Isaiah 11:10-16
New English Translation
Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited
10 At that time[a] a root from Jesse[b] will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance,[c] and his residence will be majestic. 11 At that time[d] the Lord[e] will again lift his hand[f] to reclaim[g] the remnant of his people[h] from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros,[i] Cush,[j] Elam, Shinar,[k] Hamath, and the seacoasts.[l]
12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;
he will gather Israel’s dispersed people[m]
and assemble Judah’s scattered people
from the four corners of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end,[n]
and Judah’s hostility[o] will be eliminated.
Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,
and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down[p] on the Philistine hills to the west;[q]
together they will loot the people of the east.
They will take over Edom and Moab,[r]
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
15 The Lord will divide[s] the gulf[t] of the Egyptian Sea;[u]
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River[v] and send a strong wind;[w]
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams,[x]
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people,[y]
just as there was for Israel,
when[z] they went up from the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 11:10 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 11:10 sn See the note at v. 1.
- Isaiah 11:10 tn Heb “a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].
- Isaiah 11:11 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 11:11 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 11:11 tc The Hebrew text reads, “the Lord will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).
- Isaiah 11:11 tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”
- Isaiah 11:11 tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”
- Isaiah 11:11 sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).
- Isaiah 11:11 tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).
- Isaiah 11:11 tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
- Isaiah 11:11 tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”
- Isaiah 11:12 tn Or “the banished of Israel,” i.e., the exiles.
- Isaiah 11:13 tn Heb “turn aside”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “depart.”
- Isaiah 11:13 tn Heb “hostile ones of Judah.” Elsewhere when the substantival participle of צָרָר (tsarar) takes a pronominal suffix or appears in a construct relationship, the following genitive is objective. (For a list of texts see BDB 865 s.v. III צָרַר) In this case the phrase “hostile ones of Judah” means “those who are hostile toward Judah,” i.e., Judah’s enemies. However, the parallel couplet that follows suggests that Judah’s hostility toward Ephraim is in view. In this case “hostile ones of Judah” means “hostile ones from Judah.” The translation above assumes the latter, giving the immediate context priority over general usage.
- Isaiah 11:14 tn Heb “fly.” Ephraim/Judah are compared to a bird of prey.
- Isaiah 11:14 tn Heb “on the shoulder of Philistia toward the sea.” This refers to the slopes of the hill country west of Judah. See HALOT 506 s.v. כָּתֵף.
- Isaiah 11:14 tn Heb “Edom and Moab [will be the place of] the outstretching of their hand,” i.e., included in their area of jurisdiction (see HALOT 648 s.v. ח(וֹ)מִשְׁלֹ).
- Isaiah 11:15 tn The verb is usually understood as “put under the ban, destroy,” or emended to חָרָב (kharav, “dry up”). However, HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם proposes a homonymic root meaning “divide.”
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “tongue” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
- Isaiah 11:15 sn That is, the Red Sea.
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “the river”; capitalized in some English versions (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) as a reference to the Euphrates River.
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “with the [?] of his wind” [or “breath”]. The Hebrew term עַיָם (ʿayam) occurs only here. Some attempt to relate the word to an Arabic root and translate, “scorching [or “hot”] wind.” This interpretation fits especially well if one reads “dry up” in the previous line. Others prefer to emend the form to עֹצֶם (ʿotsem, “strong”). See HALOT 817 s.v. עֲצַם.
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “seven streams.” The Hebrew term נַחַל (nakhal, “stream”) refers to a wadi, or seasonal stream, which runs during the rainy season, but is otherwise dry. The context (see v. 15b) here favors the translation, “dried-up streams.” The number seven suggests totality and completeness. Here it indicates that God’s provision for escape will be thorough and more than capable of accommodating the returning exiles.
- Isaiah 11:16 tn Heb “and there will be a highway for the remnant of his people who remain, from Assyria.”
- Isaiah 11:16 tn Heb “in the day” (so KJV).
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