Isaiah 11

The Stem of Jesse and the Second Gathering

A shoot from a stump, a King who judges rightly, a world where the wolf lies down with the lamb, and a banner raised to gather Israel home.

Prophesied c. 730–700 BC; “about to be fulfilled” in 1823 Also in 2 Ne. 21 Read with footnotes in Gospel Library

Background

Chapter 10 ended with the Lord felling the proud forest of Assyria. Chapter 11 begins in the same forest, but the tree it looks at is Judah’s.

Chapter 10 ended with the Lord felling the proud forest of Assyria. Chapter 11 begins in the same forest, but the tree it looks at is Judah’s. The royal line of David, once a mighty tree, has been reduced by faithless kings like Ahaz to a stump. Isaiah sees a shoot rising from that stump.

This chapter holds a unique place in the Restoration. On the night of September 21, 1823, the angel Moroni quoted it to Joseph Smith, “saying that it was about to be fulfilled” (JS—H 1:40). Fifteen years later the Lord answered specific questions about it by revelation (D&C 113:1–6). Nephi quoted the whole chapter (2 Ne. 21), and he quoted verses 4–9 again when describing the Millennium (2 Ne. 30:9–15).

So Isaiah 11 isn’t only ancient prophecy. According to an angel, it describes the work that began with the Restoration.

The thread through the chapter

Isaiah 11 moves from one Person to a whole world to a gathered people, and the thread that ties them together is the phrase “in that day.”

Isaiah 11 moves from one Person to a whole world to a gathered people, and the thread that ties them together is the phrase “in that day.”

The King (verses 1–5). A shoot grows from the stump of Jesse (David’s father), and the Spirit of the Lord rests on him in its fullness. He judges not by appearances but with righteousness, and he defends the poor and the meek. The revelation in D&C 113:1–2 identifies the Stem of Jesse in these verses: “It is Christ.”

The world He makes (verses 6–9). Under His reign, creation itself is healed. The predator lies down with its prey, children play safely near snakes, and “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.” Why? “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Peace on earth follows from knowing God.

The people He gathers (verses 10–16). A “root of Jesse” stands as an ensign, and the Lord sets His hand “the second time” to recover His scattered people from every direction. Ephraim and Judah, bitter rivals, are reconciled. The Lord makes a highway home, “like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.”

The first exodus brought Israel out of one country. The second gathering brings them from the whole world. And it is led by the same Lord, now revealed as the King from Jesse’s stump. That is why Moroni chose this chapter. Joseph Smith was being told that the second gathering was about to begin, and that he would be part of it.

Tap any highlighted phrase to open a note beneath its versein the margin.

Verses 1–5

A shoot from the stump of Jesse

In plain words

A shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in fearing the Lord. He won’t judge by what He sees or decide by what He hears. He will judge the poor with righteousness and defend the humble of the earth fairly. His word will strike the earth like a rod, and the breath of His lips will destroy the wicked. Righteousness and faithfulness will be the belt around His waist.

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Restoration Insight #

Stem, rod, and branch in D&C 113

The Hebrew word translated “stem” (gezaʿ) means a stump, what remains after a tree is cut down.

The Hebrew word translated “stem” (gezaʿ) means a stump, what remains after a tree is cut down. Jesse was King David’s father. So the “stem of Jesse” is the cut-down royal family of David, reduced to a stump, just like the felled trees of Isa. 6:13 and Isa. 10:33–34.

In March 1838 the Lord answered questions about this verse by revelation:

The Stem of Jesse “spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses” is Christ (D&C 113:1–2). Verses 1–5, which describe the Spirit-filled, righteous Judge, are about Him.
The rod that comes out of the Stem is “a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power” (D&C 113:3–4).

The revelation does not name the servant. Many Latter-day Saints have understood it to refer to Joseph Smith or to another latter-day leader, but the text leaves the identification open. What is clear is that Christ, the Stem, is the source, and His servant draws power from Him.

2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Witness of Christ #

The fullness of the Spirit

The Spirit “rests” on Him: it isn’t a passing visit but a permanent dwelling.

The Spirit “rests” on Him: it isn’t a passing visit but a permanent dwelling. Then Isaiah lists six qualities in three pairs:

wisdom and understanding: for the mind
counsel and might: for decision and action
knowledge and the fear of the LORD: for relationship with God

Together with “the spirit of the LORD” itself, that makes seven, a number of fullness. This may lie behind John’s “seven Spirits which are before his throne” (Rev. 1:4).

The fulfillment is described at Jesus’s baptism, when the Spirit descended and remained on Him (John 1:32–33; 1 Ne. 11:27). John the Baptist testified that God “giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34; see D&C 93:12–17).

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

Witness of Christ #

A Judge who sees the heart

Human judges rely on what they can see and hear, so appearances, reputations, and eloquent testimony sway them.

Human judges rely on what they can see and hear, so appearances, reputations, and eloquent testimony sway them. This King won’t be fooled by any of it. As the Lord told Samuel, “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).

That is terrifying for the proud and a relief for the misunderstood. Verse 4 shows who benefits most: “with righteousness shall he judge the poor.” The powerless, who never get a fair hearing in human courts (see Isa. 1:23; Isa. 10:1–2), finally get a perfect Judge. Jesus taught, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Verses 6–9

The peaceable kingdom

In plain words

The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened steer will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze side by side; their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox. A nursing baby will play near a cobra’s hole, and a toddler will put his hand in a viper’s nest. No one will hurt or destroy anywhere on My holy mountain, because the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is full of water.

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Restoration Insight #

The peaceable kingdom

Look at the pairs in verses 6–8: wolf and lamb, leopard and young goat, lion and calf, bear and cow, cobra and baby.

Look at the pairs in verses 6–8: wolf and lamb, leopard and young goat, lion and calf, bear and cow, cobra and baby. In every pair, a predator lies down with its natural prey. The violence built into the natural order is undone.

Latter-day revelation confirms that this is literal as well as symbolic: “in that day the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face” (D&C 101:26). The earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory (A of F 1:10). Nephi quoted these verses to describe the Millennium (2 Ne. 30:12–15).

And the one who leads this new creation? “A little child.” The King who rules over this kingdom came as a child Himself (Isa. 9:6).

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

9 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.

Liken It #

Why the violence ends

This line explains everything before it. The wolf and lamb don’t make peace because they have been caged.

This line explains everything before it. The wolf and lamb don’t make peace because they have been caged. The earth is at peace because it is full of the knowledge of the Lord, as completely as water fills the ocean basins. Habakkuk repeats the promise (Hab. 2:14).

Remember that “knowledge” in Hebrew is covenant intimacy, not just information (see Isa. 1:3). The Millennium will be a time of revelation. The Lord “shall reveal all things” (D&C 101:32–34), and no one will need to teach his neighbor to know the Lord, “for they shall all know me” (Jer. 31:34). Peace follows knowing God. That’s true in a home, a heart, and a world.

Verses 10–16

The Lord gathers His people a second time

In plain words

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant of His people from Assyria, Egypt, upper Egypt, Cush, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel and the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish and Judah’s hostility will end. Ephraim won’t envy Judah, and Judah won’t harass Ephraim. Together they will overcome their enemies. The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea and sweep His hand over the Euphrates, splitting it into seven streams so people can cross in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of His people coming from Assyria, just as there was for Israel when they came up out of Egypt.

10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Restoration Insight #

The root of Jesse and the ensign

Now a root of Jesse stands as an ensign, a banner lifted high for the nations to see and rally to.

Now a root of Jesse stands as an ensign, a banner lifted high for the nations to see and rally to. Paul quotes this verse to show that the Gentiles would come to Christ (Rom. 15:12).

The Doctrine and Covenants gives a further interpretation. The root of Jesse is “a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days” (D&C 113:5–6). Many Latter-day Saints have seen the Prophet Joseph Smith here, since he received the keys of the gathering from Moses in the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:11). As with the rod, the revelation itself doesn’t name him.

Either way, the ensign is connected to priesthood keys and the gathering. The Lord later said the everlasting covenant itself was sent “to be a standard for my people” (D&C 45:9).

Sources: “Ensign”, Guide to the Scriptures.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Restoration Insight #

The second time

If this is the second time, what was the first? Verse 16 answers: the Exodus from Egypt.

If this is the second time, what was the first? Verse 16 answers: the Exodus from Egypt. Some also see the return from Babylon in Isaiah’s view. The second, greater gathering reaches the whole earth.

The Book of Mormon repeatedly applies this verse to the last days. Nephi said that “the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state,” and he immediately connected it with Isaiah’s later phrase: “he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder” (2 Ne. 25:17; see 2 Ne. 29:1). Jacob taught that the second gathering would come when the scattered “shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer” (2 Ne. 6:14).

The keys to this gathering were restored when Moses appeared in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 (D&C 110:11). President Russell M. Nelson has described it as the greatest work taking place on the earth today.

Sources: Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel”, worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018. Russell M. Nelson, “The Gathering of Scattered Israel”, general conference, Oct. 2006.

Restoration Insight #

Upon the isles of the sea

The list of places in verse 11 sweeps across the known world: Assyria (northeast), Egypt and Pathros (lower and upper Egypt, southwest), Cush (Ethiopia/Sudan, far south), Elam…

The list of places in verse 11 sweeps across the known world: Assyria (northeast), Egypt and Pathros (lower and upper Egypt, southwest), Cush (Ethiopia/Sudan, far south), Elam (Persia, far east), Shinar (Babylonia), Hamath (Syria, north), and finally “the islands of the sea,” the coastlands and distant places beyond the horizon.

Book of Mormon prophets took that last phrase personally. Jacob told his people, far from Jerusalem, “we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea” (2 Ne. 10:20). He added, “great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea,” for “the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off” (2 Ne. 10:21–22). Isaiah’s list included them.

12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

Restoration Insight #

Ephraim and Judah reconciled

Ephraim (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern) had been rivals ever since the kingdom split after Solomon (1 Kgs. 12), and in Isaiah’s day they were at war (Isa. 7:1–2).

Ephraim (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern) had been rivals ever since the kingdom split after Solomon (1 Kgs. 12), and in Isaiah’s day they were at war (Isa. 7:1–2). Isaiah promises that in the gathering the rivalry will end.

Ezekiel acted out the same promise with two sticks, one for Judah and one for Joseph and Ephraim, joined into one in his hand (Ezek. 37:15–22). Latter-day revelation connects the “stick of Ephraim” with the Book of Mormon (D&C 27:5; see 2 Ne. 3:12). The Bible (Judah’s record) and the Book of Mormon (Joseph’s record) now grow together, “unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions.” The reconciliation of the tribes has already begun with the reconciliation of their scriptures.

14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.

Imagery & Symbol #

A new exodus

Verses 15–16 retell the Exodus on a grander scale. The Lord “utterly destroy[s]” (dries up) the tongue of the Egyptian sea, as He parted the Red Sea.

Verses 15–16 retell the Exodus on a grander scale. The Lord “utterly destroy[s]” (dries up) the tongue of the Egyptian sea, as He parted the Red Sea. He sweeps His hand over “the river” (the Euphrates) and splits it into seven shallow streams, so that people can cross in sandals, “dryshod.” Then there is a highway home, “like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.”

The Doctrine and Covenants uses similar imagery for the gathering of the lost tribes: “an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep” (D&C 133:26–27). Whatever barriers stand between the Lord’s people and home, whether seas, rivers, or deserts, He will make a way through. Isaiah develops the highway image beautifully in Isa. 35:8–10 and Isa. 40:3–4.

16 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.

Seeing Christ in Isaiah 11

By revelation, we know that the Stem of Jesse in verses 1–5 is Christ (D&C 113:1–2). He is the shoot from David’s stump, resting in the fullness of the Spirit (John 3:34). He is the Judge who sees the heart and defends the poor. He is the King whose word is His sword and whose belt is righteousness.

His reign produces the peaceable kingdom of verses 6–9, when enmity ends and the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord. And it is His covenant people He gathers from the four corners of the earth in verses 10–16. The Exodus pointed to Him, and the second gathering is His work, with His servants holding the keys.

Liken it to yourself

Isaiah’s Messiah grows from a stump, from what looked dead. Is there a part of my life or my family that looks like a stump? Can I believe a shoot can grow from it?
He judges “not after the sight of his eyes.” How would my relationships change if I tried, however imperfectly, to judge the way He does?
The peaceable kingdom begins wherever “the knowledge of the LORD” fills a place. What would it take to fill my home with that knowledge “as the waters cover the sea”?
Moroni said this chapter was “about to be fulfilled.” How am I participating in the gathering of Israel, on both sides of the veil?

Worth exploring next

Moroni’s visit. Read JS—H 1:36–41. Moroni quoted Malachi 3–4, Isaiah 11, Acts 3, and Joel 2. What do these passages have in common?
D&C 113. Read the whole revelation. How does it change how you read Isaiah 11:1–10 and Isaiah 52:1–2?
The millennial kingdom. Compare Isaiah 11:6–9 with Isa. 65:17–25, 2 Ne. 30:9–18, and D&C 101:23–34.
Two sticks. Read Ezek. 37:15–28 with 2 Ne. 3:11–12 and D&C 27:5.

This chapter elsewhere in scripture

Nephi’s text of this chapter (2 Ne. 21) reads differently from the King James Version in 6 verses. The differences are all small words.

2 Ne. 21 — Nephi quotes the chapter.
2 Ne. 30:9–15 — Nephi quotes verses 4–9 about the Millennium.
JS—H 1:40 — Moroni quotes the chapter to Joseph Smith, “about to be fulfilled.”
D&C 113:1–6 — Revelation identifying the stem, the rod, and the root of Jesse.
Rom. 15:12 — Paul quotes verse 10 about the Gentiles seeking Christ.

Sources & further reading

Bruce R. McConkie, “Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah”, Ensign, Oct. 1973.
“Ensign”, Guide to the Scriptures.
Russell M. Nelson, “The Gathering of Scattered Israel”, general conference, Oct. 2006.
Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, and Tina M. Peterson, Understanding Isaiah, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1998.
Victor L. Ludlow, Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982.
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997.
Chapter 13: The Establishment of Zion (Isaiah 1–12), Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi (2003).

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