Isaiah 11:8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 11:1-9

The prophet had before, in this sermon, spoken of a child that should be born, a son that should be given, on whose shoulders the government should be, intending this for the comfort of the people of God in times of trouble, as dying Jacob, many ages before, had intended the prospect of Shiloh for the comfort of his seed in their affliction in Egypt. He had said (Isa. 10:27) that the yoke should be destroyed because of the anointing; now here he tells us on whom that anointing should rest. He... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 11:8

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp ,.... Without fear or danger: and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den ; and suffer no damage: the meaning is explained in the next words, and to be understood of regenerate persons, both of new born babes, or just born, and all such who are weaned from their own righteousness, and live by faith on Christ, who shall not be hurt by the poison of false teachers, nor by the force of violent persecutors, now no... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 11:8

The cockatrice' den - This is supposed, both by the Targum and by Kimchi, to mean the pupil of this serpent's eye. "When," says Kimchi, "he is in the mouth of his den, in an obscure place, then his eyes sparkle exceedingly: the child, seeing this, and supposing it to be a piece of crystal, or precious stone, puts forth his hand to take it. What would be very dangerous at another time, shall be safe in the days of the Messiah; for the serpent will not hurt the child." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 11:1-9

A RENEWED PROPHECY OF MESSIAH AND OF HIS KINGDOM . This chapter is closely connected with the preceding. With the final destruction of Assyria, which, being cut down, sends out no shoot ( Isaiah 10:33 , Isaiah 10:34 ), is contrasted the recuperative energy of Israel, which, though equally leveled with the ground ( Isaiah 9:18 , Isaiah 9:19 ), shall spring afresh into life, and "renew its youth." The recovery is connected—or rather identified with the coming of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 11:1-9

The coming of the Messiah. I. HIS ORIGIN . "From Ishai's worn stem a shoot will sprout forth, and a green branch burst forth from his roots." From the stock of David, now fallen very low, the coming Deliverer will arise in all the vigor of youth. Seldom does the great man come but of some pure and generous strain of blood. Like some stream which, long hidden underground, reappears again in the daylight, or some vein of precious ore, recovered after some extensive "fault," so it was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 11:6-9

Messiah's kingdom, when fully realized, shall be one of perfect peace. " They shall neither hurt nor destroy in all his holy mountain." Primarily, no doubt, the passage is figurative, and points to harmony among men, who, in Messiah's kingdom, shall no longer prey one upon another (see especially Isaiah 11:9 ). But, from the highest spiritual standpoint, the figure itself becomes a reality, and it is seen that, if in the "new heavens and new earth" there is an animal creation, it will be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 11:6-9

The intensive and extensive power of the gospel. I. THE INTENSIVE POWER OF DIVINE TRUTH . More power is needful 1. Individual instances abound of the conversion of notorious drunkards, of savage prize-fighters, of shameless courtesans, of ribald atheists, of those who were abandoned by all, and who abandoned themselves to hopeless sin, of men who were the terror of their tribe or of their district, etc. Therefore we need not and we should not despair of those who are living... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 11:8

The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp ; rather, by the hole— near it. The "asp" is probably the Coluber Naje of Egypt, whose bite is very deadly. The cockatrice den. The "cockatrice" is another deadly serpent, perhaps the Daboia xanthina (Tristram, 'Natural Hist. of the Bible'). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 11:8

And the sucking child - An emblem here of harmlessness and innocence. The change in the world, under the Messiah, shall be as great as if a sucking infant should be able to play unharmed with a venomous serpent.Shall play - Shall delight himself (שׁעשׁע shı̂‛ăsha‛) as children usually engage in their sports; compare Proverbs 8:30-31; Psalms 119:24.On the hole of the asp - Over, or around the cavern, hole, or place of retreat of the asp. He shall play over that place as safely as if the nature... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 11:6-8

Isaiah 11:6-8. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, &c. “We have here the illustrious consequence of the economy of this divine kingdom, this kingdom of righteousness, equity, faith, and grace.” The expressions which describe it are metaphorical: they represent the subjects of it under the figure of a flock, lying down and feeding under the care of the Messiah, as the great and chief shepherd, in the utmost peace, harmony, and security. Men of fierce, cruel, and ungovernable dispositions... read more

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