Isaiah 11:1–5
A shoot from Jesse will rule with justice, defending the humble
Study it word by word1And a shoot will come out from the trunk of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2And the spirit of YHWH will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of YHWH.
3And his delight will be in the fear of YHWH; and he will not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide by what his ears hear;
4but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with uprightness for the humble of the earth; and he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will put to death the wicked.
5And righteousness will be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his hips.
In its context
…
6And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fattened animal together, and a little boy will lead them.
7And the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down together; and the lion, like the ox, will eat straw.
Its words in the original
- יָצָאyatsa· go out, bring out
Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".
- חֹטֶרchoter· rod, shoot
A rod, a branch or shoot.
- גֵּזַעgeza· stump, trunk
The trunk of a tree; also the stump left when it is cut down.
- יִשָׁיyishay· Jesse
Jesse, of Bethlehem, son of Obed and father of King David.
- נֵצֶרnetser· shoot, sprout
A shoot, a sprout; figuratively, a descendant.
- שָּׁרָשָׁיsharashay· root
Root of a plant; also the origin of something.
- יִפְרֶהyifre· be fruitful
Bear fruit; be fruitful, have descendants.
- נָחָהnacha· rest, settle
Rest, settle, come to rest, stay still; also set down, leave. Noah's name is from the same root.
- רוּחַruach· spirit, wind, breath
The basic idea is "air in motion". The same word can be "wind"; "breath", the air that is breathed and keeps life; or "spirit": the mood or inner strength of a person, or the Spirit of God, his presence and power at work.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- חָכְמָהchachma· wisdom, skill
Wisdom: knowing how to live and act well; also the skill of a good craftsman.
- בִינָהvina· understanding
Understanding: the ability to comprehend and to tell one thing from another.
- עֵצָהetsa· counsel
Counsel: good judgment for deciding; also a plan.
- גְבוּרָהgevura· might
Strength, might; mighty deed, victory.
- דַּעַתdaat· knowledge
Knowledge: knowing something, and also knowing it by experience.
- יִרְאַתyirat· fear
Fear. "The fear of God" is deep reverence that leads one to obey him and avoid evil.
- הֲרִיחharich· smell
Smell, perceive a scent; figuratively, take delight in.
- מַרְאֵהmare· appearance, sight
What is seen: the look or appearance of something; also a vision.
- עֵינָיenay· eye
Eye. "In someone's eyes" means "in his opinion"; "find favor in the eyes of" is to please him. Also a spring of water.
- יִשְׁפּוֹטyishpot· judge
Judge: decide who is in the right and do him justice; also punish. Also rule, govern.
- מִשְׁמַעmishma· hearing, what is heard
What is heard: a report, what reaches the ears.
- אָזְנָיaznay· ear
Ear. "Speak in someone's ears" is to tell him something directly.
- יוֹכִיחַyochiach· reprove, decide
Decide who is right; reprove, correct, rebuke; also argue a case. In the passive, be shown to be in the right.
- צֶדֶקtsedek· righteousness, what is right
Righteousness: what is right, what is as it should be; just (weights, judgment).
- דַּלִּיםdalim· poor, weak
Poor, weak: one who has little and little strength to defend himself.
- מִישׁוֹרmishor· tableland, level place
Tableland, plain: high level ground; with the article, the plateau east of the Jordan. Also uprightness, what is right.
- עַנְוֵיanve· humble, afflicted
Humble, afflicted: one who is low, by his condition or by his attitude; meek.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- הִכָּהhika· strike
Strike, hit, wound; often, kill; also strike down, defeat.
- שֵׁבֶטshevet· rod, scepter, tribe
Rod, staff; a king's scepter; also tribe.
- פִּיpi· mouth
Mouth. Also what someone says or commands ("by the mouth of" = by the word of); the edge of a sword; "according to".
- שְׂפָתָיsefatay· lip, language, edge
Lip. From there, the way of speaking: speech or language. Also the shore or edge of something.
- יָמִיתyamit· die
Die. In the causative form, kill, put to death. Hebrew can repeat the verb for emphasis ("dying you will die" = "you will surely die").
- רָשָׁעrasha· wicked
Wicked: one who does evil and is guilty before God and before others.
- הָיָהhaya· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- אֵזוֹרezor· belt, band
A belt, a sash: a band tied around the waist.
- מָתְנָיmatnay· waist, loins
Waist, loins.
- אֱמוּנָהemuna· faithfulness, steadiness
Steadiness; from there faithfulness, being trustworthy.
- חֲלָצָיchalatsay· loins
Loins: the waist, seen as the source of offspring and strength.