Isaiah 11:7

7 Cows will eat with bears. Their little ones will lie down together. And lions will eat straw like oxen.

Isaiah 11:7 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 11:7

And the cow and the bear shall feed
That is, together, in one church state, at one table, or in one pasture, upon the wholesome food of the Gospel, the salutary doctrines of Christ; who though before of different dispositions, the one tame and gentle, useful and profitable, dispensing the milk of the divine word, and gracious experience; the other cruel and voracious, barbarous and inhuman, worrying the lambs and sheep of Christ; but now of the same nature, and having no ill will to one another, and being without fear of each other: their young ones shall lie down together;
those like the calf and the young bear, shall lie in the green pastures of Gospel ordinances, and do no injury, the latter to the former, being of one mind, and agreeing in doctrine and practice: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
kings shall be nursing fathers to the church, and feed on the same Gospel provisions; and there shall be a great agreement between them who were before comparable to lions for their strength, power, and cruelty, and ministers of the Gospel, who are compared to oxen, for their strength and laboriousness, ( 1 Corinthians 9:9 1 Corinthians 9:10 ) "straw" here denotes true doctrine, though elsewhere false, see ( 1 Corinthians 3:12 ) . (See Gill on Isaiah 11:6) .

Isaiah 11:7 In-Context

5 He will put godliness on as if it were his belt. He'll wear faithfulness around his waist.

6 Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves and lions will eat together. And little children will lead them around.

7 Cows will eat with bears. Their little ones will lie down together. And lions will eat straw like oxen.

8 A baby will play near a hole where cobras live. A young child will put his hand into a nest where poisonous snakes live.

9 None of those animals will harm or destroy anything or anyone on my holy mountain of Zion. The oceans are full of water. In the same way, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.