Isaiah 22:3

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹This is an oracle concerning the Valley of Vision: What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the rooftops, ²O city of commotion, O town of revelry? Your slain did not die by the sword, nor were they killed in battle. ³All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together, having fled to a distant place.⁴Therefore I said, "Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly! Do not try to console me over the destruction of the daughter of my people." ⁵For the Lord GOD of Hosts has set a day of tumult and trampling and confusion in the Valley of Vision-of breaking down the walls and crying to the mountains. ⁶Elam takes up a quiver, with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovers the shield. ⁷Your choicest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the gates.

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 those born in his household or purchased with his money-every male among the members of Abraham's household-and he circumcised them that very day, just as God had told him.

Genesis 21:14
Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar's shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

Genesis 22:3
So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.

Genesis 22:4
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

Genesis 22:19
Abraham went back to his servants, and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham settled in Beersheba.

Psalms 119:60
I hurried without hesitating to keep Your commandments.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

Matthew 10:37
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;

Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be My disciple.

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.