John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 4:1

"And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach." — Isaiah 4:1 (ASV)

In that day shall seven women take hold of one man. He pursues the same subject, and unquestionably this discourse is immediately connected with what precedes it. This verse certainly should not have been separated from the preceding one. By this circumstance, he describes more fully the nature of that desolation and calamity which he had formerly threatened against the Jews.

For hypocrites, unless the threatening is expressed in strong terms, either disregard or downplay warnings, so that God’s severity never produces its proper effect on them. From the effect, therefore, he describes the appalling nature of the approaching calamity, so that they may not indulge the hope of making an easy escape. It is as if he had said, “Do not imagine that it will be of moderate extent, lessening your numbers only to a small degree; for utter destruction awaits you, so that hardly one man will be found for seven women.”

The phrase take hold of conveys the same meaning. It is, no doubt, inconsistent with female modesty that a woman should, of her own accord, offer herself to a man. But the Prophet says that not only will they do this, but that seven women will, as it were, lay hands on a man and keep hold of him; so small will be the number of men.

The greatness of the calamity is likewise denoted by what immediately follows: we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel. For as it is a duty that belongs to a husband to support his wife and family, the women ask for a husband for themselves on unreasonable conditions when they release him from all responsibility for supplying them with food.

Very great, therefore, must be the scarcity of men when a great number of women, laying aside modesty, are not only compelled to solicit one man but also do not shrink from the agreement to procure their own food, requesting nothing more from a husband than to accept them in marriage.

Let thy name be called on us. It may be rendered, Let us be called by thy name; for when a woman passes into the family of her husband, she is called by his name and loses her own, because the husband is her head (1 Corinthians 11:3). Hence the veil is a token of subjection, and Abimelech said to Sarah,

Thy husband Abraham shall be a covering to thy head (Genesis 20:16).

But if she remains unmarried, she is concealed under the name of her family. That this is the true meaning of that mode of expression is sufficiently evident from what Jacob says when blessing his grandchildren,

Let my name, and the name of my fathers,
Abraham and Isaac, be called on them (Genesis 48:16).

That is, “Let them be reckoned as our descendants, and let them be partakers of the covenant, and never excluded from it, as Esau and Ishmael were.” In the same manner, heathen writers also speak; as, in Lucan, Marcia, wishing to return to Cato, says: “Grant me only the bare name of marriage; let permission be given that it may be inscribed on my tomb, Marcia the wife of Cato.”

And take away our reproach. Their reason for saying so is that women are sometimes treated with disdain when they do not obtain husbands, not only because they appear to be despised as unworthy, but also because among the ancient people offspring was considered an important blessing.

Therefore, the Prophet says that they will be desirous of wiping away this reproach and will employ every argument for that purpose. Lastly, he declares that the calamity will be so great that almost all the men will be carried off.