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Isaiah 3:8 English Standard Version

For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.

Was Isaiah declaring a fact here or prophesying about the future?

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    Do you mean Jerusalem had 'fallen' morally by becoming "haughty" ( גָֽבְהוּ֙ ) / they-exalted [themselves] ? - [Isaiah 3:24] explains what consequences would occur regarding vain & indulgent lifestyles (at the expense of others; Isaiah 3:14-15 ).
    – חִידָה
    Oct 26 '20 at 16:06
  • Whatever Isaiah mean by his word "fallen" is fine by me.
    – Tony Chan
    Oct 26 '20 at 16:15
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If we accept the statement in Isa 1:1, "that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah"; then it must necessarily be well before the fall of Jerusalem chronologically.

The Judean Kings all reigned in Jerusalem and following Hezekiah several more kings reigned, namely, Manesseh, Amnon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoikim, Jehoichin, , and Zedekiah.

the time between the end of Hezekiah's reign (about 686 BC) and the final destruction of of Jerusalem (about 586 BC) was about 100 years. That is, Isaiah was dead well before the sieges of Jerusalem.

An early Jewish tradition suggest that the evil king Manesseh executed Isaiah, but this possibility is not essential to answer the question at hand.

CONCLUSION

Based on the simple chronology of Isaiah itself, Isa 3:8 is therefore a prophecy about what would ultimately happen to Jerusalem because of the moral decadence of the people and its leadership.

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Isaiah 3:8 New International Version

Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.

New Living Translation

For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face.

English Standard Version

For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.

3 versions translated into 3 tenses. The original Hebrew is in the perfect tense. It is a special usage of the perfect.

Pulpit Commentary

Jerusalem is ruined; or, has come to ruin - the "perfect of prophetic certainty"

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