Isaiah 11:6–9
Isaiah paints the wolf with the lamb, led by a little boy
Study it word by word6And 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.
8And the nursing child will play over the hole of the viper, and over the den of the cobra the weaned child will stretch out his hand.
9They will not do harm or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of YHWH as the waters cover the sea.
In its context
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.
…
10And it will happen on that day that the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner for the peoples, the nations will seek him, and his resting place will be glory.
11And it will happen on that day that Adonai will again extend his hand a second time to acquire the remnant of his people that remains, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
Its words in the original
- גָרgar· sojourn
Live in a place as a foreigner, without being from there or having land of one's own. In other senses, be afraid; gather against someone.
- זְאֵבzeev· wolf
Wolf.
- כֶּבֶשׂkeves· lamb
Lamb: a young sheep, male (a young ram).
- נָמֵרnamer· leopard
A leopard.
- גְּדִיgedi· young goat
Young goat, kid.
- יִרְבָּץyirbats· lie down, crouch
Lie down, crouch, like an animal at rest or lying in wait.
- עֵגֶלegel· calf
Calf: a young bull.
- כְפִירchefir· young lion, village
Young lion, already strong and able to hunt. The same form can also mean a village.
- מְרִיאmeri· fatted animal
Fatted animal: a beast fattened for a meal or a special sacrifice.
- יַחְדָּוyachdav· together
Together, at the same time.
- נַעַרnaar· young man, servant
Boy, young man; also a servant or attendant.
- קָטֹןkaton· small, younger
Small; the younger or lesser of two, in size, age or importance.
- נֹהֵגnoheg· drive, lead
Drive, lead along (livestock, people); carry off.
- פָרָהfara· cow
Cow, heifer.
- דֹבdov· bear
Bear.
- תִּרְעֶינָהtirena· shepherd, feed
Shepherd: tend and feed a flock; of animals, graze. Figuratively, lead a people. As a noun, "shepherd".
- יַלְדֵיyalde· child, boy
Child, boy, young man; offspring.
- אַרְיֵהarye· lion
Lion.
- בָּקָרbakar· cattle, herd
Cattle: cows, oxen, bulls; a herd.
- יֹאכַלyochal· eat
Eat; also consume, devour (said of fire or the sword).
- תֶּבֶןteven· straw
Straw: chopped stalks of grain, used as fodder for animals and in making bricks.
- שִׁעֲשַׁעshiasha· delight; take delight
To delight, to take pleasure in something; in the active form, to delight or gladden someone.
- יוֹנֵקyonek· nurse
Suck; in the causative form, nurse, give milk to a child.
- חֻרchur· hole
A hole: a snake's hole, or a prison cell.
- פָּתֶןpaten· cobra, asp
A viper, a poisonous snake.
- מְאוּרַתmeurat· den (of a snake)
A hole, the den of a snake.
- צִפְעוֹנִיtsifoni· viper
A viper, a poisonous snake.
- גָּמוּלgamul· wean, deal with
Wean: stop nursing a child, around two or three years of age. In other passages, deal well or ill with someone; ripen.
- יָדyad· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- הָדָהhada· stretch out (the hand)
To stretch out the hand.
- יָרֵעוּyareu· do evil, harm
Do evil, cause harm; be bad, be displeasing ("it was evil in his eyes").
- יַשְׁחִיתוּyashchitu· corrupt, destroy
Spoil, corrupt; destroy, ruin. The same verb can say what people do to the earth (corrupt it) and what God does in judgment (destroy).
- הַרhar· mountain, hill country
Mountain, hill; hill country.
- קָדְשִׁkadshi· holiness, holy place
Holiness: what is set apart for God. Also a holy place or a holy thing; "the holy of holies" is the most holy place.
- מָלְאָהmala· fill, be full
Fill or be full; also fulfill or complete (a time, a word given).
- 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").
- דֵּעָהdea· knowledge
Knowledge, understanding. Of the same family as "know."
- 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.
- מַּיִםmayim· water
Water. In Hebrew it is always plural ("waters").
- יָּםyam· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- מְכַסִּיםmechasim· cover
Cover, hide; also cover over (sin), conceal.