< 2 Nephi 13 >
v. 1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of water -
Context: The Moral Decline of Judah
Isaiah 2 ended with a warning: “Cease ye from man.”
Now, in chapter 3, Isaiah describes what happens when a people forget God — their society collapses from the inside out.
He’s describing Jerusalem and Judah around 740–700 BC, but his imagery also applies to any nation that becomes spiritually proud and self-reliant.
“The Stay and the Staff” — What It Means
The Hebrew words for stay (māšʿen) and staff (māšʿenāh) literally mean supports — like walking sticks or props that hold you up.
They symbolize everything a nation relies on for stability. So when Isaiah says God will “take away the stay and the staff,” he’s saying:
“God will remove the supports that keep your society standing — both material and moral.” He then lists them.
“The Whole Stay of Bread, and the Whole Stay of Water”
That’s the first layer — the basics of physical survival.
Verses 2–3 — Loss of Leadership and Wisdom
Isaiah lists what else will vanish:
“The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient… the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.”
This means:
Verse 4 — Immature Rule
“And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” This doesn’t just mean literal children — it means immature, self-serving leadership: those driven by impulse, not principle; by vanity, not virtue. When God withdraws His sustaining order, people get the leaders that reflect their collective character.
Verses 5–12 — Social Breakdown
Isaiah describes a world turned upside down:
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.”
→ Meaning social roles and structures are confused; wisdom and order are lost.
This isn’t a critique of women per se — it’s a lament about chaos and reversal of moral strength and steadiness in leadership.
Verses 13–15 — The Lord Judges the Oppressors
God stands to judge:
“Ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.” He condemns those who enrich themselves at the expense of the weak — especially leaders who exploit the poor. This is one of Isaiah’s strongest calls for justice and accountability.
Verses 16–24 — The Daughters of Zion
Isaiah then turns to the women of Jerusalem, describing them as proud, vain, and self-indulgent.
This isn’t misogyny — it’s symbolic of Israel’s spiritual vanity.
Just as the “daughters of Zion” adorn themselves with jewels and ornaments, Israel has adorned itself with wealth and pride — forgetting inner holiness. God warns that those external adornments will be stripped away — replaced with mourning and humiliation. “Instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent… and instead of beauty burning.” (v. 24)
Verses 25–26 — The Tragic Result
“Thy men shall fall by the sword… and her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.”
The chapter ends with the image of Jerusalem as a widow — bereft, humbled, sitting in dust.
The glory that once seemed permanent has collapsed because the nation’s spiritual foundation was gone.
Summary:
Context: The Moral Decline of Judah
Isaiah 2 ended with a warning: “Cease ye from man.”
Now, in chapter 3, Isaiah describes what happens when a people forget God — their society collapses from the inside out.
He’s describing Jerusalem and Judah around 740–700 BC, but his imagery also applies to any nation that becomes spiritually proud and self-reliant.
“The Stay and the Staff” — What It Means
The Hebrew words for stay (māšʿen) and staff (māšʿenāh) literally mean supports — like walking sticks or props that hold you up.
They symbolize everything a nation relies on for stability. So when Isaiah says God will “take away the stay and the staff,” he’s saying:
“God will remove the supports that keep your society standing — both material and moral.” He then lists them.
“The Whole Stay of Bread, and the Whole Stay of Water”
That’s the first layer — the basics of physical survival.
- “Bread” and “water” = food supply, economy, prosperity.
- God warns that famine, war, or internal decay will remove even the most basic necessities.
- Bread and water also symbolize spiritual nourishment — God’s word and presence.
- So this means both temporal collapseand spiritual starvation.
Verses 2–3 — Loss of Leadership and Wisdom
Isaiah lists what else will vanish:
“The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient… the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.”
This means:
- Military power (man of war)
- Judicial order (judge)
- Spiritual guidance (prophet)
- Wisdom and maturity (the ancient)
- Skilled labor and artisans
- Civil leadership and eloquence
Verse 4 — Immature Rule
“And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” This doesn’t just mean literal children — it means immature, self-serving leadership: those driven by impulse, not principle; by vanity, not virtue. When God withdraws His sustaining order, people get the leaders that reflect their collective character.
Verses 5–12 — Social Breakdown
Isaiah describes a world turned upside down:
- The young disrespect the old.
- The base exalt themselves over the honorable.
- No one wants responsibility (“I will not be a healer…”).
- “Jerusalem is ruined… because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord.”
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.”
→ Meaning social roles and structures are confused; wisdom and order are lost.
This isn’t a critique of women per se — it’s a lament about chaos and reversal of moral strength and steadiness in leadership.
Verses 13–15 — The Lord Judges the Oppressors
God stands to judge:
“Ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.” He condemns those who enrich themselves at the expense of the weak — especially leaders who exploit the poor. This is one of Isaiah’s strongest calls for justice and accountability.
Verses 16–24 — The Daughters of Zion
Isaiah then turns to the women of Jerusalem, describing them as proud, vain, and self-indulgent.
This isn’t misogyny — it’s symbolic of Israel’s spiritual vanity.
Just as the “daughters of Zion” adorn themselves with jewels and ornaments, Israel has adorned itself with wealth and pride — forgetting inner holiness. God warns that those external adornments will be stripped away — replaced with mourning and humiliation. “Instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent… and instead of beauty burning.” (v. 24)
Verses 25–26 — The Tragic Result
“Thy men shall fall by the sword… and her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.”
The chapter ends with the image of Jerusalem as a widow — bereft, humbled, sitting in dust.
The glory that once seemed permanent has collapsed because the nation’s spiritual foundation was gone.
Summary:
Section |
Meaning |
Stay and Staff Removed |
Loss of physical and spiritual support |
Bread and Water |
Famine, literal and spiritual |
Loss of Leaders |
Collapse of wisdom and stability |
Immature Rulers |
Foolish, vain governance |
Social Chaos |
Breakdown of respect, justice, and roles |
Pride of Zion's daughters |
Vanity and moral decay |
Desolation |
Natural result when a people reject God's sustaining law |
“The stay and the staff” symbolize everything that holds a society together — temporal, moral, and spiritual.
When a people reject God, He allows those supports to fall, so they see what life without Him feels like.
Isaiah’s message is both a warning and an invitation: Come back to the true Stay and Staff — the Lord Himself, the only one who can uphold His people.
When a people reject God, He allows those supports to fall, so they see what life without Him feels like.
Isaiah’s message is both a warning and an invitation: Come back to the true Stay and Staff — the Lord Himself, the only one who can uphold His people.