Isaiah 4

Isaiah 4 concludes the section of Isaiah spanning chapters 2–4, which addresses the judgment and restoration of Jerusalem and Judah. Isaiah 3 rebukes the luxury of the daughters of Zion and foretells that the mighty men will fall in battle. Chapter 4 describes the consequences of that judgment and announces the restoration that lies beyond it.

Outline

• Verse 1 In that day, because men are scarce, seven women take hold of one man. They offer to provide their own food and clothing and ask only to be called by his name so that their reproach may be taken away.
• Verses 2–4 The branch of the LORD and the fruit of the earth will be beautiful and glorious for those of Israel who have escaped. Among those who remain in Zion and Jerusalem, everyone who is "written among the living" (that is, whose name is recorded in the register of those who will live) will be called holy. The Lord will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purge the blood of Jerusalem by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning.
• Verses 5–6 The LORD will create over Mount Zion and over all her assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. A canopy will cover the glory, serving as a shade from the heat and as a refuge and covert from storm and rain.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 4:2, "In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious": the most widely discussed expression in the interpretation of this chapter.
• Isaiah 4:3, "shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem": a verse that expresses the book of Isaiah's concept of the remnant.
• Isaiah 4:5, "a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night": an image of restoration that recalls the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in the wilderness during the Exodus.

People and Places

• Zion: the mount on which the Jerusalem temple stood. Here it denotes both the place where God dwells and the restored community.
• Jerusalem: the capital of Judah, presented as the city to be purified after judgment.
• The daughters of Zion: the women of Jerusalem. Rebuked for their luxury in chapter 3, they become the recipients of cleansing in chapter 4.

Points for Reflection

• Because verse 1 is connected in content to the judgment scene at the end of chapter 3, many commentators read it as the conclusion of chapter 3.
• "The branch of the LORD" is a poetic expression paired with "the fruit of the earth." For this reason, some interpreters take it to refer to the abundance of the restored land or to the surviving people. Others, noting that "Branch" serves as a title for a king of David's line in passages such as Jeremiah 23:5 and Zechariah 3:8, read it as a messianic prophecy. In Christian tradition, interpretations connecting the phrase with Christ are widespread.
• Being "written among the living" is often read in connection with the New Testament concept of the book of life.
• The canopy and shade of verses 5–6 are frequently compared with the scene in Revelation 7:9–17, in which God spreads His tabernacle over His people and neither the sun nor any heat strikes them.