כִּי הִנֵּה הָאָדוֹן ה' צְבָאוֹת מֵסִיר מִירוּשָׁלִַם וּמִיהוּדָה מַשְׁעֵן וּמַשְׁעֵנָה כֹּל מִשְׁעַן לֶחֶם וְכֹל מִשְׁעַן מָיִם

For behold, the Lord, Lord of hosts, is removing from Jerusalem and from Judah support and stanchion, anything upon which to rely, such as every support of bread, and every support of water. There will not be enough bread and water. People will not necessarily die of starvation, but they will have no assurance that even their most basic needs will be met.

גִּבּוֹר וְאִישׁ מִלְחָמָה שׁוֹפֵט וְנָבִיא וְקֹסֵם וְזָקֵן

God is also removing the communal leaders of Israel, every valiant one, man of war, judge and prophet, diviner, one who knows or claims to know the future, and every elder, heads of congregations,

שַׂר חֲמִשִּׁים וּנְשׂוּא פָנִים וְיוֹעֵץ וַחֲכַם חֲרָשִׁים וּנְבוֹן לָחַשׁ

leader of fifty, which is an official military position, and esteemed one, person of status, counselor, subtle scholar, one who understands profound and esoteric matters, and insightful expositor, one who can explain ideas calmly and precisely. These various leaders form the basis of a functioning society, despite the fact that they do not necessarily fulfill executive roles. All these will be lost from the people.

וְנָתַתִּי נְעָרִים שָׂרֵיהֶם וְתַעֲלוּלִים יִמְשְׁלוּ בָם

Instead of a social structure where those who are worthy hold leadership positions, I will put children as their princes. Youngsters will take over the government. When the government is unstable, it is often fresh youths who take over. And pranksters will govern them. Those youngsters will subject everyone to their shenanigans; in the best case scenario, they will be mischievous rulers.

וְנִגַּשׂ הָעָם אִישׁ בְּאִישׁ וְאִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ יִרְהֲבוּ הַנַּעַר בַּזָּקֵן וְהַנִּקְלֶה בַּנִּכְבָּד

The people will be oppressed, each man by another and each man by his neighbor. People will push each other out of the way, or they will subjugate one another; the lad will domineer over the elder, and the base over the honorable. This is not a description of complete anarchy, but of a government that cannot govern. The rulers will be a random group of people who hold positions of leadership even though they are not suited for it.

כִּי יִתְפֹּשׂ אִישׁ בְּאָחִיו בֵּית אָבִיו שִׂמְלָה לְכָה קָצִין תִּהְיֶה לָּנוּ וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלָה הַזֹּאת תַּחַת יָדֶךָ

For in addition, a man will take hold of his brother of his father’s house, someone he knows and upon whom he relies, such as the eldest brother of his father’s house, to whom he will say: You have attire; you are wearing fine clothes, a uniform that signifies that you have a certain status, so be our ruler, and this debacle [makhshela] shall be under your hand. Undertake to remedy the failings of this country, city, or neighborhood. It is possible that the prophet is mocking the people by using the word makhshela instead of memshala, government.

יִשָּׂא בַיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר לֹא אֶהְיֶה חֹבֵשׁ וּבְבֵיתִי אֵין לֶחֶם וְאֵין שִׂמְלָה לֹא תְשִׂימֻנִי קְצִין עָם

He, that person, will, on that day, take an oath, or raise his voice, saying: I will not be a ruler because I am unable, and in my house, there is neither bread nor attire. Since I have nothing, I cannot hold a governmental post and care for the people. This refusal is not because of poverty alone, but also due to low self-esteem. One who does not own anything, and feels bereft of wisdom and knowledge, does not believe in his ability to fulfill important roles, and therefore he refuses the offer: You will not place me as a ruler of the people. Do not appoint me a communal official. In other words, even when society has people worthy of positions of authority, those worthy ones evade accepting such responsibility.

כִּי כָשְׁלָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם וִיהוּדָה נָפָל כִּי לְשׁוֹנָם וּמַעַלְלֵיהֶם אֶל ה'לַמְרוֹת עֵנֵי כְבוֹדוֹ

For Jerusalem stumbled and Judah fell, because their speech and their actions are against the Lord. All their deeds and statements with regard to God are designed only to defy the eyes of His glory, to anger Him.

הַכָּרַת פְּנֵיהֶם עָנְתָה בָּם וְחַטָּאתָם כִּסְדֹם הִגִּידוּ לֹא כִחֵדוּ אוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם כִּי גָמְלוּ לָהֶם רָעָה

The expression on their faces speaks against them. One can see from their countenances that they are indifferent to the possibility of improvement, and they recount their sin like Sodom, without dissembling. They are not ashamed of their transgressions. In an orderly society, people will at the very least attempt to deny or conceal their sins. By contrast, in a place of evildoing such as Sodom, they were not afraid of speaking openly of their wickedness. Woe to their soul, for they wrought evil for themselves through their deeds. In this unstable situation, when evil is performed without embarrassment or concern, the people lose all sense of their strength, faith, and destiny.

אִמְרוּ צַדִּיק כִּי טוֹב כִּי פְרִי מַעַלְלֵיהֶם יֹאכֵלוּ

In sum, say of the righteous that they are good, for they will eat the fruit of their actions. The righteous are nourished by the consequences of their deeds.

אוֹי לְרָשָׁע רָע כִּי גְמוּל יָדָיו יֵעָשֶׂה לּוֹ

Woe to the wicked man that he is evil, for the restitution of his hands will be done to him.

עַמִּי — נֹגְשָׂיו מְעוֹלֵל וְנָשִׁים מָשְׁלוּ בוֹ עַמִּי מְאַשְּׁרֶיךָ מַתְעִים וְדֶרֶךְ אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ בִּלֵּעוּ

In this situation, people are dragged along and find no leadership. My people, its oppressors, oppressive leaders, are infantile [me’olel]. Alternatively, this means that they are no better than children, olelim. And women, who generally stand to the side, govern them. My people, your leaders [me’asherekha], who are supposed to straighten [m’yasherim] your paths and instruct you, instead mislead you, and the way of your paths they have corrupted and destroyed.

נִצָּב לָרִיב ה' וְעֹמֵד לָדִין עַמִּים

The Lord is poised to dispute, and stands to judge peoples. God has appeared in order to judge the entire world.

ה' בְּמִשְׁפָּט יָבוֹא עִם זִקְנֵי עַמּוֹ וְשָׂרָיו וְאַתֶּם בִּעַרְתֶּם הַכֶּרֶם גְּזֵלַת הֶעָנִי בְּבָתֵּיכֶם

The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of His people and its princes, to whom He will say the following: You devoured the entire vineyard; you did not give from it the designated gifts for the poor and the Levites. Furthermore, the plunder of the poor is in your houses.

מַה לָּכֶם תְּדַכְּאוּ עַמִּי וּפְנֵי עֲנִיִּים תִּטְחָנוּ נְאֻם ה' אֱלֹהִים צְבָאוֹת

What have you, that you oppress My people Israel, and grind the face of the poor into the ground – the utterance of the Lord, God of hosts.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' יַעַן כִּי גָבְהוּ בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן וַתֵּלַכְנָה נְטוּיוֹת גָּרוֹן וּמְשַׂקְּרוֹת עֵינָיִם הָלוֹךְ וְטָפֹף תֵּלַכְנָה וּבְרַגְלֵיהֶם תְּעַכַּסְנָה

Alongside the prophet’s criticism of the ruling authorities, he harshly reproves the behavior of private individuals and families. Here he castigates the young women. The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, as they try to appear tall. Similar to the modern style of wearing high heels, these women seek to make themselves seem taller by walking in a particular manner, and they walk with outstretched necks and red and blue painted eyes, and they wink at people. Their eyes look in all directions and survey their surroundings, as though they are saying to all: Look at us. This is not a depiction of licentiousness, but of a superficial society, in which the women are focused on displays of fashion and compete among themselves as to who can wear finer clothing and impress people more. And instead of normal steps, they walk with a mincing gait, with small, dancing steps, as women do in many places in order to arouse men, and they strut their feet by moving them about in various ways.

וְשִׂפַּח ה' קָדְקֹד בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן וַה' פָּתְהֵן יְעָרֶה

Since these girls pride themselves on their pretty hair, the Lord will afflict the head of the daughters of Zion with scabs, skin diseases that damage the scalp as well as the hair, and the Lord will bare their private parts. The end result of these fashion processions and displays of beauty will be nakedness, bareness, emptiness, and loss.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יָסִיר ה' אֵת תִּפְאֶרֶת הָעֲכָסִים וְהַשְּׁבִיסִים וְהַשַּׂהֲרֹנִים

On that day of their punishment, the Lord will remove the splendor of the anklets, the bonnets, cloths or decorations worn over the hair, and the crescents, perhaps earrings or other ornaments in the shape of a half-moon. Elsewhere it is stated that crescents were placed on the necks of camels of the kings of Midyan.

הַנְּטִיפוֹת וְהַשֵּׁירוֹת וְהָרְעָלוֹת

The necklaces [netifot],alternatively golden vessels in which nataf, stacte, a type of perfume, is placed, and the bracelets, or rings, and the veils, scarf-like coverings,

הַפְּאֵרִים וְהַצְּעָדוֹת וְהַקִּשֻּׁרִים וּבָתֵּי הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהַלְּחָשִׁים

and the hats, and the armlets [vehatza’adot], which encompass the entire arm, like large rings. Some maintain that these are ornaments for the feet, as tza’ad means step. And the sashes, threads for tying the hair, or ties of sorts, and the lingerie, similar to modern bras. Some explain that these are not bras, but receptacles for fragrant perfumes. And the amulets, ornaments containing amulets and incantations,

הַטַּבָּעוֹת וְנִזְמֵי הָאָף

the rings and the nose-rings,

הַמַּחֲלָצוֹת וְהַמַּעֲטָפוֹת וְהַמִּטְפָּחוֹת וְהָחֲרִיטִים

the robes, the shawls, garments with which women would wrap themselves. According to one opinion, these shawls were small cloths for covering the head, and the kerchiefs, and the purses,

הַגִּלְיֹנִים וְהַסְּדִינִים וְהַצְּנִיפוֹת וְהָרְדִידִים

and the small hand mirrors,or belts, the linens, the turbans, and the decorative scarves.

וְהָיָה תַחַת בֹּשֶׂם — מַק יִהְיֶה וְתַחַת חֲגוֹרָה — נִקְפָּה וְתַחַת מַעֲשֶׂה מִקְשֶׁה קָרְחָה וְתַחַת פְּתִיגִיל מַחֲגֹרֶת שָׂק כִּי תַחַת יֹפִי

Ultimately, nothing will remain of these feminine ornaments:It will be that instead of perfume there will be rot, and instead of a belt, a wound, or a blow. According to the Septuagint, this means a rope. And instead of curls, or styled hair, there will be baldness, and instead of an ornamented belt a sackcloth belt, for these will be what they deserve [ki] instead of beauty. Alternatively, this last phrase means: And a burn [keviya] instead of beauty.

מְתַיִךְ בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ וּגְבוּרָתֵךְ בַּמִּלְחָמָה

And on a different note, your dead, Zion, will fall by the sword, and your mighty, the strength of your warriors, will fail in war.

וְאָנוּ וְאָבְלוּ פְּתָחֶיהָ וְנִקָּתָה לָאָרֶץ תֵּשֵׁב

The dwellers of its gates, of Zion, will lament and mourn, and it will be emptied [nikkata]. This also alludes to the idea that the city will be cleansed, from the word nikkayon, of sin when it is emptied, similar to the images of cleanliness in 4:4. And then Zion will sit on the ground. Sitting on the ground is an expression of the humiliation over, or the mourning for, the bleak state of Judah and Jerusalem upon the collapse of their splendor.