What does Isaiah 3:2 mean?
The previous chapter ends with this warning from Isaiah to God's unfaithful people in Judah and Jerusalem: "Stop trusting in mere humans" (Isaiah 2:22 NIV).The people of the Lord have been unfaithful to Him. They have been putting their trust in everything except the Lord (Isaiah 2:12–18). Isaiah now says that all men of any consequence in Judah will be removed.
His list of those who will be removed begins with the "mighty man and the soldier;" these are the "hero and the warrior" in the NIV translation. These are the military men, the fighters: the ones who stand in the gap during times of trouble. They will be absent in this time to come.
Also missing will be the judge and the elder. These are the political leaders who provide practical wisdom, make hard decisions, and resolve disputes between the people. The prophet and the diviner will also be gone, those who provide spiritual direction and connection to the Lord. Diviners may also refer to the men that the people turned to for ungodly, forbidden spiritual direction. Even those would be taken away.
This removal of leadership from Jerusalem took place very specifically when Judah and Jerusalem were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon (2 Kings 24:14). All officials and "mighty men" and craftsmen were removed. Only the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak remained. Anyone of use or value, in the eyes of the enemy, was captured or killed.
