Bible Strands
Isaiah 22:3
All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together, having fled to a distant place.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet addresses the city of revelry, describing the immediate collapse of its leadership during a military breach. The message is delivered at the moment of national destruction, just before the Lord declares He will weep over the ruin of His people.
The words — `קְצִינַיִךְ` (ke.tzi.Na.yi/kh) = your rulers, and `נָדְדוּ` (na.de.du) = they have fled, both emphasize the complete and simultaneous abandonment of the city. `מִקֶּשֶׁת` (mi./Ke.shet) = from a bow literally denotes being captured without the use of archery, indicating surrender or capture before combat.
The thread — The flight of leadership and breach of walls reappears in 2 Kings 25:4 when the Chaldeans surround the city and the men of war flee by night. The systematic removal of officials continues in 2 Kings 25:18 when the captain of the guard takes away the chief priest and other leaders. The removal of civic stability is previously announced in Isaiah 3:1 when the Lord removes the whole supply and support from Jerusalem and Judah.
Why it lands — The text records the factual collapse of command and the failure of escape, demanding recognition that institutional survival is contingent on divine allowance. It requires the reader to assess the reliability of human leadership when confronted with certain judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
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.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 25:4 Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
- 2 Kings 25:18 The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
- Isaiah 3:1 For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of food and water,
- Jeremiah 39:4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah.
- Jeremiah 52:24 The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.