Isaiah 4:2

"In that day" connects this section of the oracle with its earlier parts and shows that all of it deals with a future time (cf. Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 2:17; Isaiah 2:20; Isaiah 3:8; Isaiah 3:18; Isaiah 4:1). However, here we learn that "that day" will be a day of glory and vindication for Israel, as well as retribution and judgment.

In a general sense "The Branch of the Lord" refers to Israel, but this is also a messianic title here as elsewhere (cf. Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 53:2; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12). It was regarded as a messianic reference here as early as the Targums, the Aramaic interpretive translation of the Old Testament that dates after the Babylonian exile or possible during it. [Note: See Joyce G. Baldwin, "Semah as a Technical Term in the Prophets," Vetus Testamentum 14 (1964):93-97.]

"[The branch is] a name of Christ, used in a fourfold way: (1) ’the branch of the LORD’ (Isaiah 4:2), i.e. the Immanuel character of Christ (Isaiah 7:14) to be fully manifested to restored and converted Israel after His return in divine glory (Matthew 25:31); (2) ’the Branch’ of David (Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15), i.e. the Messiah, ’of the seed of David according to the flesh’ (Romans 1:3), revealed in His earthly glory as King of kings, and Lord of lords; (3) the LORD’s ’servant, the Branch’ (Zechariah 3:8), Messiah’s humiliation and obedience unto death according to Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-12; Philippians 2:5-8; and (4) the ’man whose name is THE BRANCH’ (Zechariah 6:12), that is, His character as Son of man, the ’last Adam,’ the ’second man’ (1 Corinthians 15:45-47), reigning as Priest-King over the earth in the dominion given to and lost by the first Adam. Matthew is the Gospel of the Branch of David; Mark, of the LORD’s Servant, the Branch; Luke, of the Man whose name is the Branch; and John, of the Branch of the LORD." [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 716.]

God would provide a source of fruitfulness and blessing, which a tree branch (stemming from David and ultimately from the Lord) is, to Israel (cf. 2 Samuel 23:5). The nation would not produce this on her own by trusting in people, but God Himself would provide it. "The fruit of the earth" probably refers to the fruitfulness of the earth that God would provide through Israel and, specifically, the Messiah. God promised earlier to judge Israel with lack of fruitfulness because of her sin (Isaiah 4:1).

Many conservative interpreters have understood "the fruit of the earth" to be a second messianic title, which is possible. Some of them felt that the first title referred to Messiah’s divine nature, and the second to His human nature. [Note: E.g., Delitzsch, 1:152-53. ] Others favored taking "the fruit of the earth" simply as a reference to the future agricultural abundance of the land. [Note: E.g., Chisholm, "A Theology . . .," p. 317.]

"The survivors of Israel" refers to those who would live through the judgments mentioned earlier in this passage. Since the time of these judgments includes the Exile and the Tribulation, and since the reference to the Branch points to messianic times, these survivors will probably be Jews who will still be alive at the end of the Tribulation (cf. Zechariah 13:8). The daughters of Jerusalem previously sought to beautify themselves (Isaiah 3:16; Isaiah 3:18; Isaiah 4:1), but now the Lord would adorn them with fruitfulness.