Discovery BoxIsaiah 4:2 
Contextthe crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor; 2
the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight
to those who remain in Israel. 3
Isaiah 10:20
Context10:20 At that time 4 those left in Israel, those who remain of the family 5 of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. 6 Instead they will truly 7 rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 8
Isaiah 15:9
Context15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon 9 are full of blood!
Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. 10
A lion will attack 11 the Moabite fugitives
and the people left in the land.
Isaiah 37:31-32
Context37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 12
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 13 will accomplish this.
1 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
2 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the Lord will become beauty and honor.” Many English versions understand the phrase צֶמַח יְהוָה (tsemakh yÿhvah) as a messianic reference and render it, “the Branch of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and others). Though צֶמַח (tsemakh) is used by later prophets of a royal descendant (Jer 23;5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12), those passages contain clear contextual indicators that a human ruler is in view and that the word is being used in a metaphorical way of offspring. However, in Isa 4:2 there are no such contextual indicators. To the contrary, in the parallel structure of the verse צֶמַח יְהוָה corresponds to “produce of the land,” a phrase that refers elsewhere exclusively to literal agricultural produce (see Num 13:20, 26; Deut 1:25). In the majority of its uses צֶמַח refers to literal crops or vegetation (in Ps 65:10 the Lord is the source of this vegetation). A reference to the Lord restoring crops would make excellent sense in Isa 4 and the prophets frequently included this theme in their visions of the future age (see Isa 30:23-24; 32:20; Jer 31:12; Ezek 34:26-29; and Amos 9:13-14).
3 tn Heb “and the fruit of the land will become pride and beauty for the remnant of Israel.”
4 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
5 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
6 tn Heb “on one who strikes him down.” This individual is the king (“foreign leader”) of the oppressing nation (which NLT specifies as “the Assyrians”).
7 tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”
8 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
9 tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.
10 tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.
11 tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
12 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
13 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
