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Isaiah 11

Isaiah promises a Spirit-endowed ruler whose righteous reign brings peace, draws the nations, and gathers God’s scattered people.

Isaiah announces a ruler who will grow from Jesse’s line, with YHWH’s Spirit resting on him. He will judge the poor with righteousness and put the wicked to death by his word. The vision moves from his rule to animals and children living without harm, then to nations seeking him. God will gather Israel and Judah’s scattered people, end their rivalry, subdue their enemies, and open a road home like the one from Egypt.

fear for the futureinjustice and anger
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1A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
2The 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.
3His 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;
4but 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.
5Righteousness will be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his waist.
6The 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.
8The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9They 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.
10It 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.
11It 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.
12He 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.
13The 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.
14They 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.
15The 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.
16There 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.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Isaiah 11:1The shoot from Jesse’s stock introduces renewed life in David’s royal line and the ruler at the center of the vision.
Isaiah 11:2YHWH’s Spirit equips the ruler with wisdom, strength, and reverence, grounding the righteous judgment described next.
Isaiah 11:11God’s recovery of the remnant expands the vision from the ruler’s character to the homecoming of a scattered people.
Where this chapter reaches

Matthew and Luke identify Jesus with David’s line, while Revelation shares Isaiah’s root imagery and the picture of a ruler judging through his mouth. Jeremiah shares the promise of a righteous Davidic ruler and the gathering of God’s scattered people.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which feature of the ruler’s judgment stands out against the injustice you see around you?

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What do you notice about God’s promised homecoming, including the end of Ephraim and Judah’s rivalry?

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Questions people ask about Isaiah 11

Who is the shoot from Jesse in Isaiah 11?

Jesse was David’s father, so the shoot represents a ruler arising from David’s family. Isaiah describes him as endowed with YHWH’s Spirit, righteous in judgment, and sought by the nations. Christians understand this promised ruler as Jesus Christ; Matthew and Luke connect Jesus with David’s line.

Does Isaiah 11 say the lion will lie down with the lamb?

The wording is “The wolf will live with the lamb,” while the leopard lies down with the young goat. The lion later eats straw like the ox. These images portray the end of harm under God’s rule. Christians differ over how literal the animal descriptions are and when their fulfillment occurs.

What does “the second time” mean in Isaiah 11:11?

It describes God acting again to recover his scattered people. Verse 16 compares their return from Assyria with Israel’s earlier departure from Egypt, making the exodus the clearest reference point. The chapter names many lands of dispersion but does not give a date or a detailed timetable for this gathering.

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Isaiah · 66 chapters
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What the Bible says about fear →What the Bible says about anger →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).