Isaiah 11:1-16
A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
1Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
3And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
4but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
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.
8The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
9They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
10On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
11On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant 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 raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.
14They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
15The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals.
16There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Berean Standard Bible
After the proud tree has been cut down, a shoot grows from the stump of Jesse. The new King is not described first by appearance or military strength. The Spirit of the LORD rests on Him: the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what His eyes see or by what His ears hear. He will give justice to the poor and decide fairly for the oppressed. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
Isaiah's peace picture is startling: the wolf with the lamb, the leopard with the goat, the calf with the lion, and a child near the cobra's den. The world is no longer arranged by fear and predation. The earth is full of the knowledge of the LORD as waters cover the sea.
The root of Jesse becomes a banner for the peoples, and the LORD gathers the scattered remnant of Israel and Judah. The passage looks beyond a merely impressive ruler toward a reign that repairs creation, judges rightly, and brings divided people home.
How We Know
Romans 15 quotes Isaiah 11 when explaining Paul's mission to the Gentiles and the hope that the Root of Jesse will rule the nations. The New Testament uses the promise to show God's welcome of the nations through Christ; Isaiah's vision still includes the justice and restoration promised to God's people.
Questions
1 What grows from Jesse's stump?
AnswerA shoot grows from Jesse's stump, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 What enables the King to judge well?
AnswerThe Spirit of the LORD gives Him wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the LORD.
3 How does He treat the poor and oppressed?
AnswerHe judges the poor with righteousness and decides fairly for the oppressed.
4 What fills the earth?
AnswerThe knowledge of the LORD fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.
What This Means for Us
Isaiah's King does not confuse justice with whatever is most visible or loudly argued. He sees the poor, hears the oppressed, and rules from reverence for God.
Let that standard examine your household's judgments. Before deciding who is right, listen carefully to the person with less power, and ask whether your conclusion reflects faithfulness or merely whoever speaks most confidently.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Root of Jesse, rule us with wisdom and righteousness. Teach us to notice the overlooked, to judge with patience, and to hope for the peace only your reign can bring. Amen.