God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 9:4
4You will break the yoke that burdens them, the bar that is across their shoulders, and the stick used by their oppressor, as ⌞you did in the battle against⌟ Midian.
Isaiah 9:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
- New International Version (NIV)For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
Context of Isaiah 9:4
2The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light. The light will shine on those who live in the land of death’s shadow. 3You will expand the nation and increase its happiness. It will be happy in your presence like those who celebrate the harvest or rejoice when dividing loot. You will break the yoke that burdens them, the bar that is across their shoulders, and the stick used by their oppressor, as ⌞you did in the battle against⌟ Midian. 5Every warrior’s boot marching to the sound of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel in the fire. 6A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Read all of Isaiah 9Isaiah 9:4 word by word
כִּ֣י׀ אֶת־עֹ֣ל סֻבֳּל֗וֹ וְאֵת֙ מַטֵּ֣ה שִׁכְמ֔וֹ שֵׁ֖בֶט הַנֹּגֵ֣שׂ בּ֑וֹ הַחִתֹּ֖תָ כְּי֥וֹם מִדְיָֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For thou hast brokenחָתַתchâthath · to to be dismayedH2865
- the yokeעֹל‛ôl ‛ôl · yokeH5923
- of his burdenסֹ֫בֶלsôbel sûbbâl · burdenH5448
- and the staffמַטֶּהmaţţeh maţţâh · tribe: rodH4294
- of his shoulderשְׁכֶםshekem · shoulderH7926
- the rodשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribe: staffH7626
- of his oppressorנָגַשׂnâgaώ · to oppressH5065
- as in the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- of Midianמִדְיָןmidyân · MidianH4080
Cross-references for Isaiah 9:4
- Isaiah 14:25I’ll crush Assyria on my land. I’ll trample it underfoot on my mountains. Then its yoke will be removed from my people, and its burden will be removed from their shoulders.”
- Isaiah 47:6I was angry with my people. I dishonored those who belong to me. I put them under your control. You showed them no mercy. You placed a heavy burden on old people.
- Genesis 27:40You will use your sword to live, and you will serve your brother. But eventually you will gain your freedom and break his yoke off your neck.”
- Leviticus 26:13I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt so that you are no longer slaves of the Egyptians. I have broken their power over you and made you live as a free people.
- Jeremiah 30:8“On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “I will break the yokes off your necks and tear off your ropes. Foreigners will no longer make you serve them.
- Nahum 1:13But now I will break Nineveh’s yoke off of you and tear its chains from you.
- Isaiah 10:5“How horrible it will be for Assyria! It is the rod of my anger. My fury is the staff in the Assyrians’ hands.
- Isaiah 14:3When that day comes, the Lord will give you relief from your pain and suffering, from the hard slavery you were forced to do.
- Isaiah 30:31At the sound of the Lord, the people of Assyria will be shattered. He will strike them with his rod.
- Psalms 125:3A wicked ruler will not be allowed to govern the land set aside for righteous people. That is why righteous people do not use their power to do wrong.
- Isaiah 10:26Then the Lord of Armies will raise his whip against them. As he struck down Midian at the Rock of Oreb and raised his staff over the water, so he will lift it as he did in Egypt.
- Judges 6:1The people of Israel did what the Lord considered evil. So the Lord handed them over to Midian for seven years.
- Judges 7:22The 300 men kept on blowing their rams’ horns, and the Lord caused the whole camp of Midian to fight among themselves. They fled as far as Beth Shittah, toward Zererah, and as far as the bank of the stream at Abel Meholah near Tabbath.
- Judges 8:10Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with an army of about 15,000 men. This was all that was left of Kedem’s entire army. In the battle, 120,000 soldiers died.
- Psalms 83:9Do to them what you did to Midian, to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
Commentaries on Isaiah 9:4
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4For thou hast broken - This verse, and the following, show the way in which the occasion of the joy had been furnished. The expression thou hast‘ does not necessarily refer to the past, but is a form of expression derived from the nature of the prophetic visions, where that is described as past which is seen to pass before the eyes of the prophet; see the Introduction, section 7. The yoke - This word is often used to denote oppression, or tyranny…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The people experienced the rule of other nations as a yoke of slavery and a heavy burden. A yoke is a wooden bar placed on animals to control them. Here it describes harsh control and forced labor (Jeremiah 30:8). the rod of their oppressor: In Isaiah 10:5, the Assyrians are called “the rod of [the Lord’s] anger.” This means God used Assyria to punish his people. But God’s anger would not last forever. When his anger ended, Assyria’s cruel rule over Judah…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. The occasion of the "joy," the deliverance not only of Ahaz and Judah from the Assyrian tribute (2Ki 16:8), and of Israel's ten tribes from the oppressor (2Ki 15:19), but of the Jewish Christian Church from its last great enemy. hast--the past time for the future, in prophetic vision; it expresses the certainty of the event. yoke of his burden--the yoke with which he was burdened. staff of ... shoulder--the staff which strikes his shoulder [Maurer]; or…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 9:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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