Isaiah 4:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy.

NIV: Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy.

NASB: then the Lord will create over the entire area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.

CSB: Then the Lord will create a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night over the entire site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies. For there will be a canopy over all the glory,

NLT: Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.

In a time long after Isaiah wrote these words, and still in our future, as of this writing, the Messiah will reign over his redeemed people and the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 4:2–3). During that time the Lord will cause a canopy to envelop all of Mount Zion and the surrounding area in Jerusalem. This canopy will contain a cloud by day and a fire by night, representing the presence of God and His glory with His people on earth.

This cloud and fire would immediately cause every Israelite to remember the cloud and fire that the Lord provided for their people in the wilderness in the time of Moses (Exodus 13:20–22). This canopy provided direction for them and was also undeniable evidence that God was with them, that He was over and protecting them. In this future time in Israel, that cloud and fire will show God's people and everyone else in the world that He is their God and they are His people.

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).