For In that day, see the comments on 2.11, 20. Here the phrase introduces a passage that speaks about restoration and blessing, not judgment. The prophet purposefully uses an ambiguous introduction that refers to some undefined point in time to come, and that echoes all of his other sayings about the future. Translators may render it the same way as in 2.11 and elsewhere.
The branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious: The Hebrew word for branch means “vegetation / plant life / shoot / growth.” Commentators and versions have understood the branch of the LORD in various ways. There are some who believe this is a Messianic reference; for example, the NIV Study Bible
has a footnote that calls it a Messianic title. It capitalizes the word branch to indicate this. New American Bible also reflects this understanding with the section heading “The Messianic Branch.” This is an interpretation that originated in later Judaism. According to the footnote in New Jerusalem Bible here, the Messianic interpretation is probably influenced by the use of a similar phrase in Jeremiah (see 23.5; 33.15). But each time it is used in Jeremiah it refers to “a righteous branch” for David, whereas here it is the branch of the LORD. The context here indicates this phrase is not a metaphor for the Messiah. It is parallel to the agricultural phrase the fruit of the land in the next clause, so it probably has a literal sense. The singular words branch and fruit have a collective meaning. They refer to the new plant growth that Yahweh will bring to the land, as Good News Translation brings out explicitly. Other versions that follow this interpretation are Revised English Bible (“the plant that the LORD has grown”) and New Jerusalem Bible (“Yahweh’s seedling”). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has a very different rendering here, saying “The radiance of the LORD.” It follows the Septuagint, which believes the Hebrew noun for branch comes from a root meaning “to shine forth.”
Translators are advised to follow the majority view and not give a Messianic interpretation to the text. According to this verse, the destruction of Israel (1.7) will be reversed and it will receive wonderful crops. The adjectives beautiful and glorious describe the wonder of what Yahweh will do. Both qualities are associated with Yahweh himself, so the future crops will reflect the nature of Yahweh. They are a sign of God’s blessing and they will give the survivors a positive sense of pride and glory. In addition, this new plant growth symbolizes the new generation of people who will be clean and holy. For this clause New Jerusalem Bible has “Yahweh’s seedling will turn to beauty and glory,” and Contemporary English Version says “the LORD will make his land fruitful and glorious again.” Other possible renderings are “the LORD will cause beautiful and glorious things to grow” or “what Yahweh grows will be very beautiful and great.”
And the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel: As noted above, the fruit of the land also refers to what Yahweh will produce. This phrase recalls “the fruit of their deeds” in 3.10, though in the present context the meaning of fruit is literal rather than figurative. Good News Translation translates “the crops that the land produces.”
Pride and glory are parallel to beautiful and glorious in the preceding clause. The land and what it produces will become objects of pride for those who are the survivors of Israel. This phrase links closely with the first two clauses of the next verse, which describe those who will remain after the judgment has passed. Although “survivors” in 1.9 translates a different Hebrew term than here, the thought is similar, and the word here may be rendered the same way. The survivors of Israel may be rendered “the people of Israel who escape/survive [or, who are left alive after] the disaster/destruction/ordeal.” For Israel see the comments on 1.3. Contemporary English Version renders the whole clause here as follows: “and the people of Israel who survive will take great pride in what the land produces.”
Translation suggestions for this verse are:
• At that time Yahweh will cause beautiful and glorious plants to grow. The produce of the land will make Israel’s survivors proud; they will be amazed.
• When that time comes, the things Yahweh plants will be things of beauty and glory. The survivors of Israel will be amazed and proud of what their land produces.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .