Isaiah 3:3

The captain of fifty,.... A semi-centurion, such an one as in 2 Kings 1:9.

The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

The captain of fifty; there shall not be a man left able to command and manage fifty soldiers, and much less such as could command hundreds or thousands, which yet were necessary. The honourable man; men of high birth, and place, and power, and reputation. The counsellor; wise and learned statesmen. The cunning artificer, who could make either ornaments for times of peace, or instruments for war; which therefore conquerors took away from those nations whom they subdued, ,20 . The eloquent orator, Heb. the skilful of charm; whereby he understands either, 1. Charmers, whom he threatens to take away, not as if such persons were blessings to a people, or the removing of such were a curse, but only because they made great use of them, and trusted to them. And so he signifies that God would remove all the grounds of their confidence, both right and wrong, and make their case desperate. As, in like manner, and for the same reason, God threatens the Israelites that they should be, as without a sacrifice, so without teraphim, . Or, 2. As most understand it, such as could powerfully persuade, and, as it were, chain that ungovernable beast, the multitude of common people, by their eloquence, to do those things which were necessary for their peace and safety; for this word may be taken in a good sense, as divination is, .

Isaiah 3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.Ver. 3. The captain of fifty.] One of the least and lowest commanders in war; such also shall fail, and therefore all must needs fall to wreck and ruin. This Epaminondas when he was dying foresaw at Thebes, and therefore counselled his countrymen to make peace upon any terms. And the honourable.] Heb., The man eminent in countenance; Sept., Yαυμαστον, a man of respect and authority. In the eyes of Augustus Caesar sat such a rare majesty, as a man could hardly endure to behold them without closing of his own. And the cunning artificer.] Such as was Hiram, whom for honour’ s sake Solomon called father; Archimedes, and such others who are of great use to a State, for making of engines and instruments. And the eloquent orator.] Heb., Skilled in charms. Quintilian describes an orator thus: Vir bonus dicendi peritus, A good man well spoken. Ille regit dictis animos et pectora mulcet, He carrieth the people which way he pleaseth. The Athenians called such δημαγωγους, and set a high price upon them, as they did on Pericles, Demosthenes, Phocion, &c. Plutarch. Intelligentem, meditatam et gravem orationem. - Oecolamp.

(3) The captain of fifty, and the honourable man.—The first title implies a division like that of Exo 18:21, of which “fifty” was all but the minimum unit. So we have the three “captains of fifty” in 2 Kings 1:9-15. The “honourable man” (literally, eminent in countenance) would seem to occupy a position in the civil service of the State analogous to that of the “captain of fifty” in the military. The counsellor, and the cunning artificer.—From the modern stand-point the two classes seem at opposite extremes of the social order. The latter, however (literally, masters in arts), would seem to have occupied a higher position in the East, like that of military or civil engineers or artists with us. So in 2 Kings 24:14, Jeremiah 24:1, the “craftsmen and the smiths” are grouped with the “men of might” who were carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, and contrasted with the poor who were left behind. The military works of Uzziah had doubtless given a prominence to the “cunning men” who were employed on them (2 Chronicles 26:15). By some critics, however, the word is taken as equal to “magician.” The eloquent orator.—Literally, skilled in speech. The Authorised Version suggests the idea of the power of such skill in controlling the debates of popular assemblies. Here, however, the thought is rather that of one who says the right words at the right time; or possibly the enchanter who has his formulæ (the word implies the whisper of incantations, as in Isaiah 8:19) ready at command for all occasions.

3. honourable man] lit. “man of respect”; either one high in the king’s favour (2 Kings 5:1) or a man of good social standing, without official rank (Job 22:8). cunning artificer] lit. “skilled in arts.” It is disputed whether the arts in question are mechanical or magical; hence the alternative “charmer “in R.V. marg. At all events eloquent orator should be skilful enchanter (R.V.).

The captain of fifty - By this was probably denoted an officer in the army. The idea is, that the commanders of the various divisions of the army should be taken away. The honourable man - Hebrew פנים נשׂוּא nes'û' pânı̂ym.

1-7. Cease ye from man is now the order. For behold — Attention is challenged. The Lord — (Ha-Adon.) “The Lord” as sovereign.