Yesaya 11:9

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ¹ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ² 

Yesaya 56:7

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. ³ 

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” ⁴ 

Yesaya 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ⁵ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ⁶ 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ⁷ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ⁸  says the Lord.

Yesaya 66:20

66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen ⁹  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ¹⁰  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ¹¹  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers.

[11:9]  ¹ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ² tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[56:7]  ³ tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”

[56:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

[65:25]  ⁵ sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ⁶ sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ⁷ sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)

[65:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.

[65:25]  sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.

[66:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”

[66:20]  ¹⁰ tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[66:20]  ¹¹ tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.