11:1 a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse The stump is a metaphor for the remnant of the royal family of David. The kingly line is all but eliminated in the invasions and deportations by the Babylonians (see 6:13). The shoot is a metaphor for restoration of the line in the Messiah. Compare 53:2.

a branch from its roots will bear fruit The branch is again a metaphor for the Messiah. See Zech 3:8 and note.

11:3 he shall judge not by his eyesight Impartial judging is also important in Isa 2:4.

11:4 the rod of his mouth The power of the Messiah is evident through His words. See 49:2 and note.

11:5 righteousness shall be the belt around his waist The nt imagery of the “armor of God” in Eph 6:11–17 builds on this image of the righteousness and faithfulness clothing the Messiah, along with the image of the divine armor in Isa 59:17.

11:6 a wolf shall stay with a lamb The predator and prey relationship is negated in vv. 6–9 to symbolize the peace of a renewed creation. This is often connected with end-times or millennial expectations, such as in Rom 8:19–22 and Rev 20:1–6. Compare Isa 2:4.

a small boy leads them In the utopian conditions of the Messiah’s rule, all dangers of the animal kingdom are removed. Even a child is safe to lead former predators and prey together like domesticated, peaceful animals.

11:9 all of my holy mountain Refers to Mount Zion as God’s abode. See 2:2 and note.

11:10 the root of Jesse An allusion to the Messiah. See vv. 1; Rom 15:12.

a signal to the peoples The image of a signal for the other nations of the world reappears in Isa 49:22 and 62:10, where the signal also indicates that the time has come for God’s people to return to their land.

glorious While the Hebrew term for “glorious” can indicate earthly splendor and grandeur, it also has overtones of divine glory. See 6:3 and note.

11:11 his hand a second time The first time was the exodus from Egypt. See Exod 13–15.

the remnant of his people that is left Serves as both a reminder of past judgment that decimated the population and future hope that some have been preserved and will be brought back to the land.

from Assyria, Egypt Assyria and Egypt are the two main powers in the Middle East at this time (see Isa 27:13). The list of nations in the verse gives a sense of how widely dispersed the remnant is across the known world.

Pathros A region in southern Egypt on the border with Cush, the land directly south of Egypt—roughly corresponding with modern Ethiopia.

Elam The region east of Babylon in modern-day Iran.

Shinar Shinar is the ancient name for Babylon used here. See note on Gen 11:2.

Hamath A Syrian city in the northwest corner of the Fertile Crescent and north of Damascus. See note on Zech 9:2.

11:12 he will raise a signal for the nations The signal notifies the nations that it is time to bring Israel back to her homeland (see Isa 11:10 and note). In 5:26, the signal was summoning the nations to judge Israel.

11:13 Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah Israel and Judah will be reunited. See the similar description in Ezek 37:15–22.

11:15 will divide the tongue of the sea of Egypt Echoes the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea in Exod 14:15–29, where Israel crosses on dry ground.

11:16 a highway Illustrates the easy path Israel should have once God restores them. Compare to Isa 35:8–10; 40:3.

from the land of Egypt See v. 11 and Exod 13:17–18.