Isaiah 11:6
in Isaiah 11The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the wolf 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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Isaiah 11
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThe wolf also shall, etc. “Then shall the wolf,” etc. - The idea of the renewal of the golden age, as it is called, is much the same in the Oriental writers with that of the Greeks and Romans: - the wild beasts grow tame; serpents and poisonous herbs become harmless; all is peace and harmony, plenty and happiness: - Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni Occidet. Vega. Eclog. 4:24. “The serpent’s brood shall die. The sacred ground Shall weeds and noxious plants refuse to bear.” - Nec magnos metuent armenta leones. Virg. Eclog.
This site's exposition
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb
on Isaiah 11:6-8
The wolf dwells with the lamb, the leopard lies down with the kid, and a little child leads the calf and the young lion together, predator and prey reordered under a single small hand rather than removed from the earth. The lion eating straw like the ox reverses the animal kingdom's usual violence rather than merely restraining it, and the sucking child who plays on the hole of the asp extends the peace to the most fearful image available, a serpent's den made safe for an infant's hand. Gill and Barnes both note the images build on each other by degree, moving from large predators toward the smallest and most vulnerable figure in the whole picture, the weaned child.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The wolf - The creatures shall be restored to that state of innocency in which they were before the fall of man. Men of fierce, and cruel dispositions, shall be so transformed by the grace of Christ, that they shall become gentle, and tractable. A child - They will submit their rebellious wills to the conduct of the meanest persons that speak to them in Christ's name.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְגָ֤ר | vegar | and it will sojourn | H1481 → | 97 times |
| זְאֵב֙ | zeev | wolf | H2061 → | |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| כֶּ֔בֶשׂ | keves | lamb | H3532 → | 107 times |
| וְנָמֵ֖ר | venamer | and leopard | H5246 → | |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| גְּדִ֣י | gedi | kid | H1423 → | |
| יִרְבָּ֑ץ | yirbatz | it will lie down | H7257 → | 30 times |
| וְעֵ֨גֶל | veegel | and calf | H5695 → | |
| וּכְפִ֤יר | ukhefir | and young lion | H3715 → | 32 times |
| וּמְרִיא֙ | umeri' | and fatling | H4806 → | |
| יַחְדָּ֔ו | yachdav | together | H3162 → | 141 times |
| וְנַ֥עַר | venaar | and a child | H5288 → | 239 times |
| קָטֹ֖ן | katon | small | H6996 → | 101 times |
| נֹהֵ֥ג | noheg | [will be] leading | H5090 → | 31 times |
| בָּֽם׃ | bam | <in> them |
וְגָ֤רand it will sojourn
vegarH1481 →97 times
זְאֵב֙wolf
zeevH2061 →
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
כֶּ֔בֶשׂlamb
kevesH3532 →107 times
וְנָמֵ֖רand leopard
venamerH5246 →
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
גְּדִ֣יkid
gediH1423 →
יִרְבָּ֑ץit will lie down
yirbatzH7257 →30 times
וְעֵ֨גֶלand calf
veegelH5695 →
וּכְפִ֤ירand young lion
ukhefirH3715 →32 times
וּמְרִיא֙and fatling
umeri'H4806 →
יַחְדָּ֔וtogether
yachdavH3162 →141 times
וְנַ֥עַרand a child
venaarH5288 →239 times
קָטֹ֖ןsmall
katonH6996 →101 times
נֹהֵ֥ג[will be] leading
nohegH5090 →31 times
בָּֽם׃<in> them
bam
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 34:25I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
it leads to
- Isaiah 11:6–9
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 35:9
No lion will be there, and no vicious beast will go up on it. Such will not be found there, but the redeemed will walk upon it.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 37:26
And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever.
- Leviticus 26:6
And I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to fear. I will rid the land of dangerous animals, and no sword will pass through your land.
- Isaiah 11:6–9
Through
Hosea 2:18On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 34:25
I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
- Ezekiel 39:9–10
Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they…
- Psalms 46:9
He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
- Isaiah 65:25
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the food of the serpent will be dust. They will neither harm nor destroy on all…
- Ezekiel 34:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.