וְיָצָא חֹטֶר מִגֵּזַע יִשָׁי וְנֵצֶר מִשָּׁרָשָׁיו יִפְרֶה

A branch will emerge from the trunk of Yishai, and a shoot will grow from its roots. This description relates to a tree such as a date palm, whose branches and shoots are used to propagate new trees. Israel’s redeemer will belong to the house of David, but he will not necessarily be a direct descendant of the monarch who reigned in Isaiah’s time.

וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ ה'רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה רוּחַ עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת ה'

He will be a remarkable man, as the spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, with the following qualities: A spirit of wisdom and understanding, intellectual ability, a spirit of counsel and valor, more practical virtues, like leadership and the courage to face his enemies; a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, the proper attitude toward worldly matters.

וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת ה'וְלֹא לְמַרְאֵה עֵינָיו יִשְׁפּוֹט וְלֹא לְמִשְׁמַע אָזְנָיו יוֹכִיחַ

He will be infused [vaharih]· with the fear of the Lord. The word vahariḥo can mean he will smell. Some explain that by virtue of his fear of God, he will be able to metaphorically smell whether one is innocent or guilty; that is, to intuit the truth. Not by the sight of his eyes will he judge, and not by the hearing of his ears will he decide; he will not require testimony or deliberation, as he will immediately know with whom lies the truth.

וְשָׁפַט בְּצֶדֶק דַּלִּים וְהוֹכִיחַ בְּמִישׁוֹר לְעַנְוֵי אָרֶץ וְהִכָּה אֶרֶץ בְּשֵׁבֶט פִּיו ובְרוּחַ שְׂפָתָיו יָמִית רָשָׁע

He will provide justice for the impoverished and downtrodden, and with probity will guide the meek of the land. Nevertheless, he will smite the land with the rod of his mouth. Should it become necessary to impose punishment or wage war, he will be able to smite the land with his mouth alone, and with only the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. He will need no weapons; the strength of his spirit will suffice.

וְהָיָה צֶדֶק — אֵזוֹר מָתְנָיו וְהָאֱמוּנָה — אֵזוֹר חֲלָצָיו

Justice will be the belt of his waist, and faith the belt of his loins. A belt was typically one of the royal garments. Metaphorically, the Messiah will gird himself with justice and faith, and they will be the source of his strength.

וְגָר זְאֵב עִם כֶּבֶשׂ וְנָמֵר עִם גְּדִי יִרְבָּץ וְעֵגֶל וּכְפִיר וּמְרִיא יַחְדָּו וְנַעַר קָטֹן נֹהֵג בָּם

The Messianic Era will be characterized by universal peace and tranquility: The wolf will reside with the sheep, and the leopard will lie down with the kid; calf, young lion, and fatling, a large and fattened bull, will be together. Predators will live peacefully alongside their prey, and even a small lad will be able to lead them, as the handling of lions and leopards will require no more competence than the tending of sheep.

וּפָרָה וָדֹב תִּרְעֶינָה יַחְדָּו יִרְבְּצוּ יַלְדֵיהֶן וְאַרְיֵה כַּבָּקָר יֹאכַל תֶּבֶן

Cow and bear will graze alongside one another; together their young, the calves and the cubs, will lie down. A lion will cease to prey on other animals, and like the ox, will eat straw and grass.

וְשִׁעֲשַׁע יוֹנֵק עַל חֻר פָּתֶן וְעַל מְאוּרַת צִפְעוֹנִי — גָּמוּל — יָדוֹ הָדָה

A nursing child will play on the hole of a venomous cobra, and on the lair of a viper the weanling will extend his hand, because in messianic times, these snakes will cease to be dangerous.

לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְלֹא יַשְׁחִיתוּ בְּכָל הַר קָדְשִׁי כִּי מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת ה' כַּמַּיִם ליָּם מְכַסִּים

They will not cause harm and they will not destroy throughout My sacred mountain, for the earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as the water covers the floor of the sea. Just as water covers the seabed and fills its depressions and hollows, so too, the knowledge of God will fill the world and all its creatures. This will effect dramatic change in the world, which will be expressed as perfect harmony.

וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא שֹׁרֶשׁ יִשַׁי אֲשֶׁר עֹמֵד לְנֵס עַמִּים אֵלָיו גּוֹיִם יִדְרֹשׁוּ וְהָיְתָה מְנֻחָתוֹ כָּבוֹד

It shall be on that day: The one who will descend from the familial root of Yishai, which stands as a banner of the peoples, to him will nations appeal. The nations will seek him out on their own and obey him; he will not have to impose his views on them (see 42:4, 51:5). And his resting place will be glorious.

וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יוֹסִיף אֲדֹנָי שֵׁנִית יָדוֹ לִקְנוֹת אֶת שְׁאָר עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֵר מֵאַשּׁוּר וּמִמִּצְרַיִם וּמִפַּתְרוֹס וּמִכּוּשׁ וּמֵעֵילָם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר וּמֵחֲמָת וּמֵאִיֵּי הַיָּם

It shall be on that day that the Lord will continue, setting His mighty hand a second time to acquire for Himself the remnant of His people, by gathering together those that will remain from Assyria, from Egypt, from Patros, from Kush, from Elam, from Shinar, and from Hamat, and from the islands of the sea.The people of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth.

וְנָשָׂא נֵס לַגּוֹיִם וְאָסַף נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְפֻצוֹת יְהוּדָה יְקַבֵּץ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ

He will raise a banner for the nations, and He will gather the outcasts of Israel. The nations will acknowledge the raising of the redeemer’s banner, which will be a call for the ingathering of Israel from among the nations. He will assemble the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

וְסָרָה קִנְאַת אֶפְרַיִם וְצֹרְרֵי יְהוּדָה יִכָּרֵתוּ אֶפְרַיִם לֹא יְקַנֵּא אֶת יְהוּדָה וִיהוּדָה לֹא יָצֹר אֶת אֶפְרָיִם

The jealousy of those who fight against Ephraim will cease and the enemies and persecutors of Judah, from within and without, will be eliminated. Ephraim will not envy Judah and Judah will not persecute Ephraim. The discord that prevailed between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel for so long will ultimately transform into friendship.

וְעָפוּ בְכָתֵף פְּלִשְׁתִּים יָמָּה יַחְדָּו יָבֹזּוּ אֶת בְּנֵי קֶדֶם אֱדוֹם וּמוֹאָב מִשְׁלוֹחַ יָדָם וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּם

Ephraim and Judah will defeat their common enemies together: They will fly shoulder to shoulder to fight against their common enemy, the Philistines, to the west. Such cooperation was rare between the two kingdoms. Together they will plunder the people of the East. Edom and Moav will be in their power, to do with them as they please; and they will impose their discipline over the children of Amon.

וְהֶחֱרִים ה' אֵת לְשׁוֹן יָם מִצְרַיִם וְהֵנִיף יָדוֹ עַל הַנָּהָר בַּעְיָם רוּחוֹ וְהִכָּהוּ לְשִׁבְעָה נְחָלִים וְהִדְרִיךְ בַּנְּעָלִים

Moreover, the Lord will destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and He will wave His hand over the river, the Euphrates, with the power and might of His wind. He will strike the river so that it will split into seven streams, and this will effectively dry it up so that it will be passable in shoes, that is, on foot.

וְהָיְתָה מְסִלָּה לִשְׁאָר עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֵר מֵאַשּׁוּר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיוֹם עֲלֹתוֹ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

There will be a highway for the remnant of His people that will remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel on the day of its ascent from the land of Egypt. Just as Israel’s path out of Egypt was smooth and free of all hindrances, so will be the path taken by the redeemed of Israel when they return from the lands to which Assyria has exiled them.