Isaiah 4:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

After awakening their spirits with the ominous prospect of disaster and sufficiently outlining the hardships, the prophet transitions to more encouraging themes. A comprehensive approach to healing involves not just incision and cauterization, but also alleviating the ensuing discomfort with calming remedies. This is exactly his method. He asserts that the challenges faced are not the ultimate resolution; rather, from these struggles, greater sources of comfort will emerge, leading to not just liberation from adversity, but also immense honor and victory. He refers to the radiance of God as that which banishes the shadows of hardship, ushering in a luminous dawn and bestowing glory upon humanity. The phrase regarding counsel indicates that God will orchestrate all matters with His unique and divine wisdom.

Some may find it challenging to determine when the prophecies spoken by the prophet concerning the women of Judah and their entire land will come to pass, whether it will be prior to or following the arrival of the Savior. However, the meaning of the words clearly indicates that the prophet is directing us to that specific time when they, due to their transgressions against Christ—having ill-treated Him with wretched arrogance—faced a just retribution, as Jerusalem was besieged by armies.

This aligns with the previously established ideas. For those who are represented as ‘the seven wives,’ He will indeed ‘shine forth’ as Sovereign. Their earnest desire for ‘His name to be invoked upon them’ shows their zeal, which God will acknowledge by ‘shining forth’ upon them ‘in counsel with glory on earth,’ meaning He will provide wise and discerning guidance, imparting goodness grounded in sound judgment. ‘The day’ refers to the time when “God shall ’shine with glory,’” typified by Him, ‘the Sun of righteousness’ (Mal. 4:2), our Lord who teaches that while He walks among us, light is ‘in the world’ (John 9:5). Therefore, He encourages us to ‘work while it is day’ (John 9:4).

When the daughters of Zion, due to their arrogance, shall forfeit all their adornments, and their gates shall lament and shed tears, the city will become desolate, with all its warriors vanishing in conflict, to the extent that there will hardly be one man for every woman: then the branch representing the name of Christianity will flourish, and the earth will produce its bounty, and it will become a source of joy for the redeemed of Israel. It is stated above, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us a remnant, we would have been like Sodom" (Isaiah 1:9).

The most effective cleansing is one that purifies the spirit, which is the essence of a spiritual purification. The prophet clearly indicates this when he proclaims that the Lord will remove the impurities of the daughters of Zion and will purify the blood of Jerusalem from within, referring specifically to the blood of wrongdoing and the slaying of prophets. The Word also reveals the nature and method of this purification, stating: by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of fire. In contrast, the purification of the body can occur through the use of plain water, as is frequently observed in regions lacking proper bathing facilities.

The Lord bestowed goodness (Psalm 84:13) upon humanity, making the choice to liberate the human race from the burden of betrayal through His only begotten Son. He granted this goodness by entering the womb of the Virgin, sanctifying it by His grace and transforming it into a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our earth bore its fruit (Psalm 84:13) as the Virgin, who received her fleshly form from the earth, brought forth a Son, who is equal in divinity to God the Father yet consubstantial with Her in the reality of the flesh. Isaiah also foretold this moment, gazing into the era of human salvation: In that day the Branch of the Lord shall appear in beauty and honour, and the fruit of the earth in splendour.

This period signifies the moment when it will please the Lord to bring an end to the disasters foretold in earlier parables, which have come upon the Jewish people as a result of their wrongdoing and transgressions. These tribulations will be intense, marking a time of profound darkness and despair, of distress and sorrow (Am. 5:18). However, this darkness will ultimately be lifted, for God will illuminate the earth with His glorious counsel, bringing honor and praise to the remnant of Israel. Just as the dawn breaks to banish night, the Lord will remove the pain and sorrow from the remnant of Israel, meaning the new generation emerging from the old, through the radiance of His presence.