In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped. Isaiah 4:2
And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy–everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. Isaiah 4:3
The Branch of the Lord
After the judgment has passed, Isaiah promises that a “Branch of the Lord” will be beautiful and glorious.” Many prophets use this term, Branch, to identify Messiah. The word emphasizes his origin in David’s line and his title to the promised Davidic dynasty. Here Isaiah describes the inauguration of that kingdom. The sinners among Israel have been purged in the preceding judgment; the only survivors assemble in the shelter of the Lord’s glory, which covers the holy city as a radiant canopy.
In this second sermon, then, Isaiah begins with a picture of holiness restored, describes a dreadful but purifying judgment, and concludes with a vision of a Jerusalem under Messiah’s protection.
4:1 in that day: This phrase connects this verse with the preceding unit (3:16-26). The once-proud women of Jerusalem (3:16-23) would have to beg a man to father their children and take away their reproach – the fact that they have no children. Most of the men of Jerusalem would have died in the process of defending the city (3:25).
1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach.”
4:2-6 The Branch The metaphorical title indicates a person to “spring up” or “sprout from” David’s line. 6 OT passages use this term of the coming Messiah (Isa. 4:2, 11:1, Jer. 23:5, 33:15, Zech. 3:8, 6:12). In them the Messiah is associated with washing away the sins of God’s people “in a single day” (Zech. 3:9) and with the kingdom glory to follow The Branch, empowered by the Spirit, is to bring justice and righteousness to earth and fulfill the covenant promises given to David.
4:2-6 The prophecy of Zion’s restoration has three parts: 1. The Branch of the Lord will be glorious; 2. The remnant will be sanctified; 3. The Lord will provide a protective covering over Mt. Zion.
2 In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped. 3 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy–everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, 5 then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. 6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
4:2 In that day speaks of the future revelation of the glory of the Lord on the earth. The Branch of the Lord has the double sense of the earth yielding its fruit and of Christ yielding spiritual fruit. Because Christ humbled Himself, He will be crowned with glory. Beautiful and glorious: Together the words indicate “dazzling beauty.” The reign of Jesus the King of Creation will be marked by plenty. The earth will be released from its curse, producing all that God intended it to produce in the beginning.
4:3 recorded: The record of births in Jerusalem may be related to the heavenly “book.”
3 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy — everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
4:4 Spirit could mean wind (the hot searing wind of fire), the human spirit, or the Holy Spirit. All three may be intended. The spirit of judgment… burning means “a fiery judgment.” Through the processes of a purging fire, which outwardly consumes the faithless and inwardly purifies the faithful, God will produce a holy city.
4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning,
4:5 Create is something only God can do; the word also suggests a divine “refashioning.” Cloud and smoke recalls God’s protective presence at the Red Sea, on the tabernacle, and in the wilderness. Here the phrase symbolizes His protective covering over the restored and sanctified Mt. Zion. The glory of Mt. Zion in the messianic age will be bestowed by God Himself.
5 then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering.
4:6 Over the cloud and smoke on each dwelling will be the overshadowing tabernacle, symbolizing God’s protection of and communion with His people.
6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
4 1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Jerusalem’s Glorious Future
2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful [1] and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. 3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence (covering in NKJV). 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
