Isaiah 11

1 And a rod shall go out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall ascend (out) of the root of it.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of strength, the spirit of knowing and of piety;

3 and the spirit of the dread of the Lord shall fill him. He shall deem not by the sight of eyes, neither he shall reprove, either convict, by the hearing of ears; (and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him/and the spirit of reverence for the Lord shall fill him. He shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor shall he rebuke, or convict, by the hearing of his ears;)

4 but he shall deem in rightfulness poor men, and he shall reprove in equity, for the mild men of [the] earth. And he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the spirit of his lips he shall slay the wicked man. (but he shall judge the poor with justice, and he shall rebuke the meek, or the humble, of the earth with equity, or with fairness. And he shall strike the land with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked with the spirit of his lips.)

5 And rightfulness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith shall be the girding of his reins. (And justice shall be the belt about his loins, and faith shall be his girdle.)

6 A wolf shall dwell with a lamb, and a leopard shall rest with a kid; a calf, and a lion, and a sheep shall dwell together, and a little child shall drive them. (A wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall rest with a goat kid; a calf, and a lion, and a sheep shall all live together, and a little child shall drive, or shall direct, them.)

7 A calf and a bear shall be pastured together; the whelps of them shall rest (together), and a lion as an ox shall eat straw (and a lion shall eat straw like an ox).

8 And a young sucking child from the teat shall delight on the hole of a snake, and he that is weaned shall put his hand in the cave of the cockatrice.

9 They shall not annoy, and shall not slay, in all mine holy hill; for why the earth is filled with the knowing of the Lord, as [the] waters of the sea covering. (They shall not harm, and shall not kill, on all my holy hill; for the land shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, like the waters fill the sea.)

10 In that day the root of Jesse, that standeth into the sign of peoples; heathen men shall beseech him, and his sepulchre shall be glorious. (On that day there shall be a root of Jesse, that shall stand for a sign to the peoples; the heathen shall beseech him, and his tomb shall be glorious/and his resting place shall be glorious.)

11 And it shall be in that day, the Lord shall add the second time his hand to have in possession the residue of his people that shall be left, of [the] Assyrian, and of Egypt, and of Pathros, and of Ethiopia, and of Elam, and of Shinar, and of Hamath, and of [the] isles of the sea. (And it shall be on that day, that the Lord shall put out his hand the second time, to take back into possession the rest of his people who be left, in Assyria, and in Egypt, and in Pathros, and in Ethiopia, and in Elam, and in Shinar, and in Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.)

12 And he shall raise (up) a sign to (the) nations, and shall gather together the fleers-away of Israel; and he shall gather together the scattered men of Judah from [the] four coasts of [the] earth (yea, he shall gather together all those of Judah who be scattered unto the four corners of the earth).

13 And the envy of Ephraim shall be done away, and the enemies of Judah shall perish; Ephraim shall not have envy to Judah (Ephraim shall not envy Judah), and Judah shall not fight against Ephraim.

14 And they shall fly into the shoulders of (the) Philistines by the sea, they shall take prey together of the sons of the east; Idumea and Moab shall be (under) the commandment of the hand of them, and the sons of Ammon shall be obedient. (And they shall fly onto the shoulders of the Philistines on the west, and together they shall take prey from the sons of the east; Edom and Moab shall be under the command of their power, and the Ammonites shall obey them.)

15 And the Lord shall make desolate the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he shall raise his hand on the flood in the strength of his spirit; and he shall smite, either part, it in(to) seven rivers, so that shod men (may) pass by it. (And the Lord shall make desolate the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he shall raise his hand to bring a mighty wind upon the River; and he shall strike, or shall part, it into seven rivers, so that people wearing shoes can cross over it.)

16 And a way shall be to my residue people that shall be left, of the Assyrians, as it was to Israel, in the day in which it ascended from the land of Egypt. (And there shall be a way out of Assyria for the remnant of my people who shall be left there, as it was for Israel on the day in which they went up from the land of Egypt.)

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Isaiah 11 Commentary

Chapter 11

The peaceful character of Christ's kingdom and subjects. (1-9) The conversion of the Gentiles and Jews. (10-16)

Verses 1-9 The Messiah is called a Rod, and a Branch. The words signify a small, tender product; a shoot, such as is easily broken off. He comes forth out of the stem of Jesse; when the royal family was cut down and almost levelled with the ground, it would sprout again. The house of David was brought very low at the time of Christ's birth. The Messiah thus gave early notice that his kingdom was not of this world. But the Holy Spirit, in all his gifts and graces, shall rest and abide upon him; he shall have the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him, ( Colossians 1:19 , Colossians 2:9 ) . Many consider that seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are here mentioned. And the doctrine of the influences of the Holy Spirit is here clearly taught. The Messiah would be just and righteous in all his government. His threatening shall be executed by the working of his Spirit according to his word. There shall be great peace and quiet under his government. The gospel changes the nature, and makes those who trampled on the meek of the earth, meek like them, and kind to them. But it shall be more fully shown in the latter days. Also Christ, the great Shepherd, shall take care of his flock, that the nature of troubles, and of death itself, shall be so changed, that they shall not do any real hurt. God's people shall be delivered, not only from evil, but from the fear of it. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? The better we know the God of love, the more shall we be changed into the same likeness, and the better disposed to all who have any likeness to him. This knowledge shall extend as the sea, so far shall it spread. And this blessed power there have been witnesses in every age of Christianity, though its most glorious time, here foretold, is not yet arrived. Meanwhile let us aim that our example and endeavours may help to promote the honour of Christ and his kingdom of peace.

Verses 10-16 When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his church, also to bring in the fulness of the Gentiles, when all will be united in holy love, let us tread the highway of holiness he has made for his redeemed. Let us wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, looking to him to prepare our way through death, that river which separates this world from the eternal world.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 11

This chapter is a prophecy of the Messiah, and gives an account of his descent, as man; of his qualifications for his office, as a Judge and King; of his performance of it; of the peaceableness of his kingdom; of the spread of it among the Gentiles, by the preaching of the Gospel; and of the last and general conversion of the Jews. His original and descent from David the son of Jesse, under the titles of a rod and branch, is described as mean and obscure, expressed by stem and roots, Isa 11:1 his gifts and qualifications for his work, in general and particular, Isa 11:2 the performance of it, both with respect to good men and bad men, in the fear of the Lord, with all equity, righteousness, and readiness, Isa 11:3-5 the peaceableness of his kingdom is figuratively expressed, by the agreement of savage and tame creatures, the former becoming the latter, and so losing their malignant and hurtful nature, through the efficacy of the Gospel, spreading the knowledge of Christ all over the world, Isa 11:6-9 particularly among the Gentiles, comparable to those savage creatures, who, upon the exhibition of Christ in the Gospel; should seek to him, and find rest in him, Isa 11:10 which will be followed or accompanied with a collection of the Jews out of all lands, and the conversion of them, which will be brought about by the power and grace of God, all impediments being by him removed out of the way; the consequences of which will be, peace among themselves, and obedience among the Gentiles, Isa 11:11-16.