King James Version
Isaiah 11
16 verses with commentary
The Peaceful Kingdom
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
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KJV Study Commentary
One of Scripture's clearest Messianic prophecies. The 'rod out of the stem of Jesse' and 'Branch...out of his roots' identify Messiah as David's descendant (Jesse was David's father). The imagery of a cut-down tree (stem/roots) sprouting new growth suggests the Davidic dynasty's apparent end, then miraculous revival in Christ. 'Branch' (Hebrew netzer) connects to Nazareth and Jesus being called a ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. A poor but wise man can discover (and expose) the rich and self-conceited.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
**Verses 1-6** Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out...
Read full commentary →And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
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KJV Study Commentary
The Spirit's sevenfold anointing of Messiah is described: the Spirit of the Lord (divine presence), wisdom and understanding (supernatural insight), counsel and might (strength and guidance), knowledge and fear of the Lord (relationship and reverence). This comprehensive anointing equips Messiah perfectly for His role. The Spirit 'resting' upon Him indicates permanent indwelling, not temporary emp...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him . . .**—The words throw us at once back upon the memories of the past, and forwards upon the hopes of the future. It was the “spirit of the Lord” that had made men true heroes and judges in the days of old (Judges 11:29; Judges 13:25). It was in the “spirit of the Lord” descending on Jesus of Nazareth and abiding on Him (John 1:33) that men were...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. great glory--**or, cause for it to a people, for the righteous rejoice in good, and righteousness exalts a nation (Pr 14:34).
**a man ... hidden--**that is, the good retire, or all kinds try to escape a wicked rule.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
**Verses 1-6** Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out...
Read full commentary →And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: quick: Heb. scent or, smell
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KJV Study Commentary
Messiah's judgment is characterized by spiritual perception, not superficial appearance. He will 'make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord'—sharp spiritual discernment rooted in reverence for God. 'He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes' means not by external appearances. 'Neither reprove after the hearing of his ears' indicates not by hearsay or reputation. Instead, His jud...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **And shall make him of quick understanding . . .**—Better, *he shall draw his breath in the fear of the Lord. *It shall be, as it were, the very air in which he lives and breathes. Some commentators, however, interpret *he shall find a sweet savour. *The Hebrew word rendered “understanding” means primarily, as the margin shows, “scent” or “smell,” either as the organ or the object of percepti...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. (Compare Psa 32:3-5). Concealment of sin delivers none from God's wrath, but He shows mercy to the humble penitent (Psa 51:4).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
**Verses 1-6** Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out...
Read full commentary →But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. reprove: or, argue
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KJV Study Commentary
Messiah's righteous judgment favors the poor and meek while striking the wicked. 'Judge the poor...with righteousness' and 'reprove with equity for the meek' show His advocacy for the vulnerable. 'He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth' indicates powerful verbal judgment. 'With the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked' shows that His word alone executes judgment—no physical weap...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **With righteousness shall he judge the poor . . .**—The picture which Isaiah had drawn of the corrupt judges of his time gives point to the contrast (Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 2:14-15; Isaiah 10:1-2). The poor whom they trampled on should be the special objects of the care of the true King (Matthew 11:5).
**He shall smite the earth . . .**—The “earth” stands here, if we accept the reading, for the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. feareth--**that is, God, and so repents.
**hardeneth his heart--**makes himself insensible to sin, and so will not repent (Pr 14:16; 29:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
**Verses 1-6** Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out...
Read full commentary →And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
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KJV Study Commentary
Righteousness and faithfulness are Messiah's clothing—His essential characteristics, not merely external qualities. The belt/girdle held garments together for work and battle, suggesting these virtues equip Christ for His mission. 'Righteousness' (perfect conformity to God's law) and 'faithfulness' (unwavering commitment to God's purposes) define His character completely. Unlike human leaders whos...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins . . .**—The image of clothing as the symbol of habit or character was already familiar (Psalm 109:18-19). The repetition of “girdle” has needlessly offended some fastidious critics, but the emphasis of iteration is quite after Isaiah’s manner (Isaiah 15:8; Isaiah 16:7; Isaiah 17:12-13). It perhaps implies an upper and a lower girdle as the symbo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15. The rapacity and cruelty of such beasts well represent some wicked men (compare Psa 7:2; 17:12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
**Verses 1-6** Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out...
Read full commentary →The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
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KJV Study Commentary
This famous verse depicts the messianic kingdom's perfect peace, where natural enmities cease and predator-prey relationships are transformed. 'The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb'—mortal enemies living harmoniously. The wolf (zeev, זְאֵב) represents danger and predation (Genesis 49:27); the lamb (keves, כֶּבֶשׂ) represents vulnerability and innocence. 'The leopard shall lie down with the kid'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb . . .**—It is significant of the prophet’s sympathy with the animal world that he thinks of that also as sharing in the blessings of redemption. Rapine and cruelty even there were to him signs of an imperfect order, or the consequences of a fall, even as to St. Paul they witnessed of a “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21). The very instincts of the br...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. The prince ... understanding--**that is, He does not perceive that oppression jeopards his success. Covetousness often produces oppression, hence the contrast.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
**Verses 1-6** Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out...
Read full commentary →And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
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KJV Study Commentary
The peaceful kingdom continues: predators (cow and bear) graze together with their young lying together in harmony. The lion eating straw like the ox represents complete transformation of carnivorous nature to herbivorous—reversing the curse's effects. This depicts either literal millennial conditions or metaphorically the complete peace of Christ's kingdom where former enemies coexist. Either int...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. doeth violence ... blood, &c.--**or, that is oppressed by the blood of life (Ge 9:6), which he has taken.
**to the pit--**the grave or destruction (Pr 1:12; Job 33:18-24; Psa 143:7).
**stay him--**sustain or deliver him.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10** Life is sweet to bad men, because they have their portion in this life; it is sweet to good men, because it is the time of preparation for a better; it is sweet to all. Here is a caution to think of death, even when life is most sweet. Solomon makes an effecting address to young persons. They would desire opportunity to pursue every pleasure. Then follow your desires, but be assure...
Read full commentary →And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. cockatrice: or, adders
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KJV Study Commentary
The most vulnerable (nursing child, weaned child) play safely near deadly serpents (cobra, viper). This reverses Genesis 3:15's enmity between woman's seed and serpent. Children handling snakes without harm depicts complete safety in Messiah's kingdom—all danger removed. This may be literal (millennial safety) or figurative (spiritual victory over Satan, the serpent). Either way, it shows comprehe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp . . .**—The description culminates in the transformation of the brute forms which were most identified with evil. As it is, the sight of a child near the hole of the asp (the *cobra*) or cockatrice (better, perhaps, *basilisk, *the great viper), would make its mother scream with terror. There was still “enmity between the seed of the wo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. (Compare Pr 10:9; 17:20). Double dealing is eventually fatal.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10** Life is sweet to bad men, because they have their portion in this life; it is sweet to good men, because it is the time of preparation for a better; it is sweet to all. Here is a caution to think of death, even when life is most sweet. Solomon makes an effecting address to young persons. They would desire opportunity to pursue every pleasure. Then follow your desires, but be assure...
Read full commentary →They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
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KJV Study Commentary
Universal knowledge of the Lord characterizes the messianic kingdom. 'They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain' promises complete cessation of violence throughout God's realm. The comparison to waters covering the sea suggests comprehensive, inescapable knowledge of God—as thorough as ocean coverage. This describes the new covenant promise (Jeremiah 31:34) and ultimately the new cre...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **They shall not hurt nor destroy . . .**—The pronoun may possibly refer to the evil beasts, the lion, the bear, the leopard, of the previous verses. The prophet, on this view, sees in his vision, as it were, a restored Eden, a paradise life, in which the fiercest brutes have lost their fierceness. The words admit, however, of being taken as a generalised statement: “None shall hurt nor destro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19. (Compare Pr 10:4; 20:4).
**vain persons--**idle, useless drones, implying that they are also wicked (Pr 12:11; Psa 26:4).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10** Life is sweet to bad men, because they have their portion in this life; it is sweet to good men, because it is the time of preparation for a better; it is sweet to all. Here is a caution to think of death, even when life is most sweet. Solomon makes an effecting address to young persons. They would desire opportunity to pursue every pleasure. Then follow your desires, but be assure...
Read full commentary →And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. glorious: Heb. glory
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse identifies the 'root of Jesse' as a rallying point for Gentiles. The 'root' refers to Messiah (also verse 1), to whom 'the Gentiles shall seek.' His 'rest' (dwelling place/kingdom) 'shall be glorious.' This explicitly prophesies Gentile inclusion in Messiah's kingdom—revolutionary for Isaiah's time when Israel was God's exclusive covenant people. Paul quotes this verse (Romans 15:12) to...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **In that day there shall be a root of Jesse . . .**—The “root,” as in Isaiah 53:2; Deuteronomy 29:18, is the same as the “rod” and “branch” growing from the root in Isaiah 11:1. The new shoot of the fallen tree of Jesse is to grow up like a stately palm, seen afar off upon the heights of the “holy mountain,” a signal round which the distant nations might rally as their centre. So the name of...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. maketh haste ... rich--**implying deceit or fraud (Pr 20:21), and so opposed to "faithful" or reliable.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
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KJV Study Commentary
God will 'set his hand again the second time' to recover His people's remnant. The 'second time' recalls the first exodus from Egypt; this promises a new, greater exodus. The locations listed (Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and islands of the sea) represent worldwide dispersion. This prophesies regathering from global exile—both physical (from Babylon and beyond) and spiritua...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **The Lord shall set his hand again the second time . . .**—The “first” time, implied in the “second,” was obviously that of the Exodus. Then, as from a state of extremest misery, they had entered on their life as a nation, and what had been in the past should be reproduced yet more wonderfully in the future. The list of countries that follows rests in part on the fact of a dispersion already...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. respect of persons--**(Pr 24:23). Such are led to evil by the slightest motive.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. corners: Heb. wings
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KJV Study Commentary
God will raise an 'ensign' (banner/standard) for the nations, gathering dispersed Israel and Judah from earth's four corners. The banner represents Christ lifted up (John 3:14; 12:32), around whom all nations rally. Gathering from 'four corners' indicates comprehensive, worldwide collection. Both northern kingdom (Israel) and southern kingdom (Judah) are reunited—healing ancient division. This des...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **And he shall set up an ensign . . .**—The thought of Isaiah 11:10 re-appears. The “signal” is, as before, “the root of Jesse,” and the exiles gather round it. In the Hebrew the “outcasts” are men, and the “dispersed” are women, the prophet thus implying that in the case of both Israel and Judah both sexes should alike be sharers in the blessings of restoration.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22. (Compare Pr 28:20).
**evil eye--**in the general sense of Pr 23:6, here more specific for covetousness (compare Pr 22:9; Mt 20:15).
**poverty ... him--**by God's providence.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
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KJV Study Commentary
Ancient enmity between Ephraim (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom) will cease. 'The envy also of Ephraim shall depart' and 'Judah shall not vex Ephraim' promise mutual reconciliation. 'The adversaries of Judah shall be cut off' eliminates all opposition. This depicts comprehensive peace—not just absence of conflict but removal of envy, vexation, and adversarial attitudes. In Christ, fo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **The envy also of Ephraim shall depart . . .**—The prophet’s vision of the future would not have been complete if national unity had not been included in it. He looked back on the history of the past, and saw almost from the first the deep line of cleavage between north and south, Israel and Judah. Century by century the chasm had grown deeper and wider; sub-sections of antagonism had increa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
23. (Compare Pr 9:8, 9; 27:5). Those benefited by reproof will love their monitors.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. them of: Heb. the children of they shall lay: Heb. Edom and Moab shall be the laying on of their hand shall obey: Heb. their obedience
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KJV Study Commentary
United, Israel and Judah will 'fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines' (conquer westward) and 'spoil them of the east together.' They'll subdue Edom, Moab, and Ammon—traditional enemies. This military victory imagery may be literal (messianic kingdom conquests) or spiritual (gospel advancing against opposition). The united people overcome enemies that previously threatened them divided. Unity p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines . . .**—The English version is ambiguous, and half suggests the thought that the Philistines should bear the returning Israelites as on their shoulders; so the LXX. gives, “And they shall speed their wings in the ships of the aliens.” What is meant, however, is that the returning exiles shall *swoop down, *as a bird of prey after its flig...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24. (Compare Mt 15:4-6). Such, though heirs, are virtually thieves, to be ranked with highwaymen.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. dryshod: Heb. in shoes
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KJV Study Commentary
God will enable return from exile using imagery from the Exodus. 'Utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea' and 'shake his hand over the river' recall Red Sea parting and Jordan River crossing. The 'seven streams' suggests making the Euphrates (barrier to return from Babylon) easily crossable. This promises a new exodus—God will remove barriers enabling His people's return. The new exodus ul...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **The tongue . . .**—Better, as in Joshua 15:2; Joshua 15:5; Joshua 18:19, the “bay” or “gulf.” The “Egyptian sea” is the Gulf of Suez, and the prophet pictures to himself another marvel like the passage of the Red Sea in Exodus 14:22. The “river,” on the other hand, is the word Commonly used for the Euphrates (Genesis 31:21; Joshua 24:2), and that meaning is assigned to it here by most comme...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. of a proud heart--**literally, "puffed up of soul"--that is, self-confident, and hence overbearing and litigious.
**made fat--**or, "prosperous" (Pr 11:25; 16:20).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
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KJV Study Commentary
A highway for the remnant returning from Assyria, just as there was for Israel leaving Egypt. The 'highway' suggests an easy, clear path—God will make the way simple and direct. This 'second time' recovery recalls the first deliverance from Egypt, showing God's consistent redemptive pattern. The emphasis on 'the remnant' demonstrates that God preserves a people through judgment for restoration. Th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **And there shall be an highway for the remnant . . .**—The “highway” is, as in Isaiah 19:23; Isaiah 49:11, and elsewhere, the raised embanked road, made by Eastern kings for the march of their armies. Such a road the prophet sees in his vision (here as in Isaiah 40:3), stretching across the great plains of Mesopotamia for the return of Israel. It was to be for that “second time” of restorati...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26. (Compare Pr 3:6-8).
**walketh wisely--**that is, trusting in God (Pr 22:17-19).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-16** When the gospel should be publicly preached, the Gentiles would seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and find rest of soul. When God's time is come for the deliverance of his people, mountains of opposition shall become plains before him. God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones. And while we expect the Lord to gather his ancient people, and bring them home to his ...
Read full commentary →