Go to Related Reading
About this book

Isaiah

About this book
Chapter 11

1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots.⁠ 2 The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him—a⁠ Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,⁠ a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.⁠ 3 His smelling is in the fear of the Lord7.⁠ He will not judge by mere appearances or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 4 He will treat the poor fairly and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth.⁠ He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and order the wicked to be executed.⁠ 5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist, integrity will be like a belt around his hips. 6 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along.⁠ 7 A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A lion, like an ox, will eat straw. 8 A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand.⁠ 9 They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea.⁠ 10 At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations.⁠ Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic. 11 At that time the Lord will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts.⁠ 12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations; he will gather Israel’s dispersed people and assemble Judah’s scattered people from the four corners of the earth. 13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated. Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim. 14 They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects. 15 The Lord will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind; he will turn it into seven dried-up streams and enable them to walk across in their sandals.⁠ 16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria for the remnant of his people,⁠ just as there was for Israel, when they went up from the land of Egypt.

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 11:2 and Psalms of Solomon 17:37

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry

Share:

Summary

The Psalms of Solomon uses the language of Isaiah 11 to describe a future messianic ruler who is empowered by wisdom and righteousness to judge fairly and wisely and destroy the unrighteous with the word of his mouth.

Passages

Isaiah 11:2

Hebrew Bible
1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots. 2 The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him—a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. 3 His smelling is in the fear of the Lord7. He will not judge by mere appearances or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 4 He will treat the poor fairly and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and order the wicked to be executed.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Psalms of Solomon 17:37

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
35 For he will strike the earth with the word of his mouth forever. He will bless the people of the Lord with wisdom and gladness, 36 And he himself (will be) free from sin, so that he may rule a great people. He will rebuke rulers, and remove sinners by the power of his word; 37 And (relying) on his God, throughout his life he will not stumble; For God will make him powerful by means of (His) holy spirit, And wise by means of the spirit of understanding, with strength and righteousness. 38 And the blessing of the Lord (will be) with him: he will be strong and not stumble; 39 His hope (will be) in the Lord: who then can overpower him?
65–30 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Psalms of Solomon

References

"... The influence of Isaiah 11:1–4 is particularly significant because Isaiah 11 is used to describe the Messiah in many other texts as well: the king is girded with strength (Psalms of Solomon 17:22) and wisdom (sofia, Psalms of Solomon 17:23), both descriptions taken from Isaiah 11:2. The king’s destruction of the godless nations “with the word of his mouth” (Psalms of Solomon 17:24) is taken from the Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 11:4. This same phrase returns later in the psalm when we hear that the Messiah “will strike the earth with the word of his mouth” (Psalms of Solomon 17:35). The psalmist adds “forever” to the end of that description in order to emphasize the everlasting reign of the Messiah. The language of Isaiah 11:1–4 continues in the eighteenth psalm’s description of the Messiah, where he is presented as teaching the people of Israel in the ways of righteousness. Righteousness and justice are common traits of the idealized king in several prophetic portraits, both before and after the exile to Babylon ..."
Scott Reynolds, “The Messiah and Eschatology in the Psalms of Solomon” (MA diss., Trinity Western University, 2016), 58–59.
"... “Branch” language once again occasions a reference to the messianic king, although the term is nsr at this point in the Masoretic text (verse 1). The just rule of the Davidic figure is emphasized in terms which may be related to the Psalms of Solomon. In any case, the focus on the cooperation of the righteous, and the reign of peace which will ensue, is openly stated (verses 5-6). Particularly, the element of military triumph comes to expression (verse 10), especially when one bears in mind that 10:27, with its innovative reference to the shattering of the Gentiles by the Messiah, provides the governing context for the messianic teaching in chapter 11 ..."
Bruce D. Chilton, The Isaiah Targum: Introduction, Translation, Apparatus and Notes, ArBib 11 (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1987), 29.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Isaiah 11:2 and Psalms of Solomon 17:37

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library