The Book of Isaiah, Chapter Eleven, The Messiah and Re-Union of Judah with Joseph
[Isaiah 11:1] THERE SHALL COME FORTH A SHOOT FROM THE STUMP OF JESSE, AND A BRANCH SHALL GROW OUT OF HIS ROOTS.
This is speaking of the future Messiah son of David whose father was Jesse (Yishai).
[Isaiah 11:2] AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD SHALL REST UPON HIM, THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING, THE SPIRIT OF COUNSEL AND MIGHT, THE SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE FEAR OF THE LORD.
He shall be a human being with spiritual and other powers beyond those of other people.
[Isaiah 11:3] AND HIS DELIGHT SHALL BE IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD. HE SHALL NOT JUDGE BY WHAT HIS EYES SEE, OR DECIDE BY WHAT HIS EARS HEAR;
He will have developed the ability of insight into the hearts and souls of other beings.
[Isaiah 11:4] BUT WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS HE SHALL JUDGE THE POOR, AND DECIDE WITH EQUITY FOR THE MEEK OF THE EARTH; AND HE SHALL SMITE THE EARTH WITH THE ROD OF HIS MOUTH, AND WITH THE BREATH OF HIS LIPS HE SHALL SLAY THE WICKED.
[Isaiah 11:5] RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL BE THE GIRDLE OF HIS WAIST, AND FAITHFULNESS THE GIRDLE OF HIS LOINS.
[Isaiah 11:6] THE WOLF SHALL DWELL WITH THE LAMB, AND THE LEOPARD SHALL LIE DOWN WITH THE KID, AND THE CALF AND THE LION AND THE FATLING TOGETHER, AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.
“THE WOLF SHALL DWELL WITH THE LAMB” Some take this literally others see it as a metaphor just meaning that things will be better and there will be peace on earth. No more war, oppression, or violence.
[Isaiah 11:7] THE COW AND THE BEAR SHALL FEED; THEIR YOUNG SHALL LIE DOWN TOGETHER; AND THE LION SHALL EAT STRAW LIKE THE OX.
[Isaiah 11:8] THE SUCKING CHILD SHALL PLAY OVER THE HOLE OF THE ASP, AND THE WEANED CHILD SHALL PUT HIS HAND ON THE ADDER'S DEN.
[Isaiah 11:9] THEY SHALL NOT HURT OR DESTROY IN ALL MY HOLY MOUNTAIN; FOR THE EARTH SHALL BE FULL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA.
“THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD” We shall all know the truth. In our generation by seeking to learn the truth and spread knowledge of it we are helping to forward the Messianic Era.
[Isaiah 11:10] IN THAT DAY THE ROOT OF JESSE SHALL STAND AS AN ENSIGN TO THE PEOPLES; HIM SHALL THE NATIONS SEEK, AND HIS DWELLINGS SHALL BE GLORIOUS.
[Isaiah 11:11] IN THAT DAY THE LORD WILL EXTEND HIS HAND YET A SECOND TIME TO RECOVER THE REMNANT WHICH IS LEFT OF HIS PEOPLE, FROM ASSYRIA, FROM EGYPT, FROM PATHROS, FROM ETHIOPIA [CUSH], FROM ELAM, FROM SHINAR, FROM HAMATH, AND FROM THE COASTLANDS [Isles] OF THE SEA.
These are the exiles of Judah and Israel: The places spoken of are areas to which exiles were taken and from there went elsewhere. They are not necessarily places from which the exiles will return.
ASSYRIA the Lost Ten Tribes who were exiled by Assyria. Some equate Assyria WITH GERMANY.
EGYPT in Hebrew “Mitsrayim”. Some of the Lost Tribes were exiled via Egypt and so too were many of the Jews. The Celts of Britain and Ireland had early contacts with Egypt. Egypt in some contexts can also equal Russia.
PATHROS a place in Egypt though some a place on the Turkish border.
“ETHIOPIA” in Hebrew “Cush”. Cush could mean Africa in general, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia. In connection with the Lost Ten Tribes we believe in most cases that “Cush” applies to Central Asia.
ELAM an area in southwest Persia. Elam was once an important country. The bulk of the Ancient Persians were probably of Elamite origin. Elamite was the most common spoken language amongst the Persians. Archeological findings reveal a connection between Elam and the Sacae of Central Asia who became the Anglo-Saxons. Elam was descended from Sem.
Craig White and others appear to trace people of Yugoslavia to Elam.
SHINAR meaning Babylon but also applied to the northern shores of the Black Sea. Babylon was an important dispersion point for the Jews of Judah.
COASTLANDS OF THE SEA: in Hebrew “Iyai HaYam” or "Isles of the Sea" and referring to the British Isles. Over the years I have encountered a lot of problems with these Israelite Identifications of ours. Even so the overall conclusions have been confirmed and the justification for our direction of enquiry has been strengthened.
[Isaiah 11:12] HE WILL RAISE AN ENSIGN FOR THE NATIONS, AND WILL ASSEMBLE THE OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL, AND GATHER THE DISPERSED OF JUDAH FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH.
OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL, = The Lost Ten Tribes who will be found gathered together in specific areas.
THE DISPERSED OF JUDAH i.e. the Jews who are scattered all over the world.
[Isaiah 11:13] THE JEALOUSY OF EPHRAIM SHALL DEPART, AND THOSE WHO HARASS JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF; EPHRAIM SHALL NOT BE JEALOUS OF JUDAH, AND JUDAH SHALL NOT HARASS EPHRAIM.
" Concerning who did Isaiah pronounce this prophecy. He was speaking only concerning Judah and Joseph. S aid Rabbi Shmuel son of Nachman in the name of Rabbi Yonathan, when Joseph and Judah were arguing the Holy Angels said to each other, Let us go down and see what is happening. Usually when a bull and a lion confront each other the bull retreats before the lion. In this case a bull (Joseph) and a lion (Judah) are arguing and there is a standoff. Jealousy will continue to abide between these two until the Messiah comes, as it says, “THE ENVY ALSO OF EPHRAIM SHALL DEPART, AND THE ADVERSARIES OF JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF: EPHRAIM SHALL NOT ENVY JUDAH, AND JUDAH SHALL NOT VEX EPHRAIM” [Isaiah 11:13]. (Midrash Tanchuma, VaYigash, 4).
# In the past Jeroboam the son of Nebat who was from Ephraim hated King Rehoboam who was from Judah. There was a controversy between them. In the future there will be peace between these two anointed leaders. They will not be jealous of each other. Concerning them, it says, “THE ENVY ALSO OF EPHRAIM SHALL DEPART, AND THE ADVERSARIES OF JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF: EPHRAIM SHALL NOT ENVY JUDAH, AND JUDAH SHALL NOT VEX EPHRAIM” [Isaiah 11:13] (Midrash Brayshit Rabati page 147).
# Everywhere you find these two tribes (Judah and Joseph) hating each other and antagonistic to each other, etc. May we infer from this that even the future Anointed Captain of War who will arise from Joseph and the Annoited Messiah who will arise from Judah will (Heaven forbid) be jealous of each other? No. There will be no antagonism between them, as it says, “THE ENVY ALSO OF EPHRAIM SHALL DEPART, AND THE ADVERSARIES OF JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF: EPHRAIM SHALL NOT ENVY JUDAH, AND JUDAH SHALL NOT VEX EPHRAIM” [Isaiah 11:13]. (Midrash Agadat Brayshit 63).
Anointed Captain of War refers to Messiah son of Joseph future leader of the Lost Ten Tribes.
“EPHRAIM” represents all the Ten Tribes.
“WHO HARASS JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF” Anti-Semites will be punished.
“EPHRAIM SHALL NOT BE JEALOUS OF JUDAH” - A lot of anti-Semitism is due to jealousy.
“JUDAH SHALL NOT HARASS EPHRAIM” - Jewish do-gooders and hyper-active individuals etc sometimes antagonize other people.
This verse speaks of “Ephraim” (the Ten Tribes) and “Judah” (the Jews) as remaining separate entities sometimes antagonistic to each other right up o the end times.
[Isaiah 11:14] BUT THEY SHALL SWOOP DOWN UPON THE SHOULDER OF THE PHILISTINES IN THE WEST, AND TOGETHER THEY SHALL PLUNDER THE PEOPLE OF THE EAST. THEY SHALL PUT FORTH THEIR HAND AGAINST EDOM AND MOAB, AND THE AMMONITES SHALL OBEY THEM.
The above verse (Isaiah 11;14) concerning the Philistines as it has been translated (in the KJ and Orthodox Jewish "Koren" translation) is consistent with the simple Hebrew and with the context. Nevertheless, one of the intricacies of Biblical Hebrew is that often words and expressions may intentionally have more than one meaning. In this case the Hebrew may also be understood as saying,
"THEY SHALL FLY THE PHILISTINES AWAY WESTWARD”
The Hebrew says: "VeAFU BeCeTeF PLiSHTIM YaMaH..", i.e. wordforword:
"[veafu] And they will fly ((or cause to be flown)) [becetef] bywing [Plishtim] Phillistines [yama] towards the Sea ((or Towards the west)) ":
this may be interpreted to mean anyone of the following:
1.That the Phillistines in the west are being flown against, OR
2. ALTERNATELY (and more consistently with the Literal Hebrew) that they will be flown out westward, OR
3. BOTH EXPLANATIONS MAY PROVE CORRECT!
It is interesting to note that the word for westward is the Hebrew "Yamah" meaning literally "to the sea", and the sea was in the west.. The Palestinians used to repeatedly declare their intention of driving the Jews "into the sea" though now they use more openly that they want to kill all the Jews. On some subconscious mystical level the Palestinians may have been trying to redirect what is literally prophesied concerning their own destiny.
. i.e. The Palestinians shall be transported elsewhere by air flight "towards the sea", to somewhere in the west, perhaps to North Africa or to South America*n.
Not only does Scripture and its connected tradition identify modern nations with their ancestral counterparts, the Bible also indicates the final outcome of ancestral struggles that were begun long ago.
[NUMBERS 33:51] SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY UNTO THEM, WHEN YE ARE PASSED OVER JORDAN INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN;
[NUMBERS 33:52] THEN YE SHALL DRIVE OUT ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND FROM BEFORE YOU, AND DESTROY ALL THEIR PICTURES, AND DESTROY ALL THEIR MOLTEN IMAGES, AND QUITE PLUCK DOWN ALL THEIR HIGH PLACES:
[NUMBERS 33:53] AND YE SHALL DISPOSSESS THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND, AND DWELL THEREIN: FOR I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE LAND TO POSSESS IT.
Isaiah 11;14 continues:
TOGETHER THEY SHALL PLUNDER THE PEOPLE OF THE EAST. THEY SHALL PUT FORTH THEIR HAND AGAINST EDOM AND MOAB, AND THE AMMONITES SHALL OBEY THEM.
Ephraim and Judah will work together. They shall be united. They shall subdue the eastern peoples,
Edom (Europe especially Germany and Italy possibly Eastern Europe) will be taken care of. So will Moab (in Eastern Europe?).
And the Ammonites will obey them.
[Isaiah 11:15] AND THE LORD WILL UTTERLY DESTROY THE TONGUE OF THE SEA OF EGYPT; AND WILL WAVE HIS HAND OVER THE RIVER WITH HIS SCORCHING WIND, AND SMITE IT INTO SEVEN CHANNELS THAT MEN MAY CROSS DRYSHOD.
“DESTROY THE TONGUE OF THE SEA OF EGYPT:” Some say this is the region of Suez. The Bosporus (connecting Asian Turkey to Europe) isalso a possibility in the light of other commentaries.
“IT INTO SEVEN CHANNELS” 7 channels against the 7 areas of exile (Commentary in Me Am Loaz} mentioned earlier in Isiah 11;11 from Assyria, Mitsrayim, Patros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, Isles of the Sea.
[Isaiah 11:16] AND THERE WILL BE A HIGHWAY FROM ASSYRIA FOR THE REMNANT WHICH IS LEFT OF HIS PEOPLE, AS THERE WAS FOR ISRAEL WHEN THEY CAME UP FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT.
(Commentary in Me Am Loaz} FROM ASSYRIA: For those of the Lost Ten tribes exiled by Assyria.
See Also:
Isaiah-11:13 Ephraim and Judah. The Way-Back is through self -realization.