The Meaning of Isaiah 11:9 Explained

Isaiah 11:9

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.

YLT: Evil they do not, nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For full hath been the earth with the knowledge of Jehovah, As the waters are covering the sea.

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

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 11:9 Mean?

Study Notes

for the earth
For the earth shall be filled
Cf. Isaiah 11:9 which fixes the time when "the earth," etc. It is when David's righteous Branch has set up the kingdom. (See "Kingdom (O.T.),"; 2 Samuel 7:9 ; Zechariah 12:8 also, "Kingdom (N.T.),"; Luke 1:31-33 ; 1 Corinthians 15:28 . Habakkuk's phrase marks an advance on that of Isaiah. In the latter it is "the knowledge of the Lord." That, in a certain sense, is being diffused now; but in Habakkuk it is "the knowledge of the glory of the Lord," and that cannot be till He is manifested in glory; Matthew 24:30 ; Matthew 25:31 ; Luke 9:26 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:7 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ; Judges 1:14 . The transfiguration was a foreview of this. Luke 9:26-29 .

Verse Meaning

The enemies of humankind, those that are hurtful and destructive, will no longer hurt or destroy people in God"s holy mountain (kingdom, cf. Isaiah 2:2-3; Daniel 2:32; Daniel 2:45; et al.)-because everyone will know (relationally) the Lord (cf. Jeremiah 31:34). "Mountain" seems to refer metaphorically here to God"s kingdom, since it is the whole earth, not just a small region, that will be full of the knowledge of the LORD. "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD" means: "there will be universal submission to the LORD"s sovereignty" (NET cf. Isaiah 11:2). The animals contrasted in Isaiah 11:6-8 undoubtedly represent people. Peaceful conditions in the animal kingdom could not be all that Isaiah intended but global peace.

Context Summary

Isaiah 11:1-9 - The Kingdom Of The Messiah
The advance of the Assyrian along the great north road is graphically described. It was marked by raided villages and towns. The night sky was lurid with flames. But his collapse would be as sudden and irretrievable as the felling of forest timber. As the one chapter closes we can almost hear the crash of the Assyrian tree to the ground, and there is no sprout from his roots. But in the next the prophet descries a fair and healthy branch uprising from the trunk of Jesse's line. The vision of the King is then presented, who can be none other than the divine Redeemer on whom rests the sevenfold Spirit of God. The second verse defines the work of the Comforter, and is evidently the model of that royal hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus. But remember that He on whom this divine unction rested longs to share the pentecostal gift with the least of His disciples, 1 John 2:27. Note that as man's sin brought travail and groaning on all creation, so will His redemption deliver it, Romans 8:19-25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 11

1  The peaceable kingdom of the Branch out of the root of Jesse
10  The victorious restoration of Israel, and vocation of the Gentiles

What do the individual words in Isaiah 11:9 mean?

Not they shall hurt nor destroy in all mountain My holy for shall be full the earth of the knowledge - of Yahweh as the waters the sea cover -
לֹֽא־ יָרֵ֥עוּ וְלֹֽא־ יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ בְּכָל־ הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֑י כִּֽי־ מָלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־ יְהוָ֔ה כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים פ

יָרֵ֥עוּ  they  shall  hurt 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
וְלֹֽא־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ  destroy 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
בְּכָל־  in  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַ֣ר  mountain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
קָדְשִׁ֑י  My  holy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
מָלְאָ֣ה  shall  be  full 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
הָאָ֗רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
דֵּעָה֙  of  the  knowledge 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: דֵּעָה  
Sense: knowledge (of God).
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
כַּמַּ֖יִם  as  the  waters 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
לַיָּ֥ם  the  sea 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
מְכַסִּֽים  cover 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation