Isaiah 3:13

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,

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.

Isa_3:13-15

The Lord standeth up to plead

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.

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.

THE PLEADER AND THE JUDGE

Isa_3:13-15. The Lord standeth up to plead, &c.

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

This was how it stood. There was but little to be expected from the exhortations of the prophet; so that he had to come back again and again to the proclamation of judgment. The judgment of the world comes again before his mind. - "Jehovah has appeared to plead, and stands up to judge the nations." When Jehovah, weary with His long-suffering, rises up from His heavenly throne, this is described as "standing up" (kum, Isa 2:19, Isa 2:21; Isa 33:10); and when He assumes the judgment-seat in the sight of all the world, this is called "sitting down" (yashab, Psa 9:5, Joe 3:12); when, having come down from heaven (Mic 1:2.), He comes forward as accuser, this is called "standing" (nizzab or amad, Psa 82:1 : amad is coming forward and standing, as the opposite of sitting; nizzab, standing, with the subordinate idea of being firm, resolute, ready). This pleading (ribh, Jer 25:31) is also judging (din), because His accusation, which is incontrovertible, contains the sentence in itself; and His sentence, which executes itself irresistibly, is of itself the infliction of punishment. Thus does he stand in the midst of the nations at once accuser, judge, and executioner (Psa 7:8). But among the nations it is more especially against Israel that He contends; and in Israel it is more especially against the leaders of the poor misguided and neglected people that He sets Himself.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Though human governments might be overthrown, God still remained a sovereign and a judge, and is here represented as appearing, coming forward, or assuming His position, not only as a judge but as an advocate, or rather an accuser, in both which characters He acts at once, implying that He Who brings this charge against his people has at the same time power to condemn. “Jehovah standeth up to plead, and is standing to judge the nations.” The first verb properly denotes a reflexive act, viz. that of placing or presenting Himself. ‘Nations’ here as often elsewhere means the tribes of Israel. See Gen 49:10; Deu 32:8; Deu 33:3; Deu 33:19; 1Ki 22:28; Isa 1:2.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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)

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.

stands to plead [i.e., to judge the case] of Israel standing, so to speak, so as not to be strict in their judgment.

and stands to judge the nations Heb. ועמד. He delays and dwells on their judgment. This expression of standing means delay.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

The Lord standeth up. Therefore the Lord standeth up. לריב To plead. It is not the noun, ריב the strife, with the preposition ל, but infinitive Hiphil; the same is to be said concerning. לדין To judge.—This verse refers to the punishments to be decreed by Him.

עמים People. A great many; comp Deut. 32:19

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.