Isaiah 11 · Verse 4

Isaiah 11:4

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isaiah 11:4, King James Version

Isaiah 11:4 in other translations

BSB	but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
WEB	but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
ASV	but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
YLT	And he hath judged in righteousness the poor, And decided in uprightness for the humble of earth, And hath smitten earth with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips he putteth the wicked to death.
DARBY	but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
BBE	But he will do right in the cause of the poor, and give wise decisions for those in the land who are in need; and the rod of his mouth will come down on the cruel, and with the breath of his lips he will put an end to the evil-doer.
Webster	But with righteousness will he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he will smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips will he slay the wicked.

What does Isaiah 11:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

4. judge--see that impartial justice is done them. "Judge" may mean here "rule," as in Psa 67:4. reprove--or, "argue"; "decide." But Lowth, "work conviction in." earth--Compare with Mt 5:5, and Re 11:15. earth--its ungodly inhabitants, answering to "the wicked" in the parallel, and in antithesis to the "poor" and "meek," namely, in spirit, the humble pious (Mt 5:3). It is at the same time implied that "the earth" will be extraordinarily wicked when He shall come to judge and reign. His reign shall therefore be ushered in with judgments on the apostates (Psa 2:9-12; Lu 18:8; Re 2:27). rod of ... mouth--condemning sentences which proceed from His mouth against the wicked (Re 1:16; 2:16; 19:15, 21). breath of ... lips--his judicial decisions (Is 30:28; Job 15:30; Re 19:20; 20:9-12). He as the Word of God (Re 19:13-15) comes to strike that blow which shall decide His claim to the kingdom, previously usurped by Satan, and "the beast" to whom Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to the Gentile dispensation, as the first coming was to the Jews. Compare a type of the "rod" (Nu 17:2-10).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 4 With the rod of his mouth "By the blast of his mouth" - For בשבט beshebet, by the rod, Houbigant reads בשבת beshebeth, by the blast of his mouth, from נשב nashab, to blow. The conjecture is ingenious and probable; and seems to be confirmed by the Septuagint and Chaldee, who render it by the word of his mouth, which answers much better to the correction than to the present reading. Add to this, that the blast of his mouth is perfectly parallel to the breath of his lips in the next line.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 11:1-9

The peaceful character of Christ's kingdom and subjects. (Is. 11:1-9) The conversion of the Gentiles and Jews. (Is. 11:10-16) Verses 1-9 The Messiah is called a Rod, and a Branch. The words signify a small, tender product; a shoot, such as is easily broken off. He comes forth out of the stem of Jesse; when the royal family was cut down and almost levelled with the ground, it would sprout again. The house of David…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 11:1-9 →

Isaiah 11:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְשָׁפַ֤טve.sha.Fatand he will judgeH8199

בְּצֶ֙דֶק֙be.Tze.dekwith righteousnessH6664

דַּלִּ֔יםda.Limpoor [people]H1800

וְהוֹכִ֥יחַve.ho.Khi.achand he will decideH3198

בְּמִישׁ֖וֹרbe.mi.Shorwith uprightnessH4334

לְעַנְוֵי\־le.'an.vei-for [the] humble [people] ofH6035

אָ֑רֶץ'A.retz[the] earthH776

וְהִֽכָּה\־ve.hi.kah-and he will strikeH5221

אֶ֙רֶץ֙'e.retz[the] earthH776

בְּשֵׁ֣בֶטbe.She.vetwith [the] rod ofH7626

פִּ֔יוPivmouth hisH6310

וּבְר֥וּחַu.ve.Ru.achand with [the] breath ofH7307

שְׂפָתָ֖יוse.fa.Tavlips hisH8193

יָמִ֥יתya.Mithe will put to deathH4191

רָשָֽׁע\׃ra.Sha'[the] wickedH7563

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 11:4

2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Revelation 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Malachi 4:6
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Job 4:9
By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Psalms 72:12-14
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
James 3:13
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Galatians 5:23
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Psalms 72:1-4
A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
Revelation 2:16
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

But with.
32:1; 2Sa 8:15; 23:2-4; 1Ki 10:8,9; Ps 45:6,7; 72:1-4,12-14; 82:2-4
Jer 23:5,6; 33:15; Mt 11:5; Re 19:11
reprove. or, argue.
1:17; Pr 31:8,9; Jer 5:28
for the meek.
29:19; 61:1; Zep 2:3; Mt 5:5; 2Co 10:1; Ga 5:23; Tit 3:2; Jas 3:13
and he shall.
Job 4:9; Ps 2:9; 110:2; Mal 4:6; 2Th 2:8; Re 1:16; 2:16; 19:15
with the breath.
30:33; Ps 18:8; Ac 9:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Isaiah 11:3
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isaiah 11:4
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isaiah 11:5
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Read all of Isaiah 11

Isaiah 11:4 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Sino que juzgará con justicia á los pobres, y argüirá con equidad por los mansos de la tierra: y herirá la tierra con la vara de su boca, y con el espíritu de sus labios matará al impío.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	mais il jugera avec justice les misérables, et reprendra avec droiture les débonnaires de la terre; et il frappera la terre avec la verge de sa bouche, et par le souffle de ses lèvres il fera mourir le méchant.
German Elberfelder 1871	und er wird die Geringen richten in Gerechtigkeit, und den Demütigen des Landes Recht sprechen in Geradheit. Und er wird die Erde schlagen mit der Rute seines Mundes, und mit dem Hauche seiner Lippen den Gesetzlosen töten.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	sed judicabit in justitia pauperes, et arguet in æquitate pro mansuetis terræ; et percutiet terram virga oris sui, et spiritu labiorum suorum interficiet impium.