The interpretation timeline
Isaiah 4:5 Douay-Rheims

And the Lord will create upon every place of mount Sion, and where he is called upon, a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flaming fire in the night: for over all the glory shall be a protection.

1105 – 1875 6 witnesses

Scholastic

c. 1100 – 1500
1105
A.D.
Rashi Jewish
1040–1105
“וְעַל מִקְרָאֶהָ and over those summoned therein. a cloud by day and smoke to protect them from the nations. for, in addition to every honor stated to them, shall be a shelter, for I will cause My Shechinah to cover them. Seven chupoth [shelters or canopies] are [mentioned here]: cloud, smoke, splendor, fire, flame, shelter, Shechinah.”
Source
1256
A.D.
Thomas Aquinas Catholic
1225–1274
“In that day. Here he promises exaltation against the oppression of tyrants: and first as to prosperity in temporal things; second as to holiness in spiritual things, at the words, and it shall be that everyone; third as to security from enemies, at the words, and the Lord created. He promises prosperity, however, in three respects. First as to the honor of men, when he says, in that day, namely after the return from captivity, the branch of the Lord shall be, that is, the sons of Judah, of whom below in 5: the men of Judah are the branch; in magnificence, as to the great things they shall do, and especially in the time of the Machabees, and glory, as to the honor they shall receive. 1 Machabees 15: he saw the glory of Simon, and the splendor in gold and silver, and the abundant array, and was astonished. Second as to the abundance of fruits: and the fruit of the earth exalted, that is, the produce of the earth in abundance. Amos, last chapter: the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweetness. Psalm 84: our land shall yield her fruit. Third as to the joy of hearts, and exultation to those who shall have been saved, returning from captivity. Below in 51: joy and gladness shall be found in her, thanksgiving, and the voice of praise. And it shall be that everyone. Here he promises holiness in spiritual things: and concerning this he does three things. First he promises the name of holiness made widely known, which would more entice those who desired glory: hence he says, and it shall be, this which follows, in those times, everyone who shall have been left in Sion, in life, and the one remaining shall be called holy by the voice of the victors. Below in 61: you shall be called the priests of the Lord, the ministers of our God, it shall be said to you. Below in 6: the seed of the holy ones shall be that which has stood in it. Second he gives the sign of those made holy: everyone who is written unto life in Jerusalem; that is, everyone whose life and the descent of whose lineage from parents is written in the annals, according to what is read in 1 Esdras chapter 2, concerning certain men who usurped to themselves the office of priests, and whose genealogy was not numbered. Third, the manner of sanctification: if the Lord shall wash away, that is, if however he shall first wash away the filth, of vices, and the blood, of the prophets shed, from the midst of her, not in a corner, in which the publicity of sin is noted, by the spirit of judgment, as to the equity of the punishment, and of burning, that is, of tribulation as to its bitterness. Spirit, that is, wind, metaphorically, by which the threshing-floor is purged. Jeremiah 4: a burning wind in the ways that are in the desert: the ways of the daughter of my people, for winnowing, and for purging, supply (not). And the Lord created. Here he shows security from enemies, and preserves the metaphor: for since he had compared tribulation to burning heat, he compares security to a cloud and a tabernacle, by which one is defended from the heat. And it is divided into two parts. First he promises divine protection under the likeness of a cloud; in the second, under the likeness of a tabernacle, at the words, and there shall be a tabernacle, et cetera. Concerning the first he does three things. First he gives the reason for the protection, and the Lord created. Now, whether in his own foreknowledge or because of the certainty of the prophecy, he uses the past tense for the future; and he says created, because he raised them from a most abject state to so great a glory, just as that which is created comes to be from nothing: over every place of mount Sion, that is, Jerusalem, which lies beneath the citadel of Sion, and the temple, where he has been invoked. Behold the reason for the protection: Jeremiah 14: but you are in us, O Lord, and your holy name has been invoked upon us. Second the protection itself is set down, a cloud. And it is set down according to a comparison to the benefit shown in the going out of the sons of Israel from Egypt: concerning which it is said in Exodus 13: the pillar of cloud never failed them by day; nor the pillar of fire by night before the people. And therefore here he sets down cloud by day, as to the first, and smoke, as to the second, on account of the twofold benefit of fire; namely of heat against cold; and as to this he says, smoke, in which flame is noted, which is smoke set alight, or because it is an effect of heat; and of brightness against darkness; and as to this he says, and brightness. Below in 10: and the light of Israel shall be in fire and his Holy One in flame. Third he sets down the greatness of the protection, over all: because the protection with which God will protect you shall be over all the glory previously granted to you, as it were exceeding it. Haggai 2: great shall be the glory of this latter house more than of the former. And a tabernacle. Here he describes the same benefit through the metaphor of a tabernacle. Hence he sets down those things for which a tabernacle is useful: for it protects against the heat of the sun through shade; and as to this he says, for a shelter in the daytime from the heat, that is, by day; second it protects against the onslaught of a storm by affording security; and as to this he says, and for a security from the whirlwind: for a whirlwind arises from a certain wrestling of winds; third it protects against the dripping of rains through concealment; and as to this he says, and for a hiding-place from the rain. And according to these three, persecution is designated, according to its different degree. Below in 32: there shall be a man as one who is hidden from the wind, and conceals himself from the storm. The Glosses, however, touch on a twofold mystery. Some expound the seven women as the Churches; and according to this, this chapter is divided into three parts. First the betrothal is set down; second the exaltation of the bridegroom, at the words, in that day; third the governance of the bride, at the words, and it shall be that everyone. The betrothal, however, is through faith. Hosea 2: I will betroth you to me in faith. Hence he sets down three things. First the sharing of faith: they shall take hold, through faith; seven women, the seven Churches, concerning which Apocalypse 1: John to the seven Churches, etc., in which are all the Churches, according to the fifth rule of Tyconius. One man, that is, Christ. Canticle, last chapter: I will take hold of you, and lead you into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that bore me. Second the disclosure of hope, which concerns the sacrament to be received: we will eat our own bread, the body of Christ given to us. John 6: the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world; and which concerns the gift of virtue to be received: we will be covered with our own garments, that is, with virtues. Ezekiel 16: I clothed you with embroidered garments, and shod you with violet-colored shoes (...) and I clothed you with fine linen, and I adorned you with ornaments. Third the desire or petition of charity, which concerns the obtaining of the Christian name. Let only the name be invoked, that we may be called Christians from Christ. Acts 4: there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. And concerning the removal of reproach: take away the reproach that we suffer from the Jews, who say we are without the law. Joshua 5: this day I have taken away the reproach of Egypt from you. Bread gives pardon of fault. Matthew 6: give us this day our supersubstantial bread, and forgive us our debts. It gives the life of grace. John 6: the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. It confirms for the battle. Psalm 103: bread strengthens the heart of man. It strengthens for the journey. 3 Kings 19: he walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights. It causes a foretasting of glory itself. Wisdom 16: you furnished them bread prepared from heaven without labor, having in itself every delight, and the sweetness of every taste. According to other Glosses it is divided thus. In the first the fullness of grace is noted; in the second the exaltation of glory; in that day; in the third the kindly governance of subjects is set down, and it shall be. Concerning the first he does three things. First the abundance of gifts is set down, seven women, that is, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are called women, because through them one is generated and nourished in God. One man, Christ uniquely, who alone is without sin. John 1: we saw him as it were the only-begotten, full of grace and truth. Second the sufficiency of the gifts in perfect enjoyment: we will eat our own bread, namely of the homeland, which the Holy Spirit perfectly enjoys, whose gifts they are, as does the Son also. John 4: my food is to do the will of him who sent me. In the attestation of Scripture: and we will be covered with our own garments, that is, with the word of God, by which the gifts are adorned, because to them (---). Third the perfection of the gifts through Christ as to the conferring of salvation: your name, that is, the reality of your name, salvation, be invoked upon us, that is, upon those who are filled with us, because of his fullness we have all received grace for grace: John 1. For before Christ the gifts did not lead through to the kingdom. As to the removal of error: take away our reproach, which we suffer from false virtues, which steal away our name. Romans 13: the night has gone before, and the day has drawn near. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Canticle 2: catch us the little foxes that destroy the vineyards. Or the reproach which we suffer in the repulsion of men, who repel us by sinning. Wisdom 1: the holy spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful, and — it is subjoined — he shall be rebuked by the iniquity that comes upon him. In that day. Here the exaltation is set down: and first as to the working of miracles, in magnificence. Exodus 15: magnificent in holiness, terrible and praiseworthy, and doing wonders. Second as to the glorious resurrection, and glory, below in 52: rise up, rise up, put on your strength, O Sion. Third as to the ascension: the fruit of the earth, that is, the Son of the Virgin, exalted. Below in 52: behold my servant shall understand, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be exceedingly high; as to the veneration of the whole world, concerning which Philippians 2: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Exultation, below in 9: they shall rejoice before you as those who rejoice in the harvest, as conquerors exult when they have taken the spoil. And it shall be that everyone. Here the governance is set down: and first as to sanctification; second as to the order of sanctification, at the words, if he shall have washed away; third he sets down the protection of those made holy, and he created. For the holiness of anyone three things are required. First distinction together with faith; and as to this he says: who is left, cast off by unbelievers, as it were distinguished, in Sion, which is a watchtower, because faith sees through a mirror and in an obscure manner: 1 Corinthians 13. And below in 10: in truth the remnant shall be converted, the remnant, I say, of Jacob, to the mighty God. If your people, Israel, shall be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be converted. Second tranquility toward peace: remaining, as it were dwelling, in Jerusalem, which is a vision of peace. Below in 52: Jerusalem, the holy city. Third predestination to glory: everyone who is written. Luke 10: rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Apocalypse 3: I will not blot out his name from the book of life. If he shall have washed away. Here the order of sanctification is set down: and first through the washing of Baptism: filth, of actual vices, blood, of original sin; or filth, of venial sins, blood, of mortal sins. Ezekiel 16: I washed you with water, and cleansed your blood from you. Through the discernment of penance. By the spirit of judgment. 1 Corinthians 11: if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged by the Lord at all; through the charitable passion. By the spirit of burning, that is, of his own charity, than which none was greater. John 15: no one has greater love than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. Matthew 26: this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto the remission of sins. And he created. Here the protection is set down. And he sets down the universality of the protection as to those protected: hence, over all; the diversity as to the things protecting: cloud; and the authority as to the things afflicting: hence, by day. But in those protected there are three things; namely the loftiness of contemplation in the heart, mount Sion. Psalm 124: those who trust in the Lord are as mount Sion; he who dwells in Jerusalem shall not be moved forever. The praises of confession in the mouth, he has been invoked. Romans 10: everyone whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The honesty of conduct in work, glory. 2 Corinthians 1: this is our glory, the testimony of our conscience. He shall protect, however, through four things. Through the overshadowing spirit, cloud. Luke 1: the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. Through humbling compunction, smoke. Joel 2: I will give wonders in heaven and on earth, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. Through the illuminating truth, brightness. Luke 2: a light for the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. Through the living Church, tabernacle. Apocalypse 21: behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he shall dwell with them. The things opposing are three. Prosperity lifting up, by day. Adversity breaking constancy, by night. Psalm 120: the sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night; persecution afflicting, by heat, through affliction. Apocalypse 16: and the fourth Angel poured out his vial upon the sun. And it follows: and it was given to him to afflict men with heat, and with fire. Whirlwind, through onslaught. Below in 21: as whirlwinds come from the south wind, it comes from the desert, from a horrible land. From rain, on account of abundance. Matthew 7: the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell.”

Post-Reformation

c. 1650 – 1900
1771
A.D.
John Gill Reformed
1697–1771
“And the Lord will create on every dwelling place of Mount Zion,.... That is, on every particular church of Christ in Gospel times, and especially in the latter day; which are the dwelling places of Father, Son, and Spirit, and of believers in Christ. The word (o) used signifies a place well fitted up, and prepared, and established, and settled; and such will be the churches of Christ in the latter day glory; they will be fitly framed together and built up, a habitation for God, through the Spirit; they will be beautified, and made glorious, and will be established upon the top of the mountains, and be tabernacles that shall not be taken down, whose stakes and cords shall not be removed and broken, Eph 2:21 and so will be sure dwellings, and quiet resting places; and happy will those be who will be the inhabitants of them, since they will have the best of company, the best of provisions, and all health and prosperity, Isa 32:18, and upon her assemblies; or "her convocations" (p); in allusion to the holy convocations and solemn assemblies of the Israelites at their festivals, Lev 23:2 which are the churches of Christ, as before, consisting of men called by the grace of God, with a holy calling; called to be saints, and so are an assembly of saints, Psa 89:7 called by means of the Gospel, as the Israelites were by the blowing of the trumpets, to assemble together, to hear the word, and attend every part of divine worship, Num 10:2 and as the invisible church is called Zion, and the general assembly, Heb 12:22 so particular visible churches are called assemblies, Ecc 12:11 and which will be very numerous in the latter day, and well attended. A cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; alluding to the Lord's going before the children of Israel in the wilderness, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; and to their being upon and covering the tabernacle, when it rested; and also to the cloud and smoke that were upon Mount Sinai, when the Lord was present there, Exo 13:20 and as a cloud was frequently a symbol of the divine Presence, both in the Old and in the New Testament, Exo 19:9, Kg1 8:10 so it may here signify that the presence of God with his churches in the latter day will be very manifest and remarkable; he will be seen over them, and be the glory in the midst of them, Zac 2:5 and it may also denote the gracious protection of the churches by Christ from all their enemies; as the cloud stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians, when they passed through the Red sea, and secured them from them, Exo 14:19 as well as a cloud, is refreshing and protecting from heat, as Christ then will be from heat of every kind. See Gill on Isa 4:6. And as the pillar of fire was to give light to the children of Israel, and direct them in their passage through the wilderness in the night time; so Christ will be the light of his people, by the very great illuminations of his spirit, and the clear preaching of the Gospel, which will give both light and heat; and from both which will arise such a bright shining light, as shall drive away the night of affliction, darkness, desertion, and sleepiness, which shall precede this glorious day. See Isa 60:1 and this will be all the Lord's doing, a work of his almighty power, and therefore signified by a "creation"; it will be a new, strange, and marvellous work; wonderful in the eyes of the saints, and in the eyes of the world, that those who have been forsaken and hated should be made an eternal excellency, and the joy of many generations, Isa 60:15, for upon all the glory shall he a defence; the glory of the churches in the latter day will greatly consist in the presence of God and Christ; in the pouring forth of the Spirit upon them; in the purity of Gospel doctrine, worship, and discipline among them; in the holiness of their lives and conversation; and in the peace, harmony, and unity, that shall subsist with them; and the defence of this glory will be partly the ministers of the Gospel, in the pure administration of the word and ordinances, as means, but principally the Lord himself, who will be a wall of fire about them, and will appoint salvation as walls and bulwarks to them, Zac 2:5. (o) a "paravit, disposuit". (p) "super convocationes ejus", Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius.”
Source
1849
A.D.
1774–1849
“Protection. God will protect his Church, more than he did the Israelites by the pillar, Exodus xiv. 20. (St. Basil, &c.) Bible Text & Cross-references: After an extremity of evils that shall fall upon the Jews, a remnant shall be comforted by Christ. 1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, take away our reproach. 2 In that day the bud of the Lord shall be in magnificence and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be high, and a great joy to them that shall have escaped of Israel. 3 And it shall come to pass, that every one that shall be left in Sion, and that shall remain in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, every one that is written in life in Jerusalem. 4 If the Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughters of Sion, and shall wash away the blood of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the Lord will create upon every place of Mount Sion, and where he is called upon, a cloud by day, and a smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire in the night: for over all the glory shall be a protection. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the day-time from the heat, and for a security and covert from the whirlwind, and from rain. Table of Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque finibus commodo nibh, ut elementum velit sollicitudin at. Donec suscipit commodo risus. Nunc vel orci eget ligula elementum consequat. Fusce velit erat, convallis scelerisque aliquet ut, facilisis egestas tellus. Quisque sit amet sapien placerat, ultricies sapien ut, vestibulum ex.”
Source
1871
A.D.
1871
“create--The "new creation" needs as much God's creative omnipotence, as the material creation (Co2 4:6; Eph 2:10). So it shall be in the case of the Holy Jerusalem to come (Isa 65:17-18). upon--The pillar of cloud stood over the tabernacle, as symbol of God's favor and presence (Exo 13:21-22; Psa 91:1). Both on individual families ("every dwelling") and on the general sacred "assemblies" (Lev 23:2). The "cloud" became a "fire" by night in order to be seen by the Lord's people. upon all the glory--"upon the glorious whole"; namely, the Lord's people and sanctuary [MAURER]. May it not mean, "Upon whatever the glory (the Shekinah spoken of in the previous clause) shall rest, there shall be a defense." The symbol of His presence shall ensure also safety. So it was to Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Exo 14:19-20). So it shall be to literal Jerusalem hereafter (Zac 2:5). Also to the Church, the spiritual "Zion" (Isa 32:18; Isa 33:15-17; Heb 12:22). tabernacle--Christ's body (Joh 1:14). "The word 'tabernacled' (Greek for 'dwelt') among us" (Joh 2:21; Heb 8:2). It is a "shadow from the heat" and "refuge from the storm" of divine wrath against man's sins (Isa 25:4). Heat and storms are violent in the East; so that a portable tent is a needful part of a traveller's outfit. Such shall be God's wrath hereafter, from which the "escaped of Israel" shall be sheltered by Jesus Christ (Isa 26:20-21; Isa 32:2). covert--answering to "defense" (Isa 4:5). The Hebrew for defense in Isa 4:5, is "covering"; the lid of the ark or mercy seat was named from the same Hebrew word, caphar; the propitiatory; for it, being sprinkled with blood by the high priest once a year, on the day of atonement, covered the people typically from wrath. Jesus Christ is the true Mercy Seat, on whom the Shekinah rested, the propitiatory, or atonement, beneath whom the law is kept, as it was literally within the ark, and man is covered from the storm. The redeemed Israel shall also be, by union with Him, a tabernacle for God's glory, which, unlike that in the wilderness, shall not be taken down (Isa 38:20). A new prophecy; entire in itself. Probably delivered about the same time as the second and third chapters, in Uzziah's reign. Compare Isa 5:15-16 with Isa 2:17; and Isa 5:1 with Isa 3:14. However, the close of the chapter alludes generally to the still distant invasion of Assyrians in a later reign (compare Isa 5:26 with Isa 7:18; and Isa 5:25 with Isa 9:12). When the time drew nigh, according to the ordinary prophetic usage, he handles the details more particularly (Isa. 7:1-8:22); namely, the calamities caused by the Syro-Israelitish invasion, and subsequently by the Assyrians whom Ahaz had invited to his help. Next: Isaiah Chapter 5”
Source
1875
A.D.
Keil & Delitzsch Lutheran
1861–1875
“"And Jehovah creates over every spot of Mount Zion, and over its festal assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke, and the shining of flaming fire by night: for over all the glory comes a canopy." Just as Jehovah guided and shielded Israel in the days of the redemption from Egypt in a smoke-cloud by day and a fire-cloud by night, which either moved in front like a pillar, or floated above them as a roof (Num 14:14, etc.), the perpetuation of His presence at Sinai (Exo 19:9, Exo 19:16.); so would Jehovah in like manner shield the Israel of the final redemption, which would no longer need the pillar of cloud since its wanderings would be over, but only the cloudy covering; and such a covering Jehovah would create, as the praet. consec. וּברא) ("and He creates") distinctly affirms. The verb bârâh always denotes a divine and miraculous production, having its commencement in time; for even the natural is also supernatural in its first institution by God. In the case before us, however, the reference is to a fresh manifestation of His gracious presence, exalted above the present course of nature. This manifestation would consist by day in "a cloud," and as the hendiadys "cloud and smoke" (i.e., cloud in form and smoke in substance) distinctly affirms, a smoke-cloud, not a watery cloud, like those which ordinarily cover the sky; and by night in a fiery splendour, not merely a lingering fiery splendour like that of the evening sky, but, as the words clearly indicate, a flaming brightness (lehâbâh ), and therefore real and living fire. The purpose of the cloud would not only be to overshadow, but also to serve as a wall of defence against opposing influences; (Note: The cloud derived its name, ‛ânân, not from the idea of covering, but from that of coming to meet one. The clouds come towards the man who gazes at them, inserting themselves between him and the sky, and thus forcing themselves upon his notice instead of the sky; hence the visible outer side of the vault of heaven is also called ‛anan (plur. ‛anân), just as the same word is used to denote the outermost portion of the branches or foliage of a tree which is the first to strike the eye (in contradistinction to the inner portions, which are not so easily seen, seven if visible at all).) and the fire would not only give light, but by flaming and flashing would ward off hostile powers. But, above all, the cloud and fire were intended as signs of the nearness of God, and His satisfaction. In the most glorious times of the temple a smoke-cloud of this kind filled the Holy of holies; and there was only one occasion - namely, at the dedication of Solomon's temple - on which it filled the whole building (Kg1 8:10); but now the cloud, the smoke of which, moreover, would be turned at night into flaming fire, would extend over every spot (mâcōn, a more poetical word for mâkōm) of Mount Zion, and over the festal assemblies thereon. The whole mountain would thus become a Holy of holies. It would be holy not only as being the dwelling-place of Jehovah, but as the gathering-place of a community of saints. "Her assemblies" (mikrâehâ) points back to Zion, and is a plural written defectively (at least in our editions), (Note: Such codices and ancient editions as Soncino (1488), Brescia (1494), and many others, have the word with the yod of the plural.) - as, for example, in Jer 19:8. There is no necessity to take this noun in the sense of "meeting halls" (a meaning which it never has anywhere else), as Gesenius, Ewald, Hitzig, and others have done, since it may also signify "the meetings," though not in an abstract, but in a concrete sense (ecclesiae). (Note: It is doubtful whether the form מפעל (מפעל) is ever strictly a nomen actionis kal (Ges. 84, 14). Its meaning seems rather to be always concrete, even in Arabic, where menâm signifies a sleeping-place, sleeping-time, or a dream, but never sleep, or sleeping (like inse, Heb. shenâh, or naum, Heb. nūm).) The explanatory clause, "for over all the glory (comes) a canopy," admits of several interpretations. Dr. Shegg and others take it in the general sense: "for defence and covering are coming for all that is glorious." Now, even if this thought were not so jejune as it is, the word Chuppâh would not be the word used to denote covering for the sake of protection; it signifies rather covering for the sake of beautifying and honouring that which is covered. Chuppâh is the name still given by the Jews to the wedding canopy, i.e., a canopy supported on four poles and carried by four boys, under which the bride and bridegroom receive the nuptial blessing - a meaning which is apparently more appropriate, even in Psa 19:6 and Joe 2:16, than the ordinary explanation thalamus to torus. Such a canopy would float above Mount Zion in the form of a cloud of smoke and blaze of fire. (There is no necessity to take Chuppâh as a third pers. pual, since תּהיה, which follows immediately afterwards in Isa 4:6, may easily be supplied in thought.) The only question is whether Col Câbōd signifies "every kind of glory," or according to Psa 39:6; Psa 45:14, "pure glory" (Hofmann, Stud. u. Krit. 1847, pp. 936-38). The thought that Jerusalem would now be "all glory," as its inhabitants were all holiness, and therefore that this shield would be spread out over pure glory, is one that thoroughly commends itself. but we nevertheless prefer the former, as more in accordance with the substantive clause. The glory which Zion would now possess would be exposed to no further injury: Jehovah would acknowledge it by signs of His gracious presence; for henceforth there would be nothing glorious in Zion, over which there would not be a canopy spread in the manner described, shading and yet enlightening, hiding, defending, and adorning it.”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.