Isaiah 3:6

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A man will even seize his brotherin his father’s house, saying:“You have a cloak—you be our leader!This heap of rubble will be under your control.”

Hebrew Names Version
Indeed a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, "You have clothing, you be our ruler, And let this ruin be under your hand."

King James Version
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:

English Standard Version
For a man will take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying: "You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule";

New American Standard Bible
When a man lays hold of his brother in his father's house, saying, "You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler! And these ruins will be under your authority,"

New Century Version
At that time a man will grab one of his brothers from his own family and say, "You have a coat, so you will be our leader. These ruins will be under your control."

Amplified Bible
When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, "You have a robe, you shall be our judge and ruler, And this pile of ruins will be under your control,"

World English Bible
Indeed a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, "You have clothing, you be our ruler, And let this ruin be under your hand."

Geneva Bible (1587)
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.

Legacy Standard Bible
When a man grasps his brother in his father's house, saying,"You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,And these ruins will be under your hand,"

Berean Standard Bible
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."

Contemporary English Version
Some of you will grab hold of a relative and say, "You still have a coat. Be our leader and rule this pile of ruins."

Complete Jewish Bible
A man will take hold of his brother in his father's house and say, "You have a coat, so rule us! Take charge of this ruin!"

Darby Translation
When a man shall take hold of his brother, in his father's house, [and shall say:] Thou hast clothing; be our chief, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

Easy-to-Read Version
At that time a man will grab one of his brothers from his own family and tell him, "You have a coat, so you will be our leader. You will be the leader over all these ruins."

George Lamsa Translation
When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, and say to him, You have clothing, be our ruler, and govern this ruin;

Good News Translation
A time will come when the members of a clan will choose one of their number and say to him, "You at least have something to wear, so be our leader in this time of trouble."

Lexham English Bible
Indeed, a man will seize his brother in the house of his father: "You have a cloak; you shall be a leader for us, and this heap of ruins shall be under your hand!"

Literal Translation
When a man shall take hold of his brother, at his father's house, saying , A cloak! Come, you be a ruler for us; let this ruin be under your hand.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee one shal take a frende of his owne kynred by ye bosome, and saye: thou hast clothinge, thou shalt be oure heade, for thou mayest kepe us from this fall and parell.

American Standard Version
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;

Bible in Basic English
When one man puts his hand on another in his father's house, and says, You have clothing, be our ruler and be responsible for us in our sad condition:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father: 'Thou hast a mantle, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand.'

King James Version (1611)
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 ruine bee vnder thy hand:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yea one shall take a friende of his owne kinrede by the bosome, and say: thou hast clothyng, thou shalt be our head, and stay this ruine with thy hande.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For a man shall lay hold of his brother, as one of his father’s household, saying, Thou hast raiment, be thou our ruler, and let my meat be under thee.

English Revised Version
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:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For a man schal take his brother, the meneal of his fadir, and schal seie, A clooth is to thee, be thou oure prince; forsothe this fallyng be vndur thin hond.

Update Bible Version
When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, [saying], You have clothing, be our ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand;

Webster's Bible Translation
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:

New English Translation
Indeed, a man will grab his brother right in his father's house and say, ‘You own a coat— you be our leader! This heap of ruins will be under your control.'

New King James Version
When a man takes hold of his brotherIn the house of his father, saying,"You have clothing;You be our ruler,And let these ruins be under your power," [fn]

New Living Translation
In those days a man will say to his brother, "Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!"

New Life Bible
A man will take hold of his brother in his father's house, saying, "You have a coat. You will be our ruler. This destroyed city will be under your rule."

New Revised Standard
Someone will even seize a relative, a member of the clan, saying, "You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When a man shall lay hold, on his brother of the house of his father, saying - Clothing, hast thou, Become thou our, ruler, This downfall, be under thy hand,

Douay-Rheims Bible
For a man shall take hold of his brother, one of the house of his father, saying: Thou hast a garment, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand.

Revised Standard Version
When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying: "You have a mantle; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule";

Young's Literal Translation
When one layeth hold on his brother, [Of] the house of his father, [by] the garment, `Come, a ruler thou art to us, And this ruin [is] under thy hand.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When a man lays hold of his brother in his father's house, saying, "You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler, And these ruins will be under your charge,"

Contextual Overview

¹ The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, ‘You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.' ⁸"Jerusalem's on its last legs. Judah is soon down for the count. Everything people say and do is at cross-purposes with God , a slap in my face. Brazen in their depravity, they flaunt their sins like degenerate Sodom. Doom to their eternal souls! They've made their bed; now they'll sleep in it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a man: Isaiah 4:1, Judges 11:6-8, John 6:15

Reciprocal: Numbers 4:33 - under the hand 1 Samuel 21:3 - under thine 1 Chronicles 25:2 - under the hands Isaiah 34:12 - call Micah 6:14 - and thou Zechariah 8:23 - take

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"

Genesis 3:2
The Woman said to the serpent, "Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It's only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don't eat from it; don't even touch it or you'll die.'"

Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

Genesis 3:14
God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I'm declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel."

Genesis 3:17
He told the Man: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, ‘Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."

Genesis 39:7
After Joseph had been taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, Potiphar an Egyptian, one of Pharaoh's officials and the manager of his household, bought him from them. As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him, saw that God was working for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his personal aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptian—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day. Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master's wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, "Sleep with me."

2 Samuel 11:2
One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful. David sent to ask about her, and was told, "Isn't this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?" David sent his agents to get her. After she arrived, he went to bed with her. (This occurred during the time of "purification" following her period.) Then she returned home. Before long she realized she was pregnant. Later she sent word to David: "I'm pregnant."

Job 31:1
"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes. So what can I expect from God? What do I deserve from God Almighty above? Isn't calamity reserved for the wicked? Isn't disaster supposed to strike those who do wrong? Isn't God looking, observing how I live? Doesn't he mark every step I take?

Ezekiel 24:25
"And you, son of man: The day I take away the people's refuge, their great joy, the delight of their life, what they've most longed for, along with all their children—on that very day a survivor will arrive and tell you what happened to the city. You'll break your silence and start talking again, talking to the survivor. Again, you'll be an example for them. And they'll recognize that I am God ."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father,.... One of the same country, kindred, and family; for only one of their brethren, and not a stranger, might rule over them,

Deuteronomy 17:15 this taking hold of him may design not so much a literal taking hold of his person, his hand or garment, much less using any forcible measures with him; though indeed the Jews would have took Christ by force, who was one of their brethren, and would have made him a temporal king, which he refused, as this man did here spoken of, John 6:15 but rather an importunate desire and entreaty, urging him, as follows,

[saying], thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler; that is, he had good and rich clothing, fit for a ruler or civil magistrate to appear in, which everyone had not, and some scarce any in those troublesome times:

and [let] this ruin be under thy hand; that is, let thy care, concern, and business, be to raise up the almost ruined state of the city and nation; and let thy hand be under it, to support and maintain it. The Targum is,

"and this power shall be under thy hand;''

thou shalt have power and government over the nation, and the honour and greatness which belong unto it, and all shall be subject unto thee. The Septuagint renders it, "let my meat be under thee", or "from thee", as the Arabic version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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; 1 Samuel 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 Exodus 12:34; Exodus 20:26; Gen 45:22; 2 Kings 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. It is expressive of great distress and anarchy - when there would be no ruler, and every man would seek one for himself. The whole deportment evinced here by the suppliant is one of submission, distress, and humility.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 3:6. 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. I. D. II. for οικειου has οικου. And, his brother, of his father's house, is little better than a tautology. The case seems to require that the man should apply to a person of some sort of rank and eminence; one that was the head of his father's house, (see Joshua 12:14,) whether of the house of him who applies to him, or of any other; ראש בית אביו rosh beith abaiu, the chief, or head of his father's house. I cannot help suspecting, therefore, that the word ראש rosh, head, chief, has been lost out of the text.

Saying — Before שמלה simlah, garment, two MSS., one ancient, and the Babylonish Talmud have the word לאמר lemor, saying; and so the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, and Chaldee. I place it with Houbigant, after שמלה simlah.

Thou hast clothing - "Take by the garment"] That is, shall entreat him in an humble and supplicating manner. "Ten men shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, Let us go with you; for we have heard that God is with you," Zechariah 8:23. And so in Isaiah 4:1, the same gesture is used to express earnest and humble entreaty. The behaviour of Saul towards Samuel was of the same kind, when he laid hold on the skirt of his raiment, 1 Samuel 15:27. The preceding and following verses show, that his whole deportment, in regard to the prophet, was full of submission and humility.

And let this ruin be under thy hand - "And let thy hand support"] Before תחת ידך tachath yadecha, a MS. adds תהיה tihyeh, "let it be; " another MS. adds in the same place, תקח בידך takach beyadecha, which latter seems to be a various reading of the two preceding words, making a very good sense: "Take into thy hand our ruinous state." Twenty-one MSS. of Kennicott's, thirteen of De Rossi's, one of my own, ancient, and three editions of the Babylonish Talmud have ידיך yadeycha, plural, "thy hands."