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Isaiah 11

Isaiah 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophesies attributed to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 11 is a part of the Prophecies about Judah and Israel (Isaiah 1–12). The Jerusalem Bible refers to Isaiah 6-12 as Isaiah's Book of Immanuel.

The Old Testament scholar Brevard Childs divides this chapter into two main parts, verses 1–9 and verses 11–16, with verse 10 acting as a connecting statement between them. The New International Version entitles the chapter "The Branch from Jesse".

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 16 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).

Some fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (2nd century BC or later):

  • 1QIsa<sup>a</sup>: complete
  • 4QIsa<sup>a</sup> (4Q55): extant verses 12–15
  • 4QIsa<sup>b</sup> (4Q56): extant verses 7–9
  • 4QIsa<sup>c</sup> (4Q57): extant verses 4–11
  • 4QIsa<sup>l</sup> (4Q65): extant verses 14–15

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include the Codex Vaticanus (B; <sup>B</sup>; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: <sup>S</sup>; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; <sup>A</sup>; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; <sup>Q</sup>; 6th century).

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex, as reflected in the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English:

{S} 11:1-9 {S} 11:10 {P} 11:11-16 [12:1-6 {S}]

{P}: open parashah; {S}: closed parashah.

The righteous reign of the Branch (verses 1–9)

This section deals with the unbroken continuity between the house of David and the coming messianic king, although the Davidic dynasty was "cut off to only a stump" because of its pride and corruption.

Verse 1

See also: Verse 10

Jesse was the father of King David ().

  • "Rod" ( ; also in : or "branch" ( tsemach) in (a twig, a shoot); these words "are messianic terms."
  • The naming of Jesse assures the continuity of the messianic line, but serves as a reminder of David's humble beginnings and divine election rather than on royal pretension and human pride (2 Samuel 7).
  • "Branch" - ( ). A twig, branch, sprout or shoot; a word of "messianic terms". The word occurs four times in the Hebrew Bible including this verse. There is another word rendered "branch" ( tsemach) in ; , although it means substantially the same thing. The word "branch" is also used in rendering several other Hebrew words, but here the word is synonymous with that which is rendered "rod" in the previous part of the verse - a shoot, or twig, from the root of a decayed tree. The word "netser" or "netzer" is the name of the city of Nazareth, which perhaps was so called because of the trees, plants, and grass which grew there. Jesus Christ's dwelling in this city fulfilled a prophecy, that he should be called a "Nazarene"; or an inhabitant of Netzer (). The Jews speak of one Ben Netzer, who they say was a robber, took cities, and reigned over them, and became the head of robbers; and make him to be the little horn in , which some implied that he was Jesus; at the same time it tacitly acknowledges that Jesus of Nazareth is the "Netzer" this prophecy speaks of, but in a negative way, that he should be as "a root out of a dry ground" () or as "a rod and branch out of a dry root".
  • "Roots": from a decayed tree where a shoot starts up. The Septuagint renders this, 'And a flower (ἄνθος anthos) shall arise from the root'. Chaldee version states 'And a king shall proceed from the sons of Jesse, and the Messiah from his sons' sons shall arise', showing conclusively that the ancient Jews referred this to the Messiah. In the Book of Revelation it is applied to Jesus Christ ().

Verses 3–4

  • "And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord" (English Standard Version): or "and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord" (King James Version), translated from Hebrew: , wa- bə- .

Verse 6

This verse and subsequent verses until verse 9 describe the peace of the Messiah's kingdom, which is also described in the Targum: "in the days of the Messiah of Israel, peace shall be multiplied in the earth" and referred to the times of the Messiah in various Jewish literature, such as in Tzeror Hammor and Maimonides when the Israelites will dwell safely among "the wicked of the nations of the world" (comparable to "the wild beasts of the field").

  • "A little child": Bohlius interprets this with Jesus Christ (cf. ) 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.

Verse 9

The message in this verse is echoed in chapter 65.

Israel is reclaimed and reunited (verses 10–16)

Verse 10

  • Cross reference: (a) Isaiah 11:1<br>(b) ; ; ; ;
  • Cited by Apostle Paul in
  • "Root of Jesse": a sprout, shoot, or scion of the family of Jesse (cf. ). This particular "root" (Hebrew: , shoresh) is still alive when the tree is dead, that it can send up a shoot or sprout; it is thus applied to him who should come out of the ancient and decayed family of Jesse (cf. ). In , the Messiah is called "the root of David," and in , "the root and the offspring of David".

Verses 11–16

This section contains an eschatological prophecy (starting with "in that day") about the restoration of Israel's remnant who were scattered to the ends of the earth.

references "the four corners of the earth." (NRSVue), which Hebrew Bible scholar Dr. Kyle Greenwood sees, not as literal squared edges, but instead as an idiom to the four cardinal directions, like seen on a compass. This expression also appears in Ezekiel 7, Revelation 7 and Revelation 20.

See also

Explanatory notes

Citations

General and cited references

External links

Jewish

Christian