Isaiah 4:1
New International Version
In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

New Living Translation
In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, “Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won’t be mocked as old maids.”

English Standard Version
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.”

Berean Standard Bible
In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

King James Bible
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

New King James Version
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach.”

New American Standard Bible
For seven women will take hold of one man on that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our disgrace!”

NASB 1995
For seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!”

NASB 1977
For seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!”

Legacy Standard Bible
And seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!”

Amplified Bible
And in that day seven women will take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear [and provide] our own clothes; only let us be called by your name; take away our shame [of being unmarried].”

Christian Standard Bible
On that day seven women will seize one man, saying, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothing. Just let us bear your name. Take away our disgrace.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
On that day seven women will seize one man, saying,” We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothing. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace.”

American Standard Version
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.

Contemporary English Version
When this happens, seven women will grab the same man, and each of them will say, "I'll buy my own food and clothes! Just marry me and take away my disgrace."

English Revised Version
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saving, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When that day comes, seven women will grab one man and say, "We'll eat our own food and provide our own clothes. Just let us marry you for your name. Take away our disgrace."

Good News Translation
When that time comes, seven women will grab hold of one man and say, "We can feed and clothe ourselves, but please let us say you are our husband, so that we won't have to endure the shame of being unmarried."

International Standard Version
"At that time, seven women will cling tightly to one man and will make him this offer: 'We'll provide our own bread. We'll provide our own clothes. Just let us marry you so we won't be stigmatized anymore.'"

Majority Standard Bible
In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, ?We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!?

NET Bible
Seven women will grab hold of one man at that time. They will say, "We will provide our own food, we will provide our own clothes; but let us belong to you--take away our shame!"

New Heart English Bible
Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, "We will eat our own bread, and wear our own clothing: only let us be called by your name. Take away our reproach."

Webster's Bible Translation
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

World English Bible
Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own clothing. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our reproach.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And seven women have taken hold on one man, "" In that day, saying, “We eat our own bread, "" And we put on our own raiment, "" Only, let your name be called over us, "" Remove our reproach.”

Young's Literal Translation
And taken hold have seven women on one man, In that day, saying, 'Our own bread we do eat, And our own raiment we put on, Only, let thy name be called over us, Remove thou our reproach.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And seven women shall lay hold upon one man in that day, saying, We will eat our bread, and we will be clothed with our garments: only thy name shall be called upon us to take away our reproach.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
AND in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, take away our reproach.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And seven women will take hold of one man, in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothing, only let us be called by your name, so as to take away our reproach.”

New American Bible
Seven women will take hold of one man on that day, saying: “We will eat our own food and wear our own clothing; Only let your name be given us, put an end to our disgrace!”

New Revised Standard Version
Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes; just let us be called by your name; take away our disgrace.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
AND in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And seven women shall seize one man in that day, and they shall say to him: “We will eat our bread and we will wear our clothes, only let us be called by your name and take away our shame!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying: 'We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own raiment: only let thy name be called upon us, and take away our reproach.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Remnant in Zion
1In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!” 2On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.…

Cross References
Genesis 30:22-24
Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, / and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. / She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

1 Samuel 1:6-7
Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her. / And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat.

Jeremiah 31:22
How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land—a woman will shelter a man.”

Micah 7:10
Then my enemy will see and will be covered with shame—she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will see her; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.

Ruth 1:11-13
But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands? / Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, / would you wait for them to grow up? Would you refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, it is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”

1 Corinthians 7:39
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.

1 Timothy 5:14
So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.

Matthew 22:30
In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

Luke 20:34-35
Jesus answered, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. / But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:8-9
Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. / But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

1 Corinthians 7:28
But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

1 Corinthians 7:32-34
I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord. / But the married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife, / and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:36-38
However, if someone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married. / But the man who is firmly established in his heart and under no constraint, with control over his will and resolve in his heart not to marry the virgin, he will do well. / So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better.

1 Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. / For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. / Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.


Treasury of Scripture

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.

and in

Isaiah 2:11,17
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day…

Isaiah 10:20
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

Isaiah 17:7
At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.

seven

Isaiah 3:25,26
Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war…

Isaiah 13:12
I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

we will eat

2 Thessalonians 3:12
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

let us be called by thy name.

to take away.

Genesis 30:23
And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

1 Samuel 1:6
And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

Luke 1:25
Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

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Isaiah 4
1. In the extremity of evils, Christ's kingdom shall be a sanctuary.














On that day
This phrase often signifies a prophetic time, a future event of significance in biblical prophecy. In the context of Isaiah, "that day" refers to a time of judgment and subsequent restoration. The Hebrew root for "day" (יוֹם, yom) can denote a literal day or a period marked by a specific event. Here, it suggests a time when the consequences of Israel's disobedience are fully realized, leading to a desperate societal condition.

seven women
The number seven in Hebrew culture often symbolizes completeness or perfection. In this context, it underscores the severity of the situation, where the imbalance between men and women is so pronounced that seven women, representing a complete or overwhelming number, are willing to share one man. This reflects the aftermath of war or judgment, where many men have perished, leaving a disproportionate number of women.

will take hold of one man
The phrase "take hold of" (תַּחֲזֶקְנָה, tachazkenah) implies a forceful or desperate action. It indicates the women's urgent need for social security and protection, which, in ancient Near Eastern culture, was often provided through marriage. The societal collapse has led to a reversal of traditional roles, where women actively seek out a man for survival.

and say
This introduces the women's plea, highlighting their desperation and willingness to forsake traditional marital expectations. The act of speaking here is significant, as it conveys their determination and the gravity of their situation.

We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes
In ancient Israel, a husband's role included providing food and clothing for his wife. By offering to supply their own sustenance and clothing, the women are relinquishing their right to these basic provisions, emphasizing their desperation. This self-sufficiency is a stark departure from cultural norms, underscoring the dire circumstances.

Only let us be called by your name
Being called by a man's name signifies marriage and the associated social status and protection. In Hebrew culture, a name carried identity and belonging. The women's request to be called by the man's name reflects their desire for legitimacy and removal of social shame, even at the cost of traditional marital benefits.

Take away our disgrace!
The word "disgrace" (חֶרְפָּתֵנוּ, cherpatenu) refers to the shame associated with being unmarried or childless, which was significant in ancient Israelite society. The women's plea to have their disgrace removed highlights the cultural importance of marriage and family as sources of honor and security. This reflects a deep yearning for restoration and dignity amidst societal collapse.

IV.

(1) And in that day seven women . . .--The chapter division wrongly separates this verse from the foregoing. It comes as the climax of the chastisement of the daughters of Zion, as the companion picture to Isaiah 3:6. As men sought eagerly, yet in vain, a protector, so women should seek for a husband. Those who had been wooed and courted, and had been proudly fastidious, should supplicate in eager rivalry (the seven women to one man implies a land depopulated by war, and so making polygamy natural) for the protection of marriage, and that not on the usual conditions of having food and clothing found for them (Exodus 21:10), but as working for their own livelihood.

To take away our reproach.--Better, as an imperative, take thou away. The reproach is that of being childless. From the Jewish standpoint that was not only the great sorrow, but the great shame, of womanhood, implying, as men thought, a sin of which it was the chastisement (Genesis 30:23; 1Samuel 1:6; Luke 1:25). . . .

Verse 1. - Seven women shall take hold of one man. This verse has been well called a "companion picture to Isaiah 3:6, 7." As there, in the evil time of God's judgment, the despairing men are represented as" taking hold" of a respectable man to make him their judge, so now the despairing women "take hold" of such a man and request him to allow them all to be regarded as his wives. There has been such a destruction - men are become so scarce - that no otherwise can women escape the shame and reproach of being unwedded and childless. Our own bread will we eat. They do not ask him to support them; they are able and willing to support themselves. To take away; rather, take thou away - the imperative mood, not the infinitive. Our reproach. Children were regarded as such a blessing in the ancient times that to be childless was a misfortune and a subject of reproach. Hagar "despised" the barren Sarai (Genesis 16:4). Her "adversary provoked Hannah sore, because the Lord had shut up her womb" (1 Samuel 1:6). Compare the lament of Antigone, who views it as a disgrace that she descends to the tomb unwed (Soph., 'Antig.,' 11. 813-816). Among the Jews childlessness was a special reproach, because it took away all possibility of the woman being in the line of the Messiah's descent (comp. Isaiah 54:1-4).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
On that
הַהוּא֙ (ha·hū)
Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day
בַּיּ֤וֹם (bay·yō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

seven
שֶׁ֨בַע (še·ḇa‘)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

women
נָשִׁ֜ים (nā·šîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

will take hold
וְהֶחֱזִיקוּ֩ (wə·he·ḥĕ·zî·qū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer

of one
אֶחָ֗ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

man
בְּאִ֣ישׁ (bə·’îš)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

and say,
לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“We will eat
נֹאכֵ֔ל (nō·ḵêl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 398: To eat

our own bread
לַחְמֵ֣נוּ (laḥ·mê·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

and provide
נִלְבָּ֑שׁ (nil·bāš)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 3847: Wrap around, to put on a, garment, clothe

our own clothes.
וְשִׂמְלָתֵ֖נוּ (wə·śim·lā·ṯê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 8071: A dress, a mantle

Just
רַ֗ק (raq)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

let us be called
יִקָּרֵ֤א (yiq·qā·rê)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

by your name.
שִׁמְךָ֙ (šim·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8034: A name

Take away
אֱסֹ֖ף (’ĕ·sōp̄)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

our disgrace!”
חֶרְפָּתֵֽנוּ׃ (ḥer·pā·ṯê·nū)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 2781: Contumely, disgrace, the pudenda


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 4:1 Seven women shall take hold of one (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 3:26
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