11:1 And there shall come forth a a rod out of the stem of
Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
(a) Because the captivity of Babylon was a figure of the
spiritual captivity under sin, he shows that our true
deliverance must come by Christ: for as David came out
of Jesse, a man without dignity, so Christ would come
of a poor carpenter's house as out of a dead stock,
(Isa 53:2).
11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove
with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall b
smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
(b) All these properties can agree to no one, but only to
Christ: for it is he who touches the hearts of the
faithful and mortifies their concupiscence: and to the
wicked he is the favour of death and to them who will
perish, so that all the world will be smitten with his
rod, which is his word.
11:6 The c 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.
(c) Men because of their wicked affections are named by the
names of beasts, in which the same affections reign:
but Christ by his Spirit will reform them, and work in
them such mutual charity, that they will be like lambs,
favouring and loving one another and cast off all their
cruel affections, (Isa 65:25).
11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain:
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,
as d the waters cover the sea.
(d) It will be in as great abundance as the waters in the
sea.
11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which
shall stand for an ensign of the e people; to it shall
the Gentiles seek: and his f rest shall be glorious.
(e) He prophecies of the calling of the Gentiles.
(f) That is, the Church which he also calls his rest,
(Ps 132:14).
11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord
shall set his hand g again the second time to recover
the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from
Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush,
and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from
the isles of the sea.
(g) For God first delivered his people out of Egypt and
now promises to deliver them out of their enemies
hands as from the Parthians, Persians, Chaldeans and
them of Antioch among whom they were dispersed and
this is chiefly meant of Christ, who calls his people
being dispersed through all the world.
11:13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries
of h Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy
Judah, and Judah shall not distress Ephraim.
(h) Here he describes the consent that will be in his
Church and their victory against their enemies.
11:15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the i tongue of the
Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his
hand k over the river, and shall smite it in the seven
streams, and make [men] go over dryshod.
(i) Meaning a corner of the sea that enters into the land
and has the form of a tongue.
(k) That is, Nile, the great river of Egypt which enters
into the sea with seven streams.
