Isaiah 4

Chapter Overview

What happens in Isaiah 4

After the devastation described in chapter 3, Isaiah paints a picture of hope. A day is coming when God will cleanse Jerusalem and protect his people with his glorious presence, just as he did with the cloud and fire in the wilderness during the time of Moses.

Scripture

Desperation After Judgment

Study note

This verse completes the thought from chapter 3. So many men will die in war that seven women will grab hold of one man and beg him to marry them. In that culture, being unmarried was a source of great shame. These women are willing to provide for themselves, asking only to carry the man's name, showing how desperate the situation will be.

1 When that day comes, seven women will grab hold of one man and beg, "We will buy our own food and make our own clothes. Let us take your last name. Take away our shame!" 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.

The Branch of the Lord and Future Glory

Study note

The 'Branch of the Lord' is a title that points to the future Messiah, a descendant of David who would bring salvation. After the fire of judgment passes, the survivors left in Jerusalem will be called holy. God will wash away the sins of the people through a spirit of justice and purifying fire. Then God will place a protective cloud over all of Mount Zion, just as he guided the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. This shelter will provide shade from the heat and protection from storms, symbolizing God's constant care for his purified people.

2 When that day comes, the Branch that the Lord grows will be beautiful and full of glory. The fruit of the land will be the pride and joy of Israel's survivors. In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

3 Every person still alive in Zion and still remaining in Jerusalem will be called holy. They are the ones in Jerusalem whose names have been written in the book of life. 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 This will happen after the Lord washes away the filth of Zion's women. He will scrub the bloodstains from Jerusalem. He will use a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. 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 Then the Lord will create something over all of Mount Zion and over everyone who gathers there. There will be a cloud of smoke by day and a bright flame of fire by night. A covering of protection will be over everything. 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.

6 It will serve as a shade from the scorching heat of the day and a safe place to hide from storms and rain. 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.

Key Themes

Themes in Isaiah 4

The branch of the Lord as messianic figurePurification through judgmentGod's protective presence over his peopleThe holy remnant

Prophetic Connections

How this chapter points to Christ

Isaiah 4:2 John 15:1; Revelation 22:16

Isaiah's prophecy of the Branch of the Lord as beautiful and glorious anticipates Jesus, who declared himself the true vine and whom Revelation identifies as the Root and Offspring of David.

Apply This Today

Living Isaiah 4

Even after the most devastating judgment, God preserves a holy remnant and covers them with His presence. His goal in discipline is not destruction but purification. Those who survive the refining fire discover that God's sheltering glory is more than enough.

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