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Isaiah 11:6
Verse
Context
The Root of Jesse
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.
Sermons
R.G. Lee
Chuck Smith
D.L. Moody
James Blaine Chapman
Arno Clemens Gaebelein Summary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
The wolf also shall, etc. "Then shall the wolf," etc. - The idea of the renewal of the golden age, as it is called, is much the same in the Oriental writers with that of the Greeks and Romans: - the wild beasts grow tame; serpents and poisonous herbs become harmless; all is peace and harmony, plenty and happiness: - Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni Occidet. Vega. Eclog. 4:24. "The serpent's brood shall die. The sacred ground Shall weeds and noxious plants refuse to bear." - Nec magnos metuent armenta leones. Virg. Eclog. 4:22. "Nor shall the flocks fear the great lions." Non lupus insidias explorat ovilia circum, Nec gregibus nocturnus obambulat: acrior illum Cura domat: timidae damae cervique fugaces Nunc interque canes, et circum tecta vagantur. Virg. Georg. 3:537. "The nightly wolf that round the enclosure prowled, To leap the fence, now plots not on the fold: Tamed with a sharper pain, the fearful doe And flying stag amidst the greyhounds go; And round the dwellings roam, of man, their former foe." Dryden. Nec vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovile, Nec intumescit alta viperis humus. Hor. Epod. 16:51. "Nor evening bears the sheepfold growl around, Nor mining vipers heave the tainted ground." Dryden. Εσται δη τουτ' αμαρ, ὁπηνικα νεβρον εν ευνᾳ Καρχαροδων δινεσθαι ιδων λυκος ουκ εθελησει. Theoc. Idyl. 24:84. There shall be a time when the ravenous wolf shall see the kid lying at ease, and shall feel no desire to do it an injury. I have laid before the reader these common passages from the most elegant of the ancient poets, that he may see how greatly the prophet on the same subject has the advantage upon the comparison; how much the former fall short of that beauty and elegance, and variety of imagery, with which Isaiah has set forth the very same ideas. The wolf and the leopard not only forbear to destroy the lamb and the kid, but even take their abode and lie down together with them. The calf, and the young lion, and the fatling, not only come together, but are led quietly in the same band, and that by a little child. The heifer and the she-bear not only feed together, but even lodge their young ones, for whom they used to be most jealously fearful, in the same place. All the serpent kind is so perfectly harmless, that the sucking infant and the newly weaned child puts his hand on the basilisk's den, and plays upon the hole of the aspic. The lion not only abstains from preying on the weaker animals, but becomes tame and domestic, and feeds on straw like the ox. These are all beautiful circumstances, not one of which has been touched upon by the ancient poets. The Arabian and Persian poets elegantly apply the same ideas to show the effects of justice impartially administered, and firmly supported, by a great and good king: - "Mahmoud the powerful king, the ruler of the world, To whose tank the wolf and the lamb come, together to drink." Ferdusi. "Through the influence of righteousness, the hungry wolf Becomes mild, though in the presence of the white kid." Ibn Onein. Jones, Poes. Asiat. Comment., p. 380. The application is extremely ingenious and beautiful: but the exquisite imagery of Isaiah is not equalled.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The fruit of righteousness is peace, which now reigns in humanity under the rule of the Prince of Peace, and even in the animal world, with nothing whatever to disturb it. "And the wolf dwells with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the kid; and calf and lion and stalled ox together: a little boy drives them. And cow and bear go to the pasture; their young ones lie down together: and the lion eats shopped straw like the ox. And the suckling plays by the hole of the adder, and the weaned child stretches its hand to the pupil of the basilisk-viper. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the land is filled with knowledge of Jehovah, like the waters covering the sea." The fathers, and such commentators as Luther, Calvin, and Vitringa, have taken all these figures from the animal world as symbolical. Modern rationalists, on the other hand, understand them literally, but regard the whole as a beautiful dream and wish. It is a prophecy, however, the realization of which is to be expected on this side of the boundary between time and eternity, and, as Paul has shown in Rom 8, is an integral link in the predestined course of the history of salvation (Hengstenberg, Umbreit, Hofmann, Drechsler). There now reign among irrational creatures, from the greatest to the least, - even among such as are invisible, - fierce conflicts and bloodthirstiness of the most savage kind. But when the Son of David enters upon the full possession of His royal inheritance, the peace of paradise will be renewed, and all that is true in the popular legends of the golden age be realized and confirmed. This is what the prophet depicts in such lovely colours. The wolf and lamb, those two hereditary foes, will be perfectly reconciled then. The leopard will let the teazing kid lie down beside it. The lion, between the calf and stalled ox, neither seizes upon its weaker neighbour, nor longs for the fatter one. Cow and bear graze together, whilst their young ones lie side beside in the pasture. The lion no longer thirsts for blood, but contents itself, like the ox, with chopped straw. The suckling pursues its sport (pilpel of שׁעע, mulcere) by the adder's hole, and the child just weaned stretches out its hand boldly and fearlessly to me'ūrath tziph‛ōni. It is evident from Jer 8:17 that tziph‛ōni is the name of a species of snake. According to Aquila and the Vulgate, it is basiliskos, serpens regulus, possibly from tzaph, to pipe or hiss (Ges., Frst); for Isidorus, in his Origg. xii. 4, says, Sibilus idem est qui et regulus; sibilo enim occidit, antequam mordeat vel exurat. For the hapax leg. hâdâh, the meaning dirigere, tendere, is established by the Arabic; but there is all the more uncertainty about the meaning of the hap. leg. מאורה. According to the parallel חר, it seems to signify the hollow (Syr., Vulg., lxx, κοίτη): whether from אּוּר = עוּר, from which comes מערה; or from אור, the light-hole (like מאור, which occurs in the Mishna, Ohaloth xiii. 1) or opening where a cavern opens to the light of day. It is probable, however, that me'ūrâh refers to something that exerts an attractive influence upon the child, either the "blending of colours" (Saad. renders tziph‛oni, errakas', the motley snake), or better still, the "pupil of the eye" (Targum), taking the word as a feminine of mâ'ōr, the light of the eye (b. Erubin 55b - the power of vision). The look of a snake, more especially of the basilisk (not merely the basilisk-lizard, but also the basilisk-viper), was supposed to have a paralyzing and bewitching influence; but now the snake will lose this pernicious power (Isa 65:25), and the basilisk become so tame and harmless, as to let children handle its sparkling eyes as if they were jewels. All this, as we should say with Luthardt and Hofmann (Schriftbeweis, ii. 2, 567), is only colouring which the hand of the prophet employs, for the purpose of painting the peace of that glorified state which surpasses all possibility of description; and it is unquestionably necessary to take the thought of the promise in a spiritual sense, without adhering literally to the medium employed in expressing it. But, on the other hand, we must guard against treating the description itself as merely a drapery thrown around the actual object; whereas it is rather the refraction of the object in the mind of the prophet himself, and therefore a manifestation of the true nature of that which he actually saw. But are the animals to be taken as the subject in Isa 11:9 also? The subject that most naturally suggests itself is undoubtedly the animals, of which a few that are alarming and destructive to men have been mentioned just before. And the fact that they really are thought of as the subject, is confirmed by Isa 65:25, where Isa 11:6-9 is repeated in a compendious form. The idea that ירעוּ requires men as the subject, is refuted by the common רעה חיּה (compare the parallel promise in Eze 34:25, which rests upon Hos 2:20). That the term yashchithu can be applied to animals, is evident from Jer 2:30, and may be assumed as a matter of course. But if the animals are the subject, har kodshi (my holy mountain) is not Zion-Moriah, upon which wild beasts never made their home in historical times; but, as the generalizing col (all) clearly shows, the whole of the holy mountain-land of Israel: har kodshi has just this meaning in Isa 57:13 (cf., Psa 78:54; Exo 15:17). The fact that peace prevails in the animal world, and also peace between man and beast, is then attributed to the universal prevalence of the knowledge of God, in consequence of which that destructive hostility between the animal world and man, by which estrangement and apostasy from God were so often punished (Kg2 17:25; Eze 14:15, etc.: see also Isa 7:24), have entirely come to an end. The meaning of "the earth" is also determined by that of "all my holy mountain." The land of Israel, the dominion of the Son of David in the more restricted sense, will be from this time forward the paradisaical centre, as it were, of the whole earth - a prelude of its future state of perfect and universal glorification (Isa 6:3, "all the earth"). It has now become full of "the knowledge of Jehovah," i.e., of that experimental knowledge which consists in the fellowship of love (דעה, like לדה, is a secondary form of דעת, the more common infinitive or verbal noun from ידע: Ges. 133, 1), like the waters which cover the sea, i.e., bottom of the sea (compare Hab 2:14, where lâda‛ath is a virtual accusative, full of that which is to be known). "Cover:" cissâh l' (like sâcac l', Psa 91:4), signifies to afford a covering to another; the Lamed is frequently introduced with a participle (in Arabic regularly) as a sign of the object (Ewald, 292, e), and the omission of the article in the case of mecassim is a natural consequence of the inverted order of the words.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
wolf . . . lamb--Each animal is coupled with that one which is its natural prey. A fit state of things under the "Prince of Peace" (Isa 65:25; Eze 34:25; Hos 2:18). These may be figures for men of corresponding animal-like characters (Eze 22:27; Eze 38:13; Jer 5:6; Jer 13:23; Mat 7:15; Luk 10:3). Still a literal change in the relations of animals to man and each other, restoring the state in Eden, is a more likely interpretation. Compare Gen 2:19-20, with Psa 8:6-8, which describes the restoration to man, in the person of "the Son of man," of the lost dominion over the animal kingdom of which he had been designed to be the merciful vicegerent under God, for the good of his animal subjects (Rom 8:19-22).
John Gill Bible Commentary
And the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,.... This, and the three following verses Isa 11:7, describe the peaceableness of the Messiah's kingdom; and which the Targum introduces in this manner, "in the days of the Messiah of Israel, peace shall be multiplied in the earth.'' The wild and tame creatures shall agree together, and the former shall become the latter; which is not to be understood literally of the savage creatures, as if they should lose their nature, and be restored, as it is said, to their paradisiacal estate, which is supposed to be the time of the restitution of all things; but figuratively of men, comparable to wild creatures, who through the power of divine grace, accompanying the word preached, shall become tame, mild, meek, and humble; such who have been as ravenous wolves, have worried Christ's sheep, made havoc of them, breathing out slaughter and threatenings against them, as did Saul, through converting grace, become as gentle and harmless as lambs, and take up their residence in Christ's fold, and dwell with, yea, some of them even feed, Christ's lambs and sheep, as the above mentioned person: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; such who are like the leopard, for the fierceness of his nature, and the variety of his spots; who can no more change their hearts and their actions, than that creature can change its nature and its spots; are so wrought upon by the power of divine grace, as to drop their rage against the saints, alter their course of life, and attend on the word and ordinances, lie down beside the shepherds' tents, where the church feeds her kids, or young converts: and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; either dwell and feed together, or lie down together, or walk together, since it follows: and a little child shall lead them; become through the grace of God so tractable, that they shall be led, guided, and governed by the ministers of the Gospel, Christ's babes and sucklings, to whom he reveals the great things of his Gospel, and out of whose mouths he ordains praise. Bohlius (a) interprets this little child of Christ himself, by whom they should be led and directed, see Isa 9:6 and the following passages are referred to the times of the Messiah by the Jewish writers (b); and Maimonides (c) in particular observes, that they are not to be understood literally, as if the custom and order of things in the world would cease, or that things would be renewed as at the creation, but in a parabolical and enigmatical sense; and interprets them of the Israelites dwelling safely among the wicked of the nations of the world, comparable to the wild beasts of the field. (This verse may apply to the future state when all things will be restored to their original state before man fell. By Adam's sin, death and bloodshed were introduced into the creation. Rom 5:12. In the final state these will be removed and the wild nature of animals become tame. Editor.) (a) Comment. Bibl. Rab. in Thesaur. Dissert. Philolog. par. 1. p. 752. (b) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 25. 3. Baal Hatturim in Deut. 11. 25. (c) Hilchot Melachim, c. 12. sect. 1. & Moreh Nevochim, par 3. c. 11. p. 354.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
11:6 In that day means in the coming age of the Messiah. The prophecy that follows received partial fulfillment in Isaiah’s day or shortly thereafter. The final fulfillment is found in the coming of the Messiah to inaugurate and then fully establish the age to come.
Isaiah 11:6
The Root of Jesse
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.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Jesus Above All
By R.G. Lee6.3K40:35Jesus ChristISA 2:4ISA 11:6LUK 1:32JHN 3:31JHN 5:39JHN 7:46JHN 17:17In this sermon, the speaker reflects on his experience of attending a gathering where they listened to a recording of a singer who had been dead for 30 years. He mentions that during his own speaking engagements, he was given a strict time limit and would be interrupted if he went over. The speaker also discusses being questioned by students and not knowing all the answers, but being content with that. He then transitions to talking about Jesus as a teacher who believed in the truth of the Bible and used it to illuminate his message. The speaker highlights Jesus' death on the cross, emphasizing that he experienced both a physical and spiritual death. He concludes by referencing a passage from the book of Amos about a future day when the sun will go down at noon.
(Following the Footsteps of Christ) the Mount of Transfiguration
By Willie Mullan2.0K58:50Mount Of TransfigurationISA 11:6MAT 6:33MAT 17:1MRK 9:1LUK 9:272PE 1:16REV 21:23In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. He mentions that these concepts can be learned from the parables in the Bible. The speaker also references a specific hymn, "Wonderful Savior," and encourages the congregation to focus on the salvation and love of Jesus. He then discusses a case he was involved in, where he advised others to keep the truth confidential, highlighting the need to recognize the majesty of God. The sermon concludes with a reference to 2nd Peter, where the speaker discusses the power and coming of Jesus Christ and the future reign of the kingdom.
New Year Message 2 of 4 :Be Like a Little Child
By Zac Poonen94051:57ISA 11:6JOL 2:25MAT 18:31CO 13:111CO 14:20EPH 3:18PHP 2:9COL 3:23JAS 4:10
This sermon emphasizes the importance of becoming like little children in God's kingdom, focusing on humility, dependence on God, transparency, teachability, and freedom from critical judgment and worldly ambitions. It encourages seeking the genuine fullness of the Holy Spirit to bring heaven into our hearts, leading to a life filled with the aroma of heaven. The speaker urges listeners to let go of pride, comparison, and pretense, and to approach God with childlike trust, simplicity, and eagerness to learn, ensuring a blessed and transformed life in the new year.
Psalms 2:6
By Chuck Smith0RestorationGod's KingdomPSA 2:6ISA 11:6ISA 35:1MAT 5:9ROM 14:17REV 21:4Chuck Smith emphasizes the prophetic nature of Psalms 2:6, highlighting the urgent need for God's kingdom to reign on earth due to the chaos and suffering caused by Satan's influence. He describes the current state of the world as a stark contrast to God's original creation, filled with pollution, strife, and sorrow. Smith outlines the conditions of God's kingdom, which include peace, righteousness, restoration, love, and rejoicing, and he reassures that those who trust in Jesus will inhabit this kingdom. The sermon calls for a longing for the return of Christ and the establishment of His reign.
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
By D.L. Moody0Childlike FaithLeading Others to ChristPSA 127:3PRO 22:6ISA 11:6MAT 18:3MAT 19:14MAT 21:16MRK 10:14LUK 18:16EPH 6:41PE 2:2D.L. Moody shares a touching story of a child who, with earnestness and simplicity, expressed her love for Jesus and encouraged a friend to love Him too. This innocent yet profound interaction moved an adult listener to reach out to someone in need of spiritual guidance for the first time. Moody emphasizes the powerful impact that children can have in leading others to Christ through their genuine faith and love. The sermon illustrates how the pure hearts of children can inspire adults to embrace their faith and share it with others. Ultimately, it reinforces the biblical truth that 'a little child shall lead them.'
Questions/answers About the Judgment, Millennium, and Tribulation
By James Blaine Chapman0ISA 11:6MAT 24:20LUK 21:362TH 2:3REV 22:12James Blaine Chapman preaches on various questions related to judgment, the millennium, and end-time events. He explains the sequence of events leading up to the final judgment, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for Christ's return. Chapman delves into the significance of different prophecies and scriptures, shedding light on the future events such as the Great Tribulation, the Millennium, and the Great White Throne Judgment. He encourages believers to stay vigilant, pray, and be ready for the coming of the Lord.
The Great Vision of Hope and Its Realization
By Arno Clemens Gaebelein0ISA 2:4ISA 11:6ISA 60:1ZEC 9:9MAT 24:21ROM 8:19ROM 9:4ROM 11:26REV 11:15Arno Clemens Gaebelein preaches about the revelation of God in the Bible, highlighting the pessimistic message regarding man's condition due to sin and the history of Israel and the Gentile nations. The sermon emphasizes the Bible's paradoxical nature, revealing both darkness and light, chaos and coming righteousness. It discusses the hopeless state of humanity but also presents the Bible as the most optimistic book, offering a great Hope for the world through the Messiah. The sermon delves into the future predictions of the New Testament, portraying a message of coming tribulation and lawlessness before the establishment of God's Kingdom.
The Blessings of the Coming Age
By Arno Clemens Gaebelein0NUM 24:5PSA 46:4ISA 11:6ISA 60:19ISA 65:25ZEC 8:12ROM 8:19REV 20:4Arno Clemens Gaebelein preaches about the glorious blessings promised in the coming age of the kingdom, the millennium, as revealed in the prophetic Word. He emphasizes the true description of the golden age found only in the Word of God, contrasting it with the spiritualized teachings of Christendom. Gaebelein clarifies that the millennium is not for the church but for Israel, the nations, and creation, with a focus on the blessings and restoration of Israel as God's firstborn Son and the leader of nations. He delves into numerous prophecies from Psalms, Isaiah, Zechariah, and other prophets, painting a vivid picture of the peace, worship, and prosperity that will characterize the millennial kingdom.
Matthew 24:3-14. Christ Foretells the Signs of the End.
By Favell Lee Mortimer0ISA 11:6MAT 24:1JHN 6:67JHN 16:332TI 3:1Favell Lee Mortimer reflects on the poignant scene on Mount Olivet where Jesus foretells the future to his disciples, particularly focusing on the impending fate of Jerusalem, a city he had deeply cared for despite its upcoming trials and condemnation. The disciples, James, John, Peter, and Andrew, inquire about the timing of these events and the signs of Jesus' return and the end of the world, prompting a dual response from the Lord regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming. Despite the expectation of peace with the arrival of the Prince of peace, Jesus warns of ongoing wars, persecutions, and trials before his ultimate reign.
Being Like a Little Child
By Zac Poonen0PRO 11:2ISA 11:6MAT 12:18MAT 18:4MAT 23:12MRK 9:35LUK 18:17PHP 2:3JAS 4:101PE 5:5Zac Poonen preaches on the importance of humility and childlike faith in the church, drawing parallels to the peaceful reign of Jesus on earth. He emphasizes that true leaders in the church are those who are humble and guileless like little children, not seeking recognition or status. By following Jesus' example of humility and simplicity, leaders can create an atmosphere of peace and unity within the church, reflecting the kingdom of God. Poonen highlights the need for self-examination among leaders when discord arises, urging them to embody the characteristics of a little child to lead effectively.
Blessing and Cursing
By Brent Barnett0GEN 3:15ISA 11:6ROM 8:211CO 15:531CO 15:552CO 2:14GAL 3:13EPH 2:1EPH 5:211JN 3:1Brent Barnett preaches about the origin of the curse upon humanity due to Adam and Eve's rebellion, leading to a fallen world plagued by sin, death, and separation from God. Despite the curse, God promised redemption through Christ, who bore the penalty of the curse on the cross, offering a way for mankind to be blessed and restored. Believers are set free from the curse through repentance and faith in Christ, becoming new creations and no longer slaves to sin and death. The ultimate victory over the curse will be realized in Christ's return, where all creation will be restored to a state of blessing and perfection.
The Millennium
By Zac Poonen0ISA 11:6ZEC 14:9MAT 25:412PE 3:13REV 20:7REV 21:4Zac Poonen preaches about the future reign of peace on earth for 1000 years, where Garden of Eden conditions will be restored, symbolized by the lion lying with the lamb and the child playing with the cobra (Isaiah 11:6-9). During this time, Jesus will reign as King from Jerusalem over the entire earth, with Satan bound and unable to influence the world (Zechariah 14:9-21). However, at the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released to test the unconverted inhabitants once more, revealing the depth of man's stubbornness and wickedness. God will then judge the rebellious multitude, casting Satan into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10).
Confusion and Order
By John Gifford Bellett0GEN 18:1EXO 18:1ISA 11:6MAT 22:21LUK 24:13JHN 4:1JHN 13:1PHP 2:3REV 21:1John Gifford Bellett preaches about the various confusion and challenges that Jesus faced in His earthly ministry, dealing with political and religious authorities, His disciples, and the different regions of Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. Despite the chaos, Jesus' path shone brightly, untouched by darkness, showcasing His ability to answer every challenge with wisdom and grace. Bellett emphasizes that like Jesus, we too must navigate through the confusion and challenges of our daily lives, knowing that order will eventually prevail in God's perfect timing, as seen in various biblical examples.
The Wolf
By Harriet N. Cook0ISA 11:6EZK 22:27MAT 5:9MAT 7:15REV 21:4Harriet N. Cook uses the analogy of wolves to illustrate the wild, savage, and cruel nature of sin and wickedness in the world. She draws parallels between the behavior of wolves, their hunger for prey, and the destructive tendencies of evil in humanity. Cook also highlights the transformation that is prophesied in the Bible, where the wicked and cruel shall become holy and Christ-like, leading to a peaceful coexistence symbolized by 'The wolf shall feed with the lamb.' This sermon serves as a reminder of the power of redemption and the ultimate restoration of harmony and peace in God's kingdom.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
The wolf also shall, etc. "Then shall the wolf," etc. - The idea of the renewal of the golden age, as it is called, is much the same in the Oriental writers with that of the Greeks and Romans: - the wild beasts grow tame; serpents and poisonous herbs become harmless; all is peace and harmony, plenty and happiness: - Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni Occidet. Vega. Eclog. 4:24. "The serpent's brood shall die. The sacred ground Shall weeds and noxious plants refuse to bear." - Nec magnos metuent armenta leones. Virg. Eclog. 4:22. "Nor shall the flocks fear the great lions." Non lupus insidias explorat ovilia circum, Nec gregibus nocturnus obambulat: acrior illum Cura domat: timidae damae cervique fugaces Nunc interque canes, et circum tecta vagantur. Virg. Georg. 3:537. "The nightly wolf that round the enclosure prowled, To leap the fence, now plots not on the fold: Tamed with a sharper pain, the fearful doe And flying stag amidst the greyhounds go; And round the dwellings roam, of man, their former foe." Dryden. Nec vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovile, Nec intumescit alta viperis humus. Hor. Epod. 16:51. "Nor evening bears the sheepfold growl around, Nor mining vipers heave the tainted ground." Dryden. Εσται δη τουτ' αμαρ, ὁπηνικα νεβρον εν ευνᾳ Καρχαροδων δινεσθαι ιδων λυκος ουκ εθελησει. Theoc. Idyl. 24:84. There shall be a time when the ravenous wolf shall see the kid lying at ease, and shall feel no desire to do it an injury. I have laid before the reader these common passages from the most elegant of the ancient poets, that he may see how greatly the prophet on the same subject has the advantage upon the comparison; how much the former fall short of that beauty and elegance, and variety of imagery, with which Isaiah has set forth the very same ideas. The wolf and the leopard not only forbear to destroy the lamb and the kid, but even take their abode and lie down together with them. The calf, and the young lion, and the fatling, not only come together, but are led quietly in the same band, and that by a little child. The heifer and the she-bear not only feed together, but even lodge their young ones, for whom they used to be most jealously fearful, in the same place. All the serpent kind is so perfectly harmless, that the sucking infant and the newly weaned child puts his hand on the basilisk's den, and plays upon the hole of the aspic. The lion not only abstains from preying on the weaker animals, but becomes tame and domestic, and feeds on straw like the ox. These are all beautiful circumstances, not one of which has been touched upon by the ancient poets. The Arabian and Persian poets elegantly apply the same ideas to show the effects of justice impartially administered, and firmly supported, by a great and good king: - "Mahmoud the powerful king, the ruler of the world, To whose tank the wolf and the lamb come, together to drink." Ferdusi. "Through the influence of righteousness, the hungry wolf Becomes mild, though in the presence of the white kid." Ibn Onein. Jones, Poes. Asiat. Comment., p. 380. The application is extremely ingenious and beautiful: but the exquisite imagery of Isaiah is not equalled.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The fruit of righteousness is peace, which now reigns in humanity under the rule of the Prince of Peace, and even in the animal world, with nothing whatever to disturb it. "And the wolf dwells with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the kid; and calf and lion and stalled ox together: a little boy drives them. And cow and bear go to the pasture; their young ones lie down together: and the lion eats shopped straw like the ox. And the suckling plays by the hole of the adder, and the weaned child stretches its hand to the pupil of the basilisk-viper. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the land is filled with knowledge of Jehovah, like the waters covering the sea." The fathers, and such commentators as Luther, Calvin, and Vitringa, have taken all these figures from the animal world as symbolical. Modern rationalists, on the other hand, understand them literally, but regard the whole as a beautiful dream and wish. It is a prophecy, however, the realization of which is to be expected on this side of the boundary between time and eternity, and, as Paul has shown in Rom 8, is an integral link in the predestined course of the history of salvation (Hengstenberg, Umbreit, Hofmann, Drechsler). There now reign among irrational creatures, from the greatest to the least, - even among such as are invisible, - fierce conflicts and bloodthirstiness of the most savage kind. But when the Son of David enters upon the full possession of His royal inheritance, the peace of paradise will be renewed, and all that is true in the popular legends of the golden age be realized and confirmed. This is what the prophet depicts in such lovely colours. The wolf and lamb, those two hereditary foes, will be perfectly reconciled then. The leopard will let the teazing kid lie down beside it. The lion, between the calf and stalled ox, neither seizes upon its weaker neighbour, nor longs for the fatter one. Cow and bear graze together, whilst their young ones lie side beside in the pasture. The lion no longer thirsts for blood, but contents itself, like the ox, with chopped straw. The suckling pursues its sport (pilpel of שׁעע, mulcere) by the adder's hole, and the child just weaned stretches out its hand boldly and fearlessly to me'ūrath tziph‛ōni. It is evident from Jer 8:17 that tziph‛ōni is the name of a species of snake. According to Aquila and the Vulgate, it is basiliskos, serpens regulus, possibly from tzaph, to pipe or hiss (Ges., Frst); for Isidorus, in his Origg. xii. 4, says, Sibilus idem est qui et regulus; sibilo enim occidit, antequam mordeat vel exurat. For the hapax leg. hâdâh, the meaning dirigere, tendere, is established by the Arabic; but there is all the more uncertainty about the meaning of the hap. leg. מאורה. According to the parallel חר, it seems to signify the hollow (Syr., Vulg., lxx, κοίτη): whether from אּוּר = עוּר, from which comes מערה; or from אור, the light-hole (like מאור, which occurs in the Mishna, Ohaloth xiii. 1) or opening where a cavern opens to the light of day. It is probable, however, that me'ūrâh refers to something that exerts an attractive influence upon the child, either the "blending of colours" (Saad. renders tziph‛oni, errakas', the motley snake), or better still, the "pupil of the eye" (Targum), taking the word as a feminine of mâ'ōr, the light of the eye (b. Erubin 55b - the power of vision). The look of a snake, more especially of the basilisk (not merely the basilisk-lizard, but also the basilisk-viper), was supposed to have a paralyzing and bewitching influence; but now the snake will lose this pernicious power (Isa 65:25), and the basilisk become so tame and harmless, as to let children handle its sparkling eyes as if they were jewels. All this, as we should say with Luthardt and Hofmann (Schriftbeweis, ii. 2, 567), is only colouring which the hand of the prophet employs, for the purpose of painting the peace of that glorified state which surpasses all possibility of description; and it is unquestionably necessary to take the thought of the promise in a spiritual sense, without adhering literally to the medium employed in expressing it. But, on the other hand, we must guard against treating the description itself as merely a drapery thrown around the actual object; whereas it is rather the refraction of the object in the mind of the prophet himself, and therefore a manifestation of the true nature of that which he actually saw. But are the animals to be taken as the subject in Isa 11:9 also? The subject that most naturally suggests itself is undoubtedly the animals, of which a few that are alarming and destructive to men have been mentioned just before. And the fact that they really are thought of as the subject, is confirmed by Isa 65:25, where Isa 11:6-9 is repeated in a compendious form. The idea that ירעוּ requires men as the subject, is refuted by the common רעה חיּה (compare the parallel promise in Eze 34:25, which rests upon Hos 2:20). That the term yashchithu can be applied to animals, is evident from Jer 2:30, and may be assumed as a matter of course. But if the animals are the subject, har kodshi (my holy mountain) is not Zion-Moriah, upon which wild beasts never made their home in historical times; but, as the generalizing col (all) clearly shows, the whole of the holy mountain-land of Israel: har kodshi has just this meaning in Isa 57:13 (cf., Psa 78:54; Exo 15:17). The fact that peace prevails in the animal world, and also peace between man and beast, is then attributed to the universal prevalence of the knowledge of God, in consequence of which that destructive hostility between the animal world and man, by which estrangement and apostasy from God were so often punished (Kg2 17:25; Eze 14:15, etc.: see also Isa 7:24), have entirely come to an end. The meaning of "the earth" is also determined by that of "all my holy mountain." The land of Israel, the dominion of the Son of David in the more restricted sense, will be from this time forward the paradisaical centre, as it were, of the whole earth - a prelude of its future state of perfect and universal glorification (Isa 6:3, "all the earth"). It has now become full of "the knowledge of Jehovah," i.e., of that experimental knowledge which consists in the fellowship of love (דעה, like לדה, is a secondary form of דעת, the more common infinitive or verbal noun from ידע: Ges. 133, 1), like the waters which cover the sea, i.e., bottom of the sea (compare Hab 2:14, where lâda‛ath is a virtual accusative, full of that which is to be known). "Cover:" cissâh l' (like sâcac l', Psa 91:4), signifies to afford a covering to another; the Lamed is frequently introduced with a participle (in Arabic regularly) as a sign of the object (Ewald, 292, e), and the omission of the article in the case of mecassim is a natural consequence of the inverted order of the words.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
wolf . . . lamb--Each animal is coupled with that one which is its natural prey. A fit state of things under the "Prince of Peace" (Isa 65:25; Eze 34:25; Hos 2:18). These may be figures for men of corresponding animal-like characters (Eze 22:27; Eze 38:13; Jer 5:6; Jer 13:23; Mat 7:15; Luk 10:3). Still a literal change in the relations of animals to man and each other, restoring the state in Eden, is a more likely interpretation. Compare Gen 2:19-20, with Psa 8:6-8, which describes the restoration to man, in the person of "the Son of man," of the lost dominion over the animal kingdom of which he had been designed to be the merciful vicegerent under God, for the good of his animal subjects (Rom 8:19-22).
John Gill Bible Commentary
And the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,.... This, and the three following verses Isa 11:7, describe the peaceableness of the Messiah's kingdom; and which the Targum introduces in this manner, "in the days of the Messiah of Israel, peace shall be multiplied in the earth.'' The wild and tame creatures shall agree together, and the former shall become the latter; which is not to be understood literally of the savage creatures, as if they should lose their nature, and be restored, as it is said, to their paradisiacal estate, which is supposed to be the time of the restitution of all things; but figuratively of men, comparable to wild creatures, who through the power of divine grace, accompanying the word preached, shall become tame, mild, meek, and humble; such who have been as ravenous wolves, have worried Christ's sheep, made havoc of them, breathing out slaughter and threatenings against them, as did Saul, through converting grace, become as gentle and harmless as lambs, and take up their residence in Christ's fold, and dwell with, yea, some of them even feed, Christ's lambs and sheep, as the above mentioned person: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; such who are like the leopard, for the fierceness of his nature, and the variety of his spots; who can no more change their hearts and their actions, than that creature can change its nature and its spots; are so wrought upon by the power of divine grace, as to drop their rage against the saints, alter their course of life, and attend on the word and ordinances, lie down beside the shepherds' tents, where the church feeds her kids, or young converts: and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; either dwell and feed together, or lie down together, or walk together, since it follows: and a little child shall lead them; become through the grace of God so tractable, that they shall be led, guided, and governed by the ministers of the Gospel, Christ's babes and sucklings, to whom he reveals the great things of his Gospel, and out of whose mouths he ordains praise. Bohlius (a) interprets this little child of Christ himself, by whom they should be led and directed, see Isa 9:6 and the following passages are referred to the times of the Messiah by the Jewish writers (b); and Maimonides (c) in particular observes, that they are not to be understood literally, as if the custom and order of things in the world would cease, or that things would be renewed as at the creation, but in a parabolical and enigmatical sense; and interprets them of the Israelites dwelling safely among the wicked of the nations of the world, comparable to the wild beasts of the field. (This verse may apply to the future state when all things will be restored to their original state before man fell. By Adam's sin, death and bloodshed were introduced into the creation. Rom 5:12. In the final state these will be removed and the wild nature of animals become tame. Editor.) (a) Comment. Bibl. Rab. in Thesaur. Dissert. Philolog. par. 1. p. 752. (b) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 25. 3. Baal Hatturim in Deut. 11. 25. (c) Hilchot Melachim, c. 12. sect. 1. & Moreh Nevochim, par 3. c. 11. p. 354.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
11:6 In that day means in the coming age of the Messiah. The prophecy that follows received partial fulfillment in Isaiah’s day or shortly thereafter. The final fulfillment is found in the coming of the Messiah to inaugurate and then fully establish the age to come.