Isaiah 4
ืืฉืขืืื ืคืจืง ืืณ
Section: ื ืืืืื ยท ื ืืืืื ืืืจืื ืื | Book: Isaiah | Chapter: 4 of 66 | Day: 151 of 742
Date: July 12, 2026
ืงืืืื ืขื ืื ืดื
Chapter 4 is one of the shortest chapters in Yeshayahu - a mere six verses - but it sits at a pivot in the bookโs early movement, turning from judgment to consolation almost mid-breath. Its opening verse belongs, in substance, to the prophecy of doom that filled chapter 3. There the prophet described the men of Zion falling by the sword and the daughters of Zion stripped of their finery; here he completes that picture with a haunting image of the warโs aftermath: โseven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, we will eat our own bread and wear our own clothing, only let your name be called upon us - take away our disgrace.โ So many men have fallen in battle that women vastly outnumber them, and the ordinary economics of marriage collapse. The women renounce the husbandโs biblical obligations of food and clothing (sheโer u-kesut), asking only for the dignity of the marriage-name to lift the reproach of remaining unwed. Rashi, Radak, and Metzudat David preserve a midrashic reading (from Eichah Rabbah) that sets the scene under Nevuchadnetzar, who forbade his troops to violate married women - so the women sought at least the nominal status of marriage as protection. The verse is the last, bleak note of the judgment.
With verse 2 the tone reverses entirely, and the reversal is marked by the same phrase that framed the doom - ba-yom ha-hu, โin that day.โ The very day of catastrophe becomes the day of redemption: โin that day the branch of Hashem (tzemach Hashem) shall be for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the land for pride and splendor, for the survivors of Israel.โ The classical commentators divide on the referent of tzemach Hashem. Rashi reads it of the righteous remnant and the sages who survive - the true โbeauty and gloryโ of the people, no longer the vain ornaments chapter 3 catalogued. Metzudat David and Radak, by contrast, understand tzemach Hashem as the Mashiach ben David, the โrighteous branchโ that Yirmiyahu (23:5) promises God will raise up for David - so that the chapterโs consolation reaches all the way to the final redemption. Either way, the axis of the verse is that true glory, after the stripping-away, is no longer external adornment but the flourishing that God Himself brings forth for the sheโerit, the surviving remnant.
The heart of the chapterโs comfort is the transformation of the survivor into the holy. โAnd it shall be that the one remaining in Zion and the one left in Yerushalayim shall be called holy - everyone inscribed for life in Yerushalayimโ (verse 3). What was once a city of bribed judges and haughty women becomes a city where merely to have survived and remained is to be called kadosh. Rashi, following the Targum, extends โinscribed for lifeโ to the World to Come, so that the righteous who died before the redemption are not excluded from Yerushalayimโs holiness. Verse 4 supplies the mechanism: this sanctification comes only after Hashem โhas washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and rinsed the blood of Yerushalayim from her midst, with a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burningโ (ruโach mishpat u-ruโach baโer). The purification is not gentle - it is the same searing judgment of the preceding chapters, now understood as a cleansing fire. The filth (tzoโah) and bloodshed of the guilty city are scoured away by suffering, and only then can the remnant be called holy. Judgment and consolation are revealed to be a single process: the fire that punishes is the fire that purifies.
The chapter closes (verses 5-6) with a vision that deliberately recalls the Exodus. Over the whole site of Mount Zion and its assemblies Hashem will create โa cloud by day and smoke, and the shining of a flaming fire by nightโ - the very pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness, now restored as a permanent canopy (chuppah) of glory over the rebuilt city. Rashi counts seven coverings named in these verses and reads the whole as the Shechinah sheltering the people; Radak adds that whereas the cloud of glory once rested only on the Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash, in the future it will rest upon the homes of the sages and the righteous throughout Zion. The final verse makes the canopyโs function tender and concrete: โit shall be a shelter (sukkah) for shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and hiding-place from storm and rain.โ The chapter that began with women pleading to have a reproach removed ends with God Himself spreading a wedding-canopy over Zion - the disgrace of verse 1 answered, across six verses, by the sheltering glory of the Divine Presence.
ืคืจืง ืืณ ยท Chapter 4
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 1
Hebrew:
ืึฐืึถืึฑืึดึฉืืงืึผึฉ ืฉืึถึจืึทืข ื ึธืฉืึดึืื ืึผึฐืึดึฃืืฉื ืึถืึธึื ืึผึทืึผึคืึนื ืึทืืึผืึ ืึตืืึนึืจ ืึทืึฐืึตึฃื ืึผ ื ึนืืึตึื ืึฐืฉืึดืึฐืึธืชึตึื ืึผ ื ึดืึฐืึผึธึืฉื ืจึทึืง ืึดืงึผึธืจึตึคื ืฉืึดืึฐืึธึ ืขึธืึตึืื ืึผ ืึฑืกึนึืฃ ืึถืจึฐืคึผึธืชึตึฝื ืึผืย {ืก}ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
English:
In that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,โWe will eat our own foodAnd wear our own clothes;Only let us be called by your nameโTake away our disgrace!โ
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 2
Hebrew:
ืึผึทืึผึฃืึนื ืึทืึืึผื ืึดึฝืึฐืึถืึ ืฆึถึฃืึทื ืึฐืึนืึธึื ืึดืฆึฐืึดึื ืึผืึฐืึธืึืึนื ืึผืคึฐืจึดึคื ืึธืึธึืจึถืฅึ ืึฐืึธืึฃืึนื ืึผืึฐืชึดืคึฐืึถึืจึถืช ืึดืคึฐืึตืืึทึืช ืึดืฉืึฐืจึธืึตึฝืื
English:
aFor the interpretation of this verse, cf. 28.5. For โradiance,โ cf. Septuagint and the Syriac แนฃemแธฅa, and for โsplendor,โ cf. the meaning of peri in 10.12. In that day, GODโs radiance Will lend beauty and glory,And the splendor of the landbthe land Emendation yields โmy Sovereignโ; cf. the parallelism (in reverse order) in 3.17. [Will give] dignity and majesty,To the survivors of Israel.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 3
Hebrew:
ืึฐืึธืึธึฃืโื ืึทื ึผึดืฉืึฐืึธึฃืจ ืึผึฐืฆึดืึผึืึนื ืึฐืึทื ึผืึนืชึธืจึ ืึผึดืืจึฃืึผืฉืึธืึทึอึดื ืงึธืึืึนืฉื ืึตืึธึฃืึถืจ ืึืึน ืึผืืึพืึทืึผึธืชึฅืึผื ืึทืึทืึผึดึืื ืึผึดืืจืึผืฉืึธืึธึฝอึดืื
English:
And those who remain in ZionAnd are left in JerusalemโAll who are inscribed for life in JerusalemโShall be called holy.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 4
Hebrew:
ืึดึฃืโื ืจึธืึทึฃืฅ ืึฒืึนื ึธึื ืึตึืช ืฆึนืึทึฃืช ืึผึฐื ืึนืชึพืฆึดืึผึืึนื ืึฐืึถืชึพืึผึฐืึตึฅื ืึฐืจืึผืฉืึธืึทึอึดื ืึธืึดึฃืืึท ืึดืงึผึดืจึฐืึผึธึืึผ ืึผึฐืจึฅืึผืึท ืึดืฉืึฐืคึผึธึื ืึผืึฐืจึฅืึผืึท ืึผึธืขึตึฝืจื
English:
When the Sovereign has washed awayThe filth of the daughters of Zion,cthe daughters of Zion Emendation yields โDaughter Zion,โ i.e., Zion personified; cf. 1.8 and note. And from Jerusalemโs midstHas rinsed out her infamyโIn a spirit of judgmentAnd in a spirit of purgingโ
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 5
Hebrew:
ืึผืึธืจึธึฃื ืึฐืึนืึธึกื ืขึทืึฉ ืึผืืึพืึฐืึจืึนื ืึทืจึพืฆึดืึผึืึนื ืึฐืขึทืึพืึดืงึฐืจึธืึถึืึธ ืขึธื ึธึคืโืโืืึนืึธืึ ืึฐืขึธืฉืึธึื ืึฐื ึนึืึทืึผ ืึตึฅืฉื ืึถืึธืึธึื ืึธึืึฐืึธื ืึผึดึฅื ืขึทืึพืึผืืึพืึผึธืึืึนื ืึปืคึผึธึฝืื
English:
GOD will createdcreate Emendation yields โspreadโ; cf. Ps. 105.39. over the whole shrine and meeting place of Mount Zion cloud by day and smoke with a glow of flaming fire by night. Indeed, over all the gloryeall the glory Emendation yields โGodโs whole shrine.โ shall hang a canopy,
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 6
Hebrew:
ืึฐืกึปืึผึธึื ืชึผึดืึฐืึถึฅื ืึฐืฆึตืึพืืึนืึธึื ืึตืึนึืจึถื ืึผืึฐืึทืึฐืกึถืึ ืึผืึฐืึดืกึฐืชึผึืึนืจ ืึดืึผึถึืจึถื ืึผืึดืึผึธืึธึฝืจืย {ืค}
English:
which shall serve as a pavilion for shade from heat by day and as a shelter for protection against drenching rain.
โถCommentaries (1)