13Yahweh stands up to contend, and stands to judge the peoples.
14Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and their leaders: “It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
13 Yahweh stands up to contend, and stands to judge the peoples.
14 Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and their leaders: “It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
KJVKing James Version
13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the peoples.
14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders of His people, and the princes thereof: 'It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses;
15 What mean ye that ye crush My people, and grind the face of the poor?' saith the Lord, the GOD of hosts.
Job 22:4(v14)Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment?
Psalms 94:5(v15)They break your people in pieces, Yahweh, and afflict your heritage.
Micah 3:2-3(v15)You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones; who also eat the flesh of my…
Micah 6:2(v13)Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for Yahweh has a controversy with his people, and he…
Job 24:9(v14)There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor,
Show all 26 cross-references
Psalms 14:4(v14)Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh?
Psalms 143:2(v14)Don’t enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living is righteous.
Isaiah 3:2-3(v14)the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder, the captain of fifty, the honorable man, the counselor, the…
Isaiah 5:7(v14)For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for justice, but,…
Jeremiah 5:27(v14)As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they have become great, and grew rich.
Hosea 4:1-2(v13)Hear Yahweh’s word, you children of Israel; for Yahweh has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, nor…
Amos 2:6-7(v15)Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous…
Amos 4:1(v14)Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their…
Amos 8:4-6(v15)Hear this, you who desire to swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail, Saying, ‘When will the new moon be gone, that we…
James 2:6(v14)But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
Job 24:2-7(v14)There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless,…
Job 34:23(v14)For he doesn’t need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment.
Psalms 12:5(v13)“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety…
Proverbs 22:22-23(v13)Don’t exploit the poor, because he is poor; and don’t crush the needy in court; for Yahweh will plead their case, and plunder the life of…
Proverbs 23:10-11(v13)Don’t move the ancient boundary stone. Don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong. He will plead their…
Micah 2:2(v14)They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
Micah 6:10(v14)Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a short ephah that is accursed?
Matthew 21:33(v14)“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in…
Exodus 5:14(v15)The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why haven’t you…
Isaiah 58:4(v15)Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be…
Ezekiel 18:2(v15)“What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv14–15Meaning, that the rulers and governors had destroyed his…
Meaning, that the rulers and governors had destroyed his Church, and not preserved it, according to their duty.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv13–15Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and…
Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
Ver. 13. The Lord standeth up to plead.] Or, To debate, {Job 9:3 Pro 25:8-9} to argue the case, and to hear pleas. He is content, for the clearing of his justice and conviction of sinners, to submit his courses unto scanning. See Isa 5:3. Iudicate quaeso, Judge, I pray you. {so Jer 2:9} Wherefore I will yet plead with you, and with your children’s children will I plead. But when that is done,
Read full note →
He standeth to judge the people.] And the Lord will enter into judgment. {Isa 3:14} Three various words are here made use of for judgment, to show, saith Oecolampadius, that God hath been, is, and shall be Judge, and that in his judgment, nihil relinquetar inexpensum, nothing shall be left unconsidered.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv13–15The Lord standeth up; he will shortly and certainly…
The Lord standeth up; he will shortly and certainly stand up as a judge, to inquire into the cause, and to give sentence.
To judge the people, i.e. to defend and deliver them, or to judge for them, as this phrase is oft used.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv13–15The Lord standeth up to plead,.... His own cause,…
The Lord standeth up to plead,.... His own cause, or the cause of his son against the Jews that rejected him, and the Scribes and Pharisees that led them to an ill opinion of him:
and standeth to judge the people. Both expressions show indignation and resentment; he rises up out of his place, and stands up in defence of his cause, and avenges himself on a wicked and ungrateful people: it seems to have reference to the judgments of God on the people of the Jews, the tribes of Israel.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv13–14Standeth - He will shortly and certainly stand up…
Standeth - He will shortly and certainly stand up as a judge, to inquire into the cause, and to give sentence. To judge - To defend and deliver them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv13–15Verse 13. The people - "His people"] עמו ammo,…
Verse 13. The people - "His people"] עמו ammo, Septuagint.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn v13Isa 3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead —…
Isa 3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead — He will shortly and certainly stand up as a judge to inquire into the cause, and to give sentence; and standeth to judge the people — To call the wicked into judgment, and to denounce upon them as they deserve; or to defend and deliver his own people, judging for them, as this phrase often means. Will enter into judgment with the ancients — The princes or rulers, as it is explained in the next clause, often called elders, because they were commonly chosen from those that were advanced in years. For ye have eaten up the vineyard — Destroyed, instead of preserving and dressing it, as you should have done. The church and commonwealth of Israel is often called God’s vineyard, and here the vineyard, by way of eminence, intrusted to the care of these rulers. The spoil of the poor is in your houses — The goods which you have violently taken away from them. What mean ye that ye beat my people? — What warrant have ye for it? How durst you presume to do it? and grind the faces of the poor — A strong metaphor to denote grievous oppression; but it is exceeded by the Prophet Mic 3:1-3.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv13–15The Lord standeth up - To “stand up” may…
The Lord standeth up - To “stand up” may mean the same as to “arise.” God would not sit in silence and see their wicked conduct; but he would come forth to inflict on them exemplary and deserved chastisement.
To plead - To “litigate,” to contend with, that is, to condemn, to inflict punishment.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv13–15standeth up--no longer sitting in silence.
standeth up--no longer sitting in silence.
plead--indignant against a wicked people (Isa 66:16; Eze 20:35).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv13–1513. This headlong life of the nation cannot last.
13. This headlong life of the nation cannot last.
The Lord standeth up — He cometh forward (that is the verb’s meaning) after sufficient trial and endurance.
Read full note →
To plead — To litigate, to contend, to inflict punishment.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv13–1513. The verse reads: Jehovah has stationed himself to…
13. The verse reads: Jehovah has stationed himself to plead, and is standing to Judge peoples. Instead of “peoples” LXX. reads “his people” (cf. Deu_32:36), which is easier, since there is nothing to indicate that a world-judgment is contemplated. It is doubtful whether the word can denote the separate tribes of Israel. If the Heb. text be retained, the idea must be that of a general assize, in which Israel is judged first.
13–15. A judgment scene, somewhat loosely connected with what has gone before, but expressing in another form the same sympathy with the oppressed which appears in Isa_3:12. Jehovah, at once accuser and judge, comes to vindicate the cause of the poor against their oppressors.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn v13(13) The Lord standeth up to plead . .…
(13) The Lord standeth up to plead . . .—The people may think that the prophet is their censor. He bids them know that Jehovah is their true accuser and their judge. “Ye,” he says, with all the emphasis of a sudden change of person, as if turning, as he spoke, to the nobles and elders, “ye have devoured the vineyard, ye have spoiled the poor.” (Comp. Isa_5:1-8; Pro_30:12-14.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv13–15The Lord standeth up to plead. The great sin…
The Lord standeth up to plead. The great sin of the time was oppression of the poor by the rich, and especially by the rulers. (Isa_1:15, Isa_1:17, Isa_1:21) In noticing this, the prophet, to give more weight to his denunciation, introduces Jehovah as standing up, and coming forward on the popular side, to plead the people"s cause, and remonstrate with their oppressors. There is great force in this sudden entrance on the scene of Jehovah himself, as Pleader and Judge. And... judge the people; rather, the peoples. Primarily, Israel is God"s care; but he does not stop at this point. All the nations of the earth are also under his protection.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv13–14The Lord standeth up to plead
Isa_3:13-15
The Lord standeth up to plead
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Gods controversy
The management of this controversy.
I. GOD HIMSELF IS THE PROSECUTOR.
II. THE INDICTMENT IS PROVED BY THE NOTORIOUS EVIDENCE OF THE FACT (Isa_3:15).
III. THE CONTROVERSY IS ALREADY BEGUN IN THE CHANGE OF THE MINISTRY. To punish those that had abused their power to ill purposes, God sets those over them that had not sense to use it to any good purposes (Isa_3:12). (M. Henry.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn vv13, 15Isa_3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead, &c.
THE PLEADER AND THE JUDGE
Isa_3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead, &c.
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I. THE PLEADER WHO HERE PRESENTS HIMSELF. Note
1. His majesty. The ancient idea of an advocate was that of a venerable person who would be heard for his own sake, and who would therefore be able to secure for the cause of his clients an attention that would not otherwise he accorded to it. The ideal of a pleader was that of a person noble in birth and blameless in character. To a considerable extent this ideal has been preserved in our English courts of law. A barrister must be a gentleman (at least in this sense, that he has never earned his bread by manual labour), and of good repute as a man of honour. Certain barristers have established such a reputation, not only for ability and learning, but also for character, and are always listened to with respect; happy therefore is the suitor who is able to secure their advocacy. But this Pleader—how august and venerable is He! How infatuated are those who do not stand prepared to listen carefully and respectfully to whatever He may advance!
2. His benevolence. The ancient idea of a pleader was again that of a person who undertook to advocate the cause of another out of a sense of justice and compassion. Advocacy was esteemed too sacred a thing to be purchased with money. In the course of time the practice sprang up of rewarding the exertions of an advocate by an honorarium; but the distinction that still exists between a barrister and an attorney, shows us what the ancient idea of the advocate was. In God this idea is perfectly fulfilled. Without fee or reward, out of pure compassion and justice, He has become “counsel” for the poor and oppressed. Of this fact there is abundant evidence in Scripture, and surely it should kindle within us admiration and love. We justly venerate Howard, Clarkson, Wilberforce—shall we not still more greatly honour God, who stoops to regard them that are of low degree, and becomes the advocate of those who have no other friend?
3. His earnestness. The advocate is supposed to make the cause of his client for the time being his own. Often the supposition is realised in a remarkable degree. But in God it is perfectly realised. The oppressed for whom He pleads He speaks of, not merely as “these people,” but as “my people.” In all their afflictions He is afflicted. However frequently men may forget it, He remembers that He is the Father of all mankind, and the wrongs of His children He feels to be His wrongs; the feebler they are, the less able they are to defend themselves, the more do their wrongs wound Him, and provoke Him to anger—This is the Advocate who stands up to plead for the oppressed. Will the oppressors be so infatuated as to turn a deaf ear to His pleading? Let those who are tempted to do so pause, and consider
II. THAT HE WHO NOW PLEADS BEFORE THEM WILL BE THEIR JUDGE. An astonishing reversal of circumstances is about to take place: the Advocate is about to ascend the judicial bench, and those before whom He pleads are to stand at His bar. He has announced beforehand the principles upon which then He will proceed.
1. He will have no regard to rank. He will “enter into judgment with the ancients and princes.” In many countries, great criminals have been able to defy the judge; but none shall be able to defy this Judge [562]
2. He will pronounce mere indifference to want and suffering a crime (Mat_25:42-45).
3. Those who have inflicted suffering He will judge upon the strict rule of retribution, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Jas_2:13).
[562] Justice, when equal scales she holds, is blind,
Nor cruelty nor mercy change her mind.
When some escape for that which others die,
Mercy to those, to these is cruelty:
A fine and slender net the spider weaves:
Which little and slight animals receives;
And if she catch a summer bee or fly,
They with a piteous groan and murmur die;
But if a wasp or hornet she entrap,
They tear her cords, like Sampson, and escape;
So, like a fly, the poor offender dies;
But like the wasp, the rich escapes and flies.
—Sir John Denham.
In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice,
And oft ’tis seen, the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law. But ’tis not so above:
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In its nature; and we ourselves compell’d,
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence.
—Shakespeare.
By these truths let us be guided in our use of whatever power over others that may have been entrusted to us. Let us hear God proclaiming that the poor are His people, and let us so comport ourselves towards them, that in the end we may come to know the fulness of the meaning of the Master’s declaration, that “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v13Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing…
Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing to accuse the people
Isaiah speaks of Yahweh's decision to harm the people as if Yahweh were bringing a legal accusation in a courtroom against the people of Israel. The second part of this line means the same thing as the first part, but it says it a little more completely. AT: "It is as though Yahweh had taken his place in a courtroom and were ready to accuse the people" (See: Metaphor and Parallelism)
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will come with judgment
Judgment is spoken of as if it were an object that one could bring to another person. AT: "will announce his judgment" or "will declare his judgment" (See: Metaphor)
You have ruined the vineyard
Here "you" refers to the elders and rulers. Yahweh is speaking of his people as if they were a vineyard. Like someone who fails to care for a vineyard so that the vines give no more grapes, the elders and leaders are discouraging the Israelites from serving God. AT: "My people are like a vineyard, and you have ruined it" (See: Forms of You and Metaphor)
the plunder from the poor is in your houses
"the things you have taken from the poor are in your houses"
the poor
This nominal adjective can be stated as an adjective. AT: "those who are poor" (See: Nominal Adjectives)
Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?
Yahweh asks this question in order to accuse the leaders of the people. This accusation can be expressed as a statement. AT: "I am angry with you evil men because you are crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
crush my people
Making people suffer is spoken of as if it were crushing them with a very heavy weight. AT: "cruelly harm my people" (See: Metaphor)
grind the faces of the poor
Making people suffer is spoken of as if it were rubbing their faces into the ground. AT: "harm the poor and make them suffer" (See: Metaphor)
This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts
Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. AT: "this is what the Lord Yahweh of hosts has declared" or "this is what I, the Lord Yahweh of hosts, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv14–15 Meaning, that the rulers and governors had destroyed his…
Meaning, that the rulers and governors had destroyed his Church, and not preserved it, according to their duty.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv13–15 Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and…
Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
Ver. 13. The Lord standeth up to plead.] Or, To debate, {Job 9:3 Pro 25:8-9} to argue the case, and to hear pleas. He is content, for the clearing of his justice and conviction of sinners, to submit his courses unto scanning. See Isa 5:3. Iudicate quaeso, Judge, I pray you. {so Jer 2:9} Wherefore I will yet plead with you, and with your children’s children will I plead. But when that is done,
Read full note →
He standeth to judge the people.] And the Lord will enter into judgment. {Isa 3:14} Three various words are here made use of for judgment, to show, saith Oecolampadius, that God hath been, is, and shall be Judge, and that in his judgment, nihil relinquetar inexpensum, nothing shall be left unconsidered.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord standeth up; he will shortly and certainly…
The Lord standeth up; he will shortly and certainly stand up as a judge, to inquire into the cause, and to give sentence.
To judge the people, i.e. to defend and deliver them, or to judge for them, as this phrase is oft used.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord standeth up to plead,.... His own cause,…
The Lord standeth up to plead,.... His own cause, or the cause of his son against the Jews that rejected him, and the Scribes and Pharisees that led them to an ill opinion of him:
and standeth to judge the people. Both expressions show indignation and resentment; he rises up out of his place, and stands up in defence of his cause, and avenges himself on a wicked and ungrateful people: it seems to have reference to the judgments of God on the people of the Jews, the tribes of Israel.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv13–14 Standeth - He will shortly and certainly stand up…
Standeth - He will shortly and certainly stand up as a judge, to inquire into the cause, and to give sentence. To judge - To defend and deliver them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv13–15 Verse 13. The people - "His people"] עמו ammo,…
Verse 13. The people - "His people"] עמו ammo, Septuagint.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v13 Isa 3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead —…
Isa 3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead — He will shortly and certainly stand up as a judge to inquire into the cause, and to give sentence; and standeth to judge the people — To call the wicked into judgment, and to denounce upon them as they deserve; or to defend and deliver his own people, judging for them, as this phrase often means. Will enter into judgment with the ancients — The princes or rulers, as it is explained in the next clause, often called elders, because they were commonly chosen from those that were advanced in years. For ye have eaten up the vineyard — Destroyed, instead of preserving and dressing it, as you should have done. The church and commonwealth of Israel is often called God’s vineyard, and here the vineyard, by way of eminence, intrusted to the care of these rulers. The spoil of the poor is in your houses — The goods which you have violently taken away from them. What mean ye that ye beat my people? — What warrant have ye for it? How durst you presume to do it? and grind the faces of the poor — A strong metaphor to denote grievous oppression; but it is exceeded by the Prophet Mic 3:1-3.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord standeth up - To “stand up” may…
The Lord standeth up - To “stand up” may mean the same as to “arise.” God would not sit in silence and see their wicked conduct; but he would come forth to inflict on them exemplary and deserved chastisement.
To plead - To “litigate,” to contend with, that is, to condemn, to inflict punishment.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv13–15 standeth up--no longer sitting in silence.
standeth up--no longer sitting in silence.
plead--indignant against a wicked people (Isa 66:16; Eze 20:35).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv13–15 13. This headlong life of the nation cannot last.
13. This headlong life of the nation cannot last.
The Lord standeth up — He cometh forward (that is the verb’s meaning) after sufficient trial and endurance.
Read full note →
To plead — To litigate, to contend, to inflict punishment.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv13–15 13. The verse reads: Jehovah has stationed himself to…
13. The verse reads: Jehovah has stationed himself to plead, and is standing to Judge peoples. Instead of “peoples” LXX. reads “his people” (cf. Deu_32:36), which is easier, since there is nothing to indicate that a world-judgment is contemplated. It is doubtful whether the word can denote the separate tribes of Israel. If the Heb. text be retained, the idea must be that of a general assize, in which Israel is judged first.
13–15. A judgment scene, somewhat loosely connected with what has gone before, but expressing in another form the same sympathy with the oppressed which appears in Isa_3:12. Jehovah, at once accuser and judge, comes to vindicate the cause of the poor against their oppressors.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v13 (13) The Lord standeth up to plead . .…
(13) The Lord standeth up to plead . . .—The people may think that the prophet is their censor. He bids them know that Jehovah is their true accuser and their judge. “Ye,” he says, with all the emphasis of a sudden change of person, as if turning, as he spoke, to the nobles and elders, “ye have devoured the vineyard, ye have spoiled the poor.” (Comp. Isa_5:1-8; Pro_30:12-14.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord standeth up to plead. The great sin…
The Lord standeth up to plead. The great sin of the time was oppression of the poor by the rich, and especially by the rulers. (Isa_1:15, Isa_1:17, Isa_1:21) In noticing this, the prophet, to give more weight to his denunciation, introduces Jehovah as standing up, and coming forward on the popular side, to plead the people"s cause, and remonstrate with their oppressors. There is great force in this sudden entrance on the scene of Jehovah himself, as Pleader and Judge. And... judge the people; rather, the peoples. Primarily, Israel is God"s care; but he does not stop at this point. All the nations of the earth are also under his protection.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv13–14 The Lord standeth up to plead
Isa_3:13-15
The Lord standeth up to plead
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Gods controversy
The management of this controversy.
I. GOD HIMSELF IS THE PROSECUTOR.
II. THE INDICTMENT IS PROVED BY THE NOTORIOUS EVIDENCE OF THE FACT (Isa_3:15).
III. THE CONTROVERSY IS ALREADY BEGUN IN THE CHANGE OF THE MINISTRY. To punish those that had abused their power to ill purposes, God sets those over them that had not sense to use it to any good purposes (Isa_3:12). (M. Henry.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On vv13, 15 Isa_3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead, &c.
THE PLEADER AND THE JUDGE
Isa_3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead, &c.
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I. THE PLEADER WHO HERE PRESENTS HIMSELF. Note
1. His majesty. The ancient idea of an advocate was that of a venerable person who would be heard for his own sake, and who would therefore be able to secure for the cause of his clients an attention that would not otherwise he accorded to it. The ideal of a pleader was that of a person noble in birth and blameless in character. To a considerable extent this ideal has been preserved in our English courts of law. A barrister must be a gentleman (at least in this sense, that he has never earned his bread by manual labour), and of good repute as a man of honour. Certain barristers have established such a reputation, not only for ability and learning, but also for character, and are always listened to with respect; happy therefore is the suitor who is able to secure their advocacy. But this Pleader—how august and venerable is He! How infatuated are those who do not stand prepared to listen carefully and respectfully to whatever He may advance!
2. His benevolence. The ancient idea of a pleader was again that of a person who undertook to advocate the cause of another out of a sense of justice and compassion. Advocacy was esteemed too sacred a thing to be purchased with money. In the course of time the practice sprang up of rewarding the exertions of an advocate by an honorarium; but the distinction that still exists between a barrister and an attorney, shows us what the ancient idea of the advocate was. In God this idea is perfectly fulfilled. Without fee or reward, out of pure compassion and justice, He has become “counsel” for the poor and oppressed. Of this fact there is abundant evidence in Scripture, and surely it should kindle within us admiration and love. We justly venerate Howard, Clarkson, Wilberforce—shall we not still more greatly honour God, who stoops to regard them that are of low degree, and becomes the advocate of those who have no other friend?
3. His earnestness. The advocate is supposed to make the cause of his client for the time being his own. Often the supposition is realised in a remarkable degree. But in God it is perfectly realised. The oppressed for whom He pleads He speaks of, not merely as “these people,” but as “my people.” In all their afflictions He is afflicted. However frequently men may forget it, He remembers that He is the Father of all mankind, and the wrongs of His children He feels to be His wrongs; the feebler they are, the less able they are to defend themselves, the more do their wrongs wound Him, and provoke Him to anger—This is the Advocate who stands up to plead for the oppressed. Will the oppressors be so infatuated as to turn a deaf ear to His pleading? Let those who are tempted to do so pause, and consider
II. THAT HE WHO NOW PLEADS BEFORE THEM WILL BE THEIR JUDGE. An astonishing reversal of circumstances is about to take place: the Advocate is about to ascend the judicial bench, and those before whom He pleads are to stand at His bar. He has announced beforehand the principles upon which then He will proceed.
1. He will have no regard to rank. He will “enter into judgment with the ancients and princes.” In many countries, great criminals have been able to defy the judge; but none shall be able to defy this Judge [562]
2. He will pronounce mere indifference to want and suffering a crime (Mat_25:42-45).
3. Those who have inflicted suffering He will judge upon the strict rule of retribution, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Jas_2:13).
[562] Justice, when equal scales she holds, is blind,
Nor cruelty nor mercy change her mind.
When some escape for that which others die,
Mercy to those, to these is cruelty:
A fine and slender net the spider weaves:
Which little and slight animals receives;
And if she catch a summer bee or fly,
They with a piteous groan and murmur die;
But if a wasp or hornet she entrap,
They tear her cords, like Sampson, and escape;
So, like a fly, the poor offender dies;
But like the wasp, the rich escapes and flies.
—Sir John Denham.
In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice,
And oft ’tis seen, the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law. But ’tis not so above:
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In its nature; and we ourselves compell’d,
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence.
—Shakespeare.
By these truths let us be guided in our use of whatever power over others that may have been entrusted to us. Let us hear God proclaiming that the poor are His people, and let us so comport ourselves towards them, that in the end we may come to know the fulness of the meaning of the Master’s declaration, that “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v13 Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing…
Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing to accuse the people
Isaiah speaks of Yahweh's decision to harm the people as if Yahweh were bringing a legal accusation in a courtroom against the people of Israel. The second part of this line means the same thing as the first part, but it says it a little more completely. AT: "It is as though Yahweh had taken his place in a courtroom and were ready to accuse the people" (See: Metaphor and Parallelism)
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will come with judgment
Judgment is spoken of as if it were an object that one could bring to another person. AT: "will announce his judgment" or "will declare his judgment" (See: Metaphor)
You have ruined the vineyard
Here "you" refers to the elders and rulers. Yahweh is speaking of his people as if they were a vineyard. Like someone who fails to care for a vineyard so that the vines give no more grapes, the elders and leaders are discouraging the Israelites from serving God. AT: "My people are like a vineyard, and you have ruined it" (See: Forms of You and Metaphor)
the plunder from the poor is in your houses
"the things you have taken from the poor are in your houses"
the poor
This nominal adjective can be stated as an adjective. AT: "those who are poor" (See: Nominal Adjectives)
Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?
Yahweh asks this question in order to accuse the leaders of the people. This accusation can be expressed as a statement. AT: "I am angry with you evil men because you are crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
crush my people
Making people suffer is spoken of as if it were crushing them with a very heavy weight. AT: "cruelly harm my people" (See: Metaphor)
grind the faces of the poor
Making people suffer is spoken of as if it were rubbing their faces into the ground. AT: "harm the poor and make them suffer" (See: Metaphor)
This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts
Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. AT: "this is what the Lord Yahweh of hosts has declared" or "this is what I, the Lord Yahweh of hosts, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
translationWords
Yahweh
judge
elder
vineyard
lord
Yahweh of hosts
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv13–15 3:13 The Lord is both the prosecutor and the…
3:13 The Lord is both the prosecutor and the supreme judge in this trial against his people.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.