Isaiah 4:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,

NIV: Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.

NASB: And it will come about that the one who is left in Zion and remains behind in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.

CSB: Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy —all in Jerusalem written in the book of life —

NLT: All who remain in Zion will be a holy people — those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living.

KJV: 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:

NKJV: 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.

This part of Isaiah's prophecy appears to describe the nature of the "remnant." This refers to the people who will occupy Zion and the city of Jerusalem during the time when the Messiah reigns on earth. That remnant of believing Israelites , who are referenced in Romans 9, will be referred to as "holy".

Isaiah is showing the contrast between the wickedness of the people of Judah during his own time and the completely holy nature of God's people in this future moment. These Israelites, living in submission to the Messiah will be a holy people. Which is what the Lord always intended for Israel.

To be holy is to be set apart by God for His special purpose. God is the final definition for what is holy, meaning that to be holy is also to be like God. The history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament is evidence that human beings cannot simply choose to be holy. All of us sin and fall far short of that standard (Romans 3:23). To become righteous before God, the children of Abraham had to, ,and will have to, put their faith in the Messiah (Romans 4:13). Then they will be declared holy, living under His branch in Zion.

Isaiah 4:2–6 finds Isaiah returning to depict the end-times version of Israel he began to describe in Isaiah 2:1–5. The "branch of the Lord" will reign over the survivors of Israel and the world. Those Israelites left in Zion will be called a holy people with their names recorded for life. By then, the Lord will have purged their sin and the bloodstains of Jerusalem . A cloud by day and fire by night will serve to protect Israel from any harm the natural world can produce.

After concluding his words about the desperate situation following the Lord's judgment for the formerly wealthy women of Judah, Isaiah returns to picturing a time in Israel's distant future: when the branch of the Lord, the Messiah, will reside in the land as the pride of Israel's survivors. Unlike now, Israel will be a holy people cleansed of all sin and the bloodstains of Jerusalem. This will be done by a "spirit of judgment and burning", perhaps endured by the Messiah on the cross. Then a cloud by day and fire by night will rest over the glory of the Lord on Mount Zion.

Isaiah 4 begins with a phrase which is meant to end the previous chapter. Isaiah describes the desperate situation for the formerly arrogant and rich women of Judah. Isaiah then describes the time in Israel's far future when the fruit of the land, the Messiah, is among them. Then the people will have been made holy by the Lord, cleansed of their filth by a "spirit of judgment and burning". Cloud and fire will hang over the glory of the Lord at Mount Zion. Later chapters will give more details about this future time.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).