Isaiah 11 — Dead Sea Scrolls
16 verses • 15 variants • Columns X–XI of 1QIsaiah-a contain Isaiah chapter 11.
Scroll Overview
Summary
Isaiah 11 is one of the great messianic prophecies: the Branch from the stump of Jesse, the Spirit-endowed ruler, the peaceable kingdom, and the second exodus. 1QIsaiah-a preserves this chapter in excellent condition. The messianic vocabulary — choter ('shoot'), netser ('branch'), shoresh ('root') — reads identically in both traditions.
Notable Variants
The messianic terms are textually identical. Verse 1's choter miggeza Yishai ('a shoot from the stump of Jesse') and netser mishorashav ('a branch from his roots') read the same in 1QIsaiah-a. Verse 2's sevenfold Spirit description is preserved intact. The peaceable kingdom (vv. 6-9) shows minor orthographic variants only. Verse 10's 'root of Jesse' (shoresh Yishai) reads the same.
Scroll Condition
Excellent condition. The messianic passage is fully legible and among the most studied sections of the scroll.
A shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Masoretic (WLC)
חֹטֶר מִגֵּזַע יִשַׁי וְנֵצֶר מִשָּׁרָשָׁיו יִפְרֶה
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will bear fruit from his roots
Dead Sea Scroll
חוטר מגזע ישי ונצר משרשיו יפרה
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will bear fruit from his roots
1QIsaiah-a uses plene spelling for choter (חוטר with waw) but otherwise reads identically to the MT. The three key messianic botanical terms are all preserved: choter ('shoot'), geza ('stump'), and netser ('branch, sprout').
The word netser is particularly significant — it may be the etymological basis for the name 'Nazarene/Nazareth' (Matthew 2:23: 'He shall be called a Nazarene'). 1QIsaiah-a confirms this word was present in the pre-Christian text.
The phrase miggeza Yishai ('from the stump of Jesse') implies the Davidic dynasty has been cut down — it is a stump, not a living tree. Yet from this stump, new life emerges. The imagery presupposes the fall of the Davidic monarchy.
1QIsaᵃ col. X, line 28
The Spirit of the LORD will 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.
Masoretic (WLC)
רוּחַ יְהוָה רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה רוּחַ עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת יְהוָה
the Spirit of the LORD — the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD
Dead Sea Scroll
רוח יהוה רוח חוכמה ובינה רוח עצה וגבורה רוח דעת ויראת יהוה
the Spirit of the LORD — the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD
The sevenfold Spirit description reads identically in both traditions (with plene spelling of chokmah in 1QIsaiah-a). The three pairs — wisdom/understanding, counsel/might, knowledge/fear of the LORD — bracketed by 'the Spirit of the LORD' as their source, are fully preserved.
This passage became foundational for the Christian doctrine of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (the Septuagint adds 'piety' as a seventh, based on a different reading of 'fear of the LORD'). 1QIsaiah-a supports the MT's six-attribute structure, grouped in three pairs under the umbrella of the Spirit of YHWH.
1QIsaᵃ col. X, line 29
His delight will be in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide by what his ears hear,
Masoretic (WLC)
וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת יְהוָה
and his delight will be in the fear of the LORD
Dead Sea Scroll
והריחו ביראת יהוה
and his delight will be in the fear of the LORD
The verb haricho (from r-w-ch, 'to smell, perceive, delight in') reads the same. Some scholars have noted that 1QIsaiah-a's spacing may slightly differ, but the consonantal text agrees. The messianic king's judgments will not be based on surface appearance but on spiritual perception.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 1
but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and with equity he will decide for the humble of the land. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Masoretic (WLC)
לְעַנְוֵי־אָרֶץ
for the meek of the earth
Dead Sea Scroll
לענוי ארץ
for the meek of the earth
1QIsaiah-a reads 'anvei (ענוי) with a slightly different vowel pattern implied by the consonantal spelling, but the meaning is the same: the afflicted or meek of the earth. The messianic king judges with equity for the poor and strikes the earth with the rod of his mouth.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 2
Righteousness will be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the sash around his hips.
Masoretic (WLC)
וְהָאֱמוּנָה
and faithfulness
Dead Sea Scroll
והאמונה
and faithfulness
Identical consonantal text. Righteousness and faithfulness as the belt of the messianic king are preserved.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 3
The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf and the lion cub and the fattened animal together — and a little child will lead them.
Masoretic (WLC)
וְגָר זְאֵב עִם־כֶּבֶשׂ
and the wolf will dwell with the lamb
Dead Sea Scroll
וגר זאב עם כבש
and the wolf will dwell with the lamb
The peaceable kingdom vision opens identically. The famous image of the wolf dwelling with the lamb (not 'the lion and the lamb,' a common misquotation) reads the same in 1QIsaiah-a. The consonantal text is identical.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 4
The cow and the bear will graze together; their young will lie down side by side. The lion will eat straw like the ox.
Masoretic (WLC)
וּפָרָה
and the cow
Dead Sea Scroll
ופרה
and the cow
Identical consonantal text. The cow and the bear grazing together is preserved.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 5
The nursing child will play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will reach his hand into the viper's den.
Masoretic (WLC)
וְשִׁעֲשַׁע
and will play
Dead Sea Scroll
ושעשע
and will play
Identical consonantal text. The infant playing over the cobra's hole reads the same. The Hebrew root sh-'-sh-' means 'to delight, play.'
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 6
They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Masoretic (WLC)
כִּי־מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת־יְהוָה כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea
Dead Sea Scroll
כיא מלאה הארץ דעה את יהוה כמים לים מכסים
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea
1QIsaiah-a reads ki' (כיא) with an aleph — a characteristic Qumran spelling of the conjunction ki ('for, because'). This is purely orthographic.
The great vision statement — 'the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea' — reads identically in meaning. This verse connects back to the trisagion of 6:3 ('the whole earth is full of his glory') and represents its eschatological fulfillment: what is true now in the heavenly throne room will one day be true throughout the earth.
The word de'ah ('knowledge') here means experiential, relational knowledge — not mere information. The vision is of universal intimate knowledge of God.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 7
On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him, and his resting place will be glory.
Masoretic (WLC)
שֹׁרֶשׁ יִשַׁי
the root of Jesse
Dead Sea Scroll
שורש ישי
the root of Jesse
1QIsaiah-a uses plene spelling for shoresh (שורש with waw) but the reading is identical. The 'root of Jesse' is a complement to the 'shoot/branch from the stump of Jesse' in verse 1. The figure is both branch (descendant) and root (source) of Jesse — an image Paul picks up in Romans 15:12.
The phrase 'standing as a signal for the peoples' (omed le-nes ammim) envisions the messianic king as a rallying point for all nations — connecting to the universal scope of 2:2-4.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 8
On that day, the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant of his people — those who remain from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
Masoretic (WLC)
שֵׁנִית
a second time
Dead Sea Scroll
שנית
a second time
Identical consonantal text. God's 'second' regathering of the remnant echoes the exodus typology.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 9
He will raise a signal for the nations and gather the outcasts of Israel, and assemble the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Masoretic (WLC)
נִדְחֵי
the banished of
Dead Sea Scroll
נדחי
the banished of
Identical consonantal text. The regathering of Israel's dispersed and Judah's banished is preserved.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 10
The jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those hostile to Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim.
No significant variant. The scroll reads identically to the MT here.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 11
They will swoop down on the Philistine slope to the west; together they will plunder the people of the east. They will stretch out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will submit to them.
Masoretic (WLC)
פְלִשְׁתִּים
Philistines
Dead Sea Scroll
פלשתים
Philistines
Identical consonantal text.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 12
The LORD will dry up the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and wave his hand over the Euphrates with a scorching wind. He will split it into seven channels and make people cross on foot.
Masoretic (WLC)
לְשׁוֹן יָם־מִצְרַיִם
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt
Dead Sea Scroll
לשון ים מצרים
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt
Identical reading. The drying up of the 'tongue' (inlet or bay) of the Egyptian sea echoes the Red Sea crossing.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 13
There will be a highway for the remnant of his people, for those who remain from Assyria, just as there was for Israel on the day they came up out of the land of Egypt.
Masoretic (WLC)
מְסִלָּה
a highway
Dead Sea Scroll
מסלה
a highway
Identical consonantal text. The chapter closes with the vision of a highway for the remnant, 'as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt' — explicitly connecting the future restoration to the exodus. 1QIsaiah-a preserves this typological link intact.
1QIsaᵃ col. XI, line 14