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The Root of Jesse
Isaiah 11 speaks as prophecy and teaching about a coming figure from Jesse. The passage describes his Spirit-given character, his just rule, a picture of peace, and Yahweh gathering a scattered remnant.
Understanding the passage
The setting of this message
The passage begins with a shoot from Jesse’s stock and explains the Spirit resting on him. It then moves to his judgement, to images of safety on Yahweh’s holy mountain, and then to a future day when nations seek the root of Jesse and Yahweh gathers his people.
Isaiah 11:1–16Main takeaway
Isaiah 11 teaches that Yahweh will raise up a ruler from Jesse marked by righteousness and faithfulness, and Yahweh will gather his people and remove what blocks their return.
Explore the message
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01A shoot from JesseThe opening image is of new growth from Jesse’s stock and roots. Yahweh’s Spirit rests on this figure, giving wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of Yahweh.
Explanation
The opening image is of new growth from Jesse’s stock and roots. Yahweh’s Spirit rests on this figure, giving wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of Yahweh. The prophecy begins by showing both his family line and the Spirit’s work in him.
02A ruler who judges rightlyHis delight is in the fear of Yahweh. He does not judge only by sight or hearing. Instead, he judges the poor with righteousness and the humble with equity.
Explanation
His delight is in the fear of Yahweh. He does not judge only by sight or hearing. Instead, he judges the poor with righteousness and the humble with equity. The passage also speaks of judgement on the wicked, and says righteousness and faithfulness are like a belt around him.
03Peace on Yahweh’s holy mountainThe prophecy gives striking pictures of wolves, lambs, lions, cattle, and children together without harm.
Explanation
The prophecy gives striking pictures of wolves, lambs, lions, cattle, and children together without harm. The explanation is given in the text itself: they will not hurt or destroy in Yahweh’s holy mountain because the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as waters cover the sea.
04Nations seek, and Yahweh gathersThe root of Jesse stands as a banner for the peoples, and nations seek him. Yahweh recovers the remnant from many places, gathers the outcasts of Israel and dispersed of Judah, and removes envy between Ephraim and Judah.
Explanation
The root of Jesse stands as a banner for the peoples, and nations seek him. Yahweh recovers the remnant from many places, gathers the outcasts of Israel and dispersed of Judah, and removes envy between Ephraim and Judah. The passage closes with conflict imagery and with Yahweh making a way back, like a highway from Egypt.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What qualities of Yahweh’s Spirit are named in the prophecy?
List the words the verse gives for the Spirit’s work on the shoot from Jesse.
02How does this ruler judge differently from ordinary outward judgement?
Compare what he does not use as his basis with how he treats the poor and humble.
03Why does the passage say there is no hurt or destruction on Yahweh’s holy mountain?
Answer from the reason stated in the text, not only from the animal images.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Isaiah 11:1–16
1A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
2Yahweh’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 Yahweh.
3His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. 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.
7The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox.
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 Yahweh, 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.
15Yahweh 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.