, saying: "I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor mantle; you shall not make me leader of the people."

Update Bible Version
in that day he shall lift up [his voice], saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: you shall not make me ruler of the people.

Webster's Bible Translation
In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house [is] neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

Bible in Basic English
Then he will say with an oath, I will not be a helper, for in my house there is no bread or clothing: I will not let you make me a ruler of the people.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then shall he sweare and saye: I can not helpe you. Morouer, there is nether meate ner clothinge in my house, make me no rueler of the people.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He will protest on that day, saying, "I will not be your healer, For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people."

Legacy Standard Bible
He will protest on that day, saying,"I will not be your healer,For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;You should not appoint me ruler of the people."

Contextual Overview

¹ For lo, the Lord God of hostes will take away from Ierusalem and from Iudah the stay and the strength: euen all the staye of bread, and all the stay of water, ² The strong man, & the man of warre, the iudge and the prophet, the prudent and the aged, ³ The captaine of fiftie, and the honourable, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent man. ⁴ And I will appoint children to bee their princes, and babes shall rule ouer them. ⁵ The people shalbe oppressed one of another, and euery one by his neighbour: the children shall presume against the ancient, and the vile against the honourable. ⁶ When euery one shall take holde of his brother of the house of his father, and say, Thou hast clothing: thou shalt bee our prince, and let this fall be vnder thine hand. ⁷ In that day hee shall sweare, saying, I cannot bee an helper: for there is no bread in mine house, nor clothing: therefore make me no prince of the people. ⁸ Doubtlesse Ierusalem is fallen, and Iudah is fallen downe, because their tongue & workes are against the Lord, to prouoke the eyes of his glory.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

swear: Heb. lift up the hand, Genesis 14:22, Deuteronomy 32:40, Revelation 10:5, Revelation 10:6

healer: Heb. binder up, Isaiah 58:12, Jeremiah 14:19, Lamentations 2:13, Hosea 5:13, Hosea 6:1

neither bread: Princes and great men in the East, as Sir J. Chardin testifies, are obliged to have a great stock of clothes in readiness for presents on all occasions; and a great quantity of provisions for the table is equally necessary - see 1 Kings 4:22, 1 Kings 4:23. Nehemiah 5:17, Nehemiah 5:18. Hence the person desired to undertake the government, alleges as an excuse that he is not able to support the dignity of his station.

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:5
But God doeth knowe, that when ye shall eate thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and euill.

Genesis 3:10
Who saide, I heard thy voyce in the garden, and was afraide: because I was naked, therefore I hid my selfe.

Genesis 3:11
And he saide, Who tolde thee, that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eate?

Deuteronomy 28:34
So that thou shalt be madde for the sight which thine eyes shal see.

2 Kings 6:20
And when they were come to Samaria, Elisha saide, Lorde, open their eyes that they may see. And the Lorde opened their eyes, and they saw, & beholde, they were in the mids of Samaria.

Isaiah 28:20
For the bed is streight that it can not suffice, and the couering narowe that one can not wrappe himselfe.

Isaiah 59:6
Their webbes shall be no garment, neither shall they couer themselues with their labours: for their workes are workes of iniquitie, & the worke of crueltie is in their handes.

Luke 16:23
And being in hell in torments, he lift vp his eyes, and sawe Abraham a farre off, and Lazarus in his bosome.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In that day shall he swear,.... Or "lift up", that is, his hand e, which was a gesture used in swearing, and therefore is so rendered; the meaning is, that he shall at once immediately give an answer, and for the solemn confirmation of it shall say an oath with it, saying,

I will not be a healer, or "a binder"; that is, of wounds, of political wounds, made in the nation, and which were incurable. See Isaiah 1:6 for the meaning is, that he neither was fit to be, nor could he be, a healer of the distempered state of the nation, it was so desperately bad. The Targum is,

"I am not fit to be a head or governor;''

and so Kimchi explains it of a governor, who, he says, is so called, because he binds and imprisons those that transgress his commands; and to this sense Jarchi and Abarbinel:

for in my house [is] neither bread nor clothing; not a sufficiency of either to support such grandeur and dignity; not enough to keep a proper table, and a suitable equipage:

make me not a ruler of the people; this shows that the state of the nation must be very bad indeed, that men, who are naturally ambitious of power and honour, should refuse government when offered to them.

e ישא "attollet manum", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In that day shall he swear - Hebrew, ישׁא yı̂shā' ‘Shall he lift up’ - that is, the voice, or the hand. To lift up the hand was one of the modes of taking an oath. Perhaps it means only that he should lift up “the voice” - that is, “should answer;” compare Numbers 14:1. The Vulgate, the Septuagint, and the Chaldee, read it simply ‘he shall answer.’

I will not be an healer - Hebrew, ‘a binder up,’ Isaiah 1:6. The Vulgate renders it, ‘I am not a physician.’ The Septuagint and the Chaldee, ‘I am not sufficient to be a leader.’ The meaning is, that the state of affairs was so ruinous and calamitous that he would not attempt to restore them; as if, in the body, disease should have so far progressed that he would not undertake to restore the person, and have him “die” under his hands, so as to expose himself to the reproach of being an unsuccessfill and unskillful physician.

Is neither bread nor clothing - I am not rich. I have not the means of providing for the needs of the people, or to maintain the rank of a ruler. ‘It is customary,’ says Sir John Chardin, ‘to gather together an immense quantity of clothes, for their fashions never alter.’ ‘The kings of Persia have great wardrobes, where they have always many hundreds of habits ready, designed for presents, and sorted.’ - “Lowth.” The description here is one of very great calamity and anarchy. So great would be the ruin and danger, that men would be unwilling to be chosen to the office of princes and rulers, and none could be found who would desire to possess the highest honors of the nation. Generally men “aspire” to office; here they were unwilling, on account of the disordered and ruined state of affairs, even to accept of it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 3:7. In that day shall he swear - "Then shall he openly declare"] The Septuagint, Syriac, and Jerome, read וישא veyissa, adding the conjunction, which seems necessary in this place.

I will not be a healer — I am not a leche. - Old MS. Bible. Leech was the ancient English word for a physician.

For in my house is neither bread nor clothing - "For in my house is neither bread nor raiment"] "It is customary through all the East," says Sir J. Chardin, "to gather together an immense quantity of furniture and clothes; for their fashions never alter." Princes and great men are obliged to have a great stock of such things in readiness for presents upon all occasions. "The kings of Persia," says the same author, "have great wardrobes, where there are always many hundreds of habits ready, designed for presents, and sorted," Harmer, Observ., II. 11 and 88. A great quantity of provision for the table was equally necessary. The daily provision for Solomon's household, whose attendants were exceedingly numerous, was proportionately great, 1 Kings 4:22-23. Even Nehemiah, in his strait circumstances, had a large supply daily for his table; at which he received a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those that came from among the neighbouring heathen, Nehemiah 5:17-18.

This explains the meaning of the excuse made by him that is desired to undertake the government. He alleges that he has not wherewithal to support the dignity of the station, by such acts of liberality and hospitality as the law of custom required of persons of superior rank. See Harmer's Observations, I. 340, II. 88.