3:1 Isaiah never allows us to lose sight of who God is. God has the right to judge because he is haʾadon, the Sovereign of time and space who rules everywhere. But he is also Yahweh of hosts, the covenant God of Israel, so his people owe him a double loyalty as their Creator and their Savior. As Creator, he controls the basic necessities of life, symbolized here by bread and water.9

3:2–3 Nothing is more damaging to community life than bad leadership, and here all aspects of such leadership are under judgment. Every part of the nation’s life lacks direction. In threatening times military leadership (“mighty man,” “soldier”) is not to be found. Civic and religious leadership is also lacking.10 Along with proper leaders God will also remove the leaders of false religion (“the skillful magician and the expert in charms”), so there will be no man in whom to trust.

3:4–5 All of this will be made worse by the fact that the surviving leadership will be immature and oppressive. “Boys” and “infants” are often inexperienced and petulant. There will be a lack of respect among the generations and a disdain for true merit.

3:6–7 The underlying problem is a lack of any concept of true leadership. The key is this: “You have a cloak; you shall be our leader” (v. 6). In other words, if someone dresses like leader (what nowadays is called power dressing), then that will do. Yet the potential leader is unwilling to accept the task and shrugs off any responsibility for others. National life has descended into bathos, cynicism, and a total lack of any sense of mutual responsibility.

3:8 There is a close connection here with the previous section. “For” shows the evidence of Judah’s collapse, while “because” indicates the root cause—turning away from the Lord.11 There has been a total turning away, involving both speech and action; Isaiah later identifies “unclean lips” (6:5) as a characteristic of the times. The phrase “Defying his glorious presence” is literally “Defying the eyes of his glory,” implying that, although the Lord sees everything, the people think they are immune from his anger.

3:9 The people’s sin is blatant, like Sodom’s (cf. 1:9). Once again, it involves speech (“they proclaim it”) and action (“do not hide it”). They bring judgment on themselves and are without excuse.

3:10–11 But the judgment is not indiscriminate; the righteous will be rewarded. This is not teaching salvation by works but encouraging fruitful lives that honor the covenant Lord. As in Psalm 1, the wicked will reap the reward of their ill treatment of others.12

3:12 Isaiah began with a courtroom metaphor (1:2) and returns to it here as the Lord summons the oppressive leaders to judgment. As in 3:4, “infants” may refer to clueless immaturity rather than age, perhaps like Rehoboam’s advisers (1 Kings 12:10). “Women” may refer to the demanding wives of the weak leaders, as in Amos 4:1.13 Those responsible to lead have abdicated responsibility, and the indicators of the right way to live have vanished as if swallowed.

3:13–15 The Lord does not judge hastily but lays out the charges and challenges the leadership. His vineyard (an idea that will recur in Isaiah 5) has been devastated and his people ill-treated. As always in such situations, it is the poor and vulnerable who suffer most. Yet the cries of the oppressed have reached the ears of the Judge, Yahweh of hosts, Lord of the armies of heaven.

3:16 The indictment continues as the haughty “daughters of Zion” are condemned. It is important that we do not read this as a chauvinist tirade against women (cf. Response section). In the first place, these are the true mates of the unsatisfactory male leaders and simply show their pride in a different way. The key word is “haughty.” These women are not condemned for wearing jewelry or attractive clothes but for being arrogant and consciously flaunting themselves.

3:17 Again the retribution is appropriate. Because image matters so much to these women, it is their appearance that will bring them to shame. The imagery here is unpleasant, but we must realize that arrogance is not pretty, and its exposure is likewise unattractive.

3:18–23 From here to the end of the section the poetry gives way to prose. The poetry has shown the inner nature of Jerusalem, while the prose deals with the outward reality. None of the items mentioned here are wrong in themselves; they are simply listed as examples of clothes and accessories and would likely also be part of the wardrobe of any wealthy woman, arrogant or not. These items of everyday life will disappear in the coming disaster.

3:24 The grim reality facing the proud is now set out by five contrasts: sweet smells give way to stench, ornament to imprisonment, well-groomed hair to baldness, designer clothes to sackcloth, and good looks to disfigurement.

3:25–4:1 The prophet returns to address the men and the inevitable destruction of much of the male population. The city will be like a bereaved woman who mourns the death of her children, alone and dejected. Lacking husbands and the security marriage brings, women will be desperate to be relieved from poverty and the resulting hunger in any way possible.