Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
4. If ( once) Jehovah have washed, &c. Although the order is unusual this verse must be taken as a conditional sentence depending on Isa 4:3. spirit of burning ] better, spirit of extermination (as in Isa 6:13; 1Ki 22:46, &c.). The medium of the judgment is the “Spirit,” the divine energy, which is operative alike in the physical and in the moral sphere (cf. ch. Isa 32:15).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When the Lord – That is, after God has done this, then all that are written among the living shall be called holy. The prophet in this verse states the benefits of affliction in purifying the people of God. He had said, in the previous verse, that all who should be left in Zion should be called holy. He here states that previous to that, the defilement of the people would be removed by judgment.
Shall have washed away – The expression, to wash, is often used to denote to purify in any way. In allusion to this fact is the beautiful promise in Zec 13:1; see the note at Isa 1:16.
The filth – This word here refers to their moral defilement – their pride, vanity, haughtiness; and perhaps to the idolatry and general sins of the people. As the prophet, however, in Isa 3:16-23, had particularly specified the sins of the female part of the Jewish people, the expression here probably refers especially to them, and to the judgments which were to come upon them; Isa 3:24. It is not departing from the spirit of this passage to remark, that the church is purified, and true religion is often promoted, by Gods humbling the pride and vanity of females. A love of excessive ornament; a fondness for dress and display; and an exhibition of great gaiety, often stand grievously in the way of pure religion.
The daughters of Zion – see Isa 3:16.
And shall have purged – This is synonymous with the expression to wash. It means to purify, to remove, as one removes blood from the hands by washing.
Blood of Jerusalem – Crime, blood-guiltiness – particularly the crime of oppression, cruelty, and robbery, which the prophet Isa 1:15 had charged on them.
By the spirit of judgment – This refers, doubtless, to the calamities, or punishment, that would come upon the nation; principally, to the Babylonian captivity. After God should have humbled and reformed the nation by a series of judgments, then they who were purified by them should be called holy. The word spirit here cannot be shown to be the Holy Spirit; and especially as the Holy Spirit is not represented in the Scriptures as the agent in executing judgment. It perhaps would be best denoted by the word influence, or power. The word properly denotes wind, air, motion Gen 8:1; Job 1:19; then breathing, exhalation, or breath Job 7:7; Psa 33:6; hence, it means the soul; and it means also Gods influence, or his putting forth his power and life-giving energy in animating and sustaining the universe; and also, as here, his putting forth any influence in accomplishing his works and designs.
And by the spirit of burning – Fire is often, in the Scriptures, the emblem of punishment, and also of purifying; compare the note at Mat 3:11-12; see Mal 3:2-3. The Chaldee translates this, by the word of judgment, and by the word of consuming. The reference is to the punishments which would be sent to purify the people before the coming of the Messiah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 4. The spirit of burning] Means the fire of God’s wrath, by which he will prove and purify his people; gathering them into his furnace, in order to separate the dross from the silver, the bad from the good. The severity of God’s judgments, the fiery trial of his servants, Ezekiel (Eze 22:18-22) has set forth at large, after his manner, with great boldness of imagery and force of expression. God threatens to gather them into the midst of Jerusalem, as into the furnace; to blow the fire upon them, and to melt them. Malachi, Mal 3:2-3, treats the same subject, and represents the same event, under the like images: –
“But who may abide the day of his coming?
And who shall stand when he appeareth?
For he is like the fire of the refiner,
And like the soap of the fullers.
And he shall sit refining and purifying the silver;
And he shall purify the sons of Levi;
And cleanse them like gold, and like silver;
That they may be JEHOVAH’S ministers,
Presenting unto him an offering in righteousness.”
This is an allusion to a chemist purifying metals. He first judges of the state of the ore or adulterated metal. Secondly, he kindles the proper degree of fire, and applies the requisite test; and thus separates the precious from the vile.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion: this shall be accomplished when God hath thoroughly cleansed the Jewish nation from their sins. The blood; the blood-guiltness, and especially that of killing the Lord of life, their own Messiah.
By the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning: this is opposed to the former legal way of purification, which was by water. By
the Spirit he seems to understand the Holy Spirit of God, to which this washing and purging work is commonly ascribed, as 1Co 6:11, and elsewhere; which Spirit did accompany the preaching of the gospel, and did this work in part in some of the Jews, and will do it more fully in the body of the nation. And this Spirit may well be called a Spirit of judgment, because it executes judgment in the church, and in the consciences of men, separating the precious from the vile, convincing men of sin, and righteousness, and judgment, Joh 16:8-11, manifesting the secrets of mens hearts in the preaching of the word, 1Co 14:25; accusing, and terrifying, and punishing some, witnessing for and with others, and filling them with peace and joy in believing; hardening some, and softening and subduing others to God, as this Spirit is particularly promised to do to the Jews, Zec 12:10. And the same Spirit may be fitly called the Spirit of burning, as he is compared to fire, Mat 3:11, because he doth burn up and consume the dross which is in the church, and in the minds and hearts of men, and inflames the souls of believers with love to God, and zeal for his glory.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. Whenthat is, After.
washed (Zec13:1).
filthmoral (Isa1:21-25).
daughters of Zionsameas in Isa 3:16.
purgedpurified byjudgments; destroying the ungodly, correcting and refining the godly.
blood (Isa1:15).
spiritWhatever Goddoes in the universe, He does by His Spirit, “without thehand” of man (Job 34:20;Psa 104:30). Here He isrepresented using His power as Judge.
burning (Mat 3:11;Mat 3:12). The same Holy Ghost,who sanctifies believers by the fire of affliction (Mal 3:2;Mal 3:3), dooms unbelievers tothe fire of perdition (1Co3:13-15).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
When n the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion,…. By Zion is meant the church of Christ in general, his mystical body, the general assembly and church of the firstborn, written in heaven, Heb 12:22 and by her “daughters” particular churches, that go by the name of Christian churches, who are called the reformed churches, being such as are separated from the church of Rome; among whom there is a great deal of “filth”, and which will be removed in the latter times of the Gospel dispensation; by which are designed all false doctrines, such as are contrary to the deity and sonship of Christ, and the personality of the Holy Spirit; which derogate from the grace of God in election, justification, pardon, and salvation; which detract from the blood of Christ, and deny his imputed righteousness and satisfaction; and which exalt the power and free will of man, and tend to impurity and licentiousness; these will all be removed, and the true doctrine, which secures the glory of each divine Person, asserts the free grace of God, salvation by Christ, the operations of the Spirit, and influences and engages to holiness of life, will take place. This filth likewise includes all false worship; all ordinances and institutions of men; all corruptions in the ordinances of Christ, baptism, and the Lord’s supper; all forms and modes of worship that are not of God; all offices and officers, except bishops and deacons, which are of the man of sin; and all immorality and profaneness; and all wicked men, even all that offend and do iniquity, shall be taken out of Christ’s kingdom and churches; there will be a thorough clearing of his floor of all filth, dirt, and chaff.
And shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof; that is, of the daughters of Jerusalem, particular churches, of which the Jerusalem above is the mother; for this is not to be understood literally of the city of Jerusalem, nor of the blood of Christ, and his servants, shed in it, purged away by the burning of it by the Romans; but of the bloodshed and persecution in Protestant churches; for a spirit of persecution has prevailed in some of them, but this shall be no more seen in the latter day; Christ’s kingdom will be a peaceable kingdom, and of the peace of it there will be no end; as there will be no war in a civil sense, so neither in a religious sense; all animosities, disputes, and contentions, will cease; see Isa 9:7 and much less will there be any effusion of blood on account of religion, nor any that shed it; as the Targum paraphrases the words,
“and they that shed innocent blood in Jerusalem shall be removed out of it:”
it is added,
by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning; the Targum is,
“by the word of judgment, and by the word of consummation or perfection;”
by the former is meant a judicious spirit, which the Lord will give to his churches and ministers; a set of ministers will be raised up, having the everlasting Gospel, which they shall freely, fully, and openly preach unto all men; by which means the churches will be cleared of all false doctrines; clear and distinct light will be given to all the preachers of the word; the watchmen shall see eye to eye; and all Zion’s children be taught of God; and this shall be universal all the world over; there will be a discerning of spirits of men and doctrines, whether of God, or not; by which good doctrines will be distinguished from bad ones, and good men from the wicked; and this will be part of the judgment which will be given to the saints of the most High, and will proceed from the Spirit of God; who will be poured out in a plenteous manner to guide the churches into all truth, as it is in Jesus; and by the latter, “the spirit of burning”, is meant a burning flaming zeal; a zeal according to knowledge, against all false doctrine and worship, and for the pure doctrine and worship of Christ; which will appear in Christian ministers and churches, and also in Christian magistrates, who will hate the whore, and burn her flesh with fire; and who will be stirred up by the preachers of the Gospel to pour out the plagues on the antichristian states, Re 15:6 and when the fire of God’s word will burn up all the wood, hay, and stubble, which the day will declare; and then will be the trying winnowing time, and those that are left will be holy unto the Lord.
n Or, “for the Lord shall wash away”; so Noldius, in Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 88. No. 428. which gives a reason why he “that is left in Zion, c shall be called holy” because “the Lord”, c. so the Septuagint version, and Aben Ezra observes, that , “if”, is used for , “because.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged away the bloodguiltinesses of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of sifting.” “When,” followed by a preterite (equivalent to a fut. exact. as in Isa 24:13; Ges. 126, 5), introduces the circumstance, whose previous occurrence would be the condition of all the rest. The force of the future yadiach (“shall have purged”) is regulated by that of the preterite rachatz , as in Isa 6:11; for although, when regarded simply by itself, as in Isa 10:12, the future tense may suggest the idea of a future prefect, it cannot have the force of such a future. The double purification answers to the two scenes of judgment described in chapter 3. The filth of the daughters of Zion is the moral pollution hidden under their vain and coquettish finery; and the murderous deeds of Jerusalem are the acts of judicial murder committed by its rulers upon the poor and innocent. This filth and these spots of blood the Sovereign Ruler washes and purges away (see 2Ch 4:6), by causing His spirit or His breath to burst in upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, both male and female. This breath is called “the spirit of judgment,” because it punishes evil; and “the spirit of sifting,” inasmuch as it sweeps or cleans it away. is to be explained, as in Isa 6:13, in accordance with Deu 13:6 (5, Eng. Ver.; “put the evil away”) and other passages, such especially as Isa 19:13; Isa 21:9. The rendering given in the Septuagint and Vulgate, viz., “in the spirit of burning,” is founded upon the radical meaning of the verb, which signifies literally to burn up, and hence to clear away or destroy (see Comm. on Job, at Job 31:12, Eng. Tr.). Nevertheless, “burning” in connection with judgment is not definite enough, since every manifestation of divine judgment is a manifestation of fire; but it is not every judgment that has connected with it what is here implied – namely, the salutary object of burning away or, in other words, of winnowing. The “spirit” is in both instances the Spirit of God which pervades the world, not only generating and sustaining life, but also at times destroying and sifting (Isa 30:27-28), as it does in the case before us, in which the imperishable glory described in Isa 3:5 is so prepared.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion. He still follows out the same statement; for in consequence of its being generally believed that those calamities by which the Church is diminished inflict upon her grievous injury, the Prophet more zealously inculcates the opposite opinion. And now, for the purpose of refuting that error, he argues, on the contrary, that by this method God washes away the filth, and removes the corruptions, of his Church.
The blood of Jerusalem. By blood I understand not only murders or other atrocious crimes, but defilements and stains of every description. This metaphor is a reduplication, ( ἀναδίπλωσις,) by which he repeats the same thing twice; for, having formerly spoken of pollution in general, he now particularly mentions blood as one kind of ceremonial uncleanness. In short, he shows the fruits which spring from God’s chastisements. By them our spots are washed away. When abounding iniquity is not punished, we become corrupted along with others; and therefore it is necessary that God should earnestly warn us, and, like a physician, apply physic, and the lancet, and sometimes proceed to burning
By the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. Here judgment stands for uprightness from its effect; that is, when they who had deeply fallen are restored to their former condition. He adds, the spirit of burning, by which the filth must be burned and consumed. In this expression there are two things to be observed; first, that the purification of the Church is accomplished by the Spirit; and secondly, that from the effects which he produces the Spirit receives the name, sometimes of judgment and sometimes of burning; as if he had said, The judgment of the Spirit, The burning of the Spirit. Whenever, therefore, expressions of this sort occur in Scripture, “The Lord will do these things by the Spirit of truth, of power, of righteousness,” we may change the expression thus, “by the truth, by the power, by the righteousness, of the Spirit.” In this manner doth the Spirit of God work in us, from whom is both the beginning and the end of our salvation. From these terms, therefore, we ought to learn what are the chief effects which he produces. By his Spirit the Lord purifies our affections that he may renew and sanctify us. The word judgment explains what is of chief importance in the restoration of the Church; that is, when those things which were confused or decayed are restored to good order. Burning points out the plan and method by which the Lord restores the Church to her purity.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE CLEANSING SPIRIT
Isa. 4:4. By the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning.
In Isa. 2:1-5, the prophet gives us a vision of the glory which shall distinguish Messianic times. From Isa. 4:6, however, and through that chapter and the next, he depicts scenes of darkness and distress, that were to come upon the Jewish nation in correction of its haughtiness, arrogance, and rebellion. In ch. 4 the light again breaks through these fearful clouds of judgment, and under the glory of the Messianic period we see the beauty and purity of the chastened people of the Lord. The filth of the daughters of Zion has been washed away, the blood of Jerusalem has been purged from the midst thereof. But how? By the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning. Here we have the source and cause of the change.This language is very striking and suggestive, and reveals the Divine procedure in the cleansing of the heart.
I. THE SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT. Gods Spirit effects this reformation by a process of discernment and conviction. We observe
1. That a real change of heart is usually preceded by a discovery of its sinful condition. The natural tendency of the depraved heart is to ignore and deny its corrupted state. The light must be let in to show that it is depraved [577]
2. That this reformation is preceded by a discovery of the enormity as well as the fact of sin. Even a converted sinner tries to palliate or soften the sins that condemn him. Hence men contrive such flimsy distinctions as white lies and black lies. But the Spirit of judgment goes to the root of the matter, and discovers sin as sin (1Ki. 8:28). So in the text, it is the filth of the daughters of Zion that has had to be washed away; it is the blood of Jerusalem that has had to be purged from its midst [580]
[577] It is with the children of men as with the housewife, that having diligently swept her house, and cast the dust out of doors, can see nothing amiss, not so much as a speck of dust in it; whereas if the sun do but a little shine in, through some cranny in the wall or some broken quarry in the window, she may soon see the whole house swim and swarm with innumerable atoms of dust, floating to and fro in the air, which, for dimness of light or sight, she was not able to discern. Even so is it with many that were careful of their ways, so that little may be seen that is amiss; yet when they shall come to look more attentively into Gods law, a little beam of light, reflecting upon their souls from it, will discover unto them such an innumerable company, as well of corruptions in their heart as of error and oversight in their lives, that it shall make them, as men amazed, cry out, Lord, what earthly man doth know the errors of his life?Spencer, 1658.
[580] As the Lord led Ezekiel from one place to another, and the further he went the greater abominations he discerned (Ezekiel 8), from the door of the court to the door of the gate of the Lords house, and from thence to the inner court; so the Spirit of the Lord leads the sinner from one part of his house to another, from one roomone faculty of his soul to another, and still discovers greater, more and more abominations,leads from the profaneness of his ordinary conversation to the sins of his religious duties, from the sins of his life to the sins of his heart, from the streams of sin in his actions to the spring of sin which bubbles up continually in every part of his soul. He brings to mind the sins that he has forgotten, makes him possess the sins of his youth; and now the bag (Job. 14:17) is opened, and the sinner sees what he is to reckon for, he cries out as the prophets servant, How shall we do? and as David (Psa. 38:4). He comes not to the assizes as formerly, to see others tried and condemned; he sees himself now at the bar, himself arraigned and indicted; he cannot but plead guilty. He is clearly cast in law, and bears the sentence of condemnation as though the Lord did by name pronounce sentence of condemnation against him.Clarkson, 16211686.
II. THE SPIRIT OF BURNING. From this description of the Holy Ghost, we learn
1. That the detection of sin is, in the Divine purpose, to be followed by its destruction. There can be no home for sin in a pure heart, nor will God make any concession to it (Hab. 1:13; Psa. 5:5).
2. This process is extremely searching and painful. It is one of burning (Mat. 3:11). How many have quailed under the testing ordeal!e.g., loss of wealth! loss of friends! personal affliction, &c.
From the subject three general reflections arise:
1. God does not chastise arbitrarily or at random. He does it by the Spirit of judgment.
2. Neither does He fail in the work by reason of a weak indulgence, which really would be unkindness. He does it by the Spirit of burning.
3. The object He has in view is to promote and secure our personal holiness, to make us indeed like Himself (Heb. 12:10)the most blessed result to which discipline can lead us.W. Manning.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(4) When the Lord shall have washed away the filth . . .This serves as the connecting link with Isa. 3:16-24. The prophet has not forgotten the daughters of Zion. Jehovah will wash away, as with the baptism of repentance, the filth, the moral uncleanness, that lay beneath their outward show of beauty. The blood of Jerusalem, in the next verse, has a wide range of meaning, from the murders of Isa. 1:15; Isa. 1:21, to the Moloch sacrifices in which the women had borne a conspicuous part (Psa. 106:38; Isa. 57:5; Eze. 22:2-3).
By the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.The word for spirit is better taken in its more literal meaning, as breath or blast, as in Isa. 30:27-28; Isa. 40:7. The words indicate that the prophet saw in the blood of which he speaks a greater enormity than that of the daughters of Zion. The one might be washed away. The other needed, as it were, the fiery baptism of the wrath of Jehovah. (Comp. Isa. 30:27; Mat. 3:11.) The Authorised Version burning represents the root-meaning of the word, but it is elsewhere (Isa. 6:13; Deu. 13:5; Deu. 17:7) used for destruction generally.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Here we have the blessed process of grace, by which the Lord will accomplish the divine purposes of his love, in redeeming the souls of his people. The daughters of Zion are here spoken of, as a representation of the whole church of Jesus. So the church is named, Psa 45:10-11 . This church is considered in her pollutions, such as she was when Christ came to redeem her, Eze 16:3-6 . But when, in gospel days, Jesus is come, and the fountain in his blood is opened to the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness, then the filth of Zion shall be washed away, Zec 13:1 ; 1Jn 1:1-7 . But how is this to be done? By the spirit of judgment, and the spirit of burning; meaning, that God the Holy Ghost, in his seven-fold gifts, and by his gracious work on the heart, will glorify Jesus, in taking of the things of Christ, and showing their suitableness to the poor sinner. Is the sinner’s heart hardened? The Holy Ghost will be to him a spirit of judgment; convincing, converting, enlightening, teaching him to feel his want of Jesus, and leading him to Jesus. Are his affections cold, and in himself not disposed to seek after salvation? The Holy Ghost will be to him a spirit of burning; to warm, yea, fire his very soul, in longings for Christ, that his sins may be done away, and both his filth and his blood he purged, and purified from all uncleanness. Oh! the wonderful process of grace, when God the Holy Ghost layeth judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, Isa 28:17 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 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.
Ver. 4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth. ] The ordure or excrement: a sin is the excrement of the soul, the superfluity or garbage of naughtiness, the devil’s vomit. From this abominable filth Christ hath “loved and washed his with his own blood, that he may make them kings and priests unto God and his Father.” Rev 1:5 He not only washeth his people from their sins, but taketh away their swinish natures, whereby they would else return to their former wallowing in the mire as so many Borboritae.
Of the daughters of Zion.
By the spirit of judgment.
And by the spirit of burning.
a Sordes quae exeunt et excernuntur e corpore hominis per varios meatus.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
washed away: Isa 3:16-26, Lam 1:9, Eze 16:6-9, Eze 22:15, Eze 36:25, Eze 36:29, Joe 3:21, Zep 3:1, Zec 3:3, Zec 3:4, Zec 13:1, Zec 13:9, Mal 3:2, Mal 3:3
have purged: Isa 26:20, Isa 26:21, Eze 24:7-14, Mat 23:37
by the spirit: Isa 9:5, Eze 22:18-22, Mal 3:2, Mal 3:3, Mal 4:1, Mat 3:11, Mat 3:12, Joh 16:8-11
Reciprocal: Isa 1:8 – daughter Isa 1:25 – purge Isa 3:24 – burning Isa 27:9 – this therefore Isa 31:9 – whose fire Isa 60:21 – people Eze 13:17 – the daughters Eze 16:9 – washed Eze 24:11 – that the filthiness Oba 1:17 – there shall be holiness Luk 3:16 – and with Joh 13:8 – If Rev 15:2 – mingled
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 4:4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth, &c. This shall be accomplished when God shall have thoroughly cleansed the Jewish nation from their sins; and shall have purged away the blood of Jerusalem The sins of cruelty and oppression, (Isa 5:7,) or of bloodshed and murder, particularly in killing the prophets, and persecuting Gods servants. By the spirit of judgment and burning By the effects of his justice and wrath in punishing them severely; by making them pass through the furnace of affliction, as it is expressed Isa 48:10 : or the Holy Spirits influences may be chiefly intended, especially as this mode of purification is opposed to the legal way, which was by water. The Holy Spirit may well be called a spirit of judgment, because he executes judgment in the church, and in the consciences of men, convincing sinners of sin, leading them to judge and condemn themselves, and humbling them before God. And the same Spirit may be properly called a spirit of burning, because he burns up and consumes the dross which is in the church, and in the hearts of sinners, operates like refiners fire, purges believers as gold and silver are purged, (Mal 3:3,) inflames their souls with love to God and zeal for his glory, and transforms them into his holy nature and image. This was effectually done with respect to those Jews that embraced the gospel in the early days of Christianity.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the {f} blood of Jerusalem from the midst of it by the spirit of {g} judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
(f) That is, the cruelty, extortion, malice and all wickedness.
(g) When things will be addressed that were amiss.