1And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
This verse continues in the context of the final verses of the previous chapter and probably should have been part of chapter 3. Comment on this verse is included there rather than here.
2In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
The previous chapter contained prophecy to Judah concerning God’s judgment by the coming Babylonian captivity, the spiritual conditions which led to it, and the aftermath of it. Chapter 4, beginning with verse 2, looks beyond that captivity and Judah’s return from it and foresees a future restoration for Israel.
The contrast between the two subjects of the sentence in verse 2 is significant: “the branch of the LORD” and “the fruit of the earth.” The first is a Person from Yahweh; the second is physical blessing for the ground. The “branch” of the LORD is also spoken of in Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15 and in Zechariah 3:8; 6:12. The reference in Jeremiah 23:5-6 is very clear:
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
“The branch of the LORD” will be a King, the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. “In that day” refers to the time of His future reign over the earth. At that time He will be for beauty and glory in Jerusalem, and the land will be abundantly fruitful. The expression “them that are escaped of Israel” thus looks beyond the time of the end of the seventy-year captivity in Babylon and speaks of a future time of deliverance from Tribulation at the second coming of Christ.
Why is Jesus called the “branch”? The word translated “branch” may also be translated “sprout.” The verb form of the same word is found in Psalm 132:
“There will I make the horn of David to bud [sprout]: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.” (Psalm 132:17-18)
Jesus is called the “branch” or the “sprout” because, even though Israel today has had no Davidic king since the Babylonian captivity, He will “sprout” in the line of David and reign as King. He will be “the branch of the LORD.”
3And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4when 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.
Clearly, verse 3 looks beyond the time of Judah’s return from Babylon. Verse 3 speaks of a time yet in the future when every surviving Jew in Jerusalem will be called holy. Verse 4 says that the filth of the haughtiness of the women described in 3:16-24 and the innocent blood shed in Jerusalem (1:15) would be cleansed away by burning judgment from God. The judgment that Israel experienced at the hands of the Babylonians brought a partial cleansing, but there still has not come a day when it may be said that every Jew remaining in Jerusalem is holy. Israel again shed innocent blood when Christ was crucified. There is yet a future time of Tribulation for the nation in which God will purge out evil “by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.”
5And 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. 6And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
The expression “every dwelling place of mount Zion” may be translated “all the dwelling place of mount Zion.” Using the same word, the temple is referred to as a “dwelling place” of God in I Kings 8:13 and II Chronicles 6:2. It seems likely that verse 5 refers to a covering of the millennial temple and of the convocations (“assemblies”) of the people of Jerusalem, a covering which will be present day and night. According to verse 6, the temple itself and the covering over it will be a refuge for those who come there.
According to verse 2, it is the Branch of the LORD who will be for beauty and for glory in Jerusalem. The presence of Christ will be the glory in the temple in that day. The place of His presence will be a place of refuge for all who come to Him.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.