The Meaning of Isaiah 11:4 Explained

Isaiah 11:4

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.

YLT: And he hath judged in righteousness the poor, And decided in uprightness for the humble of earth, And hath smitten earth with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips he putteth the wicked to death.

Darby: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity 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.

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 Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 11:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Justice for the poor was hard to find in the ancient world because the poor could not afford to bribe their Judges , and they possessed little political influence. But Israel"s coming king would do what was right for the poor and be fair with the afflicted (cf. Revelation 1:5; Revelation 3:14). His words of judgment would result in the death of the wicked rather than giving them preferential treatment for what they could do for the judge (cf. Isaiah 55:10-11; Genesis 1:3; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 1:16; Revelation 19:15; Revelation 19:21). Clearly, this king will acknowledge God as His sovereign.

Context Summary

Isaiah 11:1-9 - The Kingdom Of The Messiah
The advance of the Assyrian along the great north road is graphically described. It was marked by raided villages and towns. The night sky was lurid with flames. But his collapse would be as sudden and irretrievable as the felling of forest timber. As the one chapter closes we can almost hear the crash of the Assyrian tree to the ground, and there is no sprout from his roots. But in the next the prophet descries a fair and healthy branch uprising from the trunk of Jesse's line. The vision of the King is then presented, who can be none other than the divine Redeemer on whom rests the sevenfold Spirit of God. The second verse defines the work of the Comforter, and is evidently the model of that royal hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus. But remember that He on whom this divine unction rested longs to share the pentecostal gift with the least of His disciples, 1 John 2:27. Note that as man's sin brought travail and groaning on all creation, so will His redemption deliver it, Romans 8:19-25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 11

1  The peaceable kingdom of the Branch out of the root of Jesse
10  The victorious restoration of Israel, and vocation of the Gentiles

What do the individual words in Isaiah 11:4 mean?

But He shall judge with righteousness 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 slay the wicked
וְשָׁפַ֤ט בְּצֶ֙דֶק֙ דַּלִּ֔ים וְהוֹכִ֥יחַ בְּמִישׁ֖וֹר לְעַנְוֵי־ אָ֑רֶץ וְהִֽכָּה־ אֶ֙רֶץ֙ בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט פִּ֔יו וּבְר֥וּחַ שְׂפָתָ֖יו יָמִ֥ית רָשָֽׁע

וְשָׁפַ֤ט  But  He  shall  judge 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
בְּצֶ֙דֶק֙  with  righteousness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צֶדֶק  
Sense: justice, rightness, righteousness.
דַּלִּ֔ים  the  poor 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: דַּל  
Sense: low, poor, weak, thin, one who is low.
וְהוֹכִ֥יחַ  and  decide 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָכַח  
Sense: to prove, decide, judge, rebuke, reprove, correct, be right.
בְּמִישׁ֖וֹר  with  equity 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִישֹׁור  
Sense: level place, uprightness.
לְעַנְוֵי־  for  the  meek 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: עָנָו 
Sense: poor, humble, afflicted, meek.
אָ֑רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְהִֽכָּה־  and  He  shall  strike 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
אֶ֙רֶץ֙  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט  with  the  rod 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
פִּ֔יו  of  His  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
וּבְר֥וּחַ  and  with  the  breath 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
שְׂפָתָ֖יו  of  His  lips 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
יָמִ֥ית  He  shall  slay 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
רָשָֽׁע  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.