Isaiah 11:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

NIV: There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.

NASB: And there will be a highway from Assyria For the remnant of His people who will be left, Just as there was for Israel On the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.

CSB: There will be a highway for the remnant of his people who will survive from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

NLT: He will make a highway for the remnant of his people, the remnant coming from Assyria, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.

KJV: And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

NKJV: There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

Isaiah has been describing the future kingdom of a leader he has simply called the "root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)." This root of Jesse is the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Lord. He will reign over all the nations, bringing peace to the world (Isaiah 11:10). He will also reunite all the Jewish people of the earth, as well as making a way for them to return to the Promised Land of Israel (Isaiah 11:15). The Lord will use His power to again clear a path through the Red Sea and across the great Euphrates River.

Next, the prophet Isaiah adds that there will be a highway from the once mighty and feared Assyria. It will be there for the remnant of God's people to return to Israel. Commentators suggest that Isaiah may use the name Assyria to indicate that the people will be coming from the east, which Assyria once occupied.

Again, Isaiah's point is that the same God who provided before for His people, will once again provide a way to return to the Promised Land. God may have sent destruction on them to punish their faithlessness, but He is still faithful to keep His promises to them to make Israel a great nation in their own land once more.

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).