John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 3:11

"Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him]; for what his hands have done shall be done unto him." — Isaiah 3:11 (ASV)

Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him. He brings forward this clause as a contrast to the former one. From this, it may be easily inferred what the Prophet's purpose was: namely, to comfort the godly and to terrify the wicked by the judgment of God. For when an uncommonly severe calamity occurs, which attacks all without discrimination, we doubt whether the world is governed by the providence of God or, on the contrary, by blind chance.

For this reason, godly people fear and dread that the same destruction that overtakes the wicked will ruin them also. Others think that it is of no importance whether a person is good or bad, when they see both groups visited by pestilence, war, famine and other calamities. And thus arises the wicked thought that there is no difference between the rewards of the good and of the bad; and in the midst of these gloomy thoughts, carnal appetites lead many to despair.

Therefore, the Prophet shows that the judgment of God is right, so that people may continue to fear God and may be aware that those who, in the expectation of escaping punishment, provoke God, will not go unpunished. He also exhorts them to ascribe to God the praise of justice, as if he were saying, “Do not think that blind chance rules in the world, or that God punishes with blind violence and without any regard to justice, but hold it as a principle fully settled in your minds that it shall be well with the righteous man, for God will repay him what He has promised and will not disappoint him of his hope. On the other hand, believe that the condition of the wicked man will be most wretched, for he brings on himself the evil which must eventually fall on his head.”

By these words, the Prophet at the same time charges the people with stupidity for not perceiving the judgment of God, for they suffered the punishments of their crimes and yet hardened themselves under them, as if they were completely devoid of feeling. Now, nothing worse can happen to us than to be hardened against discipline and not perceive that God is disciplining us. When we suffer from such stupidity, our case is almost hopeless.