Isaiah 4 · Verse 5

Isaiah 4:5

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.
Isaiah 4:5, King James Version

Isaiah 4:5 in other translations

BSBThen the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy,
WEBThe LORD will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for over all the glory will be a canopy.
ASVAnd Jehovah will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be spread a covering.
YLTThen hath Jehovah prepared Over every fixed place of Mount Zion, And over her convocations, A cloud by day, and smoke, And the shining of a flaming fire by night, That, over all honour a safe-guard,
DARBYAnd Jehovah will create over every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and over its convocations, a cloud by day and a smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night: for over all the glory shall be a covering.
BBEAnd over every living-place on Mount Zion, all over all her meetings, the Lord will make a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for over all, the glory of the Lord will be a cover and a tent;
WebsterAnd 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 defense.

What does Isaiah 4:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. create--The "new creation" needs as much God's creative omnipotence, as the material creation (2Co 4:6; Ep 2:10). So it shall be in the case of the Holy Jerusalem to come (Is 65:17, 18). upon--The pillar of cloud stood over the tabernacle, as symbol of God's favor and presence (Ex 13:21, 22; Psa 91:1). Both on individual families ("every dwelling") and on the general sacred "assemblies" (Le 23:2). The "cloud" became a "fire" by night in order to be seen by the Lord's people. upon all the glory--"upon the glorious whole"; namely, the Lord's people and sanctuary [Maurer]. May it not mean, "Upon whatever the glory (the Shekinah spoken of in the previous clause) shall rest, there shall be a defense." The symbol of His presence shall ensure also safety. So it was to Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Ex 14:19, 20). So it shall be to literal Jerusalem hereafter (Zec 2:5). Also to the Church, the spiritual "Zion" (Is 32:18; 33:15-17; He 12:22). tabernacle--Christ's body (Joh 1:14). "The word 'tabernacled' (Greek for 'dwelt') among us" (Joh 2:21; He 8:2). It is a "shadow from the heat" and "refuge from the storm" of divine wrath against man's sins (Is 25:4). Heat and storms are violent in the East; so that a portable tent is a needful part of a traveller's outfit. Such shall be God's wrath hereafter, from which the "escaped of Israel" shall be sheltered by Jesus Christ (Is 26:20, 21; 32:2). covert--answering to "defense" (Is 4:5). The Hebrew for defense in Is 4:5, is "covering"; the lid of the ark or mercy seat was named from the same Hebrew word, caphar; the propitiatory; for it, being sprinkled with blood by the high priest once a year, on the day of atonement, covered the people typically from wrath. Jesus Christ is the true Mercy Seat, on whom the Shekinah rested, the propitiatory, or atonement, beneath whom the law is kept, as it was literally within the ark, and man is covered from the storm. The redeemed Israel shall also be, by union with Him, a tabernacle for God's glory, which, unlike that in the wilderness, shall not be taken down (Is 38:20).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 And the Lord will create - One MS., the Septuagint, and the Arabic, have יביא yabi, He shall bring: the cloud already exists; the Lord will bring it over. This is a blessed promise of the presence of God in all the assemblies of his people. Every dwelling place "the station" - The Hebrew text has, every station: but four MSS. (one ancient) omit כל col, all; very rightly, as it should seem: for the station was Mount Zion itself, and no other. See Exo 15:17. And the Septuagint, Arabic, and MSS., add the same word כל col, before מקראה mikraeha, probably right: the word has only changed its place by mistake. מקראיה mikrayeh, "the place where they were gathered together in their holy assemblies," says Sal ben Melech. But twenty-five of Kennicott's MSS., and twenty-two of De Rossi's fifty-three editions, besides the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic, have the word in the plural number. A cloud and smoke by day - This is a manifest allusion to the pillar of a cloud and of fire which attended the Israelites in their passage out of Egypt, and to the glory that rested on the tabernacle, Exo 13:21; Exo 40:38. The prophet Zechariah, Zac 2:5, applies the same image to the same purpose: - "And I will be unto her a wall of fire round about; And a glory will I be in the midst of her." That is, the visible presence of God shall protect her. Which explains the conclusion of this verse of Isaiah; where the makkaph between כל col, and כבוד cabod, connecting the two words in construction, which ought not to be connected, has thrown an obscurity upon the sentence, and misled most of the translators. For upon all the glory shall be a defense - Whatever God creates, he must uphold, or it will fail, Every degree of grace brings with it a degree of power to maintain itself in the soul.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 4:2-6

Not only the setting forth Christ's kingdom in the times of the apostles, but its enlargement by gathering the dispersed Jews into the church, is foretold. Christ is called the Branch of the Lord, being planted by his power, and flourishing to his praise. The gospel is the fruit of the Branch of the Lord; all the graces and comforts of the gospel spring from Christ. It is called the fruit of the earth, because it…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 4:2-6 →

Isaiah 4:5 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.

וּבָרָ֣אu.va.Ra'and he will createH1254
יְהוָ֡הYah.wehYahwehH3068
עַל֩'aloverH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
מְכ֨וֹןme.Khon[the] place ofH4349
הַר\־har-[the] mountain ofH2022
צִיּ֜וֹןtzi.YonZionH6726
וְעַל\־ve.'al-and overH5921
מִקְרָאֶ֗הָmik.ra.'E.haconvocations itsH4744
עָנָ֤ן\׀'a.Nana cloudH6051
יוֹמָם֙yo.Mamby dayH3119
וְעָשָׁ֔ןve.'a.Shanand smokeH6227
וְנֹ֛גַהּve.No.gahand brightness ofH5051
אֵ֥שׁ'eshfireH784
לֶהָבָ֖הle.ha.Vaha flameH3852
לָ֑יְלָהLa.ye.lahnightH3915
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
עַל\־'al-[will be] overH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
כָּב֖וֹדka.Vod[the] gloryH3519
חֻפָּֽה\׃chu.Paha canopyH2646

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

Cross references for Isaiah 4:5

  • Exodus 13:21-22

    And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

  • Nehemiah 9:12

    Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

  • Exodus 40:34-38

    Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. …

  • Numbers 9:15-22

    And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. …

  • Psalms 78:14

    In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

  • Isaiah 46:13

    I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

  • Psalms 85:9

    Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

  • Isaiah 33:20

    Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

  • Isaiah 60:1

    Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

  • Exodus 14:24

    And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

  • Isaiah 31:4-5

    For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

  • Zechariah 2:5-10

    For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. …

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
upon every.
32:18; 33:20; Ps 87:2,3; 89:7; 111:1; Mt 18:20; 28:20
a cloud.
Ex 13:21,22; 14:19,20,24; 40:34-38; Nu 9:15-22; Ne 9:12; Ps 78:14
Zec 2:5-10
upon. or, above. all the glory.
31:4,5; 37:35; 46:13; Ps 85:9
a defence. Heb. a covering.
Ex 26:1,7

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

Context

  • Isaiah 4:4

    When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

  • Isaiah 4:5

    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.

  • Isaiah 4:6

    And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Read all of Isaiah 4

Isaiah 4:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y criará Jehová sobre toda la morada del monte de Sión, y sobre los lugares de sus convocaciones, nube y oscuridad de día, y de noche resplandor de fuego que eche llamas: porque sobre toda gloria habrá cobertura.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel créera sur chaque demeure de la montagne de Sion, et sur ses assemblées, une nuée et une fumée, de jour; et la splendeur d’une flamme de feu, la nuit; car sur toute la gloire il y aura une couverture.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova wird über jede Wohnstätte des Berges Zion und über seine Versammlungen eine Wolke und einen Rauch schaffen bei Tage, und den Glanz eines flammenden Feuers bei Nacht; denn über der ganzen Herrlichkeit wird eine Decke sein.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et creabit Dominus super omnem locum montis Sion, et ubi invocatus est, nubem per diem et fumum, et splendorem ignis flammantis in nocte: super omnem enim gloriam protectio.