Isaiah 4:1

Isaiah 4:1

1 And ^ain that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
“We will ^beat our own food and wear our own apparel;
Only let us be called by your name,
To take away ^cour reproach.”

The Renewal of Zion

2 In that day ^athe 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 ^awill be called holy—everyone who is ^brecorded among the living in Jerusalem.

4 When ^athe Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the¹ 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, ^aa cloud and smoke by day and ^bthe shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a¹ covering.

6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, ^afor a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

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Isaiah 4:2 >>

In that day - The time of calamity referred to in the close of the previous chapter. This is a continuation of that prophecy, and there was no reason why these six verses should have been made a separate chapter. That the passage refers to the Messiah, is apparent from what has been stated in the note at the commencement of the prophecy Isaiah 2:1-4, and from the expressions which occur in the chapter itself; see the notes at Isaiah 4:2, Isaiah 4:5-6.

Seven women - The number "seven" is used often to denote a "large" though "indefinite" number; Leviticus 26:28; Proverbs 24:16; Zechariah 3:9. It means that so great should be the calamity, so many "men" would fall in battle, that many women would, contrary to their natural modesty, become suitors to a single man, to obtain him as a husband and protector.

Shall take hold - Shall apply to. The expression, ' shall take hold,' denotes the "earnestness" of their application.

We will eat our own bread ... - We do not ask this in order to be maintained. We will forego that which the law Exodus 21:10 enjoins as the duty of the husband in case he has more than one wife.

Only let us be called by thy name - Let us be regarded as "thy wives." The wife then, as now, assumed the name of the husband. A remarkably similar expression occurs in Lucan (B. ii. 342). Marcia there presents a similar request to Cato:

Da tantum nomen inane

Connubii; liceat tumulo scripsisse, Catonis Marcia .

' Indulge me only with the empty title of wife.

Let there only be inscribed on my tomb, "Marcia, wife of Cato." '

To take away my reproach - The reproach of being unmarried; compare Genesis 30:23; I Samuel 1:6.

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Isaiah 4:1:**

2 Samuel 6:2
Isaiah 3:6
Isaiah 11:10
Isaiah 11:15
Isaiah 19:18
Amos 9:12
Zephaniah 2:7
Luke 1:25

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Isaiah 4:2 >>

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