Isaiah 11

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 740 BC – 701 BC · Divided kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

16 verses · 467 words · ~2 min read · ~3 min listen

The Root of Jesse

¹Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

²The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and strength,

the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

³And He will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what His eyes see,

and He will not decide by what His ears hear,

⁴but 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.

⁵Righteousness will be the belt around His hips,

and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

⁶The wolf will live with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the goat;

the calf and young lion and fatling will be together,

and a little child will lead them.

⁷The cow will graze with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

⁸The infant will play by the cobraʼs den,

and the toddler will reach into the viperʼs nest.

⁹They will neither harm nor destroy

on all My holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the sea is full of water.

¹⁰On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. ¹¹On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

¹²He will raise a banner for the nations

and gather the exiles of Israel;

He will collect the scattered of Judah

from the four corners of the earth.

¹³Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart,

and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off.

Ephraim will no longer envy Judah,

nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

¹⁴They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west;

together they will plunder the sons of the east.

They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab,

and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

¹⁵The Lord will devote to destruction

the gulf of the Sea of Egypt;

with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand

over the Euphrates.

He will split it into seven streams

for men to cross with dry sandals.

¹⁶There will be a highway for the remnant of His people

who remain from Assyria,

as there was for Israel

when they came up from the land of Egypt.

Footnotes (10)

a v6 Hebrew; LXX the young calf and bull and lion will feed together
b v10 LXX On that day the Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope; cited in Romans 15:12.
c v11 That is, the upper Nile region
d v11 That is, Babylonia
e v11 Or coastlands
f v13 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel
g v13 Or hostility
h v15 Or will completely dry up
i v15 Hebrew the tongue
j v15 Hebrew the River

Study notes on this chapter · 5

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

That the Gentiles may glorify God

To close Romans' argument about Jews and Gentiles, Paul strings together four quotations from the Law, the Psalms and Isaiah, each showing the nations praising the God of Israel, ending with the root of Jesse ruling the nations.

When: Psalms and Isaiah, c. 1000–540 BC; Romans, c. AD 57.

Original passagePsalms 18:49Deuteronomy 32:43Psalms 117:1Isaiah 11:10

Where the New Testament applies itRomans 15:8–12

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

He will be called a Nazarene

Matthew says that by settling in Nazareth, Jesus fulfilled what was spoken 'by the prophets', yet no Old Testament verse says these words. Matthew uses the plural 'prophets', so he may be summarizing a theme rather than quoting one text. Interpreters propose several links, none certain.

When: Matthew's account of Jesus' childhood; written c. AD 60–85.

Original passageIsaiah 11:1Isaiah 53:3Judges 13:5

Where the New Testament applies itMatthew 2:23

Ways people read this (4)

A wordplay on the Hebrew 'netzer' (branch, shoot) in Isaiah 11:1, so 'Nazarene' recalls the Davidic Branch.
An allusion to the despised status of Nazareth and of the suffering servant (compare John 1:46 and Isaiah 53:3).
A reference to Nazirite-like holiness (Judges 13:5), though Jesus is not described as a Nazirite.
Matthew cites a prophetic theme (contempt and lowliness) rather than a specific verse, or a source we no longer have.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

A shoot from the stump of Jesse

A future king from David's father's line, on whom God's Spirit rests, who judges with righteousness and to whom the nations turn. Paul quotes the last part in Romans to show Gentiles hoping in the 'root of Jesse'.

When: Spoken c. 740–700 BC; cited by Paul c. AD 57.

Original passageIsaiah 11:1–10

Where the New Testament applies itRomans 15:12

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

The wolf will live with the lamb

Isaiah describes a peaceful kingdom in which wolves, lambs, leopards and children live together, when the earth is full of the knowledge of the LORD. Paul says creation itself waits to be set free from decay. Readers differ on whether the image is literal, symbolic, or both.

When: Isaiah, c. 740–700 BC; Romans, c. AD 57.

Original passageIsaiah 11:6–9Isaiah 65:25

Echoed inRomans 8:19–22

Ways people read this (4)

Literal renewal of creation in the age to come, including the animal world.
A poetic picture of peace among people, including former enemies, in the church or in Christ's kingdom.
Jewish tradition reads it as a description of the messianic age.
Paul's words in Romans 8:19-22 are often linked with it, though he does not quote Isaiah.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

The second gathering of the remnant

Isaiah says that in that day the Lord will a second time recover the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Cush and the islands of the sea. Ezekiel and Jeremiah also promise a regathering from all the nations. Readers disagree about whether these promises were fulfilled in the return from Babylon, are being fulfilled now, or have a spiritual fulfillment.

When: Isaiah, c. 740–700 BC; Ezekiel, c. 586–570 BC; returns from exile from 538 BC.

Original passageIsaiah 11:11–12Ezekiel 37:21–22Jeremiah 30:3

Echoed inActs 2:5–11Romans 11:25–27

Ways people read this (4)

Fulfilled in the return from Babylonian exile and scattered communities during the Persian and later periods.
Being fulfilled in the gathering of Jewish people in modern times, or awaiting a future gathering (some dispensational and other readings).
Fulfilled spiritually in the gathering of Jews and Gentiles into the church (covenant theology readings).
Jewish tradition sees it as the ingathering of the exiles in the messianic age, and many see modern Israel in that light while others do not.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

See all prophecy & fulfillment notes →

Isaiah 11

The Root of Jesseⓘ

Study notes on this chapter · 5

That the Gentiles may glorify God

He will be called a Nazarene

A shoot from the stump of Jesse

The wolf will live with the lamb

The second gathering of the remnant

The Root of Jesse