Six examples of leaders are listed in this verse; five more examples will follow in verse 3. The LORD will remove these leaders, just like the bread and water. Each noun here is singular, but they are collective nouns, representing groups of people, so translators can make them plural if required (so Good News Translation). Some of these leaders had honorable professions (soldiers, judges, prophets, community leaders, royal advisers), but God condemned others (diviners, magicians, sorcerers). Regardless of their status, the prophet lists them all to emphasize that Judah’s entire society will be turned upside down.

The mighty man and the soldier: The Hebrew word for mighty man usually refers to a warrior, a person of great physical strength. Such a person may also be a professional soldier, but not necessarily. Where such distinctions are difficult, translators may say “the chief / head / leader of war, and the man of war / soldier [as well].” Bible en français courant has “elite troops and simple soldiers.”

The judge here may well refer to people who administer justice, but it could also refer to those called “judges” in the book of Judges. These “judges” were not in the legal profession but were local leaders who won victory over those who were oppressing parts of Israel. But since the administration of legal justice is often in focus in Isaiah’s prophecies, a rendering in the sense of “judge [in a court of justice]” is legitimate.

The prophet refers to those who brought God’s message to his people. Translators should choose a term that does not focus exclusively on predicting the future. Prophets spoke to their own generation primarily, so the translation should draw attention to their role as God’s spokespersons.

The diviner refers to soothsayers or fortunetellers. They are contrasted with true prophets in Jer 14.14. Although such people and their practices were condemned in Israel (see 2.6), here they are listed as being among the leaders of Judah. This shows just how widespread this kind of illegal activity was. Since the word diviner does not necessarily have a negative meaning here, translating it as “sorcerer” or “magician” is not recommended (if these words have the negative meaning they have in English). It is better to use a neutral word describing someone who predicts the future, often by using special instruments.

The elder renders a general Hebrew word for any person who held a responsible position in the community of Israel. The emphasis is not just on age but also on having a position as a leader in society. The elders were the leaders of families and clans. In a town council they directed the affairs of the community and made sure justice was enforced.

Translators may consider the following ways of listing the leaders in this verse:

• The LORD will remove
strong men and soldiers,
judges and divine messengers,
wizards and elders.

• The LORD will take away
warriors and soldiers,
judges and divine spokespersons,
fortunetellers and [community] leaders.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .