The rule of the Shoot 11:1-9Messiah would meet certain qualifications (Isaiah 11:2-3 a) and would rule with absolute justice (Isaiah 11:3-5)-with the result that people would live in peace (Isaiah 11:6-9) read more
The coming "David" would also delight in fearing the Lord, not fearing Him out of dread, much less, lacking respect for Yahweh. He would make decisions on the basis of reality rather than appearances, having the ability to see through issues. Such abilities demand more than a merely human ruler (cf. John 18:36-38). An earlier Messiah passage (Isaiah 9:6) showed Him to be divine, but this one presents Him as a dependent human being, "a combination that requires the Incarnation for its... read more
Justice for the poor was hard to find in the ancient world because the poor could not afford to bribe their judges, and they possessed little political influence. But Israel’s coming king would do what was right for the poor and be fair with the afflicted (cf. Revelation 1:5; Revelation 3:14). His words of judgment would result in the death of the wicked rather than giving them preferential treatment for what they could do for the judge (cf. Isaiah 55:10-11; Genesis 1:3; Hebrews 4:12; 2... read more
1. Rod out of the stem] RV ’shoot out of the stock,’ implying that the tree has been cut down. The Assyrians have been compared in the vv. preceding to cedars, which when felled throw out no fresh suckers; now the house of David is likened to an oak whose life remains in it after it has been cut down (Isaiah 6:13). From the royal family of Judah, though it may seem ruined, is to spring the ideal Ruler in the future. It has been already implied (Isaiah 9:7), and is here expressly stated, that... read more
(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 perception.He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes . . .—Earthly kings are apt to judge “according to the... read more
(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 rulers who are for the time supreme in it. A slight alteration of the Hebrew gives shall smite the tyrant,... read more
The Shoot Out of the Dry Stock Isaiah 11:1 I. In that story of the shoot out of the dry stock two thoughts, as it were, compete for utterance. 1. There is the thought that God in Christ finds us where we are and not other where, meets us in the weary day which our pilgrimage has actually reached, demands of us no impossible return to the beginning of our lives. He has a new growth for the cut-down stock. There is no uprooting, no fresh seed; but from the old tree springs the leaf of joy. 2. In... read more
CHAPTER XTHE SPIRIT OF GOD IN MAN AND THE ANIMALSABOUT 720 B.C.Isaiah 11:1-16; Isaiah 12:1-6BENEATH the crash of the Assyrian with which the tenth chapter closes, we pass out into the eleventh upon a glorious prospect of Israel’s future. The Assyrian when he falls shall fall forever like the cedars of Lebanon, that send no fresh sprout forth from their broken stumps. But out of the trunk of the Judaean oak, also brought down by these terrible storms, Isaiah sees springing a fair and powerful... read more
CHAPTER 11 The Coming King and His Kingdom 1. The King: Who He is and what He will do (Isaiah 11:1-5 ) 2. The peace and blessing He brings (Isaiah 11:6-10 ) 3. The gathering of scattered Israel (Isaiah 11:11-16 ) It is a great vision of the future which this chapter unfolds. The critics deny that the blessed Person mentioned in the opening verses is our Lord Jesus. They think Hezekiah or Josiah is meant. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 shows that it is our Lord. Link Isaiah 11:1-5 with Isaiah 9:6-7... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 11:4
4. judge—see that impartial justice is done them. "Judge" may mean here "rule," as in Psalms 67:4. reprove—or, "argue"; "decide." But LOWTH, "work conviction in." earth—Compare with Matthew 5:5; Revelation 11:15. earth—its ungodly inhabitants, answering to "the wicked" in the parallel, and in antithesis to the "poor" and "meek," namely, in spirit, the humble pious (Revelation 11:15- :). It is at the same time implied that "the earth" will be extraordinarily wicked when He shall come to judge... read more