Isaiah 11:4
in Isaiah 11but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide 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.
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.
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This verse in Isaiah 11
Commentary
18 notes on this verseA commentator
Apostolic ConstitutionsApostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII · Written before 380.
For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him.
This site's exposition
He will not judge by
on Isaiah 11:3-5
"He will not judge by what His eyes see," a standard no human judge can keep. With righteousness He judges the poor and with equity decides for the lowly, the case Assyria's boasting kings never made. Righteousness is the belt around His hips and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
This site's exposition
the rod of His mouth
The rod of His mouth is His word. Paul uses the breath of His lips in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 of the Lord slaying the lawless one. Houbigant proposed reading blast for rod, and Clarke reported the conjecture.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
(Verse 3 and following) He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears. But he will judge the poor with justice, and decide with fairness for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and kill the wicked with the breath of his lips. Righteousness will be his belt, and faithfulness the sash around his waist. These words refer to the first coming of the Savior; the Jews argue about the future at the end of the world.
A commentator
Victorinus of PettauCommentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John · Written before 304.
proposed
"And out of His mouth was issuing a sharp two-edged sword." By the twice-sharpened sword going forth out of His mouth is shown, that it is He Himself who has both now declared the word of the Gospel, and previously by Moses declared the knowledge of the law to the whole world. But because from the same word, as well of the New as of the Old Testament, He will assert Himself upon the whole human race, therefore He is spoken of as two-edged. For the sword arms the soldier, the sword slays the enemy, the sword punishes the deserter. And that He might show to the apostles that He was announcing judgment, He says: "I came not to send peace, but a sword." And after He had completed His parables, He says to them: "Have ye understood all these things? And they said, We have. And He added, Therefore is every scribe instructed in the kingdom of God like unto a man that is a father of a family, bringing forth from his treasure things new and old," -the new, the evangelical words of the apostles; the old, the precepts of the law and the prophets: and He testified that these proceeded out of His mouth. Moreover, He also says to Peter: "Go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that shall first come up; and having opened its mouth, thou shalt find a stater (that is, two denarii), and thou shalt give it for me and for thee." And similarly David says by the Spirit: "God spake once, twice I have heard the same." Because God once decreed from the beginning what shall be even to the end. Finally, as He Himself is the Judge appointed by the Father. on account of His assumption of humanity, wishing to show that men shall be judged by the word that He had declared, He says: "Think ye that I will judge you at the last day? […]
rod of his mouth....: He is not speaking literally, for all the language in this passage he employs in a spiritual sense.
He [Christ] does not esteem the learned above the simple, nor the rich above the poor.
That the Holy Spirit also proceeds from the Son, the prophetic and apostolic teaching shows us. So Isaiah says concerning the Son, "He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked." …
10 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
Hence, when Isaiah said "he will judge the poor with justice," he was without doubt speaking of those very persons to whom it was said, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."
367. But he shall judge. Here his justice in executing is shown. And first, as to the good, in distributing their rights: he shall judge, in the day of judgment and even now: the Father has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22); the …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 3 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Just as "feigned righteousness is not righteousness, but double iniquity," so feigned holiness is not holiness, but rather iniquity. Against such the Apostle says: "In the last times there will be men who are lovers of pleasures, having the appearance of piety, but denying its …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Reprove - Or condemn their malicious enemies. Thy rod - With his word, which is his scepter, and the rod of his power, Psalm cx, 2, which is sharper than a sword, Heb. iv, 12, by the preaching whereof he subdued the world to himself, and will destroy his enemies, 2Thes ii, 8. This he adds farther, to declare the nature of Christ's kingdom, that it is not of this world.
): With righteousness shall he judge the poor; he shall judge in favour and defence of those that have right on their side, though they are poor in the world, and because they are poor in spirit. It is the duty of princes to defend and deliver the poor ( Ps. lxxxii. 3, 4 ), and the honour of Christ that he is the poor man's King, Ps. lxxii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor,....
There is much more of the knowledge of God to be got by the gospel of Christ than could be got by the law of Moses; and, whereas then in Judah only was God known, now all shall know him, Heb. viii. But that is knowledge falsely so called which sows discord among men; the right knowledge of God settles peace. Advancement of Messiah's Kingdom.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
With 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 breath of his lips in the next line.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
He as the Word of God (Re 19:13-15) comes to strike that blow which shall decide His claim to the kingdom, previously usurped by Satan, and "the beast" to whom Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to the Gentile dispensation, as the first coming was to the Jews. Compare a type of the "rod" (Nu 17:2-10).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Shall 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 blessed; Mat 5:3. There may be a reference here to the poor in spirit - the humble, the penitent; but the main idea is, that he would not be influenced by any undue regard for the higher ranks of life, but would be the friend and patron of the poor. And reprove - הוכיח hô̂kiyach. And judge, decide, or argue for; that is, he shall be their friend and their impartial judge; Isa 11:3. With equity - With uprightness, or uncorrupted integrity. For the meek of the earth - ענוי־ארץ ‛anevēy 'ārets. For the humble, the lower class; referring to those who were usually passed by, or oppressed by those in power. And he shall smite the earth - By the “earth” here, or the land, is meant evidently “the wicked,” as the following member of the parallelism shows. Perhaps it is intended to be implied, that the earth, when he should come, would be eminently depraved; which was the fact. The characteristic here is that of an upright judge or prince, who would punish the wicked. To “smite” the earth, or the wicked, is expressive of punishment; and this characteristic is elsewhere attributed to the Messiah; see Psa 2:9-12; Rev 2:27. […]
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁפַ֤ט | veshafat | and he will judge | H8199 → | 202 times |
| בְּצֶ֙דֶק֙ | betzedek | with righteousness | H6664 → | 119 times |
| דַּלִּ֔ים | dalim | poor [people] | H1800 → | 47 times |
| וְהוֹכִ֥יחַ | vehokhiach | and he will decide | H3198 → | 59 times |
| בְּמִישׁ֖וֹר | bemishor | with uprightness | H4334 → | 23 times |
| לְעַנְוֵי־ | leanvei- | for [the] humble [people] of | H6035 → | 22 times |
| אָ֑רֶץ | ʾaretz | [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְהִֽכָּה־ | vehikah- | and he will strike | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אֶ֙רֶץ֙ | ʾeretz | [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט | beshevet | with [the] rod of | H7626 → | 190 times |
| פִּ֔יו | piv | mouth his | H6310 → | 498 times |
| וּבְר֥וּחַ | uveruach | and with [the] breath of | H7307 → | 378 times |
| שְׂפָתָ֖יו | sefatav | lips his | H8193 → | 176 times |
| יָמִ֥ית | yamit | he will put to death | H4191 → | 839 times |
| רָשָֽׁע׃ | rasha' | [the] wicked | H7563 → | 263 times |
וְשָׁפַ֤טand he will judge
veshafatH8199 →202 times
בְּצֶ֙דֶק֙with righteousness
betzedekH6664 →119 times
דַּלִּ֔יםpoor [people]
dalimH1800 →47 times
וְהוֹכִ֥יחַand he will decide
vehokhiachH3198 →59 times
בְּמִישׁ֖וֹרwith uprightness
bemishorH4334 →23 times
לְעַנְוֵי־for [the] humble [people] of
leanvei-H6035 →22 times
אָ֑רֶץ[the] earth
ʾaretzH776 →2504 times
וְהִֽכָּה־and he will strike
vehikah-H5221 →499 times
אֶ֙רֶץ֙[the] earth
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
בְּשֵׁ֣בֶטwith [the] rod of
beshevetH7626 →190 times
פִּ֔יוmouth his
pivH6310 →498 times
וּבְר֥וּחַand with [the] breath of
uveruachH7307 →378 times
שְׂפָתָ֖יוlips his
sefatavH8193 →176 times
יָמִ֥יתhe will put to death
yamitH4191 →839 times
רָשָֽׁע׃[the] wicked
rasha'H7563 →263 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Malachi 4:6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
it leads to
- Luke 1:16–17
Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
- Luke 1:16–17
Through
Revelation 19:15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath…
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 63:2–6
Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress?
- Revelation 1:16
He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Revelation 2:27
He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:8
Through
2 Thessalonians 2:8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
it leads to
- Revelation 2:16
Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.
- Revelation 19:20–21
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and…
- Revelation 2:16
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on 16 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII; Bede, Commentary on Samuel 1:7.6; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 3; Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 15:23; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Fulgentius of Ruspe, TO PETER ON THE FAITH 54; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Chrysostom, Commentary (church-history corpus); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.