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Isaiah 11
Isaiah 11:1
A shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse ... a branch out of his roots will bear fruit
Isaiah speaks of Jesse and his descendants as if they were a tree that had been cut down. Both of these phrases tell about a descendant of Jesse who would be king. Alternate translation: "As a shoot sprouts out of a tree stump, so a descendant of Jesse will become king over what remains of Israel" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
the stump of Jesse
A stump is what remains of a tree after it is chopped down. The "stump of Jesse" represents what was left of the kingdom that Jesse's son David was once king of. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him
Resting upon him represents being with him and helping him. The word "him" refers to the one who would become king. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
the Spirit of wisdom ... the Spirit of instruction ... the Spirit of knowledge ... the fear of Yahweh
Here the word "Spirit" refers to an ability or quality that the Spirit of Yahweh would give him. Alternate translation: "and he will cause him to have wisdom and understanding, instruction and might, knowledge and the fear of Yahweh" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
Isaiah 11:3
Connecting Statement:
Isaiah continues to describe the king.
he will not judge by what his eyes see
The phrase "what his eyes see" refers to seeing things that are not important for judging a person rightly. Alternate translation: "he will not judge a person simply by seeing what the person looks like" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
nor decide by what his ears hear
"and he will not decide by what his ears hear." The phrase "what his ears hear" refers to hearing what people say about someone. Alternate translation: "and he will not judge a person simply by hearing what others say about him" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
Isaiah 11:4
the poor ... the humble ... the wicked
These phrases refer to people who have these qualities. Alternate translation: "poor people ... humble people ... wicked people" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-nominaladj)
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth ... with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked
These two phrases mean basically the same thing. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth
The word "earth" here represents the people on earth. Striking them with the rod of his mouth represents judging them, and that judgement will lead to punishment. Alternate translation: "He will judge the people of the earth, and they will be punished" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked
The "breath of his lips" represents him judging them. Alternate translation: "he will judge wicked people, and they will be killed" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
Isaiah 11:5
the belt of his waist ... the belt around his hips
Possible meanings are 1) the belt is used to secure one's clothes so he can work, or 2) the belt is an undergarment, or 3) the belt is a sash that a king wears to show his authority.
Righteousness will be the belt of his waist
Wearing righteousness like a belt represents being righteous. Possible meanings are 1) the king's righteousness will enable him to rule. Alternate translation: "His righteousness will be a like a belt around his waist" or 2) the king's righteousness would show his authority to rule. Alternate translation: "He will rule righteously" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
faithfulness the belt around his hips
The words "will be" are understood in this phrase. Alternate translation: "faithfulness will be the belt around his hips" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-ellipsis)
faithfulness the belt around his hips
Wearing faithfulness like a belt represents being faithful. Possible meanings are 1) the king's faithfulness will enable him to rule, or 2) the king's faithfulness will show his authority to rule. Alternate translation: "his faithfulness will be a like a belt around his hips" or "he will rule faithfully" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 11:6
General Information:
Isaiah describes what the world will be like when the king rules. There will be complete peace in the world. This is shown by the peace that there will be even among animals. Animals that normally kill other animals will not kill them, and they will all be safe together.
The wolf ... the leopard ... the young lion
These phrases refer to these animals in general, not to a specific wolf or leopard. These are all strong animals that attack and eat other animals. Alternate translation: "Wolves ... leopards ... young lions" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-genericnoun)
the lamb ... the young goat ... the calf ... the fattened calf
The phrases refer to these animals in general, not to a specific lamb or goat. These are all animals that eat grass and straw. Other animals sometimes attack and eat them. Alternate translation: "lambs ... young goats ... calves ... fattened calves" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-genericnoun)
leopard
a large cat with yellow fur and black spots that kills and eats other animals (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-unknown)
the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together
The phrase "will be" is understood. Alternate translation: "the calf, the lion, and the fattened calf will be together" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-ellipsis)
a little child will lead them
A child will take care of them and lead them to good places to drink water and eat grass or hay.
Isaiah 11:7
the bear ... The lion
These phrases refer to these animals in general, not to a specific wolf or leopard. These are all strong animals that attack and eat other animals. Alternate translation: "Wolves ... leopards ... young lions ... bears ... Lions" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-genericnoun)
The cow ... the ox
The phrases refer to these animals in general, not to a specific lamb or goat. These are all animals that eat grass and straw. Other animals sometimes attack and eat them. Alternate translation: "lambs ... young goats ... calves ... fattened calves ... Cows ... oxen" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-genericnoun)
bear
a very large animal with thick hair and sharp claws that kills and eats other animals (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-unknown)
will graze together
"will eat grass together"
their young
This refers to the animals' offspring shortly after they are born.
Isaiah 11:8
General Information:
Isaiah continues to describe the complete peace in the world when the king rules.
A baby will play over the hole of the snake
It can be stated clearly that the baby will be safe because the snake will not bite it. Alternate translation: "Babies will play safely over the hole of the snake" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
the snake ... the serpent's den
These phrases refer to poisonous snakes in general. Alternate translation: "snakes ... serpents' dens" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-genericnoun)
the weaned child
a child who no longer drinks its mother's milk
Isaiah 11:9
on all my holy mountain
The "holy mountain" is Mount Zion, in Jerusalem. Alternate translation: "on all of Yahweh's holy mountain"
the earth will be full of knowledge of Yahweh
The phrase "knowledge of Yahweh" represents people who know Yahweh. Alternate translation: "the earth will be full of those who know Yahweh" or "those who know Yahweh will cover the earth" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
as the waters cover the sea
This phrase is used to show how full the earth will be of people who know Yahweh. It may be clearer that it does this if its words are similar to the words in the previous phrase. Alternate translation: "as the seas are full of water" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile)
Isaiah 11:10
the root of Jesse
This refers to Jesse's and King David's descendant who would become the king that was told about in Isaiah 1:1. Alternate translation: "Jesse's descendant king" or "the king descended from Jesse" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
will stand as a banner for the peoples
A banner is a flag that a king would raise as a sign for people to see it and come to him. Alternate translation: "will be like a sign for the peoples" or "will attract the peoples to come to him" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile)
The nations
"The people of the nations"
Isaiah 11:11
the Lord will again extend his hand to recover the remnant of his people
The hand is a reference to God's power. Alternate translation: "the Lord will again use his power to bring back the remnant of his people" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
Pathros ... Elam ... Hamath
These are names of places. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-names)
Isaiah 11:12
He will set up a banner for the nations
Possible meanings are 1) "The Lord will set up the king as a banner for the nations" or 2) "The king will set up a banner for the nations" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
a banner for the nations
"a flag for the nations to see" or "a flag to call the nations to himself"
the dispersed of Judah
"the people of Judah who had been scattered around the world"
from the four corners of the earth
The earth is pictured as if it has four corners, and those corners are its most distant places. This refers to everywhere on earth where those people might be. Alternate translation: "from even the most distant places of the earth" or "from all over the earth" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche)
Isaiah 11:13
He will turn aside the envy of Ephraim
Ephraim here refers to the descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel. The noun "envy" can be expressed as an adjective. Alternate translation: "He will stop the people of Ephraim from being envious" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-abstractnouns)
Judah will no longer be hostile to Ephraim
Judah here refers to the descendants of the southern kingdom. This phrase can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "he will stop the people of Judah from being hostile" or "he will stop the people of Judah from hating" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Isaiah 11:14
they will swoop down on the Philistine hills
The people of Israel and Judah are pictured as if they were birds that fly down quickly to attack a person or animal. Alternate translation: "they will go quickly to the Philistine hills to attack the people there" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 11:15
the gulf of the Sea of Egypt
A "gulf" is a large area of water that land partly surrounds.
With his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River
Waving his hand over something represents his power to change it. Alternate translation: "By his power he will cause a scorching wind to blow on the Euphrates River" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
his scorching wind
This is a strong or hot wind that causes some of the water in rivers to dry up.
so it can be crossed over in sandals
"so that people can cross over it even while wearing their sandals"
Isaiah 11:16
There will be a highway
A highway is a large road that many people can travel on. "Yahweh will make a road"
in their coming up from the land of Egypt
"when they came up from the land of Egypt"