Isaiah chapter 11
The future Messiah.
THE FUTURE MESSIAH
VERSE 1. A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
NLT translation. Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
a new Branch. This will be a whole new thing.
bearing fruit. In the spiritual life, being fruitful is very important goal.
from the old root. This new thing will blossom from within the old thing.
We Christians see this fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was fully Jewish. Yet he extended the goodness of the One God to people of every land.
His movement did not replace Judaism or do away with it. The Jewish faith remains vital for all of time.
VERSE 2. The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
HCSB translation. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (HCSB)
wisdom. The Hebrew word is חָכְמָ֣ה (“ḥāḵ·māh”). It means wisdom, skill, wisely, wits.
This reminds us of the Holy Spirit gift of Wisdom.
understanding. The Hebrew word is וּבִינָ֗ה (“ū·ḇî·nāh,”). It means understanding, consideration, clearly, truth.
This reminds us of the Holy Spirit gift of Discernment.
counsel. The Hebrew word is עֵצָה֙ (“‘ê·ṣāh”). it means counsel, advice, consultation, counselor.
This reminds us of the Holy Spirit gift of Encouraging.
strength. The Hebrew word is וּגְבוּרָ֔ה (“ū·ḡə·ḇū·rāh,”). it means strength, might, mighty deeds, power, triumph.
This reminds us of the Holy Spirit gift of Miracles.
knowledge. The Hebrew word is דַּ֖עַת (“da·‘aṯ”). It means concern, know, knowledge, premeditation, skill, truth.
This reminds us of the Holy Spirit gift of Knowledge.
VERSE 3. His delight will be in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears;
NLT translation. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
VERSE 4. but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
NLT translation. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
make fair decisions for the exploited. The Lord Jesus Christ makes fair decisions for people who are exploited.
But in our day, some Christians exploit people instead of protecting them.
the rod of his mouth. The Bible is sometimes referred to as a rod. And a sword.
In the Bible, the word “sword” can often be taken as a euphemism for “the Bible.” Here are the verses about this »
Isaiah 11:4-5. but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist.
Isaiah 59:17. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.
Ephesians 6:14-17. Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, 16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
1 Thessalonians 5:8. But since we belong to the day, let’s be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
VERSE 5. Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist.
NLT translation. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.
VERSE 6. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them.
The wolf will live with the lamb. It would be great if we could all get along.
But instead we keep repeating the same old mistakes of history. When will we ever learn?
VERSE 7. The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox.
VERSE 8. The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
VERSE 9. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
hurt nor destroy. Some people live to hurt and abuse others. They are not happy unless they are causing pain and destruction. God is ending that forever.
full of the knowledge of the LORD. The Old Testament foresees Gentiles coming to faith in the One God of Israel and bringing gifts to Jerusalem. Here are the key Bible verses about this »
One day all people will know the LORD God completely.
But until that day, all people everywhere suffer from not knowing the LORD God enough.
Even though we don’t know everything about God, we know him enough.
People need what we have. They need us to evangelize them with the knowledge of God.
2 Peter 1:2. Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
VERSE 10. It will happen in that day that the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner of the peoples; and his resting place will be glorious.
NLT translation. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.
a banner of salvation to all the world. Jesus Christ is indeed a banner of salvation to all the world.
the land where he lives will be a glorious place. One day, people everywhere will be attracted to the land where the LORD God dwells. It will have a magnetic attraction for them.
This is fulfilled with the countless multitudes of people who travel to the Holy Land each year.
VERSE 11. It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
the remnant. The Bible describes a uniquely faithful group of believers called “the remnant.” Are they Jewish or Christians? Now or in the future? Who are they really? Read more »
VERSE 12. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
VERSE 13. The envy also of Ephraim will depart, and those who persecute Judah will be cut off. Ephraim won’t envy Judah, and Judah won’t persecute Ephraim.
VERSE 14. They will fly down on the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the children of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon will obey them.
VERSE 15. The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, and will split it into seven streams, and cause men to march over in sandals.
VERSE 16. There will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, like there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
the remnant. The Bible describes a uniquely faithful group of believers called “the remnant.” Are they Jewish or Christians? Now or in the future? Who are they really? Read more »
ISAIAH
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 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
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, True Fasting
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.