Isaiah 11:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

NIV: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

NASB: Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

CSB: Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

NLT: Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot — yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.

KJV: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

NKJV: There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

Isaiah has just finished describing the defeat of the Assyrian Empire at the hand of the Mighty One (Isaiah 10:34). Before that moment comes, God will use the Assyrians to nearly wipe out His people for their faithlessness to Him. Yet the Lord has been clear: this is not the end of His people. A remnant will return, both to faith in the Lord and to the land of Israel (Isaiah 10:20).

This chapter starts with the prophet looking forward to the birth of a new Israelite empire. The new nation will be led by a king who is both human and much more than human. In short, Isaiah will describe the rise of Messiah and His righteous reign over Israel and the earth. He will add details to his previous description of this mysterious leader (Isaiah 9:1–7).

He begins by describing a new emergence from the once-cut-off descendants of Jesse. The picture is of a tree that has been chopped down and yet life remains deep inside the stump. From that stump, new growth begins to emerge. This fits with Isaiah's calling from the Lord in Isaiah 6. This was where God describes the judgment to come on Judah until only a stump of the tree remains. Still, in the end, the Lord said, "the holy seed is its stump" (Isaiah 6:13).

This stump is referring to Jesse who was the father of King David. The Lord's promise to David was that his house and his kingdom would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Even when the line of David seems to have come to an end, the remnant survives. The promise is not broken. New growth will spring up from the seemingly dead stump and grow to become a strong tree, even bearing fruit. This fruit will be the hope of Israel's future and that of all humanity, the Messiah.

Isaiah 11:1–16 once more returns to a description of a glorious kingdom to come. This passage was written when Israel's earthly kingdom hung by a thread. That future kingdom will be lead by a descendant of Jesse, David's father. He will rule the earth in the Spirit of the Lord, and restore righteousness, justice, and peace to the earth. All will live in harmony. All the non-Jewish nations will gather under the banner of the Messiah. The Lord will reassemble His Israelite people to their land from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah describes a future leader who will be raised up from line of Jesse and King David. The leader will be a man and yet more than just a man. He will be powered by the Spirit of the Lord to lead with wisdom, might, and knowledge. He will restore justice and bring peace to the world, ending all conflict. The non-Jewish nations of the earth will come to Him. He will reassemble the scattered Israelites. The reunited nation will have final victory over their enemies under His rule.

Isaiah 11 follows the previous chapter's promise of the Lord's defeat of the Assyrian Empire. Along with the promise that a descendant of King David will one day rule Israel and the world. He will rule in the power of the Spirit of the Lord with wisdom, justice, and righteousness. Conflict will cease, even among the animals. All the non-Jewish nations will gather to the Messiah. The Lord will reassemble His Israelite people to the land from the four corners of the world. Reunited as one nation, they will defeat their enemies and live under the rule of the Lord. Chapter 12 continues this description.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).