John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 3:5

"And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable." — Isaiah 3:5 (ASV)

The people will oppress every man his neighbor. He describes the utmost confusion that was about to overtake the Jews when order was destroyed or relaxed; and this will happen to all nations as soon as government is removed or falls to the ground.

We know how great the wantonness of the human mind is, when everyone is driven by ambition and, in short, how furious lawless passions are when they are unrestrained. There is no reason, therefore, to wonder if, when the seats of judgment have been overthrown, everyone insults their neighbor, cruelty abounds, and licentiousness rages uncontrollably.

If we considered this wisely, we would set a higher value on the kindness of God, when He preserves us in any tolerable condition and does not allow us to be lamentably ruined. Therefore, it is evident that those who direct or apply their minds to undermine the foundations of civil government are the open enemies of mankind, or rather, they are in no way different from wild beasts.

But this confusion described by the Prophet is most disgraceful: a child shall dare to insult an old man, and the dregs of a low and despised multitude shall rise up against nobles and men of high reputation. For it is the most preposterous of all things that modesty shall be cast aside, so that those who were worthy of veneration shall be treated with contempt. And yet this spectacle, so shameful and revolting, must inevitably be witnessed when civil government has been overthrown. Regarding my translation of the verb נגש (niggash) in an active sense, to oppress, I was compelled to adopt it, because otherwise the meaning of the passage would have been incomplete.