Isaiah 11:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

NIV: They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

NASB: They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.

CSB: They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water.

NLT: Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

KJV: They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

NKJV: They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah has been painting the picture of life under the rule of Israel's future king (Isaiah 11:1–8). The one who will become known as the Messiah, the one Christians know as Jesus, the Son of God. Isaiah writes that "they" will not hurt or destroy in "all of His holy mountain." This raised the question of who "they" are, for the purposes of this verse.

Those who understand the previous verses to be about the animal kingdom see "they" as referring to predatory animals. These animals will stop hunting and killing, being changed in their very being during the rule of Christ on earth. Those who understand Isaiah to be picturing animals as representative of peoples and nations read "they" to refer to those formerly aggressive nations. Those that existed to kill and conquer the earth (Isaiah 11:6–8).

In either case, all such hurting and killing and conquering will cease once the Messiah sits on the throne of the world. Why will it stop? They will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Peace will cover the earth because the world will finally and fully understand who God is and be in relationship with Him through the Messiah, who is Christ.

All attempts to secure global peace in any other way will ultimately fail. There is no system of government or control that can fully unite the peoples of the world together. Certainly not for any lasting period. The only thing that will ever bring true peace and interconnectedness to the world is when the knowledge of the Lord and trust in Jesus, covers the earth. That's the only and final path to global unity—and only Christ, Himself, will be able to achieve it.

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).