What is the meaning of Isaiah 3:5? The people will oppress one another “The people will oppress one another”. • In Isaiah’s day the Lord warns Judah that when He withdraws sound leadership (Isaiah 3:1-4), society will unravel. • Oppression here is not from foreign invaders but from within—citizens turning predatory toward each other, echoing Judges 21:25 where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” • God had commanded, “Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge…love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), yet persistent sin flips that calling upside-down. • Similar internal collapse is seen in Micah 2:1-2; Isaiah 1:17, showing that when reverence for God fades, justice between people soon follows. Man against man “Man against man”. • Isaiah tightens the lens: not just generalized social decay but direct person-to-person hostility. • Genesis 6:11 records a world “filled with violence” before the flood; Isaiah rings the same alarm for his generation. • Jesus cautions that the last days will again mirror such strife (Matthew 24:10-12), reminding us that sin’s natural trajectory is conflict. Neighbor against neighbor “Neighbor against neighbor”. • The breakdown even reaches those who live side by side. The intimacy of neighborly life makes betrayal sting deeper (Proverbs 3:29; Psalm 55:12-14). • God’s design is the opposite: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Isaiah exposes how far Judah has drifted from that command. • Luke 10:29-37 underscores that true covenant faith expresses itself in sacrificial care for the one nearby; Isaiah shows what happens when that love evaporates. The young will rise up against the old “The young will rise up against the old”. • Respect for elders is a biblical hallmark: “You shall rise before the gray head and honor the face of an old man” (Leviticus 19:32). • When youth rebel, social moorings snap. 2 Timothy 3:2 lists being “disobedient to parents” among end-time sins, reflecting the same spirit foretold here. • This is not youthful energy but insubordination; God portrays it as a judgment—He lets prideful hearts have their way and society fractures (Isaiah 3:4). And the base against the honorable “And the base against the honorable”. • “Base” points to the morally worthless, those with no regard for righteousness. When they overpower “the honorable,” moral order is inverted. • Eccles 10:5-7 laments a similar reversal where folly is exalted and nobles are brought low. • 1 Samuel 2:30 reminds that God ultimately honors those who honor Him; Isaiah shows the interim chaos when a nation refuses that principle. • 2 Peter 2:10 describes the arrogant who “despise authority”; Isaiah testifies that such contempt breeds national ruin. Summary Isaiah 3:5 paints a vivid picture of a society under divine judgment: internal oppression, personal conflict, neighborly betrayal, generational rebellion, and moral inversion. Each phrase exposes one more layer of disintegration that follows when a people forsake God’s standards. The verse stands as both historical warning to Judah and timeless caution to every culture: reject the Lord’s leadership and chaos ensues; honor Him, and order, respect, and neighbor-love flourish. |
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