New Living Translation
Isaiah 11:4
4He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
Isaiah 11:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
- New International Version (NIV)but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
- English Standard Version (ESV)but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Context of Isaiah 11:4
2And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. 5He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. 6In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.
Read all of Isaiah 11Isaiah 11:4 word by word
וְשָׁפַ֤ט בְּצֶ֙דֶק֙ דַּלִּ֔ים וְהוֹכִ֥יחַ בְּמִישׁ֖וֹר לְעַנְוֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְהִֽכָּה־אֶ֙רֶץ֙ בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט פִּ֔יו וּבְר֥וּחַ שְׂפָתָ֖יו יָמִ֥ית רָשָֽׁע׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But with righteousnessצֶ֫דֶקtsedeq · righteousnessH6664
- shall he judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- the poorדַּלdal · poorH1800
- and reproveיָכַחyâkach · to rebukeH3198
- with equityמִישׁוֹרmîyshôr mîyshôr · plainH4334
- for the meekעָנָו‛ânâv ‛ânâyv · poorH6035
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and he shall smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- with the rodשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribe: staffH7626
- of his mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- and with the breathרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
- of his lipsשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lipsH8193
- shall he slayמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
Cross-references for Isaiah 11:4
- Isaiah 32:1Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him.
- 2 Samuel 8:15So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.
- 2 Samuel 23:2“The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.
- 1 Kings 10:8How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!
- Psalms 45:6Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
- Psalms 72:1Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son.
- Psalms 82:2“How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Interlude
- Jeremiah 23:5“For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
- Jeremiah 33:15“In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
- Matthew 11:5the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
- Revelation 19:11Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
- Isaiah 1:17Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
- Proverbs 31:8Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.
- Jeremiah 5:28They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor.
- Isaiah 29:19The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Commentaries on Isaiah 11:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4With the rod of his mouth "By the blast of his mouth" - For בשבט beshebet, by the rod, Houbigant reads בשבת beshebeth, by the blast of his mouth, from נשב nashab, to blow. The conjecture is ingenious and probable; and seems to be confirmed by the Septuagint and Chaldee, who render it by the word of his mouth, which answers much better to the correction than to the present reading. Add to this, that the blast of his mouth is perfectly parallel to the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Shall he judge the poor - That is, he shall see that impartial justice is done them; he shall not take part with the rich against the poor, but shall show that he is the friend of justice. This is the quality of a just and upright magistrate, and this character the Lord Jesus everywhere evinced. He chose his disciples from among the poor; he condescended to be their companion and friend; he provided for their needs; and he pronounced their condition…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The poor and the exploited would receive the justice due to them, which the wicked leaders of Judah had previously withheld. the rod of his mouth: See Psalm 2:9; Revelation 19:15.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. judge--see that impartial justice is done them. "Judge" may mean here "rule," as in Psa 67:4. reprove--or, "argue"; "decide." But Lowth, "work conviction in." earth--Compare with Mt 5:5, and Re 11:15. earth--its ungodly inhabitants, answering to "the wicked" in the parallel, and in antithesis to the "poor" and "meek," namely, in spirit, the humble pious (Mt 5:3). It is at the same time implied that "the earth" will be extraordinarily wicked when He…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 11:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 11
- 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
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