Thy men shall fall by the sword ,.... Of the Romans; which would be a punishment to the women for their pride and luxury, being deprived thereby of their husbands: and thy mighty in the war ; of Vespasian and Titus, and which the Jews F9 Misn. Sabbat, c. 6. sect. 3. call פולמוס של אספסינוס , "the war of Vespasian": in which great multitudes of men, even of mighty men, were slain. read more
And her gates shall lament and mourn ,.... These being utterly destroyed; or there being none to pass through them, meaning the gates of the city of Jerusalem: and she being desolate ; clear of inhabitants, quite emptied, and exhausted of men; being laid even with the ground, and her children within her, Luke 19:44 . shall sit upon the ground ; being levelled with it, and not one stone cast upon another; alluding to the posture of mourners, Job 2:13 . Our countryman, Mr.... read more
Thy mighty men - For גבורתך geburathech an ancient MS. has גבורך gibborech . The true reading, from the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, and Chaldee, seems to be גבוריך gibborayich . read more
Sit upon the ground - Sitting on the ground was a posture that denoted mourning and deep distress. The prophet Jeremiah ( Lamentations 2:8 ;) has given it the first place among many indications of sorrow, in the following elegant description of the same state of distress of his country: - "The elders of the daughter of Sion sit on the ground, they are silent: They have cast up dust on their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth; The virgins of Jerusalem have bowed down their... read more
THE CAUSE OF THE JUDGMENT SHOWN TO BE THE SINS OF JERUSALEM . 1. The sins of the men . ( Isaiah 3:8-15 ). These are declared to be partly sins of speech, but mainly sins of act ( Isaiah 3:8 ). Of sins of speech the only one specified is the open and shameless declaration of their wickedness ( Isaiah 3:9 ). Under the head of sins of act are enumerated The enumeration of the sins is mixed with exhortation and comment in such a way as to give rise to the... read more
The vanity of vanity. The graphic pen of the prophet brings before us the thoughts— I. THAT THE LAST AND SADDEST SYMPTOM OF NATIONAL DECLINE IS FOUND IN WOMANLY FOLLY . "Moreover … the daughters of Zion," etc. ( Isaiah 3:16 ). Corruption may have spread far and done much evil work in the community, but there is hope for the city or the Church so long as the wives and the mothers, the daughters and the sisters, retain their moral and spiritual integrity. When... read more
Thy men ; rather, thy people ; i.e. the inhabitants of Jerusalem generally. Note here the first distinct statement that the coming visitation will be one of war. read more
National evil in the loss of male population. The destruction of the males in war is the cause of the extreme grief and helpless desolation of womanhood. The figure is intense when read in the light of the condition of unprotected woman in Eastern countries. "In the East of antiquity, as in many Eastern lands to this day, the position of an unmarried woman, whether maid or widow, was a very unhappy and perilous one. Only in the house of a husband could a woman be sure of respect and... read more
Her gates . The sudden change of person is common in Oriental poetry. Shall lament and mourn . On account of their destruction, which would be very complete (see Lamentations 1:4 ; Lamentations 2:9 ; Nehemiah 1:3 ; Nehemiah 2:13 ). Conquerors could not do more than break breaches in the walls of a town, but they carefully destroyed the gates. Being desolate ; or, emptied—plundered of everything, and so far "cleansed" from her abominations. Shall sit upon the ground . In deep... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 3:16-26
The prophet's business was to show all sorts of people what they had contributed to the national guilt and what share they must expect in the national judgments that were coming. Here he reproves and warns the daughters of Zion, tells the ladies of their faults; and Moses, in the law, having denounced God's wrath against the tender and delicate woman (the prophets being a comment upon the law, Deut. 28:56), he here tells them how they shall smart by the calamities that are coming upon them.... read more