Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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 defense.
5. upon every dwelling place ] rather, over the whole ( divine) habitation of Mount Zion. The word is never used of human dwellings. It might be translated, “foundation”; in either case it is equivalent to “sanctuary.”
her assemblies ] convocations, worshipping assemblies, as in Isa 1:13.
a cloud night ] better (disregarding the accents), a cloud by day and smoke with the shining of a flaming fire by night.
for upon all the glory defence ] A perplexing clause. A literal translation would be for over every glory ( should be) a canopy. So rendered, the words express a general principle of ceremonial propriety: wherever there is “a glory” (as e.g. royal majesty), it must be provided with a suitable canopy. The clause may be a marginal gloss suggested to a reader by the first part of the verse. The word for “canopy” occurs only in Psa 19:5; Joe 2:16 in the sense of “nuptial pavilion” (see Robertson Smith, Marriage and Kinship in Early Arabia, pp. 168f.). In post-biblical Hebrew it means (as here) “canopy” in general.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5, 6. The gracious presence of God becomes a visible fact to men’s eyes, in the cloud of fire and smoke which overshadows and protects the new Jerusalem. The symbolism is drawn from the story of the Exodus and the tabernacle in the desert (Exo 13:21 f., Exo 40:34-38, &c.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the Lord will create – The meaning of this verse and the next is, that God would take his people into his holy care and protection. The idea is expressed by images drawn, in this verse, from the protection which he afforded to the Israelites in their journeying from Egypt. The word create means here, he will afford, or furnish, such a defense.
Upon every dwelling-place … – Upon all the habitations of his people; that is, they shall be secure, and regarded as under his protection. The word upon refers to the fact that the pillar of cloud stood over the tabernacle in the wilderness, as a symbol of the divine favor and presence. So his protection should be on or over the houses of all his people; compare Psa 92:4-6.
Of mount Zion – compare the note at Isa 1:8.
And upon her assemblies – Their convocations; their sacred assemblies, such as were called together on the Sabbath; Lev 23:2; Num 28:18. It refers here to their future assemblies, and, therefore, includes the Christian church assembled to worship God.
A cloud and smoke by day – This refers to the pillar of cloud that went before the Israelites in their journey in the wilderness; Exo 13:21; Exo 14:20.
By day – By day, this appeared to them as a cloud; by night, as a pillar of fire; Exo 13:21-22. That is, it was always conspicuous, and could be seen by all the people. A pillar of cloud could not have been seen by night; and God changes the symbols of his presence and protection, so that at all times his people may see them. The meaning here is, that as God gave to the Israelites a symbol of his presence and protection, so he would be the protecter and defender of his people hereafter.
For upon all the glory – Above all the glorious object; that is, his church, his people. It is here called the glory, as being a glorious, or an honorable object.
A defense – This word properly means a covering, a protection, from the verb to cover, and means that God will protect, or defend his people.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 4:5
A cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night
The pillar cloud of Israel–Christ, the Leader of His Church
(with Exo 13:21-22):–It was good for the Israelites that they were so long in the wilderness.
There the most impressive intimations of a present Deity followed their every step. Miracles were wrought, to feed them when hungry, and to satisfy their thirsty souls. Jesus was in the manna–I am the living Bread which came down from heaven. There, in the form of a vast column of mingled fire and smoke, is the mysterious yet faithful guide of the Lords people. When it is stationary, they rest; when it advances, they journey. The pillar cloud was typical of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ ever liveth as the Churchs Prophet, Priest, and King. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, etc. If the pillar cloud was the shadow of good things to come, Jesus Christ is the glorious substance; and we shall endeavour to show in what manner the Redeemer leads His Church.
I. JESUS LEADS THE CHURCH BY HIS WORD. Not more certainly was there one pillar cloud than there is one Bible. The Word stands alone in its authority. It is the sole director of our faith; it is the sole regulator of our walk. The Word is the sole standard in all matters pertaining to the worship of God, and if human opinions or imperial statutes should oppose its high demands, we must obey God rather than men.
II. JESUS LEADS THE CHURCH BY HIS SPIRIT. How precious the promise which He made to His disciples. The Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. The Word is a lamp to the feet and a light to the path; but what if the hands of men are so feeble that they cannot hold the heaven-sent lamp? What if the darkness which shrouds their minds is so dense that all the rays shining from the Word serve only to render the darkness visible? In such circumstances how desirable to have a living guide to expound the infallible directory! The cloud which was in the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night, formed a guiding pillar, but for which the people of Israel must have wandered and lost their way In the desert. Yet there was an imperfection arising from its very nature. The fiery pillar taught seeing men where to go; but it could not give sight to the blind. It pointed to the direction in which the pilgrims were to advance; but it could not make the lame man leap as an hart. We do not say that the Spirit of Christ did not impart inward light, saving knowledge, in the days of Moses. Wherever holiness adorned any character, He, the Sanctifier, was its source. The crowning excellence of the New Testament economy is, that it is the dispensation of the Spirit. While it does not dispense with forms, it specially inculcates the power of godliness. While it commends the Word, it holds the Word to be powerless without the Spirit of God.
III. JESUS LEADS THE CHURCH BY HIS PROVIDENCE. The Saviour whom we adore, is Ruler of all worlds. Supreme in heaven, He is not less so on earth. The Author of salvation, He is the regulator of all the complicated wheels of providence. Providence is a volume which is often hard to be understood. And the reason why we put providence after the Word and Spirit of Christ is, that no man is able to explain providence aright until he has studied the Word, and been taught by the Spirit of the Lord. (J. Patrick, M. A.)
Israels guide and guard
I. It refers to the Church of God IN ITS PRIVATE AND DOMESTIC CHARACTER. These are denoted by the expressions–every dwelling place of Mount Zion. It is one among the many beautiful descriptions of the true Christian, with which the Bible abounds, not simply that he does approach to God, but that he takes delight in doing so; and having tasted that the Lord is gracious, he will strive to realise, in his own parental character, the exalted qualities, which God ascribed to Abraham, and which doubtless were even then in the course of development, though as yet he had no child. Happy is that parent, happy is that child, with respect to whom it can be truly said, The fathers to the children shall make known Thy truth.
II. The second aspect, under which the Church of God is here presented to us, is IN ITS SOCIAL AND COLLECTIVE CHARACTER. This is indicated by the expressions her assemblies. The expression refers to the union of the servants of God in public worship: corresponding exactly to that of which our Saviour spoke, when He said–Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. There can be no doubt, that from the very earliest ages of the Church, the rest of the holy Sabbath was observed; and the more the spirit of genuine religion diffused itself, the more did men of similar tastes and feelings seek pious association with each other. (G. Weight, M. A.)
The glory of Christs Church
1. Experience has amply shown the true glory of a Church does not consist in outward pomp or splendour. Even Solomon confessed that the magnificence which adorned his temple in all its untarnished glory was unworthy to become a residence, or to receive the manifested tokens of Jehovahs presence. In rich and stately decorations even the heathen may enshrine his lifeless idol, and outvie the splendour of the ancient Jewish sanctuary. On the other hand, the patriarchs in their wandering, and the persecuted Christians, convened in woods and caves and retired chambers, have beheld the manifested light of Gods countenance, and have seen His power and glory as graciously displayed as in the most splendid sanctuary.
2. The true and essential glory of the Church principally consists in the spirituality, holiness, and unity of its members.
3. The doctrine of the restoration of the image of God in the soul of man, by the agency of the Holy Spirit, challenges for the Church which prominently exhibits it, the title of a glorious Church.
4. Of the varied glories of the Church, none in its early days was more conspicuous than that of unity in government, discipline, worship, and spirit. Long has Satan prevailed in his endeavours to divide and conquer. (G. Almond.)
God in His sanctuary
I. RELIGIOUS WORSHIP, WHETHER IN THE FAMILY OR THE SANCTUARY, IS PARTICULARLY REGARDED BY GOD.
II. GOD WILL EXPRESS HIS APPROVAL BY MANIFESTATIONS OF HIS PRESENCE. The benefits of the Jews from the Shechinah were a type of the benefits of Jesus among us. What were these?
1. The manifestation of truth–the Urim and Thummim. Jesus Christ is the only medium through which we can have knowledge of God, redemption, and the way of worship.
2. The display of holiness. Wherever the Shechinah appeared there was an impression of holiness. Moses and the bush. The Holy of Holies. So in the Gospel, we have not only a display of truth, hut of holiness also.
3. Communication of comfort. The cloud covered Israel in a heated atmosphere; it dropped dew, and they were baptized in the cloud. Is not this the end of the spiritual manifestation? The Holy Ghost is called the Comforter.
III. THESE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE CONSTITUTE THE GLORY OF THE CHURCH. What was the temple without it? And how is this house filled with glory? It is not in the altar, the shewbread, the ark, or the manna, but in Jesus presence walking among the candlesticks. (J. Summerfield, M. A.)
Upon all the glory shall be a defence
A Gospel profession the glory of a nation
These words are a recapitulation of the whole verse, and are a Gospel promise given out in law terms, or a New Testament mercy under Old Testament expressions.
1. What is here expressed as to the type and figure. For the glory and defence two pairs of things seem to be intended: the ark and the mercy seat; the tabernacle and the pillar of fire.
(1) The ark is oftentimes called the glory of God (Psa 78:61; 1Sa 4:21). The word which we have rendered a defence, properly, signifies a covering; as was the mercy seat the covering of the ark. So that upon the glory shall be a defence, is as much as, unto you the mercy seat shall be on the ark, or you shall have the mercy represented and intimated thereby.
(2) The tabernacle and cloud, or pillar of fire, are also called to mind; so the words are expressive of that figure of Gods gracious presence with His people, which we have recounted (Exo 40:34). Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
2. What is here intended, as to the substance of the mercy promised. All those things were typical of Christ. Apply, then, this promise to Gospel times, and the substance of it is comprehended in these two propositions:
I. THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST WITH ANY PEOPLE IS THE GLORY OF ANY PEOPLE. This is the glory here spoken of, as is evident to anyone that will but read Isa 4:2, and consider its influence unto these words. This is their glory, or they have none. Is it in their number, that they are great, many, and populous? God thinks not so (Deu 7:7; Psa 105:12). You know what it cost David in being seduced by Satan into the contrary opinion. There is nothing more common in the Scripture than for the Lord to speak contempt of the multitude of any people, as a thing of nought. Is it in their wisdom and counsel, their understanding for the ordering of their affairs? Is that their glory? Why, see how God derides the prince of Tyrus, who was lifted up with an apprehension hereof; and counted himself as God, upon that account (Eze 27:1-36; Jer 9:23-24).
1. Now, Christ may be said to be present with a people two ways.
(1) In respect of the dispensation of His Gospel amongst them, the profession of it and subjection to the ordinances thereof.
(2) In and by His Spirit, dwelling in their hearts by faith, uniting them to Himself.
2. This is the glory of any people upon a threefold account.
(1) This alone makes them honourable and precious before God.
(2) This presence of Christ makes men comely and excellent in themselves (Psa 16:3)
(3) This alone makes any truly useful unto others.
Here lies the preservation of any nation from ruin. Prosperity is from hence Mic 5:7) If you desire the glory of the nation, labour to promote the interest of Christ in the nation. Value, encourage and close with them in and with whom is the presence of Christ.
II. THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN SPECIAL PROVIDENCE OVER A PEOPLE ATTENDS THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN GRACE WITH A PEOPLE. (J. Owen, D. D.)
Christ the Defence of His people
I. A DEFENDER OF THE HOME. It is upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion that there shall be the cloud and smoke by day, and the pillar of fire by night. What is a house without Christ?
II. A DEFENDER OF THE CHURCH. Upon all her assemblies, as well as in every dwelling place, rose the symbols of His presence. Eli trembled for the ark of God, and men now tremble for the safety of the Church in this wilderness world. But it is safe as the children of Israel under the cloud and the pillar.
III. A DEFENDER OF THE PERSON. We need personal protection. A shade in the heat of calamity; a tent in the storm of adversity. This Christ is to His people.
1. In temporal matters.
2. In the interests of the soul. (J. S. H.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. And the Lord will create – One MS., the Septuagint, and the Arabic, have 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 col, all; very rightly, as it should seem: for the station was Mount Zion itself, and no other. See Ex 15:17. And the Septuagint, Arabic, and MSS., add the same word col, before mikraeha, probably right: the word has only changed its place by mistake. 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, Ex 13:21; Ex 40:38. The prophet Zechariah, Zec 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 col, and 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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Will create; will in a marvellous manner produce, as it were by a new work of creation.
A cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flashing fire by night; a pillar of cloud and fire, like that wherewith the Lord directed, and protected, and honoured the israelites, when they came out of Egypt; whereby he implies that God would be their protector and their glory.
Upon all the glory; upon all that church and people, which God will make so glorious, not only in his own eyes, but even in the eyes of the world; upon all holy assemblies of sincere Christians.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. createThe “newcreation” needs as much God’s creative omnipotence, as thematerial creation (2Co 4:6;Eph 2:10). So it shall be in thecase of the Holy Jerusalem to come (Isa 65:17;Isa 65:18).
uponThe pillar ofcloud stood over the tabernacle, as symbol of God’s favor andpresence (Exo 13:21; Exo 13:22;Psa 91:1). Both on individualfamilies (“every dwelling”) and on the generalsacred “assemblies” (Le23:2). The “cloud” became a “fire” by nightin order to be seen by the Lord’s people.
upon all the glory“uponthe glorious whole”; namely, the Lord’s people and sanctuary[MAURER]. May it not mean,”Upon whatever the glory (the Shekinah spoken of in theprevious clause) shall rest, there shall be a defense.” Thesymbol of His presence shall ensure also safety. So it was to Israelagainst the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Exo 14:19;Exo 14:20). So it shall be toliteral Jerusalem hereafter (Zec2:5). Also to the Church, the spiritual “Zion” (Isa 32:18;Isa 33:15-17; Heb 12:22).
tabernacleChrist’sbody (Joh 1:14). “The word’tabernacled’ (Greek for ‘dwelt’) among us” (Joh 2:21;Heb 8:2). It is a “shadowfrom the heat” and “refuge from the storm” of divinewrath against man’s sins (Isa25:4). Heat and storms are violent in the East; so that aportable tent is a needful part of a traveller’s outfit. Such shallbe God’s wrath hereafter, from which the “escaped of Israel”shall be sheltered by Jesus Christ (Isa 26:20;Isa 26:21; Isa 32:2).
covertanswering to”defense” (Isa 4:5).The Hebrew for defense in Isa4:5, is “covering”; the lid of the ark or mercy seatwas named from the same Hebrew word, caphar; thepropitiatory; for it, being sprinkled with blood by the highpriest once a year, on the day of atonement, covered thepeople typically from wrath. Jesus Christ is the true Mercy Seat, onwhom the Shekinah rested, the propitiatory, or atonement,beneath whom the law is kept, as it was literally within the ark, andman is covered from the storm. The redeemed Israel shall alsobe, by union with Him, a tabernacle for God’s glory, which, unlikethat in the wilderness, shall not be taken down (Isa38:20).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord will create on every dwelling place of Mount Zion,…. That is, on every particular church of Christ in Gospel times, and especially in the latter day; which are the dwelling places of Father, Son, and Spirit, and of believers in Christ. The word o used signifies a place well fitted up, and prepared, and established, and settled; and such will be the churches of Christ in the latter day glory; they will be fitly framed together and built up, a habitation for God, through the Spirit; they will be beautified, and made glorious, and will be established upon the top of the mountains, and be tabernacles that shall not be taken down, whose stakes and cords shall not be removed and broken, Eph 2:21 and so will be sure dwellings, and quiet resting places; and happy will those be who will be the inhabitants of them, since they will have the best of company, the best of provisions, and all health and prosperity,
Isa 32:18:
and upon her assemblies; or “her convocations” p; in allusion to the holy convocations and solemn assemblies of the Israelites at their festivals, Le 23:2 which are the churches of Christ, as before, consisting of men called by the grace of God, with a holy calling; called to be saints, and so are an assembly of saints, Ps 89:7 called by means of the Gospel, as the Israelites were by the blowing of the trumpets, to assemble together, to hear the word, and attend every part of divine worship, Nu 10:2 and as the invisible church is called Zion, and the general assembly,
Heb 12:22 so particular visible churches are called assemblies,
Ec 12:11 and which will be very numerous in the latter day, and well attended.
A cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; alluding to the Lord’s going before the children of Israel in the wilderness, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; and to their being upon and covering the tabernacle, when it rested; and also to the cloud and smoke that were upon Mount Sinai, when the Lord was present there, Ex 13:20 and as a cloud was frequently a symbol of the divine Presence, both in the Old and in the New Testament, Ex 19:9 1Ki 8:10 so it may here signify that the presence of God with his churches in the latter day will be very manifest and remarkable; he will be seen over them, and be the glory in the midst of them, Zec 2:5 and it may also denote the gracious protection of the churches by Christ from all their enemies; as the cloud stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians, when they passed through the Red sea, and secured them from them, Ex 14:19 as well as a cloud, is refreshing and protecting from heat, as Christ then will be from heat of every kind. [See comments on Isa 4:6]. And as the pillar of fire was to give light to the children of Israel, and direct them in their passage through the wilderness in the night time; so Christ will be the light of his people, by the very great illuminations of his spirit, and the clear preaching of the Gospel, which will give both light and heat; and from both which will arise such a bright shining light, as shall drive away the night of affliction, darkness, desertion, and sleepiness, which shall precede this glorious day. See
Isa 60:1 and this will be all the Lord’s doing, a work of his almighty power, and therefore signified by a “creation”; it will be a new, strange, and marvellous work; wonderful in the eyes of the saints, and in the eyes of the world, that those who have been forsaken and hated should be made an eternal excellency, and the joy of many generations, Isa 60:15:
for upon all the glory [shall] he a defence; the glory of the churches in the latter day will greatly consist in the presence of God and Christ; in the pouring forth of the Spirit upon them; in the purity of Gospel doctrine, worship, and discipline among them; in the holiness of their lives and conversation; and in the peace, harmony, and unity, that shall subsist with them; and the defence of this glory will be partly the ministers of the Gospel, in the pure administration of the word and ordinances, as means, but principally the Lord himself, who will be a wall of fire about them, and will appoint salvation as walls and bulwarks to them, Zec 2:5.
o a “paravit, disposuit”. p “super convocationes ejus”, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“And Jehovah creates over every spot of Mount Zion, and over its festal assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke, and the shining of flaming fire by night: for over all the glory comes a canopy.” Just as Jehovah guided and shielded Israel in the days of the redemption from Egypt in a smoke-cloud by day and a fire-cloud by night, which either moved in front like a pillar, or floated above them as a roof (Num 14:14, etc.), the perpetuation of His presence at Sinai (Exo 19:9, Exo 19:16.); so would Jehovah in like manner shield the Israel of the final redemption, which would no longer need the pillar of cloud since its wanderings would be over, but only the cloudy covering; and such a covering Jehovah would create, as the praet. consec. ) (“and He creates”) distinctly affirms. The verb barah always denotes a divine and miraculous production, having its commencement in time; for even the natural is also supernatural in its first institution by God. In the case before us, however, the reference is to a fresh manifestation of His gracious presence, exalted above the present course of nature. This manifestation would consist by day in “a cloud,” and as the hendiadys “cloud and smoke” (i.e., cloud in form and smoke in substance) distinctly affirms, a smoke-cloud, not a watery cloud, like those which ordinarily cover the sky; and by night in a fiery splendour, not merely a lingering fiery splendour like that of the evening sky, but, as the words clearly indicate, a flaming brightness ( lehabah ), and therefore real and living fire. The purpose of the cloud would not only be to overshadow, but also to serve as a wall of defence against opposing influences;
(Note: The cloud derived its name, anan , not from the idea of covering, but from that of coming to meet one. The clouds come towards the man who gazes at them, inserting themselves between him and the sky, and thus forcing themselves upon his notice instead of the sky; hence the visible outer side of the vault of heaven is also called anan (plur. anan ), just as the same word is used to denote the outermost portion of the branches or foliage of a tree which is the first to strike the eye (in contradistinction to the inner portions, which are not so easily seen, seven if visible at all).)
and the fire would not only give light, but by flaming and flashing would ward off hostile powers. But, above all, the cloud and fire were intended as signs of the nearness of God, and His satisfaction. In the most glorious times of the temple a smoke-cloud of this kind filled the Holy of holies; and there was only one occasion – namely, at the dedication of Solomon’s temple – on which it filled the whole building (1Ki 8:10); but now the cloud, the smoke of which, moreover, would be turned at night into flaming fire, would extend over every spot ( m acon , a more poetical word for m akom ) of Mount Zion, and over the festal assemblies thereon. The whole mountain would thus become a Holy of holies. It would be holy not only as being the dwelling-place of Jehovah, but as the gathering-place of a community of saints. “Her assemblies” ( m ikraeha ) points back to Zion, and is a plural written defectively (at least in our editions),
(Note: Such codices and ancient editions as Soncino (1488), Brescia (1494), and many others, have the word with the yod of the plural.)
– as, for example, in Jer 19:8. There is no necessity to take this noun in the sense of “meeting halls” (a meaning which it never has anywhere else), as Gesenius, Ewald, Hitzig, and others have done, since it may also signify “the meetings,” though not in an abstract, but in a concrete sense ( ecclesiae ).
(Note: It is doubtful whether the form ( ) is ever strictly a nomen actionis kal (Ges. 84, 14). Its meaning seems rather to be always concrete, even in Arabic, where menam signifies a sleeping-place, sleeping-time, or a dream, but never sleep, or sleeping (like inse , Heb. shenah , or naum , Heb. num ).)
The explanatory clause, “for over all the glory (comes) a canopy,” admits of several interpretations. Dr. Shegg and others take it in the general sense: “for defence and covering are coming for all that is glorious.” Now, even if this thought were not so jejune as it is, the word C huppah would not be the word used to denote covering for the sake of protection; it signifies rather covering for the sake of beautifying and honouring that which is covered. Chuppah is the name still given by the Jews to the wedding canopy, i.e., a canopy supported on four poles and carried by four boys, under which the bride and bridegroom receive the nuptial blessing – a meaning which is apparently more appropriate, even in Psa 19:6 and Joe 2:16, than the ordinary explanation thalamus to torus . Such a canopy would float above Mount Zion in the form of a cloud of smoke and blaze of fire. (There is no necessity to take C huppah as a third pers. pual, since , which follows immediately afterwards in Isa 4:6, may easily be supplied in thought.) The only question is whether C ol C abod signifies “every kind of glory,” or according to Psa 39:6; Psa 45:14, “pure glory” (Hofmann, Stud. u. Krit. 1847, pp. 936-38). The thought that Jerusalem would now be “all glory,” as its inhabitants were all holiness, and therefore that this shield would be spread out over pure glory, is one that thoroughly commends itself. but we nevertheless prefer the former, as more in accordance with the substantive clause. The glory which Zion would now possess would be exposed to no further injury: Jehovah would acknowledge it by signs of His gracious presence; for henceforth there would be nothing glorious in Zion, over which there would not be a canopy spread in the manner described, shading and yet enlightening, hiding, defending, and adorning it.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verse 5-6:
1. The pillar of cloud and fire signify the presence of the Lord among, and for the defense and blessing of, His people; His glory, as a canopy of love, is spread over them all, (Exo 13:21-22; Num 9:15-23; Isa 60:1-3).
2. Once again “the tabernacle of the Lord” is with men, and His people will know the fullness of divine comfort, joy, rest and peace, (Isa 25:4-9).
3. The language gives, to believing hearts, adequate assurance of God’s abiding presence, constant care and protection.
4. A people so richly blessed ought to rejoice greatly in their eternal king!
5. Nor should that joy be regarded as something to be experienced only in the future; the blessings of Christ’s reign may be ours RIGHT NOW – through such faith as entrusts everything to Him, and receives daily of His sufficient and satisfying grace, (Col 1:9-14; Rom 14:16-19; Php_4:19).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. And Jehovah will create on every dwelling-place of Mount Zion. As if he had said that “there will not be a corner of Mount Zion on which the grace of God does not shine.” Dwelling-place and assembly I understand to mean the same thing; for assembly does not here denote a congregation, but the place where men assemble. With the design to express a full blessing, he alludes to what Moses relates, when the Lord delivered the people from Egyptian bondage, and sent
pillars of cloud by day and pillars of fire by night. (Exo 13:21.)
It was customary with the prophets, in describing any remarkable blessing, to remind them of that deliverance from Egypt as an extraordinary work of God; for on that occasion God made a remarkable display of the boundless treasures of his grace in establishing his Church, and left out no proof of his kindness, in order to make known the happiness of that nation. But what chiefly deserved to be commemorated was, that by the covering of a cloud by day he protected them from excessive heat, and that by night a pillar of fire went before them, to prevent them from wandering or going astray.
It amounts to this, that when God shall bring back the Church from the captivity in Babylon, the deliverance will be of a kind not less striking and magnificent than when, at an early period, the nation went out of Egypt. Not that during their journey from Babylon to Judea they would be accompanied, as in the wilderness, by a cloud and a pillar of fire, but that he would display his grace and kindness by other methods not less remarkable. Just as if we were to say at the present day, “God will enlighten us by his Spirit of fire; He will give cloven tongues, (Act 2:3,) to spread his Gospel throughout the whole world.” Such expressions ought not to be understood literally, as if the Spirit would be sent down from heaven under that visible sign; but by reminding them of the miracle, it would lead believers to expect that the same power of God, which the Apostles formerly experienced, will now be displayed in restoring the Church. Add to this, that the Prophet, by this mode of expression, points out an uninterrupted continuance of blessing; as if he had said, “Not only will God for a moment stretch out his hand for your deliverance, but as he always accompanied your fathers in the wilderness, so likewise he will deliver and protect you to the end.”
For on all the glory shall be a defense. This is connected with what he formerly said, that the bud or branch which should afterwards spring up would be for glory. It is as if he had said, “on all who shall bear the proof and marks of their deliverance.” Perhaps also he alludes to the passage in which it is related that the destroying angel passed over the houses which were marked without doing them any injury, (Exo 12:23😉 for as the sprinkling of blood at that time protected and saved them, so Isaiah promises that believers, when God has marked them, will be safe. This must be carefully observed; for we are reminded that we shall not become partakers of the grace of God in any other way than by bearing his image, and by his glory shining in us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) And the Lord will create . . .The verb create has all the solemn force with which we find it in Gen. 1:1. It is one of Isaiahs favourite words. The word for dwelling-place is almost invariably used for the tabernacle or temple, and would seem to have that meaning here. This determines the character of the assemblies. They are not the meetings of the people for counsel or debate, as in a Greek ecclesia, but their gatherings, their solemn assemblies, in the courts of the temple. The thoughts of the prophet travel back to the history of the Exodus, when the presence of Jehovah was manifested as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exo. 13:21; Num. 9:15; Num. 10:34; Num. 14:14). In that Presence there would be safety and peace. The image is a favourite one with Isaiah, possibly as connected with the vision of Isa. 6:4, for Gods protection of His people.
Upon all the glory shall be a defence.The phrase is almost startlingly abrupt. The thought seems to be that over the glory of the new Jerusalem, as just described, there shall be stretched the overarching canopy of the Divine Love. The word for defence occurs in this sense in Psa. 19:5, Joe. 2:16, and is still used by Jews of the canopy held over bride and bridegroom at a wedding. The baldacchino over the altar of an Italian church probably represents the image that was present to Isaiahs mind.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. When such times come, the Lord will create Renew, and make holy.
Every dwelling place Every household in mount Zion. “Zion,” the local, prefigures “Zion,” the universal the “Zion” of all ages and places. The palmy days of specific revelations and protections in the wilderness were a type of what, in a degree indefinably more glorious, shall be wrought upon the “Zion” of the future ages.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 4:5-6. And the Lord will create, &c. In this description of the external state and providential defence of the people of the Messiah, the metaphor is taken from the ancient symbol of the pillar of cloud and fire. Upon all the glory shall be a defence, means that the divine protection and defence shall be every where present, where God manifests himself by the extraordinary signs of his gracious presence. Every symbol of the divine grace and glory, such as was the cloud, brings with it the protection and defence of that place or assembly which is blessed with this prerogative. The event proves the truth of this interpretation. So long as God was in the temple, that place rejoiced in the benefit of the divine protection. When the voice was heard, “LET US DEPART HENCE,” it was left to the desolation of its enemies. The same holds good in the Christian church. See Vitringa, and Josephus’s history of the Jewish War, book 7: chap. 12.
REFLECTIONS.In the midst of these terrible threatenings, a bright beam of hope dawns from the great and precious promises of the Messiah, whose kingdom and glory should then be exalted, when those who had rejected him received their righteous doom.
1. In that day of Jerusalem’s desolations, shall the Branch of the Lord, the Messiah, that should shoot from the stem of Jesse, Zec 3:8. Jer 23:5. Isa 11:1 be beautiful and glorious, laden with the precious fruits of pardon, grace, and glory, and, though springing in his humiliation as a root out of a dry ground, yet, in his exaltation, shining brighter than the sun, glorified of his saints, and admired of all that believe: and the fruit of the earth, Christ Jesus incarnate on the earth, shall be excellent and comely; though once a worm, and no man, his visage marred more than any, now become the chief of ten thousand, and altogether lovely; for them that are escaped of Israel, whose eyes are opened to behold his excellence, and receive him as their deliverer. Note; (1.) Though in the eyes of a carnal world there is no beauty in Jesus for which they should desire him, faith can descry excellencies which make him above all things precious; so that we can say, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is nothing I desire upon earth in comparison of thee. (2.) In the Saviour all fulness dwells: do we want pardon, peace, grace, comfort? we may come to him, and freely take enough to supply the most enlarged desires of our souls.
2. When the Messiah comes, to him will the gathering of the people be. It shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, the gospel church, shall be called holy; shall be really made such by the powerful operations of the Spirit of holiness on their hearts and lives; even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: and this separation of his people for himself will then appear, 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 the Spirit of burning; which may signify the judgments that God would bring upon the wicked, till they were utterly consumed; or rather the purging thoroughly his church, in order to cleanse them from their remaining corruptions and defilements; and this the Lord would also farther effectually accomplish, by raising up ministers and magistrates, endued with a spirit of wisdom, and animated with holy zeal for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Note; (1.) Vain are their hopes of an interest in heaven, whose hearts continue earthly, sensual, devilish. (2.) When the Lord is pleased to work, he can easily find instruments, furnish them abundantly for their labour, and bless them with success.
3. The church of Christ, and every believer, will in the Lord enjoy protection, guidance, comfort, and security. As Israel’s camp of old was preserved by God’s pillar of the cloud and of fire, safely led through the howling wilderness, and hid from the scorching sun-beams; and as the tabernacle was defended by several coverings from the storm and tempest; so shall God’s faithful people still enjoy as real, if not as sensible, tokens of his care in their passage through this wilderness: neither the storms of persecution, nor the blasts of temptation, nor the scorchings of affliction, shall be able to hurt them. He will defend their glory, the souls of his faithful ones, glorious in holiness; lead them safe through every trial, comfort them with a sense of his love, hide them in the day of wrath as under the shadow of a great rock in a weary land; and, after beholding the destruction of the ungodly, bring them safe to that blest tabernacle which he hath pitched in heaven for their everlasting abode.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 863
GOD THE PROTECTOR OF HIS CHURCH
Isa 4:5. 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.
THE Church of God is frequently represented as hated both by men and devils, and exposed to their united assaults. But it is protected by an invisible and almighty Agent, who keeps it alive, as a spark in the midst of a tempestuous ocean. His watchful eye is ever over it for good: He considers it as his glory, and will therefore himself be its defence. This is promised to the Church in the words before us; in which we are told,
I.
The Church is Gods glory
Mount Zion is a name given to the Gospel Church [Note: Heb 12:22.]: and a strict attention to the text will shew, that it is here considered as the glory of God [Note: The glory evidently relates to the dwelling-plates, &c. before mentioned.]; by which term its members also are expressly designated by God himself [Note: Isa 46:13.].
1.
The various dwelling-places of Mount Zion are his glory
[Wherever Christianity has gained its full ascendant over any family, God will most assuredly be worshipped and served by every member of it. The master will say with Joshua, As for me and my house we will serve the Lord; and, in order to carry this resolution into effect, he will, like Abraham, command his children, and his household after him [Note: Jos 24:15. Gen 18:19.]. His house will be a temple in which he himself officiates as priest; and, as far as he can prevail, he will cause every heart to be an altar to the Lord, that they may daily offer to him the sacrifices of prayer and praise. Such a family will be like a beautiful garden, filled with trees of righteousness of the Lords planting, that he may be glorified [Note: Isa 61:3.]; and while God calls himself their God, he will dignify them with the exalted appellation of his people, and his servants in whom he will be glorified [Note: Jer 31:1. Isa 49:3.].]
2.
The assemblies of Mount Zion also are his glory
[As the Israelites came up thrice every year to worship God at Jerusalem, so on every Sabbath do his people assemble for the exercise of social and public worship. In those holy convocations does every one speak of his glory [Note: Psa 29:9.]; and his ministers in particular, who are the glory of Christ [Note: 2Co 8:23.], proclaim the riches of his grace and mercy. In these God vouchsafes his more peculiar presence; for he loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob [Note: Psa 87:2.]. He comes down as in the days of old [Note: Exo 40:34-35. 2Ch 7:1.], and fills the place with his glory; he pours out his Spirit in a more abundant measure; and by communicating the blessings of grace and peace, he glorifies the house of his glory [Note: Isa 60:7.].]
While they are thus highly esteemed by God, they are favoured with his peculiar care; for,
II.
God is his Churchs guardian
The Israelites, when coming out of Egypt, had a cloud with them as a symbol of the Divine presence [Note: Exo 13:21-22. Neh 9:19.]. This was intended both to guide them in their journeys, and to protect them from their enemies. And in reference to it God promises to his Church to be,
1.
Her guide
[The cloud went before the people in all their journeys, moving or resting when it was proper for them to move, or rest [Note: Exo 40:34-38.]. Thus will God direct the concerns of his Church. Though he will not interpose in the same visible manner, yet he will manifest the same attention to its interests, and guide it with the same unerring hand. Nor is it to the Church at large only that God extends his care; he will regard the dwelling-places of Mount Zion no less than her assemblies; and consult the welfare of the meanest individual as much as of the largest community [Note: Isa 66:2.]. Does any one look up to him for direction? He says, The meek he will guide in judgment, the meek he will teach his way [Note: Psa 25:9.]: He shall have an unction of the Holy One that shall teach him all things [Note: 1Jn 2:20.]; and so plainly shall his path be marked, that, though a fool, he shall not err therein [Note: Isa 35:8.]. Is he involved in any peculiar difficulty? He shall hear a voice behind him, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it [Note: Isa 30:21.]. And though his path may often appear dubious, yet he shall find at last that he has been led in the right way to the city of habitation [Note: Psa 107:7.].]
2.
Her defence
[The cloud on one occasion went behind the Israelites, and wore a dark and threatening aspect to their enemies, while it gave light to them [Note: Exo 14:19-20.]. Thus will God give salvation for walls and bulwarks to his Church [Note: Isa 26:1.]. No weapon that is formed against it shall prosper [Note: Isa 54:17.]: God will not only go before it, but be its rear-ward [Note: Isa 58:8.]: nor shall the gates of hell ever prevail against it [Note: Mat 16:18.]. Never for one moment will he intermit his care [Note: Isa 27:3.]: his protection shall be as effectual as that of lofty mountains [Note: Psa 125:2.], or an impassable river [Note: Isa 33:21.], or a wall of fire [Note: Zec 2:5.]. And its preservation shall be seen to be evidently his work, as much as the creation itself; so that all who behold it shall say, This hath god wrought [Note: Job 12:9. Isa 41:4.].]
3.
Her glory
[It was the presence of God with Israel of old that marked them as his peculiar people. They were feared on this account, so that all the inhabitants of Canaan melted because of them [Note: Jos 2:9; Jos 2:11.]; as also terror was diffused through the whole camp of the Philistines [Note: 1Sa 4:7.]. Thus it is with the Church at this time; it is the presence of God in it that renders it the joy of the whole earth [Note: Psa 48:2.]. It is Gods glory that is seen upon it, which brings kings to the brightness of its rising [Note: Isa 60:1-3.]. There is often a power in the ordinances that evidences the presence of the Deity, and constrains his most inveterate enemies to submit themselves to him, and to unite themselves to his Church [Note: 1Co 14:25.]. And it will be in consequence of that more abundant manifestation of his presence which shall be vouchsafed to the Church at a future period, that all the nations of the earth shall seek with eagerness an interest in its privileges, and a participation of its blessings [Note: Zec 8:23.]. Persons of all ranks, from the lofty fir-tree to the humble box, shall come together to the Church, of which it will be said, The Lord is thine everlasting light, and thy God thy glory [Note: Isa 60:13-16; Isa 60:16.].]
To improve this subject, let me entreat you,
1.
To give yourselves up to God as his people
[The whole of this subject refers, as you have seen, to Israel as Gods redeemed people. To such alone were these promises made; and by such alone were they experienced. To the Egyptians the cloud was as darkness, whilst to the Israelites it was a pillar of light: and the sea, which afforded to Israel a path of safety, was to the Egyptians without exception a fatal grave. So to those only who give up themselves to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are the blessings of redemption fully known: to them the Gospel is a savour of life unto life, whilst to others it is only a savour of death unto death: to them is Christ a sanctuary, whilst to others he is only a stumbling-block and a rock of of offence. What then shall I say unto you? This I will say: Imitate the Israelites on the occasion referred to. Cast off your bonds, and put yourselves under the guidance of that Prophet, whom Jehovah has raised up unto you, like unto Moses. Go forth from Egypt in dependence on your God: rely upon him for every thing during the time of your sojourning in this dreary wilderness: and look forward to your possession of the promised land as your sure and abiding portion. Follow the Lord fully, as Joshua and Caleb did; and rest assured that, like them, you shall in due season enjoy the promised inheritance.]
2.
To glory in God as your God
[Tell me one promise that ever failed those who trusted fully in their God. If Joshua, after forty years of conflict, could make this a matter of appeal to Israel, be sure that none of you shall ever be disappointed of your hope. With Jehovah for your guide and defence, you have no ground for fear: for if God be for you, who can be against you? Your enemies may be great in might, and many in number: but they are all but bread for you. In your conflicts with them, you may endure much: but your trials shall be only as the spirit of judgment and of burning to purge and to purify you from your filth [Note: ver. 4.], and to call forth those exertions from God, which he has promised to you. Whatever difficulty obstruct your way, say to it as God has taught you, Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shall become a plain. Only be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Only hold fast your confidence, and the rejoicing of your hope; and not so much as one jot or tittle of Gods word shall ever fail.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
How very lovely the chapter ends, as well as it began. The church of Christ, which is married to Christ, and brought to call Jesus her husband, when washed from all her uncleanness, made comely from his comeliness, which he path put upon her; and become holy in his holiness, shall now be protected from all dangers arising from without, and made blessed in all glory and Comfort within. Jesus himself will dwell in her, and be both her glory and defense; both her sun and shield. And this, not only in Zion at large, the whole church, which is Christ’s body, but every individual, which forms one to constitute and make up the whole. Upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, every single follower of the Lord shall be thus blessed, protected, and made both happy and glorious in Jesus. And the Lord makes use of his ancient plan of manifesting himself, as he did to Israel, in the wilderness. As the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of fire, in the camp of Israel, indicated the Lord’s presence with his people, so the Lord here alludes to those symbols, that he will be with them now. Reader, blessed and glorious as those tokens, of the Lord’s being in the midst of Israel, were in the church in the wilderness; fancy not that their advantages were equal to ours. The word of God’s grace, and the covenant-engagements of Jehovah, render all outward signs unnecessary. That single promise of our Jesus, confirmed to the heart, as it is, by the Holy Ghost, sums up every other in one. Lo! I am with you always, even to the end of the world, Mat 28:20 . Oh! thou dear Emmanuel! God with us! God in our nature! Thy presence, and the union, and oneness of thy people with thee, makes everything blessed! Thou art indeed all we need: a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land! Isa 32:2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 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.
Ver. 5. And the Lord will create. ] For the safeguard and security of his peculiar people thus purified unto himself, Tit 2:14 and that they may serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all and every day of their lives. Luk 1:74-75 God, rather than fail, will “create,” as he did of old in Egypt and the wilderness, “a cloud by day, a flaming fire by night”; against heat, a “tabernacle”; against storm and rain, a “covert”; anything, everything that heart can wish or need require: dux erit et defensor, lux erit et consolator. He will be to all his “a sun and a shield; he will give grace and glory,” &c. Psa 84:11 Son 2:3
Upon every dwelling place.
And upon her assemblies.
A cloud and smoke.
For upon all the glory.
Shall be a covering
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isaiah
THE PERPETUAL PILLAR OF CLOUD AND FIRE
Isa 4:5
The pillar of cloud and fire in the Exodus was one: there are to be as many pillars as there are ‘assemblies’ in the new era. Is it straining the language too much to find significance in that difference? Instead of the formal unity of the Old Covenant, there is a variety which yet is a more vital unity. Is there not a hint here of the same lesson that is taught by the change of the one golden lamp-stand into the seven, which are a better unity because Jesus Christ walks among them?
The heart of this promise, thus cast into the form of ancient experiences, but with significant variations, is that of true communion with God.
That communion makes those who have it glorious.
That communion supplies unfailing guidance.
A man in close fellowship with God will have wonderful flashes of sagacity, even about small practical matters. The gleam of the pillar will illumine conscience, and shine on many difficult, dark places. The ‘simplicity’ of a saintly soul will often see deeper into puzzling contingencies than the vulpine craftiness of the ‘prudent.’ The darker the night, the brighter the guidance.
That communion gives a defence.
The pillar came between Egypt and Israel, and kept the foe off the timid crowd of slaves. Whatever forms our enemies take, fellowship with God will invest us with a defence as protean as our perils. The same cloud is represented in the context as being ‘a pavilion for a shadow in the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
every dwelling place of mount Zion. Not merely over the Tabernacle as in the old Dispensation.
assemblies = convocation. Hebrew. mikra. Reference to Pentateuch. See note on Isa 1:13.
upon = over.
a defence = a canopy. Hebrew. chuppah, the marriage canopy. Not translated “defence” elsewhere. Occurs only here, Psa 19:5, and Joe 2:16. Compare Isa 62:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
upon every: Isa 32:18, Isa 33:20, Psa 87:2, Psa 87:3, Psa 89:7, Psa 111:1, Mat 18:20, Mat 28:20
a cloud: Exo 13:21, Exo 13:22, Exo 14:19, Exo 14:20, Exo 14:24, Exo 40:34-38, Num 9:15-22, Neh 9:12, Psa 78:14, Zec 2:5-10
upon: or, above
all the glory: Isa 31:4, Isa 31:5, Isa 37:35, Isa 46:13, Psa 85:9
a defence: Heb. a covering, Exo 26:1, Exo 26:7
Reciprocal: Exo 40:38 – fire Num 9:16 – General Deu 1:33 – in fire Neh 9:19 – the pillar Job 5:24 – thou shalt know Psa 9:9 – The Lord Psa 27:5 – hide Psa 48:3 – General Psa 91:1 – under Psa 105:39 – spread Psa 121:5 – thy shade Psa 125:2 – the Lord Isa 25:4 – a refuge Isa 30:1 – cover Isa 32:2 – an hiding Lam 1:6 – from Eze 11:16 – as a Eze 26:20 – and I shall set Zec 9:8 – I will 2Co 12:9 – the power Rev 7:15 – dwell Rev 7:16 – the sun Rev 15:2 – mingled Rev 21:11 – the glory
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 4:5. And the Lord will create Will, in a marvellous manner, produce, as it were, by a new work of creation; upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion Upon all the private habitations of his people; and upon her assemblies Upon the places of their public worship, and the persons assembled therein; a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining, &c. He alludes to the pillar of a cloud and fire, which conducted and protected the Israelites in the wilderness, and afterward rested upon the tabernacle; and his words imply, that God would be the protector and glory of Zion. Such he was to Jerusalem after the return from Babylon; directing the Jews in their various difficulties, and defending them in their weak state against all the contrivances and attempts of their enemies, as we learn from the book of Nehemiah: and thus especially he was present with, and guided, protected, and preserved the first Christian Church, when he destroyed their unbelieving and disobedient countrymen. Upon all the glory shall be a defence Upon all that church and people, which God will make glorious: upon the literal, but especially upon the mystical Jerusalem, upon all holy societies, or assemblies of sincere Christians. A learned commentator, who says the dwelling-places and assemblies of Sion refer to the meetings of the apostles and other Christians at Jerusalem; and that the next clause, upon all the glory, &c., means that the divine protection shall be afforded wherever God manifests himself by the extraordinary signs of his gracious presence, adds as follows: Every symbol of the divine grace and glory, such as was the cloud, brings with it the protection and defence of that place or assembly, which is blessed with this prerogative. The event proves the truth of this interpretation. So long as God was in the temple, that place rejoiced in the benefit of the divine protection. When the voice was heard, Let us depart hence, it was left to the desolation of its enemies. Now the same, as he says, holds good in the Christian Church. While she cleaves to God, adheres to his truth, possesses his grace, obeys his laws, and worships him in the beauty of holiness, she has his presence with her, and is safe and happy. But, when the reverse of all this takes place, when his truth is disbelieved, his grace neglected, his laws broken, and his ordinances slighted, or attended in a mere formal way, his presence is withdrawn, and her glory and defence depart together.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4:5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, {h} a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the {i} glory [shall be] a defence.
(h) He alludes to the pillar of the cloud, Exo 13:21 , meaning that God’s favour and protection should appear in every place.
(i) The faithful are called the glory of God because his image and tokens of his grace shine in them.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God definitely would not abandon His people Israel in the coming judgment, but would share His presence with them and care for them by providing protection and guidance. Failure in leadership marked Israel in Isaiah’s day (Isa 3:2-7), but God Himself would lead the nation in the future. In the past, God had done this by sheltering the wilderness wanderers with a cloudy pillar, but in the future a similar covering would protect the dwellers at Mount Zion. The daughters of Jerusalem tried desperately to secure husbands (Isa 4:1), but God Himself would finally provide a marriage canopy (chamber) for His beloved in the future.
The same fire that judged His people, God Himself, would warm and protect them in all of their circumstances (cf. Psalms 91). He would control the forces of nature that the pagans believed the gods controlled. The Israelites saw a literal cloudy pillar in the wilderness, and perhaps this one in the future will be literal too, symbolic of His presence.
This oracle (Isa 2:1 to Isa 4:6) reveals events that would happen in a "day" yet future from Isaiah’s perspective. History has shown that some of the predictions of judgment found partial fulfillment in the exiles of Israel that preceded Messiah’s appearing. However, most of the judgment, and all the blessing connected to Messiah, lies in the future from our perspective (cf. Mat 24:4-30). It is mainly the Tribulation, and Messiah’s blessing of Israel in the Millennium to follow, that is in view here.