Isaiah 22:3

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All your rulers have fled together,captured without a bow.All your fugitives were captured together;they had fled far away.

Hebrew Names Version
All your rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all who were found of you were bound together; they fled afar off.

King James Version
All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

English Standard Version
All your leaders have fled together; without the bow they were captured. All of you who were found were captured, though they had fled far away.

New American Standard Bible
All your rulers have fled together, And have been captured without the bow; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.

New Century Version
All your leaders ran away together, but they have been captured without using a bow. All you who were captured tried to run away before the enemy came.

Amplified Bible
All your leaders have fled together [with your king], And have been captured without the bow [which they had thrown away]; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.

World English Bible
All your rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all who were found of you were bound together; they fled afar off.

Geneva Bible (1587)
All thy princes shal flee together from the bowe: they shalbe bound: all that shall be found in thee, shall be bound together, which haue fled from farre.

Legacy Standard Bible
All your rulers have fled together,And have been captured without the bow;All of you who were found were captured together,Though they had fled far away.

Berean Standard Bible
All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together, having fled to a distant place.

Contemporary English Version
Your leaders ran away, but they were captured without a fight. No matter how far they ran, they were found and caught.

Complete Jewish Bible
All your leaders fled together and were captured without the use of a bow; all from you who were found were captured, even though they had fled far away.

Darby Translation
All thy rulers have fled together, they are taken prisoners without the bow: all that are found of thee are made prisoners together; they were fleeing far off.

Easy-to-Read Version
All your officers ran away together, but they have all been captured without bows. All the leaders ran away together, but they were found and captured.

George Lamsa Translation
All your princes are fled together, they are surrounded by the archers; all that were found in you are bound together; they have fled to far off places.

Good News Translation
All your leaders ran away and were captured before they shot a single arrow.

Lexham English Bible
All of your rulers have fled together without a bow; all of you who were found were captured. They were captured together; they had fled far away.

Literal Translation
All your rulers fled together; they were bound without the bow; all found in you were bound together; they have fled from afar.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For all thy captaynes gat them to their horses from the ordinaunce, yee they are altogether rydden awaye, and fled farre of.

American Standard Version
All thy rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all that were found of thee were bound together; they fled afar off.

Bible in Basic English
All your rulers Three dots are used where it is no longer possible to be certain of the true sense of the Hebrew words, and for this reason no attempt has been made to put them into Basic English. have gone in flight; all your strong ones have gone far away.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
All thy rulers are fled together, without the bow they are bound; all that are found of thee are bound together, they are fled afar off.

King James Version (1611)
All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which haue fled from farre.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All thy captaynes are fugitiue together, the archers haue taken them prisoners: All they I say that are founde in thee are in captiuitie together, and they also that fled farre of.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
All thy princes have fled, and thy captives are tightly bound, and the mighty men in thee have fled far away.

English Revised Version
All thy rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers: all that were found of thee were bound together, they fled afar off.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Alle thi princes fledden togidere, and weren boundun harde; alle that weren foundun, weren boundun togidere, thei fledden fer.

Update Bible Version
All your rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all that were found of you were bound together; they fled far off.

Webster's Bible Translation
All thy rulers have fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, [who] have fled from far.

New English Translation
All your leaders ran away together— they fled to a distant place; all your refugees were captured together— they were captured without a single arrow being shot.

New King James Version
All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar.

New Living Translation
All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too.

New Life Bible
All your rulers have run away together, and were taken without using the bow. All of you who were found were taken away together, even though you had run far away.

New Revised Standard
Your rulers have all fled together; they were captured without the use of a bow. All of you who were found were captured, though they had fled far away.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All thy ruler, having fled, together, by the bow, are taken captive: All found in thee have been taken captive, together, Far away, have they fled.

Douay-Rheims Bible
All the princes are fled together, and are bound hard: all that were found, are bound together, they are fled far off.

Revised Standard Version
All your rulers have fled together, without the bow they were captured. All of you who were found were captured, though they had fled far away.

Young's Literal Translation
All thy rulers fled together from the bow, Bound have been all found of thee, They have been kept bound together, Afar off they have fled.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All your rulers have fled together, And have been captured without the bow; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.

Contextual Overview

¹A Message concerning the Valley of Vision: What's going on here anyway? All this partying and noisemaking, Shouting and cheering in the streets, the city noisy with celebrations! You have no brave soldiers to honor, no combat heroes to be proud of. Your leaders were all cowards, captured without even lifting a sword, A country of cowards captured escaping the battle. ⁴In the midst of the shouting, I said, "Let me alone. Let me grieve by myself. Don't tell me it's going to be all right. These people are doomed. It's not all right." For the Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is bringing a day noisy with mobs of people, Jostling and stampeding in the Valley of Vision, knocking down walls and hollering to the mountains, "Attack! Attack!" Old enemies Elam and Kir arrive armed to the teeth— weapons and chariots and cavalry. Your fine valleys are noisy with war, chariots and cavalry charging this way and that. God has left Judah exposed and defenseless. You assessed your defenses that Day, inspected your arsenal of weapons in the Forest Armory. You found the weak places in the city walls that needed repair. You secured the water supply at the Lower Pool. You took an inventory of the houses in Jerusalem and tore down some to get bricks to fortify the city wall. You built a large cistern to ensure plenty of water. You looked and looked and looked, but you never looked to him who gave you this city, never once consulted the One who has long had plans for this city. The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, called out on that Day, Called for a day of repentant tears, called you to dress in somber clothes of mourning. But what do you do? You throw a party! Eating and drinking and dancing in the streets! You barbecue bulls and sheep, and throw a huge feast— slabs of meat, kegs of beer. "Seize the day! Eat and drink! Tomorrow we die!" God -of-the-Angel-Armies whispered to me his verdict on this frivolity: "You'll pay for this outrage until the day you die." The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, says so. The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, spoke: "Come. Go to this steward, Shebna, who is in charge of all the king's affairs, and tell him: What's going on here? You're an outsider here and yet you act like you own the place, make a big, fancy tomb for yourself where everyone can see it, making sure everyone will think you're important. God is about to sack you, to throw you to the dogs. He'll grab you by the hair, swing you round and round dizzyingly, and then let you go, sailing through the air like a ball, until you're out of sight. Where you'll land, nobody knows. And there you'll die, and all the stuff you've collected heaped on your grave. You've disgraced your master's house! You're fired—and good riddance! "On that Day I'll replace Shebna. I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I'll dress him in your robe. I'll put your belt on him. I'll give him your authority. He'll be a father-leader to Jerusalem and the government of Judah. I'll give him the key of the Davidic heritage. He'll have the run of the place—open any door and keep it open, lock any door and keep it locked. I'll pound him like a nail into a solid wall. He'll secure the Davidic tradition. Everything will hang on him—not only the fate of Davidic descendants but also the detailed daily operations of the house, including cups and cutlery. "And then the Day will come," says God -of-the-Angel-Armies, "when that nail will come loose and fall out, break loose from that solid wall—and everything hanging on it will go with it." That's what will happen. God says so.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thy rulers: Isaiah 3:1-8, 2 Kings 25:4-7, 2 Kings 25:18-21, Jeremiah 39:4-7, Jeremiah 52:24-27

by the archers: Heb. of the bow

Reciprocal: Psalms 18:35 - gentleness Jeremiah 4:9 - that the heart

Cross-References

Genesis 17:23
Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all his servants, whether houseborn or purchased—every male in his household—and circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins that very day, just as God had told him.

Genesis 21:14
Abraham got up early the next morning, got some food together and a canteen of water for Hagar, put them on her back and sent her away with the child. She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba. When the water was gone, she left the child under a shrub and went off, fifty yards or so. She said, "I can't watch my son die." As she sat, she broke into sobs.

Genesis 22:3
Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come back to you."

Genesis 22:19
Then Abraham went back to his young servants. They got things together and returned to Beersheba. Abraham settled down in Beersheba.

Hebrews 11:8
By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All thy rulers are fled together,.... Either the rulers of Jerusalem, civil and ecclesiastical, that should have been at the head of the people, and have encouraged them, fled together to the housetops, or to the temple and strongholds; or the generals and officers of their militia, one and all of them fled, as if they had done it by joint consultation and consent; or the rulers of the several cities of Judea, which, when invaded by Sennacherib, stayed not to defend them, but left them and fled:

they are bound by the archers; or, "from the bow" m; from using it; were in such a consternation, and under such a panic, that they had no strength nor heart to draw the bow, but were as if they were bound, and held from it: or for fear of the bow, or the archers in the Assyrian army, and therefore fled from them, as the Tigurine version renders it, joining it to the preceding clause, "they fled from the bow, they are bound"; or, as Ben Melech, for fear of the bow, they delivered themselves up, and were bound; so Aben Ezra:

all that are found in thee are bound together; that is, from the bow, as before; not only the princes, but the common people. These clauses have led many interpreters to conclude that this must be understood of the taking of the city by Nebuchadnezzar, when Zedekiah was bound in chains, and carried to Babylon, Jeremiah 52:11:

[which] have fled from far; from the furthest part of the land of Judea to Jerusalem, for shelter and safety.

m מקשת "ab arcu", Vatablus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All thy rulers are fled together - The general idea in this verse is plain. It is designed to describe the consternation which would take place on the approach of the invader, and especially the timidity and flight of those on whom the city relied for protection and defense. Hence, instead of entering calmly and firmly on the work of defense, no inconsiderable part of the rulers of the city are represented as fleeing from the city, and refusing to remain to protect the capital. The word rendered ‘thy rulers’ (קציניך qitsiynayik) denotes either the civil rulers of the city, or military leaders. It is most usually applied to the latter Joshua 10:24; Judges 11:6, Judges 11:11; Daniel 11:18, and probably refers here to military commanders.

They are bound by the archers - Hebrew as in the margin, ‘Of the bow.’ There has been a great variety in the interpretation of this passage. The Septuagint reads it, Σκληρῶς δεδεμένοι εἰσί sklērōs dedemenoi eisi - ‘And the captives are bound with severity.’ The Chaldee, ‘And the captives migrate from before the extending of the bow.’ Jarchi renders it, ‘Who from the fear of arrows were bound so that they shut themselves up in the city.’ Houbigant and Lowth render it, ‘They are fled from the bow,’ reading it הסרוּ hâs^erû instead of the present Hebrew text אסרוּ 'usrû, but without the slightest authority. Vitringa renders it, ‘They were bound from treading, that is, extending, or using the bow;’ or ‘They were bound by those who tread, that is, use the bow;’ indicating that they were so bound that they could not use the bow in defense of the city. I think that the “connection” here requires that the word אסרוּ 'usrû should be used in the sense of being “bound” or influenced by fear - they were so intimidated, so much under the influence of terror, so entirely unmanned and disabled by alarm, that they could not use the bow; or this was caused “by” the bow, that is, by the bowmen or archers who came to attack the city. It is true that no other instance occurs in which the word is used in precisely this sense, but instances in abundance occur where strong passion is represented as having a controlling or disabling influence over the mind and body; where it takes away the energy of the soul, and makes one timid, feeble, helpless, as if bound with cords, or made captive. The word אסר 'âsar commonly means to bind with cords, or to fetter; to imprison Genesis 42:24; Jdg 16:5; 2 Kings 17:4 : to yoke 1 Samuel 6:7, 1 Samuel 6:10; and then to bind with a vow Numbers 30:3. Hence, it may mean to “bind” with fear or consternation.

Which have fled from far - That is, either they have fled far away; or they had fled from far in order to reach Jerusalem as a place of safety. Probably the latter is the sense.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 22:3. All thy rulers - are bound by the archers - "All thy leaders - are fled from the bow"] There seems to be somewhat of an inconsistency in the sense according to the present reading. If the leaders were bound, אסרו usseru, how could they flee away? for their being bound, according to the obvious construction and course of the sentence, is a circumstance prior to their flight. I therefore follow Houbigant, who reads הסרו huseru, remoti sunt, "they are gone off." גלו galu, transmigraverunt, Chaldee; which seems to confirm this emendation.