Advent · Second Sunday in Advent · Year A
Isaiah 11:1-10
A Shoot from Jesse’s Stump
December 7, 2025
Overview & Insights
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1)
The oracle follows immediately on the felling of a forest at the end of chapter 10, so the stump in v. 1 is an image the poem inherits from what precedes it: the dynasty cut down, and sprouting anyway. The list of endowments in v. 2 became, by way of the Greek and Latin versions, the traditional seven gifts of the Spirit, those versions supplying piety where the Hebrew simply repeats the fear of the LORD. What the king is given is entirely verbal and perceptual rather than military: he does not judge by what his eyes see (v. 3), and he strikes with the rod of his mouth (v. 4), a line echoed at 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and turned into a sword in Revelation 19:15. The animal peace of vv. 6-9 is located on the holy mountain and grounded in knowledge of the LORD filling the earth like water. Verse 10, the root of Jesse as a signal for the nations, is the verse Paul quotes in this Sunday’s epistle (Rom 15:12).
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Take it further: Isaiah 11:1-10
Commentary
Commentary on Isaiah 11:1-10Commentary on Is 11:1-10 Working Preacher
Situates the 'shoot from the stump of Jesse' within Isaiah's larger 'lopping off' imagery, arguing the new order begins only after the destruction of unjust power.
Isaiah 11:1-10 CommentaryIs 11:1-10 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
Preaching-focused commentary on the December 7, 2025 (Advent 2A) reading built around the themes of fear and hope, arguing Jesus makes Isaiah's lofty hopes for a Savior concretely true.
Isaiah 11 Commentary: The Branch and Root of JesseIs 11 Commentary: The Branch and Root of Jesse Enduring Word (David Guzik)
Verse-by-verse commentary describing the Spirit-filled, righteous-judging Branch of Jesse and the peaceable-kingdom imagery of the wolf dwelling with the lamb.
Isaiah 11 CommentaryIs 11 Commentary Precept Austin
Detailed word-by-word evangelical commentary on the shoot from Jesse's stump and the sevenfold description of the Spirit resting on him in verse 2.
Isaiah 11 CommentariesIs 11 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregates classic commentaries (Barnes, Cambridge, Pulpit) on Isaiah 11:1, comparing older readings of the Davidic 'shoot' prophecy.
Background & Word Study
Isaiah 11Is 11 Sefaria
Presents the Hebrew text alongside classical Jewish commentators (Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Radak), giving a Jewish interpretive lineage for the Davidic 'shoot' and peaceable-kingdom oracle that Christian readers rarely see.
Isaiah 11 InterlinearIs 11 Interlinear BibleHub
Word-by-word Hebrew interlinear and Strong's numbers for Isaiah 11:1, useful for checking the exact sense of 'shoot' (choter) and 'stump' (geza).
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